Fall Trek '23
After cowboy camping under the Patagonian sky, we had to head out at six to arrive at our final destination. The night before, we ate our last dinner, had our last circle, and set up our last tent. We unzipped our sleeping bags, turned our heads, and looked out into the blooming sunrise. We crossed countless sweeping hills and several drainages towards the small town of Chile Chico. Hiking early in the morning we reminisced about moments on past expeditions and we talked about the future. Everyone was holding onto the weird, surreal realization that this was it. Our last hike.
Glancing at the tiny buildings making up the town we couldn’t believe the end was right in front of us. After spending almost 17 days out in the field and 3 months with the same people, the future seemed unknown. It seemed scary and unfamiliar. We have spent the majority of our time walking on rivers, dirt, mud, and snow and the sturdy pavement felt rough, almost uncomfortable. The loud barks of guard dogs and cars seemed invasive as we were used to the steady, calm hum of nature. We turned the corner past some panaderias and opened the gate to our hostel, camp Ñandú. That was it, we went from seeing the small blob of buildings to walking into them. Our past experiences shaped who we were as a community and we have overcome so much that we felt confident going into this trip. Our mission was to take it all in, live in the present and have plenty of fun. I think we did just that. We enjoyed each other’s company: taking it slow whether it was having a spa day or boiling water for the 5th hot drink on a rainy day.
Our time exploring the Patagonian valleys and steppes was incredible. Every day we saw the luminous mountains on our horizons and gushing rivers in between. Waterfalls everywhere you look and blue-tinted glaciers if you look hard enough. Among the gorgeous landscapes we camped in beautiful meadows and found refuge in little huts. Early in the expedition, Thanksgiving was spent running around playing capture the flag, taking pictures on the hanging bridge, and morning yoga. We cooked a feast: stuffing, apple crumble, and bean veggie pot pie were our favorites. It was a wonderful day where we embraced the sunshine of the past few days.
Continuing onto Valle Hermoso, the views were insane as we had 360 views of glaciers, waterfalls, and teal lakes. We got used to putting on our drenched boots and splashing our legs in the mud. The little refugio that we stayed for 3 nights became our second home. And our solo time let us soak in the scenery while taking time for deep reflection. After 10 days in Valle Lunar and Valle Hermoso, we moved to the harsh steppes of Patagonia. While the first day was tough, we adjusted to the endless hills that we had to navigate. The funny noise of guanacos always made us laugh. We moved past bone graveyards, snow packed mountains, and flamingo lakes.
Although I can’t tell you everything we did, I know that we felt a lot.
We felt brave. Holding hands running into a freezing lake together, sliding down the scree field, and getting blasted by the intense wind on top of a saddle.
We felt creative. Constructing flower crowns out of dandelions, making our ethics project, and braiding hair into pretty hairstyles.
We felt spontaneous. Going snow sledding, rinsing in the stream, and shouting into the sky.
We felt loved. Exclaiming gratitude for each and every person, writing kind letters, and giving kudos during evening meeting.
We felt amazed. Seeing flamingos, pumas, lizards, guanacos, feeling the hot sun on our faces, and glancing at the huge Condors circling above our heads.
We felt challenged. Hiking up the steep ascent in the steppes on the first and last day, figuring out how to get out of the bog, and fumbling with our stoves.
We felt smug.
And lastly, we felt thankful. Thankful for this experience that we got to create together. It truly was #perfectexped and we couldn’t have wished it went any other way. And remember, It definitely wasn’t the perfect exped without the exped part.
Thank you HMI for giving us this opportunity that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Our instructors and all the people we met had a major impact on how significantly spectacular this time has been. From laughing our hearts out with us to giving us transformative advice, the HMI instructors made this experience 10 times better.
Thank you for the last 3 months.
This is Fall Trek 2023 officially signing out–
DJ EvLo out for the last time.
