好英语网南北极以外地球上最大的冰川之一
Frozen giant
冰封大地
Even in person, it’s hard to appreciate the scale of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field – entire cities would be dwarfed if placed upon the white expanse. From the lookout at Paso del Viento (Windy Pass), vast tracts of jagged, moraine-streaked ice extend towards the horizon, engulfing all but the tallest mountain peaks. Straddling the border of Chile and Argentina, the ice field is one of the largest non-polar glaciers on Earth, stretching along the spine of the Andes for more than 350km.
就算你亲临现场，你也很难理解南巴塔哥尼亚冰原（Southern Patagonian Ice Field）是如何的苍茫壮阔，就算放上几个城市上去，在这个白茫茫无边无际的冰原上，这些城市也会渺小如弹丸。从风之隘口（Paso del Viento ）的瞭望处一眼望去，大片锯齿状、带着冰碛物的冰一直延伸到天边，所有山峰都被冰川吞没，只有最高的山峰能够幸存。这个沿着安第斯山脉（Andes）绵延350多公里，跨越智利和阿根廷两国的辽阔冰原，是地球上极地之外，最大的其中一座冰川。
Portal to the past
远古冰川的门户
To witness the ice field is to stare back in time. Around 18,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGS), it covered much of South America’s western edge. Today, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and a smaller, neighbouring glacier called the Northern Patagonian Ice Field are practically the only remnants of the continent’s frozen past, but they remain vitally important. The glaciers act as an enormous reserve of fresh water which nourishes mountain habitats across Patagonia, helping to sustain the region’s diverse plants and wildlife.
见到这片冰原，也就是见到这片冰原远古的历史。大约18000年前，最后一次冰河时期的巅峰期（Last Glacial Maximum），这个冰原覆盖了南美洲西部边缘的大部分地区。今天的南巴塔哥尼亚冰原和邻近的一个较小的冰川北巴塔哥尼亚冰原（Northern Patagonian Ice Field），实际上就是冰河时代这块冰封大陆留下的遗迹，而且仍然对这个广袤地区至关重要。这些冰川是巴塔哥尼亚的巨大淡水库，滋养着整个巴塔哥尼亚的山地生态，帮助维持这个地区千姿百态的植物和野生动物。
Tongues of ice
冰舌
The ice field may span around 13,000 sq km, but it’s surprisingly elusive. Hemmed in by snow-drenched peaks on all sides, this glacial behemoth only reveals itself to the outside world by spilling out through the surrounding mountain valleys. Tourists who flock to Chile’s Grey Glacier and Argentina’s famous Perito Moreno Glacier are in fact witnessing tendrils from the ice field as it reaches down towards the Patagonian flatlands.
南巴塔哥尼亚冰原幅员辽阔，面积可能高达13000平方公里，但要接近这个冰原却不容易。这个冰川巨兽四周被冰雪覆盖的山峰所包围，只有倾泻流出周围的山谷才可为外界所见到。那些蜂拥到智利的格雷冰川（Grey Glacier）和阿根廷著名的佩里托莫雷诺冰川（Perito Moreno Glacier）一睹其壮观的游客，实际上看到的，只是冰原向巴塔哥尼亚平原延伸的冰川末端而已。
Beauty and danger
冰原之美和冰原之险
Ferocious winds, intense precipitation and the risk of falling through a crevasse make exploring the ice field a complicated task. The first recorded north-south crossing didn’t occur until 1998, and getting up close is usually limited to airlifted glaciologists or experienced mountaineers. However, a challenging four-day, 64km hiking trail known as the Huemul Circuit takes intrepid travellers to the edge of the glacier, where panoramic views of this rarely witnessed landscape await.
寒风凛冽，雨雪猛烈，还有掉进冰缝的危险，探索南巴塔哥尼亚冰原是极之艰巨的行动。有记录的第一次南北穿越之行直到1998年才实现，而近距离观察通常仅限于空运抵达的冰川学家或经验丰富的登山者。不过现在，有一条称为南安第斯驼鹿环线（Huemul Circuit），跋涉64公里为期4天的高难度徒步路线，可将勇敢的旅行者带到冰川边缘。在这里，人们可以看到冰原罕为人所见的壮观全景。
The symbol of Patagonia
巴塔哥尼亚的标记
The Huemul Circuit begins in the small town of El Chaltén, the undisputed trekking capital of Argentinean Patagonia. The town lies in the shadow of Mount Fitz Roy, an iconic, 3,400m granite peak which separates the ice field from the endless pampas to the east. During the hiking season from October to April, the nearby footpaths throng with people keen to see Fitz Roy’s distinctive summit.
南安第斯驼鹿环线始于阿根廷巴塔哥尼亚高原无可争议的徒步首都查尔腾（El Chalten）小镇。小镇位于菲茨罗伊山（Mount Fitz Roy）的阴影。这是一座标记性的3400米花岗岩山峰，将冰原与东边无尽的大草原分隔开来。在10月至4月的登山季节，附近的步道上挤满了渴望一睹菲茨罗伊山那独特峰顶的健行者。
Rugged terrain
崎岖路难行
Anyone who wants to take on the Huemul Circuit must come prepared. All hikers are required to bring a harness so they can traverse two river crossings, and park rangers warn against setting off in bad weather. There are no amenities at campsites, the trail is often hard to follow, and the ascents are punishing. But the reward is one of the most unique treks in South America.
任何想要挑战南安第斯驼鹿环线的徒步旅行者都必须做好万全准备。必须带上攀登绳缆索具，才可以横渡两条河流。国家公园的管理者警告人们不要在恶劣天气下出发。露营地没有任何便利设施，步道大多崎岖难行，上坡路特别艰难辛苦。但辛苦付出获得的收获，是他们能经历南美洲最独特的徒步旅行。
Ablaze with colour
四月秋色红如火
In April, native lenga trees burst into fiery shades of red and orange as the Patagonian autumn sweeps down from the high valleys. After navigating the forested slopes, hikers must skirt the edge of a small glacier before ascending hundreds of metres to reach Paso del Viento, the gateway to the ice field itself.
南半球的四月，巴塔哥尼亚高原的秋色从高高的山谷中横扫而下，将土生的冷腰树烧成了一片火红和橘红。穿过火红密林覆盖的山坡后，徒步旅行者必须绕过一个小冰川的边缘，然后再向上攀登数百米，到达通往南巴塔哥尼亚冰原的入口，即风之隘口（Paso del Viento）。
Shades of blue
冰川湖水如蓝似绿
To the ice field’s west lie the labyrinthine fjords of Chile’s Patagonian archipelago, while in Argentina to the east, outlet glaciers (valley glaciers that drain an inland ice sheet) carve their way through mountain passes to unload into several great lakes, each a different shade of turquoise. The tree-lined edge of Lago Viedma provides welcome refuge for campers after descending from Paso del Viento. From time to time, the stillness of the lake is interrupted by the thunderous crack of calving icebergs, causing waves to roll all the way to shore.
在冰原的西部是智利巴塔哥尼亚群岛（Patagonian archipelago）之间迷宫般的无数峡湾，而在冰原东部的阿根廷，流出冰川（因重力原因将内陆冰盖的冰带走的山谷冰川）穿过山谷，流入几个很大的冰缘湖，每个冰缘湖各有不同的青绿碧蓝。从风之隘口下来，别德马湖（Lago Viedma）湖畔绿树成荫，为徒步旅行者者提供了很好的露营地。平静的湖面不时被崩裂的冰山发出的雷鸣般的破裂声所打破，激起的波浪一路滚向岸边。
The great melt
冰原大溶化
There is still much to learn about Patagonia’s ice fields. A recent study by glaciologists from the University of California, Irvine and partner institutions in Argentina and Chile found that some sections are significantly thicker than was once thought. By measuring subtle changes in the Earth’s gravitational field, they were able to calculate that the ice is upwards of 1,600m deep in parts.
有关巴塔哥尼亚的几个冰原，尚有许多有待认识和探索之处。加州大学欧文分校（University of California, Irvine）的冰川学家以及阿根廷和智利的合作机构最近进行的一项研究发现，巴塔哥尼亚冰原有些区域冰层的厚度远远超过了之前的估计。通过测量地球重力场的细微变化，他们能够计算出部分冰层竟然深达1600米。
But a warming climate could spell disaster. Many of the outlet glaciers are swiftly retreating, while the ice field itself is thinning out at an alarming rate. A separate study estimated that together, the Northern and Southern Patagonian ice fields shrank by an average of 24.4 gigatonnes per year between 2002 and 2017, the equivalent to almost 10m Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water. As the Earth continues to heat up, researchers warn that this beautiful and vital natural wonder may not last.
但气候变暖可能意味着灾难。许多流出冰川正在迅速退缩，而冰原本身也正在以惊人的速度变薄。另一项研究估计，2002年至2017年间，南北两个巴塔哥尼亚冰原平均每年减少244亿吨冰，相当于近1000万个奥运会规模的游泳池的水。随着地球持续升温，研究人员警告说，这种美丽而重要的自然奇观可能有一天会消失。
The long-term fate of these frozen giants remains in the balance, but for now, the ice field will continue to silently shape and sustain one of the world’s most pristine environments, as well as enthralling the lucky few who get to see it up close.
这些冰封巨兽久远未来的命运悬而不定，但就现今而言，这片冰原将继续悄无声息地塑造和维持着这一世界上最原始的环境生态，同时也会吸引少数有幸亲临感受其壮美的勇敢旅人。