Greetings from the edge of the world! Okay, fine it's not quite the edge but it looks like more and more tundra and less and less humans so it certainly feels like it is. Down here, the elements are king and the only souls that happily bear the winds for extended periods are the plethora of wild dogs that roam freely.
I'm stationed in the seaside town of Puerto Natales, a quaint area whose reason for being appears to be to support the flocks of backpackers looking to get their taste of the Patagonian Andes. The streets are lined with hostels, tourism agencies and novelty shops and the town guests don only the most overpriced Patagonia gear. Hey, at least they're using the fleeces and bubble jackets for their intended purpose ;)
Puerto Natales serves as a base camp for these trekkers, who can access the local sights easily from here. You gather the sleep, food and gear you need here then you journey out.
In two days time, my buddy Andrew and I embark on an 8-day trek in the Torres Del Paine region. I've been eagerly awaiting this week for many months now as it feels like a true adventure. All the gear we'll need for a week will be on our backs and I anticipate it will push me athletically and mentally. Each day we will venture for anywhere from a couple hours to 11 hours. Pray for me.
An aspect of the Patagonia journey I've really enjoyed so far has been the hostel experience. A genuine feeling of solidarity exists among the traveling brethren. Everybody is out adventuring and figuring things out together, everybody has to budget money and everybody has stories about their homeland and their travels that they are quick to exchange over drinks in the common space far into the night.
From the outside, hosteling can seem like a forced experience. You have to walk in and suddenly converse and become roommates with complete strangers. I was a little hesitant to dive into the hostel game off the bat. I worried about my belongings, having to sleep in a room with many other people (WHAT IF I SNORE?) and always putting on a face. But now that I've been staying at hostels for the last week I realize how special these havens are.
The traveling personality seeks adventure, seeks change and seeks to let the sights they see and experiences they share stimulate personal growth. But most importantly, I think the traveling personality desires validation - validation that the choice to cast free of the social and professional tethers back home was a good one. When you descend upon a community of folks in the same boat as you, who have either left a life behind or momentarily hit the pause button on the life they had, you begin to feel valued. You realize that however crazy of a choice it is to you to pick up your life, take it on the road for months at a time and bid farewell to the communities that supported you, it is a choice that many, many people make. And when I start to feel guilty about leaving people in my life behind or leaving a place where I was loved, I realize that there's scads of folks who have all done the same thing. And while it's still scary and while I still don't know where I'll be even a week from now, there's comfort in numbers. There's solidarity in adventure. And there's a peace of mind when meeting people on the road that I haven't felt for some time.
I'll be fully unreachable for the next week but I'll share photos and stories on the other side. I'm thrilled that my Thanksgiving dinner will be a slice of bread smeared with peanut butter and wind.
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