This entry
somehow is coming over a month after the last. Time is going by faster than the
space skydiver. There are a few reasons why it has been so long since I’ve sat
down to write. So, here we go.
A couple of
weeks ago, I picked up a very wonderful friend of mine from the Valdivia bus
station. Georg had flown from Germany to spend three weeks visiting both Jon
and I, and to go on the adventure of a lifetime. I know Georg from when we
worked together in the lab in Minnesota. During his time there, the three of us
became great friends, identifying with the same likes and loves of exploring
the outdoors. A little over a year ago in Minnesota, the three of us sat down
and talked about the possibility that I was going to be in Chile during the
Fall of 2012. We decided there and then that we were all going to meet back up
in Chile, and make our way to Patagonia; the ultimate place for an amazing
hiking trip. Like many promises in life, I wasn’t too sure how or if this would
all pan out.
Fast-forward to
a year later and you will find me at the bus station waiting for my nutty
German pal. He arrived and so began our awesome journey. Friday the 21st
we went to a coworkers house by the beach for a party. It was his celebration
for defending his thesis to become a Vet. Chileans know how to have a good
time. We spent the night sharing beers, wine, pisco, and melt-in-your-mouth
grilled meat. When people weren’t dancing, they were laughing at the Gringa in
the room. When they weren’t laughing at the Gringa, they were laughing at the
German. This went on until we found ourselves back at my house at 4am. The
funny part of this was that we had to get up at 5:30am for our bus.
A very rough
morning rolled around, and we made it to the bus station for a bus to head to
Puerto Montt. From Puerto Montt, we would take a plane to Punta Arenas. From
Punta Arenas (the end of the world) we would take a bus to Puerto Natales. From
Puerto Natales, we would take another bus that would finally drop us off in Parque
Nacional Torres del Paine. In true Chilean time, our initial flight was delayed
by 6 hours. Weather in Punta Arenas was unforgiving, and no one could fly in or
out. Nearly 48 hours later, we were finally settled into a hostel in Puerto
Natales, ready for our adventure to begin the next morning.
Bright and
early, with packs in tow, we FINALLY boarded our bus to the park. We were in
Patagonia, and it felt amazing. I don’t even know how to begin explaining the
minutes, hours, and days of the whole trip. It is something that words, as
eloquent as you try to make them, cannot describe. Even before we arrived to
our starting point in the park, I was blown away at the sheer beauty of this
place. Untouched and preserved wild as far as the eye can see. It was breathtaking.
The drive into the park had views of the pure blue-green glacier water, freshly
covered snowy mountains, and Guanacos, a Patagonian llama. Apparently this was
nothing compared to what we’d experience in the 5 days that followed.
Our plan was to
hike the “W” trail of the park, but in reverse. The first day started out
with a good warm-up of flat hiking. As we continued on, the snow-topped
mountains got closer and closer, until we were finally navigating them. For a
few hours, we hiked through, up, and over a lot of different terrain and
through very antsy weather. This was our first experience of the winds that
Patagonia is capable of; being the first place in the southern hemisphere where the winds touch land, Patagonian winds are unlike anything on the planet. You
can’t even get annoyed by it…all you can do is stand there, and laugh at how
much you are able to defy gravity.
After about 4
hours, we were at our first camp, next to Lago Pehoe. This was absolutely
beautiful. After some warm food, and a cold-night’s rest, we would set off for
Glacier Grey the next day. On day two, we had a 30 km hike ahead of us. It was
15km one way, in order to reach the amazing glacier. This proved to be a long
and tiring day. As hard as it was, this did not matter. Once the glacier came
into view, it was by far, the most mind-boggling thing I’d ever seen. You are
looking at this beautiful glacier-blue lake, with bobbing iceburgs floating
around. You look a bit ahead, and see the upcoming mountains clogged by a tremendous
glacier. As far as the eye could see, the Patagonian ice field swept through
the mountains. It was beautiful. Eery and beautiful. Photos never do wonders
such as this justice, but here is an attempt to see what I am talking about:
The glacier was just
one of many highlights of the trip. For 5 days, we spent the days navigating
ever-changing terrain and weather. We chatted with hikers from all around the
world, there for the same reason; to experience Patagonia. There were so many
highlights, that it is hard to put it all down. Instead, I will show you
through pictures.
Along with the
many life-highs that I experienced on this trip, there were also the moments of
self-defeat. The most difficult parts of the whole trip were the nights. After
long and exhausting days, I found myself freezing. It didn’t matter how many
layers of clothes I had on or how tight I cinched my sleeping bag over my head;
I was frozen. Each night I found myself waking up to wind, rain, or just a new
cold spot on my body. I would try and shift and stuff more clothes in my bag,
but I never could shake the cold. The last night we were there was the worst.
My clothes were damp, I was chilled, and I’d had enough. That night, I lay
there staring at the ceiling. I kept thinking, “Well, you’re not cold enough
where you are going to die. You’re not going to get hypothermia. And in a few
hours, the sun will rise and all will be good”. After impatiently waiting for
the light, it finally came.
With the light, came the coolest morning of my
life. The life-saver of a sun rose, and we were off to make our final ascent in
the park. On a trail that was 95% incline, we hiked through an increasing
amount of snow. Being that it was early morning, the snow looked like something
out of a movie. The sun glistened off every flake. The snow had that, “just
snowed” smoothness to it, which made it feel ever more like Narnia. The trek to
the top was difficult to say the least. I wasn’t very well equipped for
thigh-high snow. It made it that much more interesting. Having to carefully
plot your every step, and make sure there is Earth underneath you, makes for a
very interesting hike. Nonetheless, we survived. And most importantly, we made
it. 5 days and almost 100km later, we had reached the end; Las Torres del
Paine. Standing at the top, it felt wonderful. It was awesome to think of the
past 5 days, but more peaceful to just stand at the top and admire the view. For
360 degrees, it was perfect. It felt like I was truly experiencing untouched perfection.
While we admired the view, 4 more people that we had met on the trip also
joined us. Once everyone was at the top, the 6 of us took pictures,
congratulated each other, and just sat in awe of how amazing the park was. I
don’t think I could have asked for a more perfect trip. 5 days of pure beauty.
5 days laughing with a good friend. 5 days of time with my thoughts. On the
walk out of the park, I thanked God for all I was blessed with. It had been a
while since I actually did that, but I could not have thought of a better time
to drop in and say hello again.
I did not know
how ironic and important my time in Patagonia would become. The nights were a
perfect metaphor for the coming days; Miserable in the darkness, waiting for
the light. When I returned to town from the trip, there was an unexpected turn of events. And after this amazing trip, life changed.
Without sharing all of the details, I found myself returning to Valdivia as a single woman. I want to share this in such a public
place as this, because I am hoping that it would maybe help someone in the same situation see the brighter side of things.
The days ahead of my trip were filled with
crying, long talks with family and friends, and self-reflection as to why this
all was happening. After such an amazing trip, and during such an exciting time
in my life, WHY? That is the hardest and most frustrating word. This of course
will be a tremendous process to go through, but it is exactly that; a process.
Losing a loved one, in any capacity, is horrible. As I said, the nights in
Patagonia were a perfect metaphor for my days ahead. I have so much faith in
the light. Those nights were miserable, but the days that followed were
amazing. With the light, came the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my
life. In the past 2 weeks, I have looked back at my pictures of the trip and
have tried to remind myself of how beautiful life is. After all of the pain,
heartbreak, and exhaustion, beauty still exists. Life still continues just as
it did before.
This is how I am looking at all of this. From the darkness,
something great is going to come. And when it does, I will be ever more
grateful. I wish everyone had the opportunity to see places like Patagonia. Life is a funny ride that can change in an instant. It is much easier to be weak than it is strong when you are thrown a curve ball. I think the thing that you need to remember is that with the bad, comes the good; with the dark, comes the light. Life is filled with straight crap, but its also filled with beauty that is often times, overlooked. When you remember to appreciate the good and the beautiful, I think that is when you have got it figured out. I have no idea what the future holds, but I know that it is exactly what it is supposed to be.
Patiently and
graciously waiting for the sun…
Ashley
