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。