1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,040 We live on a crowded planet. 2 00:00:09,940 --> 00:00:13,440 But there are still vast areas... 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,800 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS ..where nature has the upper hand. 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,240 It looks like another planet. 5 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:23,040 I'm heading to the last great wildernesses. 6 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,200 I'll try to cross four of these rugged landscapes... 7 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:32,560 Oh, my God! 8 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:34,720 ..on my toughest journeys yet. 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,200 I have to be honest, things are not going brilliantly. 10 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,120 A bit of a medical situation. 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:41,840 Help is a long way away. 12 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,920 - Well done. - Well done. 13 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:46,480 - SIMON LAUGHS 14 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:49,880 I want to meet the people for whom the wilderness is home... 15 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,840 Testicles for breakfast, lunch and dinner! 16 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,800 ..to see how they live alongside nature. 17 00:00:57,800 --> 00:00:59,480 Whoa! 18 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,200 I can stay down there for a minute or so. 19 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,440 He's still down there now walking around. 20 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,400 And in this critical time for our world... 21 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,640 Huge carcasses of great trees. 22 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,240 ..seek out the rare and majestic creatures that still survive... 23 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,720 My heart is racing. 24 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:22,040 THUNDER 25 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,440 ..in some of the most hostile environments... 26 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:27,320 Are you OK, Jonathan? - Yeah, yeah. 27 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,000 - ..and the remotest regions... Bloody hell! 28 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,920 ..of our wild planet. 29 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:42,480 Big cats roaming free. 30 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:48,000 This surely is the absolute definition of a real wilderness. 31 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,960 I'm in Argentina, travelling through Patagonia, 32 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,120 a region so vast it covers the lower third 33 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,880 of the continent of South America. 34 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,480 It's a land of myth and mystery, 35 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,200 of grasslands and forests surrounding mountains and ice. 36 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,400 Nature is still in charge here, 37 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,280 in one of the wildest places left on Earth. 38 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:30,440 Oh, my God. 39 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,640 I mean, it is breathtakingly beautiful, isn't it? 40 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:40,480 Our plan is to head that way - 41 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,200 the end of the valley and then up, 42 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,480 because up there, beyond the mountains, 43 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,880 is a vast store of ice. 44 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,480 The South Patagonian Ice Field. 45 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,480 The ice field is the cold heart at the centre of Patagonia. 46 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,960 It's a colossal critical bank of frozen water. 47 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,200 I don't think we know enough about it. 48 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:09,280 I hope to reach it, then track it right down to its southern edge. 49 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,720 On the journey I'll try to meet up with some of the rugged souls 50 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,200 who survive in wild Patagonia. 51 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,480 Across the huge grassland steppe of Eastern Chile, 52 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,720 I'll search for pumas - the mountain lions of South America. 53 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,680 Ultimately, I hope to reach the Grey Glacier 54 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,720 in the south of the ice field. 55 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,360 The first challenge is getting to the South Patagonian Ice Field, 56 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:37,960 high above us. 57 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,440 It's hard to reach. - Yes, it's dangerous. 58 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,200 If you will see the blue sky now, it's perfect, 59 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,480 but we have to see what happens at the end 60 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:51,200 because we are going in that direction and we have to see 61 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,640 what's happening with the clouds coming from the Pacific Ocean. 62 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,880 - So, fingers crossed, we won't get stopped by the weather. 63 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,960 Ceci Vedelago is an Argentinian guide. 64 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,960 She has more than 20 years of experience climbing 65 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,400 the Andes Mountains that run north to south down through Patagonia. 66 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,280 - You see there, the glacier? - Yeah. - We're through that valley, 67 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:21,720 and we're going there to get to the middle of the ice field. 68 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,360 We need three days to get there. 69 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:28,360 In some parts it will be a rocky area - that will be a challenge. 70 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,480 In some parts we have to cross the river - a challenge. 71 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:36,240 We cross crevasse - that will be a challenge. 72 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,360 - You've used the word "challenge" several times, Ceci. 73 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:42,720 - Yes, exactly, you're right. - Flippin' 'eck. 74 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,200 Our journey to the ice field will involve climbing, hiking 75 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:48,720 and freezing wading. 76 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,720 Oh, my God! - Oh, it's not that bad. - Oh, yes, it is. 77 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:53,120 Oh, my God! 78 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,720 Along with Ceci and me on the expedition, 79 00:04:55,720 --> 00:05:00,440 there's a small TV crew and climbers guiding us up to the ice field, 80 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,720 including mountain rescue experts with advanced medical training 81 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:06,800 in case of emergencies. 82 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,200 It can be so brutally cold up here. 83 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,480 The best time of the year to be here, trekking, 84 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:16,960 is December to March. It's now May. 85 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,960 There are no resupply options here. 86 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,480 There is no mobile phone service. 87 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:28,280 If one of us gets injured, a rescue would be a bit tricky, in truth. 88 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,880 This is a remote and rarely visited corner of the Andes Mountains. 89 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,280 Day one of our expedition is a long trek with heavy packs. 90 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:54,120 Eventually, we reach a site where we can camp for the night 91 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,280 as temperatures start dropping towards minus ten. 92 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,560 So we've set up camp and the priority now 93 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,200 is to get warm, get some food inside us and get to bed. 94 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:24,480 I've got to switch boots now from trekking boots... 95 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:28,960 ..to class B2 mountaineering boots 96 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,400 because...we're going up. 97 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,200 Ahead, I start to catch glimpses of the mountains 98 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,400 which guard the great ice field that sprawls beyond. 99 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,480 - Stay by yourself, especially the first 15 minutes. 100 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,280 - We're following a jagged, barren valley 101 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:59,200 carved by the force of enormous ancient glaciers. 102 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,720 Their crushing ice crawling and grinding down the mountains. 103 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:13,200 Above us, silent and brooding, sits the South Patagonian Ice Field. 104 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,880 It's a vast geographical feature of the planet, 105 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,480 helping to regulate the entire ecosystem of the continent. 106 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:22,720 I'm really hoping we can get up there 107 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,600 to get a sense of how the ice field still fares in our warming world. 108 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,200 So, we need to get across this. 109 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,800 Lucas Jacobson is our expedition leader. 110 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,960 He's securing a line to get us across the gully. 111 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:42,960 A true mountain man, 112 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,200 Lucas has scaled some of the highest peaks of the Andes. 113 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,840 - Hey, Simon, we have the zipline here to cross. 114 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,480 Basically, you, Simon, need to pull yourself. - OK. 115 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,320 - We should have contact all the time. - Right. - Perfect. 116 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,160 - I hate heights. 117 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,040 - OK? - Yeah. 118 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:10,760 - Your hands behind your head and pull it slowly. - OK. 119 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:20,800 Oh, my God. 120 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:35,200 Thank you. 121 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:36,520 OK? 122 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,200 So this torrent of water is all coming off 123 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,200 the ice field that is above us. 124 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:02,720 This mass of ice up there. 125 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:09,720 Above is the largest expanse of ice in the Southern Hemisphere 126 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:11,480 outside Antarctica. 127 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,960 These melt waters sustain life across the Patagonian wilderness 128 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:19,520 and beyond. 129 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:28,120 And now I can start to see the ice field above. 130 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:29,720 Up there. 131 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:33,960 That is what we're heading towards. 132 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,560 It's still a bit of a distance. 133 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,960 We think it'll still take at least another full day's climb 134 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,680 to get up to the ice field, but the weather is closing in on us. 135 00:09:47,680 --> 00:09:49,480 The wind is... 136 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,480 It's so powerful here. 137 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,480 Sometimes I take the classic two steps forward 138 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,960 and get blown one step back. 139 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,480 - Simon, welcome to Patagonia! 140 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:04,880 - THEY LAUGH 141 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,720 Rain alternating with sub-zero blasts of wind 142 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:17,480 makes the bare rock surfaces icy and treacherous. 143 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,480 It's not long before we have our first casualty. 144 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:22,480 It's our cameraman Piers. 145 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:26,560 - I just twisted my ankle. 146 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:32,360 - Piers, you all right? - Yeah, yeah. 147 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,360 Just give me a minute. 148 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:50,160 - I'm quite worried about Piers, our cameraman. 149 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,560 I don't know if he's going to be able to go on. 150 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:54,800 We find a sheltered area among boulders 151 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:56,960 where we can camp and discuss options. 152 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:58,880 How is it feeling, mate? 153 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:01,400 - It feels a bit swollen. - Right. 154 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,480 - The problem is, there's still a lot more up to do 155 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:09,960 and the up is, erm...is the problem. 156 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,960 - To be honest, as you see today, the rain, it's getting more 157 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:17,240 and more technical every... every metre we're moving. 158 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:19,240 If anyone needs to be rescued, 159 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,000 it involves, like, in between 30 and 40 people. 160 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,600 - What, to evacuate a person? - Yeah. 161 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,720 So, because you're still in a condition to walk by yourself, 162 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,200 I decide that tomorrow is a good day for you to return 163 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:37,480 to the last camp and start to make your return all the way back. 164 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:42,280 - All right, mate. Well, it's crap, but it's better you go out safely. 165 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,440 - Yeah. I'll have to show Chris how to use a camera! 166 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,040 - Look, we've got the badger out. 167 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:50,280 - We'll get some audio, at least! - CHRIS LAUGHS 168 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:51,680 Fingers crossed. 169 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,200 The glaciers here very kindly left a whole load of... 170 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,200 stones lying around as they retreated. 171 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,200 Hopefully now, I will not be taking off in the night. 172 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:21,880 WIND HOWLS 173 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,200 I'm just blowing up my mattress. 174 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,720 You need an inflatable mattress here 175 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,840 because you've got to get your body off the cold stony ground. 176 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,480 I have to be honest, things are not going brilliantly. 177 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:53,480 We've had an injury and we've just heard that there's a storm coming. 178 00:12:55,720 --> 00:13:00,960 And the storm might mean that we will not make it to the ice field. 179 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,720 We're going to have to see what the weather is like in the morning 180 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,480 and we'll make a decision on whether we go up... 181 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:13,560 ..or whether we go down. 182 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,720 WIND HOWLS, TENTS FLUTTER 183 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:19,720 For hour after hour, we're lashed by a Patagonian storm. 184 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:26,960 The wind is really going for it now. 185 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:30,560 It's a little bit scary, to be honest. 186 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:34,480 I'm not entirely convinced this tent is going to hold. 187 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:01,480 Clear skies. 188 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:03,480 A huge relief. 189 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,480 But another, bigger storm is forecast. 190 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,480 So if we're going to make it to the ice field, we need to go now. 191 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:16,200 We're up at first light to make the final and most challenging ascent. 192 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:31,920 - We're very close to the Patagonian Ice Field. 193 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:35,560 With a blue sky, some cloud is passing. 194 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,480 Perfect timing. 195 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:44,480 - As we climb up the valley, we map out various routes ahead. 196 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,960 But several are blocked by thick ice and rock falls. 197 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,720 It means we need to take another way up. 198 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:58,480 - One possible route is going on the right, into that gully there, 199 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:02,480 but we can't figure it out now. There's a lot of ice. - OK. 200 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,760 - So, the other Plan B route is up here... 201 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:09,720 ..with some fixing ropes. - Ropes? - Yeah, ropes. - OK. 202 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,720 We've got to get up. 203 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,720 My full rucksack weighs more than 20kg. 204 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:39,960 Tricky on a narrow ledge. 205 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:41,440 Bloody hell! 206 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,880 So we're nearly up at the snow and ice line now. 207 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:01,480 Nearly. 208 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:07,480 Here we go. Look. 209 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:10,480 This little channel, to me, feels like we're crossing 210 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,960 from the land of rock to the land of ice. 211 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:17,760 As if to prove a point. 212 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,480 After several gruelling days, 213 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,880 finally we've reached the edge of the South Patagonian Ice Field. 214 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,480 It's an enormous wall... 215 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:33,960 of snow and ice. 216 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,840 To get up onto the ice field to see its true scale, 217 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:56,200 we now need to climb up a 40 degree slope of sheet ice for miles. 218 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:01,480 One slip could send us sliding down hundreds of feet onto jagged rocks. 219 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,480 That could easily be fatal, 220 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:06,800 so we're wearing sharp crampons on our feet to give grip. 221 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,120 - OK? - That's good. Yeah, that's good. 222 00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:11,960 And we're roped together to save us from a slide 223 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:15,480 and from falling into a bottomless crevasse 224 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,480 that can suddenly appear under your feet. 225 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:21,280 - BLEEP! 226 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,800 - We haven't really got much time for rest stops... 227 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,480 ..because a storm is coming... 228 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:38,480 and we've got to get off the ice field. 229 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,480 We don't want to be stuck up here for too long. 230 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:48,480 So we've got to move as quickly as we can, but... 231 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:51,200 Argh! 232 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:58,440 I've just put my foot into the edge of just a little crevasse. 233 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,480 I can't see the bottom. Ooh-ha-ha! 234 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,360 For hours, we trek upwards. 235 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,200 I'm properly shattered. 236 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,720 I'm starting to feel like we'll never reach the top - 237 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:20,720 the ice field plateau. 238 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:29,960 Then, eventually, suddenly, the ice levels out. 239 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,320 We've made it. 240 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:36,200 This... 241 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:39,360 is the South Patagonia Ice Field. 242 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:41,200 Oh, my goodness. 243 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,480 - Yesterday, it was raining, and now look here. 244 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:59,080 A blue sky, the sun, we can see all the summits, 245 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,960 all the mountains, right in the middle to the ice field. 246 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,960 - The mountains here are the middle of the ice field? 247 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,480 - Correct, yeah. - Yeah. - That's unbelievable. 248 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,960 Still you have more ice field in the back. - Wow. 249 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:15,120 You have no idea how big it is up here. 250 00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:19,120 It's enormous. It's on a scale that I just... 251 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:21,240 I couldn't comprehend. 252 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,480 Stretching more than 200 miles north to south, 253 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:30,200 billions of tonnes of frozen water. 254 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,520 The South Patagonia Ice Field covers more than 5,000 square miles. 255 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,200 In some parts the ice is a mile deep. 256 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:42,960 HE WHISPERS: Silence. 257 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,480 On a very busy planet... 258 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,880 ..this is a proper wild... 259 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,240 wilderness part of the world. 260 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:56,280 - It's unique, this place. 261 00:19:56,280 --> 00:20:02,200 - For me, being here, makes me, like, in real contact with the land, 262 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:04,200 with the natural areas. 263 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:09,360 - I feel... I feel emotional being here. 264 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:14,480 What an absolutely staggering part of the planet. 265 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,200 Look at this. 266 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,480 So, thank you, guys. 267 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,120 - Well done. - Well done. 268 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,480 - Getting onto the ice field, seeing the scale of it, 269 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,960 feels like a real achievement. 270 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:39,720 From here, I'm going to head south, 271 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:42,880 exploring more of the wilderness in Patagonia, 272 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:45,960 trying to get a sense of how this whole region is coping 273 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:48,200 as our world heats up. 274 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:53,280 This is one of the least explored mountain areas of the world. 275 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:57,960 It's one of the least known ice fields on the planet. 276 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,480 But it is vast. 277 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:04,200 And the store of fresh water here 278 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,200 is vital not just to Patagonia 279 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,480 but to the whole of South America, 280 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,720 and the impact of this vast store of ice 281 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,480 is felt by the climate across the region 282 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,480 and helps to regulate the climate of the world, no less. 283 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,200 Of course it does. 284 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,680 Every little aspect of the planet helps to keep it in balance... 285 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,880 ..and this here plays a crucial role. 286 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:34,480 If this wasn't here, if this was the colour of the rocks around... 287 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,480 ..it would absorb more of the sun's energy and heat 288 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,960 and that would further drive planetary climate change 289 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:44,720 and global warming. 290 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,280 We need this ice field. All of us do. 291 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,200 It matters to everyone. 292 00:21:56,480 --> 00:22:00,960 With the weather about to turn and a powerful storm on the way, 293 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,480 we start the long trek down from the ice field. 294 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,200 I want to head south through the foothills of the Andes... 295 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,800 ..to try and meet some of the people who live on the edge 296 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,200 of this frozen wilderness and perhaps understand it best. 297 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,720 Trekking down the ice wall into the valley 298 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,120 pulls and strains a whole new set of muscles. 299 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:32,480 But our packs are lighter, nobody snaps an ankle, 300 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:37,440 and after two days we find ourselves off the ice and hiking through 301 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,960 some of Patagonia's mind-boggling range of landscapes. 302 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,960 Soon, we're in bleak and windswept forests and grasslands. 303 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,240 It's romantically rugged. 304 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,280 Miles to the south, we pick up our four-wheel drives. 305 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:07,720 It takes a tough and hardy soul to survive out here year round. 306 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,040 But Argentina's gauchos farm this area 307 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,480 and we're heading to a remote gaucho outpost. 308 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:19,800 Lucas is taking me to meet some gauchos - 309 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,960 the legendary cowboys of South America. 310 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,720 They live much of their lives on horseback. 311 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,360 Probably wise, considering the state of the roads. 312 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:31,720 Great stuff. Well done. 313 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:41,960 A little bit stuck. 314 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:52,680 Being in the wilderness, travelling in the wilderness, is tricky. 315 00:23:54,120 --> 00:23:56,360 We're not here alone. We've got another... 316 00:23:56,360 --> 00:23:58,480 Some of our team are in a vehicle behind. 317 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,560 We're going to have to bring that up and try and pull this one out. 318 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,720 The sun is going down, we're still about four miles 319 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,960 from our destination, which is not ideal because we keep getting stuck. 320 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,560 We really need to make it there tonight. 321 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,720 This is as far as we can go on four wheels. 322 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,720 We have to do the last section on foot. 323 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,960 - Simon, we are almost there. 324 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:14,800 - There it is! 325 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:16,960 God, it's a tiny little thing. 326 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:25,480 DOGS BARK 327 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,680 - Hey, buddy. - Look at this place. 328 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:45,080 Thank you, mate. 329 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,960 Taibo lives out here alone in the wild for months on end, 330 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,200 with only his dogs for company, 331 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,960 looking after herds of sheep and cattle. 332 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:58,440 His friend, Juani, another local gaucho, is staying for a few nights. 333 00:25:58,440 --> 00:25:59,800 Wow. 334 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:03,320 Well, this place is very... very special. 335 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,480 LAUGHTER Several bottles of wine. 336 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:25,360 - Taibo sleeps here and he spends most of the summer here. 337 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:29,480 - How long have you been a gaucho, Taibo? 338 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,360 So that's in your bones. 339 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:47,520 We'll be staying with Taibo and Juani for two nights. 340 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,720 We'll all fit into a single basic room. 341 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:52,960 OK. 342 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,360 It's cosy. - It's cosy, eh? 343 00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:58,840 - Yeah, there is space for all of us, I think. 344 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,720 So, we've got somewhere to stay, we've got somewhere to sleep, 345 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:04,760 we've got some food to eat, hopefully. 346 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,720 - Oh, we're fine. We'll survive. 347 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:24,200 - What a life this is, eh? 348 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:31,200 Yeah, there were some gauchos until pretty recently, 349 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:36,960 they would spend something like a year in a lonely outpost like this 350 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:38,880 and not see another human being. 351 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,960 There is something remarkable about that existence. 352 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:46,200 Something that's still quite appealing. 353 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:50,200 Intimidating but appealing, out here in the wilderness. 354 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:53,960 DOGS BARK 355 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:24,360 Oh! 356 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:28,480 I slept OK. Well, not too bad, anyway. 357 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,800 But ironically, after worrying about everybody else snoring, 358 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:34,480 apparently it was me snoring for Britain. 359 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,960 Yes, a few too many glasses of the red wine, I fear. 360 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,280 Taibo is already up, cooking breakfast. 361 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:52,800 This far south and with winter approaching, days are short. 362 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:56,480 Taibo spends most of his time working outside in the elements. 363 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:03,600 He has to endure Patagonia's brutal winds and temperatures 364 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:08,720 that range from minus 20 in winter to more than 25 degrees in summer. 365 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:10,960 A hearty breakfast is essential. 366 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:19,960 Mm! That is an exceptional breakfast. 367 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,960 - Basically, there's beef for breakfast, 368 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,640 lunch, dinner... 369 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:28,640 The same. - Repeat. - Repeat, yeah. 370 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:31,200 Or lunch can be... 371 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,840 You know, in Argentina, we eat also... Do you know cottage pie? 372 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:38,720 - Cottage pie? - Yeah. - Yeah. - It's very popular in Argentina. - Mm-hm. 373 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,560 I wasn't expecting you to say that, but, yeah. 374 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:45,080 Mm-hm. 375 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:48,960 SIMON LAUGHS 376 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,480 I love that. 377 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,680 Yes. Are you a particular fan of mashed potato? 378 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:58,680 - Mashed potato with meat. 379 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:02,480 - Cut off from the rest of the planet, 380 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:06,200 Taibo stays out here with few of the benefits of the modern world 381 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,120 and less of the headaches. 382 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:14,240 His tools are his sheepdog, a lasso, and of course a sturdy horse. 383 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,040 - This is going to be your horse. Valencio. Super calm. 384 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:19,800 For everybody. - I appreciate that. 385 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,720 Gauchos are legendary riders. Me, definitely not so much. 386 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:25,720 And they have their own riding style here. 387 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,840 - There you go. You pull your hand left. 388 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:34,720 Exactly. - OK. 389 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,120 - That's left. Right, the other way. 390 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:41,400 - And to stop? - Just pull back. - Just pull back. - And then release. 391 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:53,720 - The gauchos, the landscape, the wilderness. 392 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:11,120 Gauchos have lived like this for generations. 393 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,360 Ranchers first came here in the 19th century. 394 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,960 Over the years, they've encroached ever further into the wilderness. 395 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:24,640 - Brr-brr-brro! 396 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,960 You move them from the left. - OK. - Yeah? 397 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,120 - Their sheep and cattle graze the land. 398 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:34,960 Sometimes overgraze it. 399 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:38,560 And the fences they put up do cause problems for the wildlife here. 400 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,480 But their way of life is still at the mercy of the environment 401 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:45,120 and the landscape. 402 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:46,720 - Very good. 403 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:52,480 - The climate of Patagonia is governed by the Andes Mountains 404 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,440 and the enormous ice field that sits above us. 405 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:00,160 My God. 406 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:03,760 It looks like another planet. Look at the colour. 407 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:08,480 Taibo has lived out here on and off for his whole life. 408 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,200 I wondered if he'd seen changes in that time. 409 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:16,040 I know Patagonia is one of the wettest 410 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:18,880 and windiest places in the world... 411 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:24,880 ..but how has the... how has the weather changed here over the years? 412 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:12,960 I mean, for me, that's... that's a scary thing that you're saying. 413 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:17,480 You're talking about dramatic changes in a short period 414 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:22,040 of time that you are personally seeing with your own eyes. 415 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:45,480 - Ya! 416 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:49,280 - Taibo knows these wild mountains. 417 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,720 He's not a scientist monitoring from afar, he's a witness. 418 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,480 A canary in a coalmine alerting us to profound change 419 00:33:57,480 --> 00:33:59,480 in this wilderness. 420 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,960 The ice field is shrinking, rainfall has dropped, 421 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,200 there's drought, forest fires increase. 422 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:10,120 This is the climatic upheaval we know is made more likely 423 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:13,400 and extreme by our global climate crisis. 424 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:16,480 I'm getting a little bit sore... 425 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,480 ..in places that you don't need to know anything more about. 426 00:34:41,720 --> 00:34:44,960 Juani wasn't born to the gaucho lifestyle. 427 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:46,960 He actually grew up in a town. 428 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,120 But he's chosen this way of life, 429 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:52,480 living out on the raw edge of the wilderness. 430 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,480 There aren't many younger men here like him. 431 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,160 - Gauchos, I think, they have this passion, 432 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:02,520 but it's really hard for other people to do what these guys do. 433 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:06,960 Where you have to work to take the cattle from the mountain... 434 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:08,560 Not the top. 435 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:13,000 But all the cattle down. - Mm. - That is a mountains crew. 436 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:19,520 Now, the problem, this generation, people of my age and younger, 437 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,960 they're not staying on the farms any more. 438 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:24,960 They prefer to stay in the city. 439 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:28,720 - And there is a risk that the gaucho... - Yeah. 440 00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:32,480 - ..the way of life might wither and die out? 441 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,160 - Erm, yeah. 442 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:41,960 - The gaucho life is a solitary one, but obviously, there are upsides. 443 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:56,200 It's quite delicate. - Yeah? 444 00:35:56,200 --> 00:36:01,480 - The texture is like a hard boiled but perfectly cooked egg. 445 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:03,960 And it's a very light meaty taste. 446 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:05,640 - Testicles are great. 447 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,720 When you're doing all the work with the cattle... 448 00:36:08,720 --> 00:36:10,560 You know, the castration. - Yeah. 449 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,720 - Right after that, you put all the testicles in the bucket 450 00:36:13,720 --> 00:36:17,600 and the following days they are eating testicles. 451 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:20,360 - Testicles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 452 00:36:21,720 --> 00:36:24,480 Go on, all in, then. A bit of intestines. 453 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:28,560 This is... This is very good. 454 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,480 Does anyone just want to go and talk to the dog? 455 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:42,680 - It could be a puma. 456 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:50,640 A fox, a puma. 457 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:54,480 - Hold on, did you just say it could be a puma? 458 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,000 - Probably. - Probably?! 459 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:09,920 Is that one of the biggest threats to a gaucho's flock or herd? 460 00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:18,480 - Of course, when they are about one year old, one year and a half, 461 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:21,720 they are still a prey of a puma. - Right, a foal. OK. 462 00:37:21,720 --> 00:37:24,960 - Yeah. So you have to really take care of them. 463 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:28,280 Keep them in the corral every night before evening. 464 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:32,680 Two years ago, a puma took down two foals. 465 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:35,200 One night we forgot them outside. 466 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:40,360 One night. And they were gone. - And the puma took them both? - Yeah. 467 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:05,480 - Charles Darwin wrote about gauchos in the 1830s 468 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,600 and he said they were very courteous, very hospitable, 469 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:12,480 full of modesty when talking about themselves or their country, 470 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,960 but also daring and brave. 471 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:21,480 I think there is still a great romance about the gaucho... 472 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:26,480 ..and coming here, I think I can see why. 473 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:32,480 What an epic landscape and world in which to operate. 474 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,960 We're up early the next morning. 475 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:42,720 It's time to leave. 476 00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:45,960 So, farewell to new friends Juani and Taibo. 477 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:48,200 Taibo, big hug, man. 478 00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:51,200 God bless you. 479 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:52,960 Thank you. Stay safe. 480 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:14,560 To explore more of this beautiful wilderness area, 481 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:19,480 we're going to try and track along the Andes Mountains 482 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:23,880 and cross the border from Argentina into Chile. 483 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:27,720 We're about to arrive at a very remote border crossing. 484 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:36,960 I'm tracking around the edge of the South Patagonia Ice Field, 485 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,800 towards the mighty glacier which flows down from its southern tip. 486 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:44,720 This stage of my journey is taking me across 487 00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:46,720 the vast Patagonian Steppe - 488 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:49,720 thousands and thousands of square miles of grassland 489 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:51,720 in the foothills of the Andes. 490 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:58,960 Across the border, the landscape of eastern Chile 491 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:01,000 is majestic and imposing. 492 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:04,720 It's here that I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of the big cats 493 00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:06,480 of this wilderness. 494 00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:08,480 I'm going in search of pumas. 495 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:11,480 Oh, man, it is spectacular here. 496 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:17,480 It's so vast, though. You could hide an army out here. 497 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:27,040 I need a guide who knows and loves this wild area. 498 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,560 We've found just the guy - his name is Vicente Montero. 499 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:34,960 - This is the right place to enjoy wilderness, man. 500 00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:40,480 - Like many young men, Vicente wanted meaning in life 501 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:42,720 when he came here to the wilderness. 502 00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:45,360 - I'm from Santiago, the capital of Chile. 503 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:49,160 A big city. You know, like, 9 million people living there. 504 00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:53,600 And I was raised to stay there, you know, 505 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:58,120 and be someone according to my own family's preferences. 506 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:00,040 - And then you find here. 507 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,720 - I quit everything and came here to starve to death, 508 00:41:03,720 --> 00:41:07,200 according to them. You know, like... - To your family? - Yeah. 509 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,200 I found, like, a purpose. 510 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:15,720 Or I really felt alive every single moment you're up here. 511 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:18,280 I mean, look at your surroundings. 512 00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:22,600 - Look at that view. That is absolutely gobsmacking. 513 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,720 - The amount of fauna you can see here, it's... 514 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:28,520 it's unbelievable. 515 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:32,240 There are flamingos, there's skunks, foxes. 516 00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:37,360 The condor here is three metres, 45 centimetres wide. 517 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:40,160 In the rest of Chile, they are only three metres. 518 00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:44,960 - Vicente has spent more than a decade in Patagonia's mountains 519 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:48,280 and grasslands studying and helping to protect 520 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:50,720 the extraordinary wildlife that lives here. 521 00:41:50,720 --> 00:41:52,560 - Right there. 522 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:55,120 - Oh, yes! 523 00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:01,200 So, these are guanacos, is that right? 524 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:02,720 - Guanacos, yeah. 525 00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:06,720 - And are they... Are they related to llamas? 526 00:42:06,720 --> 00:42:11,200 - Yes, it's the ancestral animal that colonise all the Andes. 527 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,960 A guanaco, after 4,000 years of domestication, 528 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:17,880 then it borns a llama, which is like... 529 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:21,280 a lazy guanaco with long hair, you know. 530 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:23,200 A completely domesticated animal. 531 00:42:23,200 --> 00:42:25,480 - You're being very rude about the llamas, but... 532 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:27,480 - Yeah, I like the wild version. 533 00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:33,960 Their main defence mechanism, they sit with the wind 534 00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:37,720 so they can smell everything that the wind brings, 535 00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:40,200 and they look the other way. 536 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,480 So, if it's visible, they will make an alarm, 537 00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:48,480 and what they can't see, on a bad day, they will smell it. 538 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:53,520 - So they've got both their bases covered? - Absolutely. 539 00:42:56,480 --> 00:42:58,720 - Wherever guanacos are grazing, 540 00:42:58,720 --> 00:43:01,720 it's possible predators could be nearby. 541 00:43:01,720 --> 00:43:03,480 Pumas. 542 00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:10,960 So, it's thought that there might be 50 to 100 pumas in this area. 543 00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:15,480 They are South America's most iconic 544 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:17,960 but also elusive big cat. 545 00:43:19,720 --> 00:43:23,400 Vicente has tracked and studied pumas for years. 546 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:25,960 If anyone can find them, it's him. 547 00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:29,280 But pumas are pretty adept at blending into the landscape. 548 00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:33,480 For hours, I just spot what Vicente calls PSRs - 549 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:35,480 puma shaped rocks. 550 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:42,720 So, the rain is just starting. 551 00:43:42,720 --> 00:43:46,960 We're going to try and find shelter and then head out again tomorrow. 552 00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:08,440 So, we're out before dawn... 553 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:13,480 and Vicente is using a thermal spotting scope 554 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:16,960 which picks out heat signatures in the landscape, 555 00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:22,640 so he can spot warm-blooded creatures moving across the hills. 556 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:25,960 - But it only works before the sun comes out. 557 00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:28,800 After that, the sun starts heating every rock, 558 00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:31,960 and then I have, like, living things everywhere. - Yeah. 559 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:34,720 - So we only have a few minutes. We should get on top... 560 00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:37,480 - All right, mate. - ..to keep scanning. - Let's go. - OK. 561 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:56,760 One of the sentinels is facing that way. 562 00:44:56,760 --> 00:44:58,360 - Oh, yes! 563 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:00,760 - So, in this hill, in front... - Like a sentry. 564 00:45:00,760 --> 00:45:03,720 - Always. It's the way they keep alive. - Mm. 565 00:45:03,720 --> 00:45:05,800 - A little bit lucky. 566 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:09,480 There is something over there. 567 00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:15,920 I guess I see the back of a puma. 568 00:45:15,920 --> 00:45:18,040 Don't get excited yet. 569 00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:21,200 - Why not? It's exciting. It's an exciting thing to do. 570 00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:23,840 - Cos we're, like, 1km away, so let me be sure. 571 00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:28,480 - So, what? You use the spotting scope to identify the heat... 572 00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:32,880 ..the binocular to check and the camera to confirm? 573 00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:34,800 - Exactly. 574 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:37,480 Ah-ha. 575 00:45:37,480 --> 00:45:41,400 There it is. Now let's go and check. - OK. - We can move. 576 00:45:48,240 --> 00:45:49,960 - HE WHISPERS: - Right there. 577 00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:52,480 - Oh, my God. 578 00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:58,720 That looks like a lot of body of puma for one single puma. 579 00:45:58,720 --> 00:46:01,960 - I think there are two. There are two pumas. 580 00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:06,120 - I think I just saw a puma put its arm... 581 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:08,960 put its leg over the other one. 582 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:13,480 - Oh, now I see the head of the cub. 583 00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:20,200 It's a tiny cub of, like, four or five month old. 584 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:23,800 Count how many there are. 585 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:25,720 - Well, I can see two. 586 00:46:25,720 --> 00:46:28,400 - Come on, move a little... - Hang on, hang on. - ..higher up. 587 00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:31,480 Count the ears. 588 00:46:31,480 --> 00:46:34,960 How many pairs of ears do you count? 589 00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:40,200 - Oh, my God. There are three pumas. 590 00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:44,720 - Three pumas. - Three together. 591 00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:50,200 - Now, she already heard us, she already saw us, 592 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:52,120 and she's still comfortable. 593 00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,520 - This is completely astonishing. 594 00:46:57,520 --> 00:46:59,960 Three wild pumas. 595 00:47:03,960 --> 00:47:09,480 Pumas are found almost the entire length of the Americas. 596 00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:13,960 So they're found from Alaska, right down to here in southern Chile. 597 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:16,720 But they're found in a greater concentration 598 00:47:16,720 --> 00:47:19,480 around here in Patagonia than anywhere else. 599 00:47:21,720 --> 00:47:24,160 It's on the move. The cat is on the move. 600 00:47:59,960 --> 00:48:04,480 Wild big cats roaming free. 601 00:48:07,720 --> 00:48:13,360 This surely is the absolute definition of a real wilderness. 602 00:48:18,480 --> 00:48:20,960 Pumas are also known as a mountain lion. 603 00:48:20,960 --> 00:48:25,200 They're the apex predator supporting the entire ecosystem. 604 00:48:25,200 --> 00:48:29,480 We've just found this carcass. Is it a guanaco? 605 00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:33,480 - It is, and you can see all the grass around it, 606 00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:36,480 how tall and different from the rest. 607 00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:38,400 - It's very green here. 608 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:41,000 - All the nutrients go back into the ground 609 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:44,480 and that is the latest process, because before they feed 610 00:48:44,480 --> 00:48:48,960 hundreds of different species, and I'm not being exaggerated, like. 611 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:53,200 The puma do the kill, eat as much as possible, 612 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:56,960 you know, but then they leave the carcass behind 613 00:48:56,960 --> 00:49:02,200 and the next animal that comes is the condor. 614 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:05,480 If there is, for example, a fox also eating the rest, 615 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:08,120 the condor comes here, spread their wings, 616 00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:12,960 the fox moves away and then the condor eats whatever they can. 617 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:15,360 After the condor comes the armadillo. 618 00:49:15,360 --> 00:49:18,280 After the armadillo, also the skunk. 619 00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:23,080 People usually don't associate the skunk as a carnivore, but they do, 620 00:49:23,080 --> 00:49:27,120 and they take every tiny piece of fat or meat 621 00:49:27,120 --> 00:49:29,120 that is left behind. - Wow. 622 00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:31,640 - Then come all the scavengers. 623 00:49:31,640 --> 00:49:35,360 So the puma is absolutely central to the ecosystem. 624 00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:42,920 - Much of the Patagonian wilderness here 625 00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:46,200 is a protected area called Torres del Paine. 626 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:48,960 It's been a huge conservation success. 627 00:49:48,960 --> 00:49:52,480 Just a few decades ago it was rare to see pumas here. 628 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:55,480 Now there's thought to be several hundred in the region. 629 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:00,200 - There, there, there. There it is. - Just here. 630 00:50:00,200 --> 00:50:02,200 - There, there, there, there. 631 00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:06,800 - He's got it all as a cat and a carnivore. 632 00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:08,960 - That's why it's the king, man. 633 00:50:08,960 --> 00:50:11,040 It's the king of Patagonia. 634 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:13,120 Nobody messes with him. 635 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:22,360 - This wilderness is a long way from heavy industry and huge cities, 636 00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:25,960 but the impact of humanity is still felt here. 637 00:50:25,960 --> 00:50:28,960 Climate change and drought in Patagonia 638 00:50:28,960 --> 00:50:32,200 is thought to be pushing guanacos further out of the mountains 639 00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:33,960 in search of grazing. 640 00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:37,200 Pumas follow the guanacos and that's bringing them 641 00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:41,480 into conflict with ranchers who farm sheep at the edge of the wilderness. 642 00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,840 - They always will prefer the guanaco, 643 00:50:47,840 --> 00:50:52,720 but occasionally they do have a tasty lamb available 644 00:50:52,720 --> 00:50:55,720 that's left the safety of the herd 645 00:50:55,720 --> 00:50:58,120 and, well, the puma is an opportunist, 646 00:50:58,120 --> 00:51:00,200 as most of apex predators, you know, 647 00:51:00,200 --> 00:51:03,200 so if they see an opportunity, they hunt it. 648 00:51:03,200 --> 00:51:06,480 So, what does the ranchers do? 649 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:11,200 They kill pumas even though they're protected. 650 00:51:11,200 --> 00:51:14,720 The economic losses for them are so high 651 00:51:14,720 --> 00:51:20,960 that they choose to ignore the law and still kill many pumas. 652 00:51:28,720 --> 00:51:31,960 - Even here, pumas still face threats, 653 00:51:31,960 --> 00:51:35,120 and they won't be immune from the great planetary changes 654 00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:36,960 facing this wilderness. 655 00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:39,480 The next years and decades will be crucial 656 00:51:39,480 --> 00:51:41,480 for ensuring their future. 657 00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:44,800 Condors. 658 00:51:51,960 --> 00:51:54,480 This is the final part of my journey. 659 00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:57,960 I've made it down close to the southern end 660 00:51:57,960 --> 00:52:00,280 of the South Patagonian Ice Field. 661 00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:04,800 I'm heading towards a glacier which flows slowly down from the ice - 662 00:52:04,800 --> 00:52:07,200 the spectacular Grey Glacier. 663 00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:30,680 Vicente, what a place this is. 664 00:52:30,680 --> 00:52:33,480 - Beautiful. We were very lucky. 665 00:52:33,480 --> 00:52:36,560 You can see how spectacular it is. 666 00:52:38,480 --> 00:52:41,720 - Up there, at the top, 667 00:52:41,720 --> 00:52:45,200 is the ice field from which this glacier flows. 668 00:52:48,960 --> 00:52:52,000 It's been several weeks since I began my journey 669 00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:53,720 up to the ice field. 670 00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:58,480 I'm hoping that if I can reach the Grey Glacier, 671 00:52:58,480 --> 00:53:01,640 I'll be able to understand how our changing climate 672 00:53:01,640 --> 00:53:04,920 is impacting on this world of ice and rock. 673 00:53:05,920 --> 00:53:08,400 - How are you doing? - Doing OK, mate. 674 00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:11,200 It's a bit of a trek, 675 00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:15,200 but eventually we make it up onto the top of the glacier. 676 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:32,720 Four miles wide, it's one of 53 glaciers 677 00:53:32,720 --> 00:53:36,480 that creep down from the great South Patagonian Ice Field... 678 00:53:37,480 --> 00:53:42,000 ..eventually turning into rivers that flow to the ocean, 679 00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:44,360 giving life to everything on their route 680 00:53:44,360 --> 00:53:46,440 across the south of the Americas. 681 00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:49,960 This landscape is astonishing. 682 00:53:50,960 --> 00:53:55,720 The glacier here positively glows with light. 683 00:53:55,720 --> 00:53:59,800 It's almost as if it's lit from within. Like it's luminous. 684 00:54:01,960 --> 00:54:04,720 And it's disconcertingly noisy. 685 00:54:05,720 --> 00:54:09,960 Of course, there's the howling wind, but there's also creaks 686 00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:14,960 and cracks and moans and groans coming from the glacier. 687 00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:16,880 It feels alive. 688 00:54:22,720 --> 00:54:25,600 I've got my feet well apart here. 689 00:54:26,600 --> 00:54:30,600 I've got my crampons in the ice. 690 00:54:30,600 --> 00:54:33,080 The wind will not take me this time. 691 00:54:33,080 --> 00:54:37,480 - You can't fight the wind, you play with the wind. 692 00:54:37,480 --> 00:54:40,160 You can play against it. 693 00:54:40,160 --> 00:54:44,720 - The glacier is so brutishly huge, so epic, 694 00:54:44,720 --> 00:54:47,960 that it can appear eternal, unchanging. 695 00:54:49,160 --> 00:54:51,960 But Vicente is another person who has witnessed 696 00:54:51,960 --> 00:54:54,480 a rapid transformation of this landscape. 697 00:54:54,480 --> 00:54:59,200 - When I first came here in 2005, you can barely see, erm, 698 00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:03,480 the beginning of this big nunatak - this island. 699 00:55:03,480 --> 00:55:07,040 And this is only in a few years, you know. 700 00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:12,360 - A nunatak? - Nunatak. It means island of rock inside the glacier. 701 00:55:17,960 --> 00:55:22,480 - Just 20 years ago, this rocky island was mostly buried in the ice. 702 00:55:23,720 --> 00:55:27,480 Every year, the glacier is retreating 100 metres. 703 00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:33,200 I've been seeing the impact our changing climate is having 704 00:55:33,200 --> 00:55:38,480 on Patagonia, but the melting of our ice fields here, in Greenland, 705 00:55:38,480 --> 00:55:44,200 Europe, Asia and elsewhere, is a slow-burn global disaster. 706 00:55:44,200 --> 00:55:47,480 The rate at which glaciers are melting has nearly doubled 707 00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:49,480 over the past 20 years. 708 00:55:49,480 --> 00:55:52,280 That further destabilises the climate, 709 00:55:52,280 --> 00:55:55,200 making our weather systems more unpredictable. 710 00:55:56,200 --> 00:56:02,480 It's astonishing to think that when scientists flew over the ice field 711 00:56:02,480 --> 00:56:05,960 in an area near here not so long ago, 712 00:56:05,960 --> 00:56:10,200 the altitude at which their plane was flying 713 00:56:10,200 --> 00:56:16,480 would have put them inside the ice just in the 1980s. 714 00:56:16,480 --> 00:56:21,480 That is how much the ice has melted away. 715 00:56:23,960 --> 00:56:28,200 It's not too late to preserve our last great wildernesses. 716 00:56:28,200 --> 00:56:32,480 These raw, wild areas need protecting. 717 00:56:32,480 --> 00:56:34,480 They're worth fighting for. 718 00:56:34,480 --> 00:56:37,960 They're vital for ensuring we have a healthy planet 719 00:56:37,960 --> 00:56:40,960 and they're important for us as humans as well. 720 00:56:40,960 --> 00:56:42,960 They feed our souls. 721 00:56:44,480 --> 00:56:48,480 What do you see when you look out here? what does it mean to you? 722 00:56:49,480 --> 00:56:54,200 - I think it's the wild side of nature. 723 00:56:54,200 --> 00:56:57,960 We forget we belong into the wilderness, 724 00:56:57,960 --> 00:57:01,560 we belong into the ice glacier, forests and everything. 725 00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:04,960 - There is that sense that people have forgotten 726 00:57:04,960 --> 00:57:09,880 they are living creatures on an astonishing planet. 727 00:57:09,880 --> 00:57:13,520 We've forgotten that these wildernesses exist 728 00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:16,120 and we need a bit of it in our lives. 729 00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:19,960 We need that sense that nature is raw and powerful... 730 00:57:19,960 --> 00:57:21,800 and wonderful! 731 00:57:21,800 --> 00:57:23,480 THEY LAUGH 732 00:57:31,480 --> 00:57:35,600 Next time, in the region they call the Amazon of the seas... 733 00:57:36,960 --> 00:57:39,760 ..I meet the spear fishermen of the Coral Triangle. 734 00:57:39,760 --> 00:57:42,880 He is an astonishing human being. 735 00:57:44,720 --> 00:57:49,320 It's a voyage to a truly remote corner of our oceans. 736 00:57:49,320 --> 00:57:51,200 So, we've got a bit of a problem. 737 00:57:53,320 --> 00:57:55,400 Oh, - BLEEP. - So it's far. 738 00:57:55,400 --> 00:57:57,240 When I say it's far, it's far. 739 00:57:57,240 --> 00:57:59,680 - Not another boat, nor another ship. 740 00:57:59,680 --> 00:58:02,120 Help is a long way away.