We´re in Loja, Ecuador on our way to Chris´ Peace Corps site out in the jungle.
A lot has happened since I last wrote, but I don´t have nearly enough time to do it justice. Therefore, a brief recap:
Spent a day in Santiago seeing the sites, then flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Jon got bed bugs. Bummer.
Met Chris at the airport in Guayaquil and then took a bus the next day to Puerto Lopez. The next day, we went on an awesome 5 hour boat tour where we 1) caught about 30 fish 2) went snorkeling 3) ate fresh ceviche made from the fish we caught 4) visited a secluded beach on an island and 5) saw a whale. Totally awesome.
From there, we went to Mantanita and Vilcabamba. All of us got violently ill during our stay in Vilcabamba, possibly because of the cooked cow intestines that Mack, Chris, and I ate.
And now we´re on our way to the jungle!
More later when I get a chance.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Holy shit, I fell asleep on the bus and woke up in a Hollister ad.
No, seriously.
I´m in Mantanita, Ecuador, and it´s just like a Hollister ad. Beautiful people, wearing very little clothing, and actually surfing. Thatched roofs and everything. And I always thought that store was based on a fictitious place that oozed sex and cheap perfume.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sure, that will make me feel much better.
So, as you know, we had a flight from Punta Arenas to Santiago yesterday. The flight left a little after 3 and was supposed to arrive at 8:10. Sounds great, right?
Well, first off, we didn´t realize that it wasn´t a non-stop flight. The flight, in fact, stopped in both Coyhaique and Puerto Montt. No big deal.
Balmaceda (where the Coyhaique airport is) must have wicked winds, because both flights that have landed there have been kind of sketchy landings. But yesterday, either the pilot must have sucked, something must have been wrong, or the winds were really bad, because we had to ditch the landing. Had almost touched down and then the plane started gaining altitude and going faster. And then we circled the airfield a few times before finally touching down. Mack almost lost his PB&J.
As if that wasn´t enough, we had a bit of a delay taking off because they had to check out a technical problem. But don´t worry--the plane turned out to be 'satisfactory.'
So we flew the 40 minutes or so to Puerto Montt, where the real fiasco ensued. Everyone had to get off the plane 'so the plane could refuel', or so we gathered from everyone's interpretation of what was being jibbered in spanish over the intercom. Seriously--intercoms are hard enough to understand in english, let alone rapid spanish. To add even more confusion, my 'Fundamental Spanish' book has not yet gotten to the chapter where they cover the vocabulary necessary to describe the fact that the plane is broken and probably almost fell out of the sky. I guess ignorance is bliss?
At this point, everyone was freaking out, saying they wanted a new plane. But they stuck us back on the same plane that we had been on. Apparently it was safe enough.
Oh wait, no it wasn´t. Because about 15 minutes after we boarded Plane number 1, they asked us to get off and board Plane number 2.
Of course, Plane number 2 was not yet at the airport, so they gave us all sandwiches. Clearly, a sandwich and a good ol' Coca-Cola soothe all of my fears of dying in a plane crash.
But then plane number 2 arrived and we flew safely to Santiago, landing, right on time, at roughly 2am.
Did I mention that the Santiago airport is about half an hour outside of the city? And that it's really hard to get a hotel room at 2 in the morning?
Boy, the concrete floor sure was comfortable!
Thankfully, I'm boarding yet another flight tomorrow--on a different airline.
Well, first off, we didn´t realize that it wasn´t a non-stop flight. The flight, in fact, stopped in both Coyhaique and Puerto Montt. No big deal.
Balmaceda (where the Coyhaique airport is) must have wicked winds, because both flights that have landed there have been kind of sketchy landings. But yesterday, either the pilot must have sucked, something must have been wrong, or the winds were really bad, because we had to ditch the landing. Had almost touched down and then the plane started gaining altitude and going faster. And then we circled the airfield a few times before finally touching down. Mack almost lost his PB&J.
As if that wasn´t enough, we had a bit of a delay taking off because they had to check out a technical problem. But don´t worry--the plane turned out to be 'satisfactory.'
So we flew the 40 minutes or so to Puerto Montt, where the real fiasco ensued. Everyone had to get off the plane 'so the plane could refuel', or so we gathered from everyone's interpretation of what was being jibbered in spanish over the intercom. Seriously--intercoms are hard enough to understand in english, let alone rapid spanish. To add even more confusion, my 'Fundamental Spanish' book has not yet gotten to the chapter where they cover the vocabulary necessary to describe the fact that the plane is broken and probably almost fell out of the sky. I guess ignorance is bliss?
At this point, everyone was freaking out, saying they wanted a new plane. But they stuck us back on the same plane that we had been on. Apparently it was safe enough.
Oh wait, no it wasn´t. Because about 15 minutes after we boarded Plane number 1, they asked us to get off and board Plane number 2.
Of course, Plane number 2 was not yet at the airport, so they gave us all sandwiches. Clearly, a sandwich and a good ol' Coca-Cola soothe all of my fears of dying in a plane crash.
But then plane number 2 arrived and we flew safely to Santiago, landing, right on time, at roughly 2am.
Did I mention that the Santiago airport is about half an hour outside of the city? And that it's really hard to get a hotel room at 2 in the morning?
Boy, the concrete floor sure was comfortable!
Thankfully, I'm boarding yet another flight tomorrow--on a different airline.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
So much for getting away from the tourists.
After El Calafate, we headed south. More long bus rides, estancias rolling by the window, and mountains ringing the horizon.
Our first stop was Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park. For the most part, the trip from Calafate to Natales was uneventful, except, of course, the border crossing. Come to find out, most countries don´t like you to transport fruit and vegetables over the border. This includes 2 pounds of cooked pasta, 2 nalgenes full of pasta sauce full of vegetables, and 2 packets of fresh green beans, which we happened to be carrying as the giant billboards warning you not to have vegetables rolled past the window. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.
Thankfully (stop worrying, Mom), we told them about the pasta, and they could have cared less. I think the experience shaved about 4 years off Jon´s life. Half his beard fell out from the stress (Just kidding, Jon´s mom).
Arrived in Puerto Natales as the adrenaline drained from our systems and found a really nice hospedaje to spend the night in. Went to an information session at Erratic Rock, an even cooler hostel run by two Americans--which was fantastic, because it gave us all of the information we could have ever needed for hiking the W in Torres del Paine. Spent the evening buying dried fruit and vittles for the upcoming 6 day hike.
And then, on Tuesday morning at 7:30am, it was off to Torres.
A little background: Torres del Paine is one of the most famous parks in South America. Compared to parks in the states, it´s not terribly huge. In fact, there are only two main routes that people hike while there: the W and the Circuit. Realistically, the Circuit is a continuation of the W, so there´s really only one main trail in the park. Refugios, campsites, and lots of infrastructure is scattered evenly throughout the trail. The park is famous for its cuernos (horns) and torres (towers), which are giant basalt features that stick up pretty much out of nowhere.
And lots and lots of people like to go see them. (Hey, you would too if they constituted 90% of the images that turn up when one googles patagonia) So much for getting away from the tourists.
Setting aside the fact that you couldn´t pull of to the side of the trail and pee without having another hiker sneak up on you, it was a pretty great trip. Here´s the run down:
Day 1
Hopped on a bus full of other hikers and took the 2.5 hour bus ride to the park. Paid the entrance fee and admired the glorious view of the towers thrusting up into a clear blue sky. Rode half an hour further and got dropped off at Lago Pehoé, where we caught a catamaran. Before hopping on the boat, though, we took a quick walk up to Salto Grande, a sizeable waterfall where one lake drains into the other. Pretty cool. Really windy (at one point, the wind whipped my hat off my head and threw it about 20 feet. it must have been pretty entertaining to watch me chase after it).
The catamaran ride was spectacular and spectacularly windy. Thankfully, we were some of the last people on, which had the dual advantage of placing our bags on top of the giant pile of backpacks and relegating us to the floor on the top level of the boat. This latter fact might not seem like much of an advantage, but it allowed us to a) not get whipped by the wind b) not get splashed by the giant waves, and c) have a great view of the Paine massif. Winners.
Arrived on the other side of the lake around 12:30 and hiked up toward Glacier Grey under partly cloudy skies. Had a spectacular view of the glacier--much better than the view we had of Perito Moreno. Camped for the night at Los Guardas, a free campsite north of the Lago Grey Refugio.
Day 2
Took a short hike (without our backpacks) a little further north, where we got wide open views of Glacier Grey. The southern ice field (of which Glacier Grey is a part), is one of the biggest ice fields on the planet. Call me a total science dork, but it was INCREDIBLE to have a vantage over a giant field of blue ice, rippled with crevasses. Hopefully I´ll be able to post some pictures soon (or Mack and Jon will).
Picked up our backpacks and hiked back to Lago Pehoé, where we camped for the night next to the shiny, new refugio (really, it was a beautiful hotel). Rained a little bit on our way down, then rained and had crazy wind all night. Needless to say, it´s hard to sleep when the tent keeps collapsing down on your head.
Day 3
Woke up to a beautiful sunrise, with the cuernos poking out from behind a golden orange mist. And then the rain started, for serious. And we hiked in it.
It was miserable.
Arrived at Los Cuernos refugio and set up our tent in a nice dry spot under a big tree. This turned out to be an ill-fated location, though. The rain stopped shortly after we arrived and the wind started up. By wind, I'm not talking your average, run-of-the-mill, high pressure system wind. I'm talking wind like sticking your head out of the window of a car on the freeway. Wind like getting hit by a car on the freeway. Or a truck for that matter. Seriously, there would be no wind and then, BAM, out of nowhere, you'd get struck by a gust that would just about knock you over. I've never experienced anything like it.
Apparently, neither had our tent. At about 9pm, after several hours of enjoying ourselves and drying out in the refugio, I went out to the tent and found it wrapped around our nice big tree. One of the poles was snapped in half and had ripped a 4 foot long hole in the fly. Shit.
Thankfully, Torres del Paine is one of the few places that, when shit hits the fan, you can rent a fully-functional, fully set-up tent. Of all the places for our tent to get destroyed, it was actually a pretty good one.
Day 4
After a miserable Day 3, we woke up to clear skies and windy yet beautiful weather. Hiked up Valle Francés and then spent the night in our nice, rented tent back at Los Cuernos. Valle Francés was nice, but I struggled with the fact that Valle Hermoso and Fitzroy had proceeded it. Regardless, it was a beautiful day hike and very nice to spend a day without the big bags.
Day 5
Long, 7 hour hike from Los Cuernos to Campamento Los Torres, the free campsite just below the towers. The weather was beautiful and much of the day was spent hiking over the steppe, with the Paine Massif off to our left and a big blue green lake spread out to our right. Was feeling a little sick from days of hiking in the rain and nights of not sleeping because of the wind. (And, by this point, you´re probably sick of this incredibly long blog post. Hope you don't have something more important to be doing...)
Day 6
Woke up to a snow storm. And I thought I was avoiding winter by skipping to the southern hemisphere! We hiked up to the towers and sat in the snow waiting for the sun to come out. Eventually it did, giving us a beautiful, ethereal view of the towers covered in snow and shrouded by cloud. Definitely worth it.
And then we hiked down to Hosteria Los Torres and caught the bus back to Natales!
Wow. This post has gotten wayyyy too long. To sum up, we had a great trip to Torres, saw lots and lots of people (which slightly ruined the experience, but was okay overall), had two crummy days that gave us great war stories, and have not yet killed each other.
Life is good. We're head to Ecuador on Friday, which makes life even better.
Our first stop was Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park. For the most part, the trip from Calafate to Natales was uneventful, except, of course, the border crossing. Come to find out, most countries don´t like you to transport fruit and vegetables over the border. This includes 2 pounds of cooked pasta, 2 nalgenes full of pasta sauce full of vegetables, and 2 packets of fresh green beans, which we happened to be carrying as the giant billboards warning you not to have vegetables rolled past the window. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.
Thankfully (stop worrying, Mom), we told them about the pasta, and they could have cared less. I think the experience shaved about 4 years off Jon´s life. Half his beard fell out from the stress (Just kidding, Jon´s mom).
Arrived in Puerto Natales as the adrenaline drained from our systems and found a really nice hospedaje to spend the night in. Went to an information session at Erratic Rock, an even cooler hostel run by two Americans--which was fantastic, because it gave us all of the information we could have ever needed for hiking the W in Torres del Paine. Spent the evening buying dried fruit and vittles for the upcoming 6 day hike.
And then, on Tuesday morning at 7:30am, it was off to Torres.
A little background: Torres del Paine is one of the most famous parks in South America. Compared to parks in the states, it´s not terribly huge. In fact, there are only two main routes that people hike while there: the W and the Circuit. Realistically, the Circuit is a continuation of the W, so there´s really only one main trail in the park. Refugios, campsites, and lots of infrastructure is scattered evenly throughout the trail. The park is famous for its cuernos (horns) and torres (towers), which are giant basalt features that stick up pretty much out of nowhere.
And lots and lots of people like to go see them. (Hey, you would too if they constituted 90% of the images that turn up when one googles patagonia) So much for getting away from the tourists.
Setting aside the fact that you couldn´t pull of to the side of the trail and pee without having another hiker sneak up on you, it was a pretty great trip. Here´s the run down:
Day 1
Hopped on a bus full of other hikers and took the 2.5 hour bus ride to the park. Paid the entrance fee and admired the glorious view of the towers thrusting up into a clear blue sky. Rode half an hour further and got dropped off at Lago Pehoé, where we caught a catamaran. Before hopping on the boat, though, we took a quick walk up to Salto Grande, a sizeable waterfall where one lake drains into the other. Pretty cool. Really windy (at one point, the wind whipped my hat off my head and threw it about 20 feet. it must have been pretty entertaining to watch me chase after it).
The catamaran ride was spectacular and spectacularly windy. Thankfully, we were some of the last people on, which had the dual advantage of placing our bags on top of the giant pile of backpacks and relegating us to the floor on the top level of the boat. This latter fact might not seem like much of an advantage, but it allowed us to a) not get whipped by the wind b) not get splashed by the giant waves, and c) have a great view of the Paine massif. Winners.
Arrived on the other side of the lake around 12:30 and hiked up toward Glacier Grey under partly cloudy skies. Had a spectacular view of the glacier--much better than the view we had of Perito Moreno. Camped for the night at Los Guardas, a free campsite north of the Lago Grey Refugio.
Day 2
Took a short hike (without our backpacks) a little further north, where we got wide open views of Glacier Grey. The southern ice field (of which Glacier Grey is a part), is one of the biggest ice fields on the planet. Call me a total science dork, but it was INCREDIBLE to have a vantage over a giant field of blue ice, rippled with crevasses. Hopefully I´ll be able to post some pictures soon (or Mack and Jon will).
Picked up our backpacks and hiked back to Lago Pehoé, where we camped for the night next to the shiny, new refugio (really, it was a beautiful hotel). Rained a little bit on our way down, then rained and had crazy wind all night. Needless to say, it´s hard to sleep when the tent keeps collapsing down on your head.
Day 3
Woke up to a beautiful sunrise, with the cuernos poking out from behind a golden orange mist. And then the rain started, for serious. And we hiked in it.
It was miserable.
Arrived at Los Cuernos refugio and set up our tent in a nice dry spot under a big tree. This turned out to be an ill-fated location, though. The rain stopped shortly after we arrived and the wind started up. By wind, I'm not talking your average, run-of-the-mill, high pressure system wind. I'm talking wind like sticking your head out of the window of a car on the freeway. Wind like getting hit by a car on the freeway. Or a truck for that matter. Seriously, there would be no wind and then, BAM, out of nowhere, you'd get struck by a gust that would just about knock you over. I've never experienced anything like it.
Apparently, neither had our tent. At about 9pm, after several hours of enjoying ourselves and drying out in the refugio, I went out to the tent and found it wrapped around our nice big tree. One of the poles was snapped in half and had ripped a 4 foot long hole in the fly. Shit.
Thankfully, Torres del Paine is one of the few places that, when shit hits the fan, you can rent a fully-functional, fully set-up tent. Of all the places for our tent to get destroyed, it was actually a pretty good one.
Day 4
After a miserable Day 3, we woke up to clear skies and windy yet beautiful weather. Hiked up Valle Francés and then spent the night in our nice, rented tent back at Los Cuernos. Valle Francés was nice, but I struggled with the fact that Valle Hermoso and Fitzroy had proceeded it. Regardless, it was a beautiful day hike and very nice to spend a day without the big bags.
Day 5
Long, 7 hour hike from Los Cuernos to Campamento Los Torres, the free campsite just below the towers. The weather was beautiful and much of the day was spent hiking over the steppe, with the Paine Massif off to our left and a big blue green lake spread out to our right. Was feeling a little sick from days of hiking in the rain and nights of not sleeping because of the wind. (And, by this point, you´re probably sick of this incredibly long blog post. Hope you don't have something more important to be doing...)
Day 6
Woke up to a snow storm. And I thought I was avoiding winter by skipping to the southern hemisphere! We hiked up to the towers and sat in the snow waiting for the sun to come out. Eventually it did, giving us a beautiful, ethereal view of the towers covered in snow and shrouded by cloud. Definitely worth it.
And then we hiked down to Hosteria Los Torres and caught the bus back to Natales!
Wow. This post has gotten wayyyy too long. To sum up, we had a great trip to Torres, saw lots and lots of people (which slightly ruined the experience, but was okay overall), had two crummy days that gave us great war stories, and have not yet killed each other.
Life is good. We're head to Ecuador on Friday, which makes life even better.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Torres del Paine!
As Mack writes, we´re headed into Torres del Paine for 6 days of hiking in South America's (supposedly) best national park. I´m sure that there will be lots to write when we return, but for now I´ll let you do a google image search and drool over the results.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
In Argentina!
Hey everyone! We´re in El Calafate, tourist capital of Patagonian Argentina, and home to the world-famous Perito Moreno glacier. Spent the morning at the glacier, staring anxiously at it (hoping to see a big chunk or two fall off) in a miserably cold drizzle. It´s nice to be warm and dry.
Getting here has been quite the experience. We left the estancia at 5:45 Tuesday morning for Cochrane, where we caught a bus south. The bus ride, unsurprisingly, was a long (7 hour) ride on narrow dirt roads. At one point, the road dead-ended and we had to take a 40 minute ferry ride! There´s no road like this anywhere else in the Americas. It poured rain for most of the ride, so the scenery was spectular, but in a misty/ethereal kind of way.
On Wednesday, we hopped on a boat from Villa O´Higgins on a long journey into Argentina. The weather had cleared, and we had a spectacular ride to an area close to the border. Views of the southern ice field, illuminated by golden morning light were the real highlight. Arrived on the other side of the lake, unloaded most of our heaviest belongings on a horse (yes, a horse), and started walking. About 10km later, we reached the Chile/Argentina border which is demarcated by a) two highway signs welcoming you to both Chile and Argentina (depending on which direction you´re heading), and b) a metal marker that says Chile on one side and Argentina on the other. The nice road we had been following turned into a muddy horse trail at the border. Apparently, Argentina doesn´t like visitors.
After another 10km, we arrived at Lago del Desierto, where we managed to catch the ferry. The best part about this, besides for the fact that we arrived in time for the ferry and got great views of glaciers along the way, was that we were able to barter the price down, saving us about 50 bucks. I love saving money.
I´m running out of time, so time for the highlights:
Spent a few days in El Chaltén, home of Mount Fitzroy. In short, it´s a freaking unbelievable mountain chain. Cerro Torre, in particular, is an incredible, jagged spire that seems to defy gravity. Yesterday, Mack, Jon, and I woke up at 4am, hiked for 3 hours, and arrived in time to watch sun rise on the Cerro Torre and Fitzroy ranges. Words just don´t describe it--these mountains look as if someone drew them in; as if some cartoonist had received the instructions: we need a mountain chain, something really tall and spiky and covered in ice. Make it look kind of unreal.
And damn. It was unreal. A true once-in-a-lifetime experience. The pictures, unfortunately, won´t begin to do it justice.
So now, I´m in El Calafate, and we´re headed toward Torres del Paine tomorrow. Looking forward to getting away from all the tourists and doing a little more hiking.
Hope you´re all well! Missing you!
Justin
Getting here has been quite the experience. We left the estancia at 5:45 Tuesday morning for Cochrane, where we caught a bus south. The bus ride, unsurprisingly, was a long (7 hour) ride on narrow dirt roads. At one point, the road dead-ended and we had to take a 40 minute ferry ride! There´s no road like this anywhere else in the Americas. It poured rain for most of the ride, so the scenery was spectular, but in a misty/ethereal kind of way.
On Wednesday, we hopped on a boat from Villa O´Higgins on a long journey into Argentina. The weather had cleared, and we had a spectacular ride to an area close to the border. Views of the southern ice field, illuminated by golden morning light were the real highlight. Arrived on the other side of the lake, unloaded most of our heaviest belongings on a horse (yes, a horse), and started walking. About 10km later, we reached the Chile/Argentina border which is demarcated by a) two highway signs welcoming you to both Chile and Argentina (depending on which direction you´re heading), and b) a metal marker that says Chile on one side and Argentina on the other. The nice road we had been following turned into a muddy horse trail at the border. Apparently, Argentina doesn´t like visitors.
After another 10km, we arrived at Lago del Desierto, where we managed to catch the ferry. The best part about this, besides for the fact that we arrived in time for the ferry and got great views of glaciers along the way, was that we were able to barter the price down, saving us about 50 bucks. I love saving money.
I´m running out of time, so time for the highlights:
Spent a few days in El Chaltén, home of Mount Fitzroy. In short, it´s a freaking unbelievable mountain chain. Cerro Torre, in particular, is an incredible, jagged spire that seems to defy gravity. Yesterday, Mack, Jon, and I woke up at 4am, hiked for 3 hours, and arrived in time to watch sun rise on the Cerro Torre and Fitzroy ranges. Words just don´t describe it--these mountains look as if someone drew them in; as if some cartoonist had received the instructions: we need a mountain chain, something really tall and spiky and covered in ice. Make it look kind of unreal.
And damn. It was unreal. A true once-in-a-lifetime experience. The pictures, unfortunately, won´t begin to do it justice.
So now, I´m in El Calafate, and we´re headed toward Torres del Paine tomorrow. Looking forward to getting away from all the tourists and doing a little more hiking.
Hope you´re all well! Missing you!
Justin
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The plan.
Just in case you were all wondering, here the timeline for the next few weeks:
Leaving the estancia on Tuesday (we hope...there´s rumor that the buses may not be running)
Taking the bus to Villa O´Higgins and crossing the Argentine border to El Chaltén.
Hiking around Mount Fitzroy.
Traveling down to Torres del Paine and hiking the W.
Flying from Punta Arenas to Santiago on March 25.
Flying from Santiago to Guayaquil, Ecuador on March 27.
Hanging out on the beach/in the jungle with Chris Beeler, a friend who´s doing the Peace Corps in Ecuador.
Cruising the Galapagos from April 10-17!
Flying back to the States on April 24.
That´s it! It´s hard to believe that almost 7 weeks have gone by, and that so few weeks are left.
Leaving the estancia on Tuesday (we hope...there´s rumor that the buses may not be running)
Taking the bus to Villa O´Higgins and crossing the Argentine border to El Chaltén.
Hiking around Mount Fitzroy.
Traveling down to Torres del Paine and hiking the W.
Flying from Punta Arenas to Santiago on March 25.
Flying from Santiago to Guayaquil, Ecuador on March 27.
Hanging out on the beach/in the jungle with Chris Beeler, a friend who´s doing the Peace Corps in Ecuador.
Cruising the Galapagos from April 10-17!
Flying back to the States on April 24.
That´s it! It´s hard to believe that almost 7 weeks have gone by, and that so few weeks are left.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Check this out.
So you just read my ridiculously long blog post, and you´re craving more.
What should you do?
You should go to Mack´s blog and Jon´s blog, of course!
Jon, in particular, does a wonderful job of telling the story of our hike in pictures. Seriously, check it out.
In case the links above don´t work, you can find their blogs at:
http://jstoneblog.blogspot.com
http://mackbrickley.blogspot.com
What should you do?
You should go to Mack´s blog and Jon´s blog, of course!
Jon, in particular, does a wonderful job of telling the story of our hike in pictures. Seriously, check it out.
In case the links above don´t work, you can find their blogs at:
http://jstoneblog.blogspot.com
http://mackbrickley.blogspot.com
Friday, March 6, 2009
Back from the woods, smelling like sweat and bananas.
Well, after 5 long days out in the middle of nowhere, I´m back! And what an incredible hike it was...5 days surrounded by jagged mountains, glaciers, and crystal clear mountains streams. It seriously doesn´t get any better.
Here´s the summary:
Day 1: Crossed the Chacabuco in the rain (I got the unenviable task of going first, which meant that I went in up to my waist before we decided we needed to find a shallower spot to cross) after being dropped off by Luigi around 9am. Stopped briefly to change back into our boots, during which time Jon managed to squash the two bananas that were in the front pocket of his backpack. Swearing (and hilarity for Mack and I) ensued. What a start. From there, we followed old gaucho trails/bushwhacked up the El Aviles valley past gorgeous waterfalls and awesome mountains, one of which was (no joke) red. Jon also managed to squash the two avocados in his backpack. Nice work, Jon. Spent a freezing night camped right along side the river.
Here´s the summary:
Day 1: Crossed the Chacabuco in the rain (I got the unenviable task of going first, which meant that I went in up to my waist before we decided we needed to find a shallower spot to cross) after being dropped off by Luigi around 9am. Stopped briefly to change back into our boots, during which time Jon managed to squash the two bananas that were in the front pocket of his backpack. Swearing (and hilarity for Mack and I) ensued. What a start. From there, we followed old gaucho trails/bushwhacked up the El Aviles valley past gorgeous waterfalls and awesome mountains, one of which was (no joke) red. Jon also managed to squash the two avocados in his backpack. Nice work, Jon. Spent a freezing night camped right along side the river.
Here´s the view from near our first camp. Mack informed me, as we were hiking, that just about everything in the US pales in comparison to what we were seeing. Guess I don´t have to take that trip across the country after all...
Day 2: Continued up the El Aviles Valley, spending most of the time walking along the wide, gravelly valley floor. Climbed over a low pass with a sizeable boulder field and down into Valle Hermoso right as the sun was about to set. Valle Hermoso (Beautiful Valley) was, unsurprisingly, pretty damn gorgeous. It was also a welcome relief to arrive there after a pretty long day of hiking.
Here´s looking east up Valle Hermoso.
Some of the glaciers on the west end of the valley.Day 3: Hiked east up Valle Hermoso under cloudy skies in the morning. Spent a lot of time bushwhacking through dense woods littered with debris before opting for the wide, open, gravelly valley bottom. Arrived at Lago Verde around lunch time. True to its name (they´re so imaginative down here), it´s toothpaste green. Hiked over a low pass and into the next valley over, then onward toward Lago Jeinemeni. I, once again, had to serve as guinea pig/water rat, and got to cross the river connecting the two lakes first. Thankfully, the water was only up to my thighs this time. Less thankfully, it was friggin cold. And windy.
Mack and Jon walking down the valley toward Lago Jeinemeni.
View from our camp on evening #3
Day 4: Followed a pretty clear trail up the San Antonio valley, crossing a small stream 20+ times (thank you, sandals). The trail wound through mature deciduous forests and would have looked decidedly New Englandish if it hadn´t been for the imposing cliffs on either side of the valley. Reached the top of the valley where there were several lakes of various shades of blue/green/brown, then camped a little ways down the other side.
Day 5: Continued our hike down the other side of the valley (called La Leona). Followed a pretty clear trail and arrived on bluffs above the Chacabuco around 3pm, significantly earlier than we expected. Hiked down, crossed the river, waited about half an hour, and then got picked up by Pablo.
Morning on our last day, looking down the La Leona valley.
Our view down to the Chacabuco...almost done.
Jon crossing the Chacabuco in his brightly-colored underpants.
So that´s the brief run through of the trip. Overall, it was the longest and most remote hike I had been on, and an incredibly rewarding experience. The scenery was mind-boggling, and the fact that I was so far from humanity was surprisingly difficult to grapple with. As I think I´ve mentioned before on here, growing up in the northeast has led me to the assumption that there are usually other people/roads/etc within 2 miles, even if there´s no evidence of them. So being out in such remote valleys, where the nearest major ´road´was at least ten miles away and the nearest person even further, was a fascinating intellectual exercise. Thankfully, all went smoothly.
I´ve talked more than enough for now, so here are some pictures!
The condor, from our hike up Tomangito (before we left on our big adventure). It was amazing to be so close to such a huge bird, particularly when we were standing on the ground and it was flying.
View from the top of Tomangito, looking down toward the estancia and the Chacabuco Valley. What´s incredible about this picture is that you can barely differentiate what elevation things are at--in case you can´t, we were really high up (my tired legs can vouch for that)
The estancia! On the way back from Tomangito.
And here´s the pygmy owl that we saw. The fact that I can take a picture like this with the tiny zoom lens on my point and shoot is testament to just how close we got. For scale, this little guy is about the size of a softball.
Beards!
And here, because all the moms were waiting for them, are pictures of our phenomenal facial hair growth.
Yo.
Jon pensively strokes his red neck beard.
Mack gazes out the window, thinking about how big his mutton chops will be in 3 more months. Saturday, February 28, 2009
Even further into the woods.
The power´s about to shut off, so a quick update:
Spent the last five days rolling fences in the eastern part of the park, 9 miles from the Argentine border. Beautiful valley with jagged, craggy mountains on both sides. Got to live in a house: yeah, you read it: a house. With a kitchen, bathroom, and a BED. It was downright weird to have so many amenities.
Highlight of the week was standing about 5 feet away from a tiny little pygmy owl. Pictures will be uploaded soon. You´ll definitely be jealous--he was a cutie. Oh, and we dissected the owl pellet he threw up. Apparently he likes mouse heads and beatles.
Tomorrow, Mack, Jon, and I are heading out on a 5 day trip to Valle Hermoso. Given that we´re not following any trail and are hiking for 5 days, it should be a pretty epic adventure. It´ll probably (okay, definitely) be the most remote place I´ve ever been.
Another update when I return! Sorry for the brevity.
Spent the last five days rolling fences in the eastern part of the park, 9 miles from the Argentine border. Beautiful valley with jagged, craggy mountains on both sides. Got to live in a house: yeah, you read it: a house. With a kitchen, bathroom, and a BED. It was downright weird to have so many amenities.
Highlight of the week was standing about 5 feet away from a tiny little pygmy owl. Pictures will be uploaded soon. You´ll definitely be jealous--he was a cutie. Oh, and we dissected the owl pellet he threw up. Apparently he likes mouse heads and beatles.
Tomorrow, Mack, Jon, and I are heading out on a 5 day trip to Valle Hermoso. Given that we´re not following any trail and are hiking for 5 days, it should be a pretty epic adventure. It´ll probably (okay, definitely) be the most remote place I´ve ever been.
Another update when I return! Sorry for the brevity.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Detox from the internet lifestyle
Where to start?!
Let me start by saying that I love being away from a computer for a week at a time. Yeah, it makes keeping in touch (and applying for possible summer jobs) exceedingly difficult, but it´s so nice not to have to worry about a phone, e-mail, etc. And it also makes for a very sustainable time period between e-mails--it´s so much easier to have meaningful e-mail conversations when both parties have a week or two of events to write about. So send me e-mails! And more importantly, leave comments! I´d love to know who´s reading this thing.
Last weekend, the whole crew went down to Cochrane for their annual festival/rodeo. It was a smallish affair featuring such events as: shearing sheep, killing sheep, eating sheep, and my personal favorite, riding sheep. Apparently, I now learn, riding sheep is how one gets into bull riding. I´m surprised Scotland doesn´t have more professional bull riders...
There was also quite a bit of wine, which helped to improve my spanish remarkably. Unfortunately, it also limits my ability to talk at length about Saturday evening´s events. Bummer.
We spent both Saturday and Sunday in Cochrane, and then drove back Sunday in the rain. Rain was, unfortunately, a recurring theme this week. We packed up Monday morning in the rain, drove out to our new site in the rain, and set up most of camp in the rain. Got a brief window of nice weather in the afternoon/evening to set up our tents, then a little more rain.
It poured all day Tuesday. Really gross. Oh yeah, and it rained Wednesday afternoon, too.
But besides for the meteorological downsides, our camp last week was the best yet. Both Mack and I had joked that our previous camps felt a little bit too much like New Hampshire. Not this one. The puesto was situated on the banks of the Chacabuco River in Valle Guanaco. All around were some big ass mountains, many of which were covered in snow each morning. Finally, I was in Patagonia.
There was a spectacular sunset on Tuesday evening that turned the whole valley an incredibly warm and vibrant yellow. It was as if, after so much rain, every rock and plant was glowing with appreciation.
One of the best parts about this camp, besides the scenery, was the food. On a few of the evenings, several of us went to a nearby stream (that parallels the Chacabuco) to fish for rainbow trout. On Wednesday, Mack and I caught four (Mack 3, Justin 1) that were fit to eat. They were beautiful fish, and it was really hard to smack their little fishy heads on the side of the bridge. Yes, I am officially a Murderer.
But boy, were they good.
Other notables: On Monday evening, Mack, Jon, and I crossed the Chacabuco and hiked up an overgrown red rock canyon that reminded me so much of the Southwest. Beautiful, but tough going. We were all glad we went on Monday, because the Chacabuco just about doubled in size after all the rain. It was amazing to see just how quickly it grew.
During the days, we worked to destroy a big field full of thistles. Tough, thorny work. But seriously, what´s better than standing in a field of flowers, looking up at a fragile dusting of snow on rocky peaks?
Best of all, yesterday, Mack, Jon, and I hiked up Tomangito. It was a six hour hike from the estancia up to the peak, and it was hot. It was a great hike though, and the views from the top were absolutely spectacular. Nothing like a 360 degree view from above the treeline. I´ll try to upload the video panorama I made next time I´m at the estancia.
The coolest part about being on the top of the peak, though, was that we were about 40 feet from a full-grown Andean Condor, flying. I think he could tell that we were tired, and most likely was hoping that we would keel over and die. He checked us out for about 5-10 minutes before flying off in search of less lively prey. Just awesome (in the true sense of the word).
So, in summary, Life Is Good. I´m so happy to be here, and feel so lucky that I can be having this experience. I do miss you all, though, and hope that things are well wherever you may find yourself.
Until next time!
Let me start by saying that I love being away from a computer for a week at a time. Yeah, it makes keeping in touch (and applying for possible summer jobs) exceedingly difficult, but it´s so nice not to have to worry about a phone, e-mail, etc. And it also makes for a very sustainable time period between e-mails--it´s so much easier to have meaningful e-mail conversations when both parties have a week or two of events to write about. So send me e-mails! And more importantly, leave comments! I´d love to know who´s reading this thing.
Last weekend, the whole crew went down to Cochrane for their annual festival/rodeo. It was a smallish affair featuring such events as: shearing sheep, killing sheep, eating sheep, and my personal favorite, riding sheep. Apparently, I now learn, riding sheep is how one gets into bull riding. I´m surprised Scotland doesn´t have more professional bull riders...
There was also quite a bit of wine, which helped to improve my spanish remarkably. Unfortunately, it also limits my ability to talk at length about Saturday evening´s events. Bummer.
We spent both Saturday and Sunday in Cochrane, and then drove back Sunday in the rain. Rain was, unfortunately, a recurring theme this week. We packed up Monday morning in the rain, drove out to our new site in the rain, and set up most of camp in the rain. Got a brief window of nice weather in the afternoon/evening to set up our tents, then a little more rain.
It poured all day Tuesday. Really gross. Oh yeah, and it rained Wednesday afternoon, too.
But besides for the meteorological downsides, our camp last week was the best yet. Both Mack and I had joked that our previous camps felt a little bit too much like New Hampshire. Not this one. The puesto was situated on the banks of the Chacabuco River in Valle Guanaco. All around were some big ass mountains, many of which were covered in snow each morning. Finally, I was in Patagonia.
There was a spectacular sunset on Tuesday evening that turned the whole valley an incredibly warm and vibrant yellow. It was as if, after so much rain, every rock and plant was glowing with appreciation.
One of the best parts about this camp, besides the scenery, was the food. On a few of the evenings, several of us went to a nearby stream (that parallels the Chacabuco) to fish for rainbow trout. On Wednesday, Mack and I caught four (Mack 3, Justin 1) that were fit to eat. They were beautiful fish, and it was really hard to smack their little fishy heads on the side of the bridge. Yes, I am officially a Murderer.
But boy, were they good.
Other notables: On Monday evening, Mack, Jon, and I crossed the Chacabuco and hiked up an overgrown red rock canyon that reminded me so much of the Southwest. Beautiful, but tough going. We were all glad we went on Monday, because the Chacabuco just about doubled in size after all the rain. It was amazing to see just how quickly it grew.
During the days, we worked to destroy a big field full of thistles. Tough, thorny work. But seriously, what´s better than standing in a field of flowers, looking up at a fragile dusting of snow on rocky peaks?
Best of all, yesterday, Mack, Jon, and I hiked up Tomangito. It was a six hour hike from the estancia up to the peak, and it was hot. It was a great hike though, and the views from the top were absolutely spectacular. Nothing like a 360 degree view from above the treeline. I´ll try to upload the video panorama I made next time I´m at the estancia.
The coolest part about being on the top of the peak, though, was that we were about 40 feet from a full-grown Andean Condor, flying. I think he could tell that we were tired, and most likely was hoping that we would keel over and die. He checked us out for about 5-10 minutes before flying off in search of less lively prey. Just awesome (in the true sense of the word).
So, in summary, Life Is Good. I´m so happy to be here, and feel so lucky that I can be having this experience. I do miss you all, though, and hope that things are well wherever you may find yourself.
Until next time!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Pictures! (with Abby Esparza captions)
The view from our most recent camp, taken from the little canal where we caught rainbow trout for dinner. Just spectacular.
Some crazy little kid riding a sheep at the rodeo. Hang on, buddy!
Our last morning at Camp 3. Have I mentioned that the lighting here is always dramatic? Seriously, it´s like living in a National Geographic.
The lake that we hiked to from Camp 3, led by Rene the puma-tracker. Spent the afternoon basking on the beach in the sun (which eventually came out).
Caterpillars! Thankfully we´ve managed to avoid them recently, but they were all over the place at Camps 1 and 2.
This is a view down to the lake where we had our second camp. You can actually see my tent (it´s in the lower right hand corner). This camp was pretty rustic--no building, and only a log seat for a toilet. That being said, it was nice to be able to swim every day after work. I managed to stay significantly cleaner because of it (which my co-volunteers likely appreciated).
Camp 3. This was one of two different buildings on the site. We made and ate most of the meals in this one. Mack, Jon, and I found a sweet place to pitch our tents with beautiful, thick grass. It was almost as good as a real bed. Kind of.
Here´s everyone rolling up fences. With 20-something volunteers, we made crazy progress on the fence and finished sooner than expected.
Mack, Jon, and Jey looking out across Lago Cochrane. A beautiful afternoon hike up the ridge from Camp 2, in which Jey decided it would be a good idea to wear sandals. The stick in the foreground is the same one (above) covered in caterpillars. The little buggers were everywhere.
Check out Mack´s blog for more pictures! A longer update is coming soon!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Back to "civilization"
I´m back at the estancia after another long week working out in the middle of nowhere. This time there was a much bigger group, which changed the atmosphere pretty significantly. Gone were the days of the five of us cooking manjar pizza and playing games around the stove. In were the days of getting as much food as you could, whenever and wherever possible. It was like dinner with a ginormous familly comprised of 20 ravenous 20-somethings. We ate a lot of food.
Since I last wrote, we´ve worked at two different sites. The first was a pretty bare bones camp (read: the toilet was a hole in the ground with a log for a seat, the stove was half an oil can with a pathetic excuse for a chimney, and the "hut" didn´t have walls or a roof). So it was pretty much camping, pure and simple. We did have a beautiful lake right next to the camp, which meant that I managed to remain significantly more clean (ie- still Very Dirty).
Work consisted, of course, of rolling lots of fences. Made a lot more progress with 20 people, though.
On one of the evenings, Mack, Jon, Jey, and I climbed up the nearby ridgeline. Absolutely spectacular views down to the lake, to Lago Cochrane, and to the Northern Ice field (pictures coming soon). The craziest part about the hike were the caterpillars...they´re everywhere here, very similar to when tent caterpillars take over the northeast every few years. The only difference is that these babies sting. Poor Jey made the unfortunate mistake of wearing sandals--there were so many ´pillars that he couldn´t stand still.
The second camp was significantly more posh--two shacks, a stove, and an outhouse. Rolled fences for a day, collected bunchgrass seeds for another day, and took an awesome hike up the valley to a much bigger lake. We hiked in silence because Rene, one of the staff here, was trying to take radio readings of the pumas in the area. Totally awesome to know that there´s a mountain lion 1500 meters ahead of you, heading your way.
The day to day, as you can tell, is pretty monotonous. It consists of waking up, devouring breakfast, rolling fences, devouring lunch, rolling fences, and waiting anxiously for dinner. And then trying to eat as fast as possible in order to get seconds. And then hanging around for a bit before going to bed.
The particulars, though, are spectacular. Hiking down from the ridge as the sun was at its warmest and most dramatic, illuminating beautiful lakes, cliffs, and mountains. Diving into the lake after work, feeling like my lungs had collapsed from the cold. Coming through a narrow valley and getting our first view of the big lake (the one that we took the day hike to), then spending the afternoon lying on the beach. Watching the full moon rise over the ridgeline through a worn wooden window, its light illuminating the marble white cliffs below.
And then driving back to the estancia yesterday afternoon in the back of a caged-in pickup truck. I thought you only got to do that in southern Arizona...
Since I last wrote, we´ve worked at two different sites. The first was a pretty bare bones camp (read: the toilet was a hole in the ground with a log for a seat, the stove was half an oil can with a pathetic excuse for a chimney, and the "hut" didn´t have walls or a roof). So it was pretty much camping, pure and simple. We did have a beautiful lake right next to the camp, which meant that I managed to remain significantly more clean (ie- still Very Dirty).
Work consisted, of course, of rolling lots of fences. Made a lot more progress with 20 people, though.
On one of the evenings, Mack, Jon, Jey, and I climbed up the nearby ridgeline. Absolutely spectacular views down to the lake, to Lago Cochrane, and to the Northern Ice field (pictures coming soon). The craziest part about the hike were the caterpillars...they´re everywhere here, very similar to when tent caterpillars take over the northeast every few years. The only difference is that these babies sting. Poor Jey made the unfortunate mistake of wearing sandals--there were so many ´pillars that he couldn´t stand still.
The second camp was significantly more posh--two shacks, a stove, and an outhouse. Rolled fences for a day, collected bunchgrass seeds for another day, and took an awesome hike up the valley to a much bigger lake. We hiked in silence because Rene, one of the staff here, was trying to take radio readings of the pumas in the area. Totally awesome to know that there´s a mountain lion 1500 meters ahead of you, heading your way.
The day to day, as you can tell, is pretty monotonous. It consists of waking up, devouring breakfast, rolling fences, devouring lunch, rolling fences, and waiting anxiously for dinner. And then trying to eat as fast as possible in order to get seconds. And then hanging around for a bit before going to bed.
The particulars, though, are spectacular. Hiking down from the ridge as the sun was at its warmest and most dramatic, illuminating beautiful lakes, cliffs, and mountains. Diving into the lake after work, feeling like my lungs had collapsed from the cold. Coming through a narrow valley and getting our first view of the big lake (the one that we took the day hike to), then spending the afternoon lying on the beach. Watching the full moon rise over the ridgeline through a worn wooden window, its light illuminating the marble white cliffs below.
And then driving back to the estancia yesterday afternoon in the back of a caged-in pickup truck. I thought you only got to do that in southern Arizona...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Off to work again.
We´re headed out this morning for another week of work, this time with a much bigger group (16 or so volunteers, versus 5). Hopefully there´ll be more time for photos and updates when I get back!
Hope you´re all doing well!
Hope you´re all doing well!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Ahora mas sabor!
Translation: now more flavor! (This title goes out to Mack and Jon, who have had to deal with just how bad I smell after 7 days without a shower)
Wow...I have not had nearly enough time to catch you all up on the trip thus far. Last time you caught up with me, I was sitting in an internet cafe in rainy Coyhaique. Quite a bit has happened since then, so I´ll try to fill you in on all the highlights.
Coyhaique to Entrada Baker
The bus trip from Coyhaique to the park didn´t look too far on the map, but the whole trip followed the Carretera Austral--a tiny little highway running through Patagonia. I use the term highway pretty loosely, because about an hour into the trip, the pavement disappeared and the road got sketchy. Think narrow dirt road twisting and turning through the mountains, often with precipitous drop offs on one side or the other. It took us 7 hours to arrive.
The Park
The bus dropped us off at a road junction in the absolute middle of nowhere. When you don´t speak Spanish and haven´t ever been to a place before, this can be a little disconcerting. Particularly when the nearest town is at least 18km away. Thankfully, shortly after we arrived someone from the park came to pick us up. On the ride in, we saw our first herd of guanacos and a baby skunk waddling alongside the road. He was pretty adorable, and probably smelled better than I do now.
Work
You can barely make out our camp in this picture.
Shortly after arriving, the park staff drove us further into the middle of nowhere to our first work camp. It was a quick turnaround, and I wish I had had more time to relax and decompress after arriving. The lack of decompression time was made up for by the fact that, as soon as we arrived at camp, the staff put on the first of what I hope will be many asados. For those of you that don´t know, an asado is a traditional Patagonia BBQ. In short, they build a big, smokey fire, and skewer a whole lamb carcass in front of it. The lamb slow cooks over several hours, and the result is absolutely DELICIOUS. You can see a picture on facebook.
Our camp was a grassy clearing in the middle of an open hardwood forest with an outhouse, the smokehouse, and a roughly 10´x30´shack, furnished with a cast iron stove. We carried water from the stream a few hundred yards away and cooked all of our food over the wood-fired stove. In short, it was Life, Little House on the Prairie style.
Work each day consisted of taking down and rolling up miles of fences. Taking them down isn´t the hard part; it´s rolling them up that kills you. Try rolling something, made out of heavy wire that doesn´t want to be rolled, over difficult terrain. I am going to have massive forearms by the end of this.
Highlights
First of all, it´s amazing to be in a place that is so far removed from humanity that you can´t hear cars or even airplanes. I struggled with the fact that I was in Patagonia at times, just because there were so few indicators to clue me in to that fact. The forest we were in looked remarkably like the northeast, the folks we were working with were mainly english speakers, and Mack was there (and Jon is here now). But then Mack and I went on an awesome day-long hike, and it became pretty clear that we were in Patagonia.
Other highlights: they have parrots here! Crazy green parrots that flew around our camp every morning, and foxes, skunks, and guanacos. And apparently that only scratches the surface of the area´s fauna. The group of 4 others that I worked with for the past week have been fantastic, and the food (albeit cooked over a cast iron stove) has been delicious.
Life is pretty darn good. I´m trying to figure out how to share the photos that I´ve posted on facebook--hopefully those will be up soon.
And thanks for leaving comments! It´s really great to hear from you all.
Wow...I have not had nearly enough time to catch you all up on the trip thus far. Last time you caught up with me, I was sitting in an internet cafe in rainy Coyhaique. Quite a bit has happened since then, so I´ll try to fill you in on all the highlights.
Coyhaique to Entrada Baker
The bus trip from Coyhaique to the park didn´t look too far on the map, but the whole trip followed the Carretera Austral--a tiny little highway running through Patagonia. I use the term highway pretty loosely, because about an hour into the trip, the pavement disappeared and the road got sketchy. Think narrow dirt road twisting and turning through the mountains, often with precipitous drop offs on one side or the other. It took us 7 hours to arrive.The Park
The bus dropped us off at a road junction in the absolute middle of nowhere. When you don´t speak Spanish and haven´t ever been to a place before, this can be a little disconcerting. Particularly when the nearest town is at least 18km away. Thankfully, shortly after we arrived someone from the park came to pick us up. On the ride in, we saw our first herd of guanacos and a baby skunk waddling alongside the road. He was pretty adorable, and probably smelled better than I do now.
Work
You can barely make out our camp in this picture.
Shortly after arriving, the park staff drove us further into the middle of nowhere to our first work camp. It was a quick turnaround, and I wish I had had more time to relax and decompress after arriving. The lack of decompression time was made up for by the fact that, as soon as we arrived at camp, the staff put on the first of what I hope will be many asados. For those of you that don´t know, an asado is a traditional Patagonia BBQ. In short, they build a big, smokey fire, and skewer a whole lamb carcass in front of it. The lamb slow cooks over several hours, and the result is absolutely DELICIOUS. You can see a picture on facebook.
Our camp was a grassy clearing in the middle of an open hardwood forest with an outhouse, the smokehouse, and a roughly 10´x30´shack, furnished with a cast iron stove. We carried water from the stream a few hundred yards away and cooked all of our food over the wood-fired stove. In short, it was Life, Little House on the Prairie style.
Work each day consisted of taking down and rolling up miles of fences. Taking them down isn´t the hard part; it´s rolling them up that kills you. Try rolling something, made out of heavy wire that doesn´t want to be rolled, over difficult terrain. I am going to have massive forearms by the end of this.
Highlights
First of all, it´s amazing to be in a place that is so far removed from humanity that you can´t hear cars or even airplanes. I struggled with the fact that I was in Patagonia at times, just because there were so few indicators to clue me in to that fact. The forest we were in looked remarkably like the northeast, the folks we were working with were mainly english speakers, and Mack was there (and Jon is here now). But then Mack and I went on an awesome day-long hike, and it became pretty clear that we were in Patagonia.
Other highlights: they have parrots here! Crazy green parrots that flew around our camp every morning, and foxes, skunks, and guanacos. And apparently that only scratches the surface of the area´s fauna. The group of 4 others that I worked with for the past week have been fantastic, and the food (albeit cooked over a cast iron stove) has been delicious.
Life is pretty darn good. I´m trying to figure out how to share the photos that I´ve posted on facebook--hopefully those will be up soon.
And thanks for leaving comments! It´s really great to hear from you all.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Be jealous.
After a 12 hour bus ride from Santiago, Mack and I arrived in Puerto Montt. The bus was significantly nicer than any public bus in the US--reclining seats, a showing of Iron Man, and breakfast. Yes, they serve food on buses here. They barely do that on US airlines!
Puerto Montt was a smallish city, with all that one could expect from such. It did have a very nice beach, which Mack and I sat on all afternoon drinking very good wine. Very good wine which cost about 2 bucks. I could definitely get used to this.
This morning we flew down to Coyhaique. It was only an hour-long flight, but it was seriously one of the most scenic flights I´ve ever been on. For just about the entire flight, we were right over the Andes, looking down on aquamarine lakes and huge snowfields. Then it opened up to high steppe, with a gorgeous earthy palette of browns and greens.
Took a bus from the airport (literally in the middle of nowhere, one runway) with a bunch of gringos and have spent the afternoon wandering around downtown Coyhaique. The central plaza here is shaped like a pentagon, which, for all you urban planners out there, is a novel but horrible idea. Think malfunction junction, but times 9.
We´re headed to the park tomorrow, and I can´t wait. It is absolutely gorgeous here. My kind of place.
Puerto Montt was a smallish city, with all that one could expect from such. It did have a very nice beach, which Mack and I sat on all afternoon drinking very good wine. Very good wine which cost about 2 bucks. I could definitely get used to this.
This morning we flew down to Coyhaique. It was only an hour-long flight, but it was seriously one of the most scenic flights I´ve ever been on. For just about the entire flight, we were right over the Andes, looking down on aquamarine lakes and huge snowfields. Then it opened up to high steppe, with a gorgeous earthy palette of browns and greens.
Took a bus from the airport (literally in the middle of nowhere, one runway) with a bunch of gringos and have spent the afternoon wandering around downtown Coyhaique. The central plaza here is shaped like a pentagon, which, for all you urban planners out there, is a novel but horrible idea. Think malfunction junction, but times 9.
We´re headed to the park tomorrow, and I can´t wait. It is absolutely gorgeous here. My kind of place.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
In Santiago!
After what seems like the longest trip ever, I've finally arrived in Santiago.
The trip looked something like this:
6am Monday Wake up
8am Monday drive Evan to his placement/internship outside of Albany
Drive to Newark, try to find a place to eat
5:30pm Monday, finally board the plane
12am Tuesday, arrive Panama City
12:30am Tuesday, get through customs, realize that there is no comfortable place to wait out my 12 hour layover
1am Meet Phil, a Brit who was in the same predicament as myself. Lay my sleeping pad down on the hard, hard floor.
3:30 am Realize that only the shittiest American music gets exported to the rest of the world (ie Celine Dion played on a wooden flute).
sleep fitfully for half hour increments.
6am Wake up fully
9am Check in, hang out
10:45am Tuesday Flight boards
8pm Chile time, arrive meet Mack, back to the hostel, food.
A long trip. I'm exhausted.
Tomorrow we're going to look into take a bus to the park. Were going to fly, but come to find out, the tickets are over $200, and we're cheap. Plus, we'll be able to see more of the country on a nice long bus ride.
MIss you all!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Take that, Jay Shafer.
(Jay Shafer, for those of you that don't know, is a) the owner of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, an awesome company that builds tiny houses, and b) the occupant of an 85 sq. ft. house)
My new house is even smaller.
Okay, it's not really a house--I'll be living out of a tent for the next few months. A Black Diamond Mirage, to be precise. 30 sq. ft. of highly-engineered aluminum and nylon and not a whole lot else. The lap of luxury. I sincerely hope it can stand up to the wind.
I'm actually really excited to have a two-person tent to myself. Last time I did this, while traveling through Switzerland for 6 weeks in 2006, I lived out of the smallest freaking tent imaginable. The thing was so small that I couldn't sit up while inside it, nor could I fit both myself and my backpack inside at the same time. The few thunderstorms I weathered in that tent were some of the most terrifying and claustrophobic experiences of my life. Schrodinger's cat: I know how you feel.
This tent feels ginormous in comparison. I can actually sit up in it! And if you're looking to get away to southern Chile for a bit, I might even have a little room to share!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Packing.
Only 5 more days until I leave! (Technically we'll probably be leaving on Sunday, so it's only 3-4 days.) Craziness.
I won't bore you all with the details of the last week--mostly I've been making long lists and crossing out items like "eat breakfast" while leaving items like "register car in NY" unfinished. My typical m.o., really. Thankfully, time is running short and I've become increasingly more productive by the day.
I spent most of the last two days staring at all of the stuff I own, trying to figure just how much of it I'm willing to carry for the next 3 months and, of that, how much I can actually fit in my pack. It's a fascinating exercise, and one that I relish. Ya see, I have this obsession with downsizing. Every time I move, I ponder how great it would be if I could fit all of my stuff into one car--let alone one backpack! The opportunity to go through my things and weigh the importance of every single item makes me realize just how much stuff I actually don't need.
So, without further ado, here it is. Just about everything that I'll be taking with me for three months in South America (minus the laptop):
Yes, I'm a little OCD when it comes to packing. You would be too if you had to fit all of this stuff (plus a sleeping bag and an extra pair of shoes) in a backpack.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Queasy.
I decided that before I head to South America, I'd better make a cursory effort to eat meat. Many of you know (and many of you give me shit for the fact that) I've been a vegetarian for the past 2 years. It's been a good life. I really, really like vegetables now (my mother is still trying to understand how this happened). The only downside is that my body is now completely unable to fend of the gustatory onslaught that is beef, lamb, or anything else with a protein chain longer than that of a kidney bean. Past experimentation, as you would expect, has not been pretty.I imagine one is supposed to make a gradual transition into carnivory, but I've never been one for gradual transitions. I like to hit the ground running--dive right into that cold water.
So I ate a burger. A big, greasy, delicious burger.
Oh boy, was it good.
Unfortunately, I now feel like I consumed a small mammal. A tasmanian devil, perhaps. I believe it is still alive. Good food is decidedly un-Macchiavellian.
As if I hadn't given my intestinal track enough exercise, I have live typhoid sitting in little pills in my refrigerator, thanks to my trip to the travel clinic. That was quite a trip--I spent most of the two hours that I was there waiting, thumbing through a lengthy article on the hazards of travel.
Apparently driving a motorcycle without a helmet while drunk, stoned, and having sex with a 13 year old sex slave is a bad idea. Who knew?
I jest. The article (a literature review, really...and not a great one, given that their research methods included googling) was pretty interesting and further affirmed my belief that good urban planning can alleviate many of the issues that are confronting the developing (and developed) world today. How to make that happen is a topic for another day...
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Holy smokes.
It hit me when I woke up on New Year's Day: I just quit my job. I am home, lying in bed, with a year and a half of who-knows-what in front of me. I am going to South America in 18 days.
Oh. my. god.
It hadn't hit me until that moment. Between the last few days at work, the holidays, and the big move out of Ivy Lane, the idea that I was leaving Brattleboro--actually quitting my job, packing up, and leaving--had been batted around like a pinball. It had all been deliciously abstract up until that point. It was something I thought about when I was bored at work.
And then, there I was, looking up at January 1, 2009 thinking, "Oh. shit."
Thankfully, the excitement kicked in shortly after the initial rush of terror. Yes, I was giving up the stability of a job, health insurance, and a pay check, but I was giving it up for a chance of a lifetime. How often does one get the chance to go to one of the most beautiful places on earth with two good friends for two months? When else am I going to have the opportunity to walk away from a job (and all other responsibilities, really) to travel for a year and a half?
I haven't thought about it much since then, but I've been busy with the Bates family Christmas, cross-country skiing with my dad, and avoiding my brother, who is currently a vector for both a virus and strep throat. I'll be writing more about trip preparations in the next few days, as well as sharing some fond memories from my time in Brattleboro.
Oh. my. god.
It hadn't hit me until that moment. Between the last few days at work, the holidays, and the big move out of Ivy Lane, the idea that I was leaving Brattleboro--actually quitting my job, packing up, and leaving--had been batted around like a pinball. It had all been deliciously abstract up until that point. It was something I thought about when I was bored at work.
And then, there I was, looking up at January 1, 2009 thinking, "Oh. shit."
Thankfully, the excitement kicked in shortly after the initial rush of terror. Yes, I was giving up the stability of a job, health insurance, and a pay check, but I was giving it up for a chance of a lifetime. How often does one get the chance to go to one of the most beautiful places on earth with two good friends for two months? When else am I going to have the opportunity to walk away from a job (and all other responsibilities, really) to travel for a year and a half?
I haven't thought about it much since then, but I've been busy with the Bates family Christmas, cross-country skiing with my dad, and avoiding my brother, who is currently a vector for both a virus and strep throat. I'll be writing more about trip preparations in the next few days, as well as sharing some fond memories from my time in Brattleboro.
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