In this 2009 film, 180° SOUTH, Jeff Johnson makes a road trip to Patagonian Chile. Johnson retraces the steps of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins’ 1968 trip to Patagonia. But instead of taking the Pan American highway, Johnson hitches a ride in a sailing vessel from Ventura, California and heads south.
“You learn that what’s important is how you got there, not what you’ve accomplished.“ - Yvon Chouinard.
Johnson’s real trip begins after they are shipwrecked off the coast of Easter Island. After the sailboat gets patched up, they continue on towards Patagonia. Jeff’s goal is to climb the peak Corcovado. In many trips that are worth remembering, things usually don’t go according to plan. But of course that is what makes it an adventure.
It’s a narrative film following Jeff and his crew. The soundtrack is a nice addition too. What I found funny is how Jeff mentioned growing up in Danville, California as being very far from the ocean. I drive pass Danville sometimes, it is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Danville is only 31 miles form San Francisco and there are great surf spots out in SF’s Ocean Beach. And he thinks that is far from the nearest ocean!
Anyway, the film does have beautiful scenes of the land, mountain, ocean, and some wildlife too. I especially enjoy seeing the dolphins swimming along the sailboat.
In this film, Jeff also has the chance to meet up with Chouinard and Tompkins. They have discussions on the the state of progress and it’s impact on the environment. At the moment, Chile continues to plan on building more hydro-electric dams (where much of the power is used for heavy industry and mining). Many environmental organizations oppose the dams.
Yvon Chouinard is the founder of Patagonia Clothing. Yvon is known for his reluctance to give in to the stereotypical capitalist business. He’s even inspired some of the top CEO’s in America to shift their thinking, including having an influence in Wal-Mart to make carry organic cotton clothing. That is something worth noting, as the production of cotton uses huge amount of pesticides.
Doug Tompkins is co-founder of Esprit and The North Face. Tompkins sold his share of Esprit, and began dedicated his life to the conservation of nature. Beginning with the purchase of 1,000 acres of forest in Chile. Along with his wife, Kris, they have expanded this reserve to a massive 2.2 million acres in both Chile and Argentina.
Woodshed Films wrote, “Doug has never desired to keep the land privatized. His intention has always been to return the land to the government as a national park. As if land preservation was not enough, Doug also is adept bush pilot and organic farmer.”
Cuernos del Paine, Patagonia. Photo from flickr. I like the calm turquoise water.
In addition to the dams, Chile is also building more pulp mill (for making paper products). These mills create pollution and run-off. Local residents, wildlife, and many more will never be the same again. How many pulp mill do we need in this world?
People really need to think twice about how much we waste and throw away. We need to change the way we think and begin to simplify our lives. The Planet is our home and we need to help protect it.
Watch the film trailer here. Also on Youtube.
PBS Nature: The Dragon’s Back (from the Andes along southern Chile). Preview trailer on Youtube.
