Coyhaique and on to Villa La Tapera

La familia en Coyhaique

Coyhaique may have been a respite for us, but we were not fully resting- I've found there has to be a balance of resting with socializing. Thankfully the non-resting was also enjoyable and we got to meet and talk to multiple people who were helpful and insightful. We stayed at (you guessed it) a friend of a friend's house, and she couldn't have been a more gracious and wonderful hostess. Sandra not only shared her home, she also shared her beautiful art pieces and life's story with us, helping us learn more about the Sin Represas movement and how many people in the area are trying (with some success) to keep Patagonia's river ways flowing free and wild.

Sin Represas HQ

We integrated into the family quickly, enjoying Cassandra's cooking and Francisco's stories from work, talking about life in general. We stayed longer than planned, but in the end had to keep moving after a whopping 6 days off. We didn't say goodbye because Sandra doesn't like them, though received a heartfelt note from her instead. As we wandered out of town, I was sad to be leaving the lovely family we had come to know but happy to be moving again.

Looking back on Coyhaique

Reserva Nacional Coyhaique

Giant trees in the Reserva

We got to stretch our legs for a bit walking across town, and then pushed uphill in the direction of Reserva Nacional Coyhaique. The reserve is right outside of town, and the young woman at the entrance station was concerned with our questions about how to get out of the reserve on the other side. We talked with her for a bit and then, convincing her that we would do the loop she strongly suggested, walked a few kilometers into the park and found a lovely little area to camp alongside a small pond. We looked at some maps that evening and discussed our options. The next morning, we headed further up the trail, bushwhacked a bit across to the reserve's edge, and promptly continued north along an old dirt track that we found. It is a struggle for the people in the parks to understand what we are doing, and they always want us to go on a loop hike, so sometimes we have to deceive to be able to continue walking not on roads. It's unfortunate, though with the lack of a trail/accountability system in Chile it hasn't been too much of an issue yet. As we continue north, we came upon a police estancia, and they came out-surprised to see us coming in from their back fields. We asked them if we can go to the road, and they allowed us to pass through.

Walking along two-track

We took a break at the road to discuss our options to move on, not wanting to push our luck much further. We decided to stick to the road for a bit and then turned off onto a two track dirt road that immediately went down across a stream and back up a steep grade for a couple miles. We went up and up, then the road plateaued and we wandered across open fields to where the road ended at someone's home. After talking with the home owner, he offered us a track to a town directly east of us, not in the direction we wanted to go. We decided to back track a bit though, to another two track ending and then hop across a couple of fields to another two track which eventually led us in the direction we wanted- north! Thank goodness for GPS and some decent maps for this section. After scaring some cows, a good night's sleep, and being admonished by another local as we made our way down his driveway, we made it to another paved road. It had been a tough stretch people-wise, so we were hesitant to follow a route we had found, but decided to go for it, and were not disappointed.

Moises and Fidgit in the morning

We wandered down the driveway of yet another estancia and were greeted by a kind man who offered us a place to sleep as well as some directions the next morning. A lovely way to start a chilly morning is trying to keep up with a former track and field stand-out while carrying a pack, whew! But we made it, and Moises was very helpful in us getting over the pass without many wrong turns.

We walked into Manihuales the next day, ready for some empanadas and cleaner clothes. We found Moises' wife who runs a hospedaje, and she helped us navigate the small town, and invited us over for onces that evening. We left late the next morning filled with food for our horribly long road walk to Villa La Tapera. We usually try to avoid road walks as they have a tendency to make us grumpy, though had to road walk this stretch because it was either that, or illegally cross out of and then back into Chile. We opted to keep it legal. As we wandered along Ruta 7 for multiple days getting passed by multiple vehicles, I day dreamed about what not being on a busy road was like. As per usual in life, the hours passed slowly but soon our road walk was over and we had made it along Rio Cisnes to the lovely and small town of La Tapera.

Looking out at the Andes

Hello? Are we done with this road walk yet?

KM 100 on Ruta 7

Almost to the dirt road to Villa La Tapera

Me and my giant Avocado, we named him Paul.

Road walks can be pretty- Rio Cisnes

Chile Chico to Coyhaique

We found more Sendero!

Chile Chico was a small town, though we could tell tourism was a large part of the town with many people making the short side trip from the Carretera Austral to visit this port-and-border town.  It was Fidgit's birthday as we came into town, and we were able to get a giant and delicious lunch, so we weren't walking around hungry for too long. We spent the night in a campground right outside of town, resupplied the next day AND were able to find some decent maps of our next stretch of walking going into Coyhaique.  Unfortunately, we were not able to get across Lago General Carrera, so had to spend another night in town.  Thank goodness for wine and good conversation!

Leaving early in the morning, there was a faint chill in the air. The dock was the only place in town abuzz with activity, as we've learned mornings are not something most Chileans do.  Having been up late, I fell asleep for most of the multi-hour boat trip.  I woke up, and we docked and disembarked.  The walk out of town seemed all uphill, and we zig-zagged up a steep dirt road towards Cerro Castillo and its tantalizing mountain views.  After multiple days of road-walking, we were ready to be on-trail again. But first, the road walk.

Sometimes road walks are pretty

We followed Chile's attempt at a trail- the Sendero de Chile (remember that from an earlier post??) for about a day along the road, and then it went off the road!! We were aghast, and followed the Sendero markings down a smaller dirt road, past a fishing resort situated between two lakes.  We stopped at the resort and talked with the chef.  He said we could hang out on their deck for our morning break and was able to give us information on where the Sendero went- turns out it went right into Villa Cerro Castillo!  He also brought out some leftover desserts and yogurts, such a hospitable guy.

'Trail Magic'!

We moved onward to the small town nestled at one of the entrances to Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo.  Walking into town, we saw many people trying to hitch-hike out of town.  I was glad to not be among the droves trying to get a ride, instead able to rely on myself to get to Coyhaique. We ate a late lunch in the town square and walked into the Reserva. As we were about to head up to the first camp, a horse caravan came down and their guide warned us it was going to be cold and windy at the camp we were planning on going to. After consulting with a few others who had come down the path after the horseman, we heeded his advice and called our day a bit early.

Along the route in Cerro Castillo

Good thing we stayed low, because we had a giant windy climb the next morning up over a pass to a glacial lake where it began raining and stayed windy for our excursion down and up another valley, over a windy exposed pass, then down ANOTHER valley to camp. Thankfully this was on-trail hiking, as Cerro Castillo is a popular trekking loop not far from the Regional Capital of Coyhaique. The weather may have been cold and windy, but my spirits were high, we were on trail in the mountains again!  Having some peanut M&Ms also helped the situation, but the mountains!  Muy Hermoso.

Our helpful Ranger

It was decision time again. We had heard about a route that went more northerly up a valley. The traditional way is to continue following the valley we were already in down to a road and hitch from there. We are obviously not proponents of taking a ride, so we tried to get some information from the park ranger who was conveniently at our camp that night. After an hour and multiple stories, he acquiesced and showed us a Lonely Planet book (in English!) that had a route description. He also warned us that so few people go that way he wasn't sure how the trail would be, as it's no longer kept up by the park service.

Almost to the pass

We left the 'back country' ranger station the next morning, made sure to make the required left across an unkempt bridge, and followed an old dirt road nearly up to the pass. The road petered out and a trail continued up through the forest then across a rocky face to the pass, cairns marking the way. The 'trail' on the other side of the pass was a different story. The cairns ran out just as the alpine meadow did, as we came upon at a thickly forested steep valley leading down to Lago Paloma.  Because of the trees, we could only see the lake on our GPS, so we had to bushwhack down the valley until we got to an area too steep to walk down and went up the valley side. We repeated that a few times, and we popped out on an area that was obviously a giant rock slide. And by giant, I mean the entire right side of the already steep valley was loose dirt and rock.

Looking at Lago Paloma from the landslide area

We carefully picked our way up and across the rock slide area for 3 hours, and came face to face with a steep gully. We butt-slid and dropped from tree-to-tree down the gully and headed back up to finally find a lovely campsite along a small stream near where we thought the trail should be. We both fell into an exhausted sleep after setting up camp, eating dinner, looking at our GPS maps, and getting water.  The next morning, we decided to head uphill from where we camped in search of the trail. Lo and behold, up a drainage about half a mile, a human-built bridge! We were back on the trail and able to follow it down along a few meadows the rest of the morning. We were both so relieved to be on trail that we sang and laughed the rest of the day. At the end of the trail was a road that led to another road that led to another toad that led down towards Lago Paloma and also into Coyhaique. We were nearly to our next town stop!

A BRIDGE!

Road walking is a struggle in itself, but I didn't mind as much as the concern for being lost and on a steep valley side melted away while meandering along the dirt road and was replaced by concern for where we would sleep and get water that night. We walked into Coyhaique in a day and a half, and were overwhelmed- the Capital of the Aysen region was the largest town so far.  There were people everywhere, and some of them were quite talkative. Thankfully we were welcomed with open arms into the home of Sandra and her family and had a wonderful multi-day respite.

Locked gates= no problem for me

Walking into Coyhaique

Cochrane to Chile Chico

Lago Cochrane

We came into Cochrane hot and thirsty from the road walk in.  Thankfully, it was another very walker-accessible town, and we were also welcomed by (of course) a friend of a friend who is now our friend.  He allowed us to stay in his yard, which was amazing, as all the fruit on his trees had just ripened and we (especially me) ate our fill. Our host was quite gracious, though requested that we not talk him up too much, so I will only say multiple days of rest, relaxation, and great conversation were had. We did the usual around town things, such as attempting to find maps, figuring out our next section (we actually figured out the next two sections!), eating as much town food as we could stomach, and resupplying.

Walking out of Cochrane, we walked along trails into Reserva Nacional Tomango, which runs along the northern side of Lago Cochrane and is a habitat for the endangered Huemul, a small deer-like animal that is becoming more rare as its habitat becomes smaller.  I had never heard about Huemul before, but everyone knows about them down here, and asks us if we've seen any(we haven't).  It is amazing the number of people who care and know about their surroundings down here.

Looking out on the Welcome Center at Parque Patagonia

As a favor to our host from Cochrane, we stopped by a his friend's Estancia right outside of Tomango to drop off some maps. Unfortunately, he was not there, so we just left a note and camped in his yard for the night, meeting all the chickens and the cat instead.  We walked on the next morning, and into Parque Patagonia. The valley opened up before us, and we curiously wandered to the visitor's center to have lunch on their manicured lawn. The giant stone buildings and the watered lawn with a prop plane sitting on it seemed odd, and I felt out of place sitting in such a lush lawn after spending countless hours among trees, rocks and underbrush.

Our campsite before heading up Valle Chacabuco

Along the Valle

Let me explain: Parque Patagonia is one of Doug and Kris Tompkins' (founder of The North Face and his wife) projects in their beloved Patagonia.  Even after Doug died of Hypothermia in late 2015, his name and legacy have continued in Patagonia. Some people love what they've done with the land they've bought up, some people hate it.  It's always interesting how much more one learns coming into a conversation with an inquisitive mind. 'Why give land back to the government, they'll just ruin it?' 'How can he not have ulterior motives?' 'Why don't people understand that what he's doing is amazing?' Anyway, I had and still have mixed feelings about the Parque and their non-profit Conservacion Patagonica, which is why I was excited that we got to check it out and decide for ourselves what we thought.

Valle Hermoso

From the visitor's center, we made it out to Valle Chacabuco to continue our walk north. There were actual campsites which threw us off, though the bathrooms were not yet functional, so it didn't throw us off as much.  We had met a couple other Americans, and I found it nice to be able to converse in a language I was fluent in as opposed to my usual stumbling Spanish attempts (though I am always grateful for everyone's patience in said attempts). We talked into the evening, and I went to sleep dreaming of the next few days, thinking maybe these guys could keep up.

We were leaving, but I had to get a photo

We ran into some ranchers along the road

I was mistaken, the guys had a more relaxed plan through the valleys. Fidgit and I had planned on taking 3 or 4 days through and ended up cruising the trail, finishing it in 2 days.....I guess that's what happens when you put solid trail in front of thru-hikers. Valles Chacabuco and Hermoso were very beautiful, with older refugios and fun walking. The 10-12 river crossings we did down Valle Hermoso  didn't change my mind. The water was, of course, glacier melt. A fire in the refugio to dry out our clothes was just what we needed, and we had one.  We walked to the Jeinimeni Ranger Station the next afternoon, and lunched under a tree out front. The ranger was so kind, asking us multiple times if we needed/wanted a ride into Chile Chico, telling us how far it was (60km-ish), and attempting to remember the water sources along the way.  We thanked him for his kindness and hit the dusty road with vigor, as Fidgit wanted to see the 'Cuevo de los Manos' he had mentioned was along the way.

Walking the road into Chile Chico was more interesting than the road into Cochrane because the scenery slowly changed, and I felt there was more to look at.  Who knows, maybe I had just gotten more used to a couple days of road walking into/out of town. Either way, Fidgit got to see the 'Cave of the Hands', we only ran out of water a couple times, and we made it into Chile Chico on Fidgit's Birthday!

Fidgit had to high-5 the statue

Tasty torta shared with us

Ruta de los Pioneros: Villa O'Higgins to Cochrane

We left ‘Villa,’ as we came to call it (via the locals), with full hearts and heavy packs. Weighed down with nine days of food for our adventurous route to Cochrane, our plan was to walk along the ‘Ruta de los Pioneros,’ the route the pioneers had taken from Cochrane to settle in Villa O’Higgins. We had acquired first hand route information, GPS points, and some mediocre maps to help us along our way.

A close-up our mediocre map

Our first day out of town was spent following a path north connecting to a dirt road that took us to the southern end of Lago Christie. We then began the task of finding the trail by comparing notes and our GPS route points. It sounds simple when I write it, but the actuality of following an old herding trail was harder. We had been instructed to ‘go about 200 meters back from the mirador and look for a faint animal trail’ to begin, then keep the 2 lakes on our left as we walk for the next few days. Starting out, we also noticed our GPS route was usually about 100 meters off the actual route we were finding. It was nice that we had as many resources as we did, or it could’ve been a real struggle.

Fidgit along Lago Christie

Walking around Lago Christie was beautiful, and we only got lost a couple times. In times of confusion, Fidgit was able to use her cow-path-following prowess to determine the right cow path to follow, and we made sure to keep the lake on our left, as well as our GPS and compasses readily accessible.

Getting directions from the First Gaucho

On the morning of day 3, we came upon an estancia at the north end of Lago Christie, and the gaucho who lived there was kind enough to interrupt his breakfast and give us more directions about the trail along the edge of Lago Alegrè. We walked along the path confidently until lunch, when I realized my rain jacket had somehow fallen off my pack. Leaving Fidgit with our stuff and armed with snacks and some water, I backtracked 1.5 hours to find my jacket in the middle of the trail, patiently waiting. It was another reminder for me on this journey to be grateful. Fidgit and I had noticed a pattern at this point in the trip- when we talked poorly about others or laughed (figuratively or literally) at their misfortune, something negative happened to us. Traveling in nature has a tendency to keep one's ego in check, wanted or not.

Mountains reflect in the waters of Lago Alegre

We camped along the lake, and walked on the next morning to another gaucho’s home. His name was Don Rial, and he worked for Escuela NOLS down here for years helping them in the back-country, until they deemed this area too back-country for their purposes. Don Rial is still known among the travelers along this ‘ruta’ as a kind and helpful soul. We came to his home mid-day and waited for him, as we heard he would be able to give us more detailed information on the rest of the trail into Cochrane. We weren’t disappointed, and when he came back from tending his animals he told us so much, including stories from visitors past. We also shared matè as he made dinner for all of us, and he invited us to stay the night. We readily agreed, glad to be offered such generosity.

Sitting on the porch of Don Rial's place

Me, Don Rial, and Fidgit

Leaving Don Rial’s the next morning was tough- he had expected us to stay another day and was disappointed we weren’t. After breakfast,  he made sure we had enough food, and gave us some more of the fried bread he made the evening prior. As we left, we again took a wrong turn-apparently there are different words for different gates in Spanish- and were lucky enough to run into Don Rial again so he could help us get on the right cow path/trail. From there, we followed along the eastern side of Rio Bravo up the valley. We had been given directions to follow the path to the right of the river up to its ‘birth’ and cross it directly below the glacial laguna. Simple enough mentally, though we did have to decide which cow path/trail to choose a few times throughout the day. There were also a couple refugios at which the gauchos would stay while herding their cattle seasonally. The walk along Rio Bravo was beautiful- in and out of old growth forest, sometimes high above the thick vein of water looking down at a waterfall, sometimes walking along the bank of the river.

Fidgit enjoying the view along Rio Bravo

Rio Bravo winding its way along the valley floor

Fidgit and the mountains at the pass

The next day, we crossed below the laguna as instructed under cloudy skies. Despite my sunglasses disappearing into the milky water, I was able to continue enjoying the day. I blame the awe-inspiring scenery. This particular day was a special one, as we had to make sure we went over the correct pass or it could mean trouble for us in the future (read:running out of food, losing our way, discombobulation, death, etc.). I was happy to see cairns all along the way above treeline, though we made sure to continue watching the GPS, as cairns had led us astray in the past. Anyone can build a pile of rocks, right? We arrived at the pass after a few more stream crossings and a couple scree scrambles to a VIEW. I counted 4 hanging glaciers and there were peaks all over in my 360* view. I could have stayed for a while looking at that scenery, but we still had to make some kilometers for the day. 

Down, down we went, and there were cairns on this side of the pass too! We followed them to an obvious camp, then steeply descended to the river. The river was very strong, Fidgit and I had to yell to converse over its mighty roar. This was not a place for us to cross if we wanted to heighten our chances of living longer than 5 more minutes. We weren’t sure what to do, but knew crossing that river was out of the question. So we did something we’ve gotten into the habit of doing on this trip- we swallowed our pride, and went back to the last place we knew for sure we were on the right path to reassess.

Me following the cairns the wrong way

Back at the obvious campsite, we decided to go up into the forest along the edge of the steep descent to the river to see what we could find. We found an overgrown horse path that led to an open meadow. I remembered a cryptic direction from a previous explorer: “Look for a stick in a meadow, and go past it- you’ll find the trail there.” We followed the meadow and found a stick near the edge! And the trail was right past the stick in the trees! Sometimes Life works in mysterious ways.

Following the trail again, we walked down to the river once more and were able to cross it at a place that was manageable albeit cold enough to make my skin feel like a billion tiny needles were poking at me, not to mention the immediate loss of feeling to my toes. Before falling asleep that night, I thought back to all the choices we had made that landed us right where we wanted to be, and what a crazy place it was! Also, how lucky I was to be there.

Waking the next morning, we walked to the road with Fidgit leading the way. We started at treeline, went from meadows to thick forest, and then the forest thinned and there were more signs of civilization. The trail was intermingling cow/horse path, and finding the correct one to follow is one of Fidgit’s strengths.

Mt San Lorenzo and Glacier Cayuqueo

As we came to the road, we also had the pleasure of gazing out at the Cayuqueo glacier nestled into Mt San Lorenzo, though unfortunately it was covered in dust (which promotes melting). Progress has a way of impeding the beauty that already surrounds us. 

The road walk into Cochrane from the glacier was 1.5 days, long, hot, and dusty. I was happy to get into town and have a cold beverage, though sad this section of our walk was over. From being eye to eye with glaciers to walking the last 5-ish kilometers along the dusty Carretera Austral, this section of our walk seemed to have everything, and what an adventure it was!

Progress?

Villa O'Higgins

As mentioned, we walked into Villa O’Higgins from the boat dock. It is a tiny town at the end of a long road- Ruta 7. Many people traveling what is known as the Carretera Austral bike route either begin or end their journey in Villa O’Higgins. It was the kind of town we needed to take a break in- removed from technology, walkable, and full of friendly people. We had also shipped a trunk there,to a friend of a friend (of course) named Marcela who we had been keeping in contact with since before the start of our journey.

A view from the porch where we stayed

We found a hostel/campground at the end of town and promptly showered and cooked up some dinner. The hostel owner, Fili, knew Marcela, and gave her a call. We were eating dinner when Marcela stopped by, her kindness was even more palpable in person and we talked for a bit and then agreed to stop by her house the next day.

Marcela paints in her shop

After a solid night's sleep and some more food, we walked the few blocks across town to Marcela’s house and found her working in her shop/studio. Talking with her, even though I couldn’t completely understand her words (because of the spanish), was a breath of fresh air to me. I couldn’t place why, but I felt at home in her presence. Marcela and her partner Rodrigo are two of the most genuine people I have met, having found their place in life while continuing to strive for what they believe in. Marcela’s a beautiful artist in her paintings, and she has a small studio/shop in Villa O'Higgins for tourists. Rodrigo’s art is in his music, which he also teaches. Hearing their stories about finding their passions refueled my creative side, and I look forward to working on some of my own art pieces when our season is over down here. I am forever grateful for their kindness and hospitality.

Time for Once's!

Over the next few days, we ate, slept, relaxed, and socialized. Villa O’Higgins became a home away from home as we rested and planned the next section of our trek. Everyone in town was connected, so all we had to do was ask Marcela or Fili where how to get something done, and they’d send us to the address with a name and objective. When one is on foot, small towns are the best.

Some evening music

The days passed quickly and before we knew it, we had been in Villa for nearly a week! As we prepared to leave, we stopped by Marcela and Rodrigo’s for one last goodbye….and ended up staying another day. It’s amazing how quickly certain people can finagle their way into your lives so deeply. We shared many a tea around their small table, and talked into the night with them and other new friends. 

Another meal, in the park this time

  A day later Marcela, Rodrigo, and their son joined us on our walk through town, and opened the gate for us to leave on the trail. We all hugged tightly before dispersing, Fidgit and I towards Cochrane, the other three returning to their house. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, a deep feeling of loss creating a pit in my being. Villa O’Higgins and many of the people there have a stronghold on my heart, and I know I’ll return someday. For now, ever northward.

Between two Countries: Chaltèn to Villa O'Higgins

Fidgit in Chalten. Notice the other tourists

Chaltèn is a small, overrun-with-tourists town, though when you realize the town is nestled at the base of Cerro Torres, which is home to Mount Fitz Roy, it makes more sense why so many people visit. Fitz Roy is a world-famous climbing and mountaineering icon, with athletes and adventurers from across the globe visiting the area each year. I overheard one guy in town say, (with an American accent, mind you) “Chaltèn is the Chamonix of South America.” I’m not sure exactly what he meant, though it did make him sound like he’d been to at least two places other than his local crag. Maybe I’m wary of the tourism down here because I’ve seen what it does to areas of the U.S., maybe my dry sense of humor is coming out again, either way that is a direct quote.

Everyone was again very kind and helpful, but we were ready to move on quickly and didn’t waste any time in getting our town chores done, including getting cash(!) and stuffing our faces. There is a delicious gelato shop with a brewery across the street in Chaltèn, and I recommend everyone visit both, yum!

Fitz Roy spires in the morning

We spent one night tenting in the backyard of a friend of a friend, then walked up the street and back into Los Glaciares National Park the next afternoon- it is a very long national park, covering a large amount of the southern icefield in Argentina. Around Chaltèn, it is also a busy park, so we passed many day-hikers, then when they thinned there were tons of people with giant packs trudging along the trail. Seeing these large groups of people on trail, I was reminded of seeing freshman at my university, because they similarly wander around in a big clump looking lost. I was also distracted by more beautiful scenery as we got up close to the Fitz Roy spires and camped at the head of the cirque they’re along. With the sun setting behind the spires and a guitar being strummed across the campsite, I made some dinner then drifted off to sleep.

Love it! The turnstile in the middle of nowhere!

We woke up the next morning before most of the other hikers and proceeded, paralleling the mountain range all day. We were on-trail until the edge of the park, then back on a dusty road until we walked to the southern edge of Lago del Desierto. The road ended at the southern point of the lake and we hopped back on trail to continue towards our goal: the Argentine border station at the northern end of the lake. Most people who cross the Argentine/Chilean border here take the ferry across the lake, so it was interesting to see the Argentine border guards’ reactions when we told them we had walked. Though not completely uncommon, choosing to walk when you could get a ride is still unusual.

There is camping allowed right next to the guard station, which is awesome - we just set up our tent and made dinner with their horses wandering around us. Though we had only seen a few people walking that day, there were multiple other tents next to the guard station. Some had bikes next to them and others seemed to have been brought by those who came across on the ferry. We walked the next morning on a well-worn path to Chile and followed the road that began down to the Chilean border guard office next to Lago O’Higgins. The border guards on the Chilean side, from what I’ve noticed, are friendly but much more business oriented.

After stopping into their guard station, we wandered down to the small dock to wait for the 3 pm boat across the lake. We had looked into walking around the Lago O’Higgins, but if you Google it, you’ll get an idea of why we chose not to. It’s giant and has at least two glaciers flowing into it.

Crossing Lago O'Higgins

We hopped on the boat, paid the captain, and made it across in about three hours, passing time by watching the waves and talking to a couple other travelers - one Chilean, one Israeli, a couple German cyclists, and a couple wild land firemen from California. We had some good conversations, but were ready to disembark as the boat docked. There is a shuttle that takes people into Villa O’Higgins from the dock, though we (and a few others) decided to road walked the quick 8km into town. And what a town it was.

Life and Learning on a Life-a-versary

I have friends, and I have friends that I’ve been through tough shit with. My friend Elise is one of the latter, and I believe we’ve both grown tremendously from what we've endured in life together, as well as separately, though I wouldn’t wish her journey on anyone. She does and always will hold a special place in my soul.

I met Elise in 2011, shortly after I began working for a wilderness therapy program in southern Utah. We worked on the same shift, though didn’t often interact, so I only knew of her what others mentioned: she’s nice, a quick thinker, an overachiever, next in line for a promotion, etc. Everyone’s got an opinion, right?

In late 2011, I began working nearly every shift with Elise, and it became a time of painful personal growth for me. Elise is a type-A personality, and she had high standards that I constantly felt I was falling short of. I would take the feedback we routinely gave each other and be overwhelmed by the constructive, completely forgetting the positive. I began to feel inadequate and at times victimize myself to the extent of blaming others - dangerous territory for anyone. Interestingly enough, it became Elise who was always there supporting me and offering helpful tidbits of advice. She would (and still does) make a disconcerting amount of eye contact, I felt self-consciously that she was looking into the depths of my soul.

We slowly became friends, sharing in the joy and stress a wilderness therapy guide lifestyle can bring. After working 8-day stints over multiple months together, I learned Elise was also going through a transitional time, including big life decisions like buying a house, applying to be a field director at our company, etc.

Jump forward another month or so to April 2012. I was headed into the field with Elise and two other guides when our truck rolled, and Elise broke her C7 vertebrae. Read my recollection of that here.

Elise’s life was thrown into a tailspin, as she was no longer able to use her body the way she’d been using it her entire life - first as a dancer, then a yoga instructor, most recently as a wilderness therapy guide. Darkness crept in as she struggled not only with pain and decreased mobility, but less personal independence and direction. She was restricted on what she could lift even after her vertebrae healed, making a wilderness field guide position out of the question. I tried to support her as best I could, visiting and helping when I could and we became closer yet after I was laid off. Thankfully she was able to find meaning and healing as she soul-searched. She talks about her recovery and her experience rediscovering her abilities here.

Elise and I are quite different, though over the years I’ve recognized our friendship isn't built on our differences, it’s built on similarities and our ability to truly see each other as people. Not who we want the other to be, not what they want to us to be, but to really see and be seen. I believe when people stop seeing each other for the true beings they are, or start putting on masks because of their shame of who they aren’t, is where the troubling struggles exist. I have pondered on this often along our walk thus-far, and keep coming to that same conclusion ,which I do my best to carry over to my interactions. I try to see people as individuals, not treat them as objects, and cultivate deeper, meaningful relationships.

Looking back on human relationships in my life, I’m slowly realizing that it’s the people who push and encourage me to be my best that stick in my memory as well as stay in my life. I feel like Elise and my relationship is the epitome of that lesson, and for that I am grateful. Not just grateful for the teachings I’ve had from her or others in my life, but also grateful for the future teachings and getting to experience them.