Employed in the Great Land of Wyoming

Jackson Lake the first week of June

Mt. Moran when the lake was low (where I wish I am when I'm on the water)

Wolf!

Copious amounts of gear and snow

A Very Frozen West Thumb from Grants boat ramp

Photo Courtesy of Dottie from my first 5 day

Tis been a bit since I've written as life here has kept me mighty busy.

My time here in Jackson started immediately with a trip to the Kelly Warm Springs with some of the other guides one hour after I arrived in town. They went to practice rolling kayaks and I tagged along to relax and adjust to not being in a car after my drive from Olympia. This scenic adventure was fallowed by a trip to Bubba's for a feeding fest of ribs and texas toast.

This year I am the only new guide working for OARS, Jackson as the other newbies introduced me to a new level of flakedom and didn't show. But the training trip went on although abreviated with much of the returning crew and winter conditions.

Due to an enormous snow fall (about double and 328% of the average for the time of year) this winter much stayed well frozen and sub snow until the last week in June. The Solstice to be more precise. But now that it is warmer we are graced with afternoon monsoon esq thunder and light shows. eek. But I am yet to find metal objects buzzing so am much happier. Although when on a lake you are the highest point. However this afternoon as we were deciding to turn a trip around I felt the rumble of thunder on my kayak.

The basics of my job are to take people kayaking on either Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park or the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. Organizing copious amounts of gear for multi-day trips ranging from one to five day trips and trying to keep people from flipping them selves over and other wise drowning. So far so good although there have been some close calls with flippage.

At times things can be frustrating such as when a client just didn't get that coffee isnot until 7, the guides sleep until 6 and they still get up a 4:30 every day on a five day trip. Then again that client inparticular somehow thought that they were signing up for a rafting trip and not a lake kayaking trip. Honestly didn't know what they had signed up for. Do they not read?

For the most part I've had some great clients such as the caving, distance backpacking and all around bad ass 75 year old grandmother, and the family that sent me home made cookies, a Michigan State t-shirt among other treats after our trip.

The people watching however is first class. For longer trips we swing by the madness that is Old Faithful, the boat ramps also provide some chuckle worth sights.


Rob a friend from Evergreen and I have been able to go climbing only twice since I arrived. Once was almost summiting Teewinot (12,325ft) neighbor to the Grand Teton. We got within 200 verticle feet of the summit but had to turn around due to degrading snow conditions. A great way to spend my one day off by getting up a 3 in the morning, but well worth it. The other time that Rob and I went out was to steal a few short hours of sport climbing at the Rodeo Wall before having to pack out for trips.

Rob's girlfriend Nancy and a friend of their's Jon came to visit. Between trips Jon and I got in one day of climbing at the Rock Springs Buttress above Teton Village. Was quite a hike after a morning run but well worth it. One of the best days I think I've ever had climbing even if we spent more time getting there than climbing because we didn't want to buy lift tickets. Was a dream of a day, blue skies and alpine granite before the hail (seriously big) and thunder arrived.

Between day trips on Yellowstone and multidays on Jackson I'm in a boat 5-7 days a week and loving it. The only problem is that there is not much time for my other passions of climbing, running and biking.

A super exciting recent event was that my parents came to visit for a few days. Sadly I was working for the majority of their visit but we still had two days of fun adventures involving a small road trip to the lakes around Pinedale, WY, hikes, picnics, and many many wild flowers. Our visit although short was very sweet having seen them for less than two weeks total in the past year due to traveling and living out of state. Couldn't have been better unless we'd seen the moose my mother wanted to see so badly which I say on my way up to the park for my next trip after they left.

I love it I love it here except that my trusty camera of 3+ years has ceased to take my abuse. So I can't say when there will be more pictures.

Cheers

The northern hemisphere again

Southern California. What a way to start being "home" again. Home most definitely not being Southern California for me. I landed in LAX the night of the 5th after a very long day traveling. Waking up in Lima Peru and falling asleep in Thousand Oaks, California at my Grandmas house. What a world we live in where that is possible. Two hemispheres, two continents and the airspace of a third in one day.

I was promptly swooped away by my mother and grandmother who I have seen for less than a week in the past year. Beyond words good to see my family. The past few days I have been immersed in family, cousins, aunts and the little man who turns 1 this week! There was also the Mission City Brawling Betties roller derby yesterday and McConnells Ice cream (the best on Earth! I worked there and I can still gorge on it). It has been quite the welcome back to America. Oh yes and there was sushi, lots of it!

They joys and also the downer that is being back. Everything is so clean, organized and proper, sterile, where is the chaos. Sure people drive a bit crazy here but even that is proper and quiet, no horns. I'll adjust I suppose, I don't have another choice.

I head home to the beloved Mendoland on Tuesday. Picking up my friend May in San Francisco to get a tad of climbing in and some city adventures first.

One of the things about going home that I am excited about besides seeing my fantastic family: sleeping in my own bed for the first time in far too long. A bed that is more than my well loved sleeping bag and a foam sleeping pad. A bed that is not a couch or floor space, a bed that is not a hostel bed that has seen hundreds of people and a bed that I will sleep in more than one night. It's funny what you miss when traveling an I'm not about to stop, the next round is domestic: the American West. California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona and probably more.

El Tierra de Mis Sueños

The way down from Laguna Churup

The Rim of Laguna Churup

Mt. Churup 5495m from Laguna Churup 4450m

Partial view of the on the way to Laguna Churup, Huaraz

Trail up to Laguna Churup, Huaraz

Willkawain

Huaraz

Quito, Ecuador
The past month in Ecuador has been fantastic but not without its challenges.
I already wrote a bit about out time spent in Tena, rafting and finally have the river names and classifications.
Jondachi + Hollin 4/3
Anzu 2
Jatunyacu 3
Post rafting we arrived back in Quito to meet up with Brian to hit the mountains and go backpacking.

For an alclimatization hike we did a day trip from Quito to a crater lake near Otavalo. This was a fairly relaxed hike that circumnavigated the crater and lake. Appologies as I'll have to post the name of said late later. Was a chilly and slightly drizzly day but nice none the less. Was a hint at what the weather would be like for the next two weeks: rain and cold, daily. Sun (aka BOB the bog orange ball) a rairity.

The next day we set out for El Altar. Rafael of World Bike (http://www.bikeclimbecuador.com/en/) in Quito drove us South and put us on our way.

Was a long day in arriving after dark most deffinately feeling the altitude and my big pack. We spent two days at the base of El Altar a blown out extinct volcanoe now home to a glacial lake. For spectacular pictures of the area and all of Ecuador check out the work of Jorge Anhalzer(http://www.jorgeanhalzer.com/). A really beautiful place despite the ever elusive sun and swamp sinking that was our mode of travel. I imagine a spectacular dream land when not the rainy season. Did I mention the equator can be damn cold? Who would have guessed? Not I.

After our four day trip to El Altar we were off for another hike after detour do to a change of plans due to weather conditions. Our next excursion followed an ancient section of the Incan road that use to conect Cuzco in Southern Peru to Quito in Ecuador.

After spending the night in the small town of Achupallas we began our three day trek to Ingapirca, home to the most important archeological site in Ecuador.

We were told by the local Peace Corps volunteer in Achupallas that it had been raining everyday for the past month, soo much in fact that many of the crops were failing. Just a perspective of the weather.

Setting off mapless we left the next morning to find a suprisingly beautiful morning. Hiking up a road out of town we soon came across the trail that would take us up to the valley and pass to the other side of the mountains. After some indecissiveness and lack of knowledge of our exact where abouts in relation to where we wanted to be going, we found our way with the help of several herdesses ensuring us that we were indeed on the correct trail to Tres Cruces. Their help was encouraging if nothing more than a "si" as due to a learning moment we did not take advantage of being able to make copies of the maps from the hostel. Brian doing his part in guide training played a very good part as back seat client. I learned a suprising bit from this and also reviewed much of what I had learned these past few months.

Note to self: Always take or make note of all relative information about where you are going even if those with you don't seem to think it important.

After our three days of swamp wading and squishing we arrived just in time to be rained on at the Temple of the Sun in Ingapirca. Go figure.

Huaraz, Peru
A fair day in the Cordillera Blanca. Early season for those who climb and otherwise venture. Sun warm but not hot thanks to the 3000m of elevation. The snowy peaks of the Cordilera tower around the town alluring and such a tease for me.

Since I left Ecuaor over a week ago I´ve been plagued with a persistant energy draining cold of sorts that prohibits mountain fun. Almost enough to make me want to cry. It is really that beautiful.

This being the most ill I have been in five months of traveling things are going great. So instead of climbing or hiking the past few days I have been strolling the streets and gorging my self with fruit and juices from the market and street vendors in attampt to kill the damned bug.

With all the time I´ve also been planning my return, and have been kicking myself for having to go back. The joys of being employed and having to be somewhere else. But Jackson Hole, Wyoming is not a bad place to work, not at all.

Willkawain

Willkawain is a near by archeological site that sits above the city of Huaraz. It was built around 900AC as a funerary building for the Elite.

From Huaraz I caught a Combi the half hour or so up to the site. A combi being a mini van built on a 3/4 scale that has magical powers like Marry Poppins´ carpet bag to always fit more. More people, kids, boxes of chickens, five gallon buckets and sacks of potatoes, and tall traditional hats with ribbons.

The structures are in amazing and intact condition. The interior of the main site is lit although dimmly so you can duck and crawl around the three different stories of beautiful stone work. Fascinating architecture and fun to explore but a little eerie to me despite all of the artifacts and mummies have long been removed.

There is a second part to the site a short walk farther up the road. Similar to the first but with more structures, the interior of the buildings are not lit so I refrained from exploring their inner workings sans a light. From the seccond site I took the marked trail part of the way back to Huaraz. After a short but beautiful walk the trail met up again with the road where I got on a combi heading back to Huaraz. While I was waiting for the Combi I met a local woman also waiting for the combi and provided some entertainment for two touristy vans that came speeding past; as an out of place gringa sitting on the side of the road. I recieved smiles, waives, looks of suprise and a dense coating of dust. All in all a nice day.

My last day in Huaraz (yesterday) I finally got the energy to go for a legit hike. Possibly the most dissapointing part of the last five months was being sick and lethergic in Huaraz (that or not being able to lead climb in Arenales, close toss up). As I only had the day I chose the near by trek to Laguna Churup.

Wanting to start early I had most all of my things already packed for the bus at 10 pm and my day bag packed with some essentials (lunch, rain coat, hat, sunscree, lighter, headlamp, camera, water... lot of essentials hmm) ready to go in the morning. I knew there was a combi for where I wanted to go but didn't know exactly where if left the city from. After asking several different combi spots I found the right one. Got up early and all for nothing as it didn't leave until 8:30 I had a solid 30min to people watch and be watched.

When we did finally depart we consisted of another American Jen, Freddy from Taiwan, a local woman who had come to town for the market, the driver and I and then we picked up three French backpackers out for a 4 day trip. Away we bounced to Llupa aka Yupa where we started our hike to Pitec the official start of the trail to Laguna Churup and park ranger check point.

Llupa to Pitec is a gradual uphill walk of about an hour on a well defined mix of road and trail.
The change of having a well defined trail was quite plesant. The second part of the hike from Pitec up to the laguna was a very steep and breath taking (in more ways than one) hike of almost 3 hours including some slightly sketchy scrambling over wet rocks.

Once at the lake we (Jen, Freddy, and I) found ourselves a comfy spot on some giant rocks for luch, and watching the clouds around the snowy peaks above us.

So happy to have gotten out and done something my last day. But doing so also made me realize how sad I am to have to leave Huaraz. Really is one of my favorite place I have had the priviledge to visit during these past five months. Huaraz truly is a land of endless mountains and the outdoorsy dream, heaven if you will.

Lima
Now I am back in the massivness that is Lima. Arrive after a sleepless bus ride at 5 this morning to arrive at the hostel and have to wait a half hour for them to open the door as they were sleeping. Packing all my stuff and organizing the duffel of gear I left here to find that it smells rather unplesant. Several month old dirty clothes, my favorite. Pictures and more another time. I return to the US tomorrow. EEK! See you soon, maybe?

El Futuro
Thought it might be fun to keep up the blog on my upcomming adventure in Wyoming and Arizona and where ever else I end up. The only constant being me and my outdoor gear it seems I've be come a more advanced outdoorsy "dirt bag" without a clear idea of where I want to end up other than the tops of rocks. Traveling looking for all the answers and only coming to more questions. Hmm. Ideas?

Cambios Aqui

New post inprogress as are some changes. Stay tuned!
From Huraz, Peru

Petrogliffs encountered while rafting

Part of the Colca Canyon trail

Some giant cacti of Colca Canyon

Our raft on Orlando's Taxi

Ancient Stairs at Macchu Pichu

Macchu Pichu

Bridge in Colca Canyon, Cabana Conde

round and round...36hrs

I arrived in Quito the morning of the 25th from Lima after around 36 hours on two different busses not including several layovers.

As a catch up: from Arequipa I bussed near 8 hours to Cabanaconde on the edge of the Colca Canyon. A magnificient place in the low season with few tourists and for me a lucky window of weather. I arrived late evening and stayed at a great Peruvian/Dutch run hostel Panchamama.

Working at Panchamama was an American Peace Corps Volunteer Christina who has been in Cabanaconde about a year and a half of her 2 year service; and is planning on staying an additional year and a half. Was really great to learn about her projects focusing on small buisness development in the area and community development programs. Really inspiring work including a recycling program where locals can bring plastic bottles (the number one kind of trash) and exchange them for a voucher good for grains, potatoes, veggies etc. at participating vendors. The bottles are then taken to near by Chivay where they are sold to be turned into fleece material, the money being put back into the program to pay for the voucher goods. Christina also teaches language and basic buisness management classes.

From Cabanaconde I spent two beautiful days in the Colca Canyon. The first day I hiked down into the canyon and up the other side (8 1/2 hrs) spending the night in the Village of Fure. The next morning I left at 7 and hiked up to the nearby gigantic waterfall for a little bit before heading back to CabanaConde via a different route. The terraine is super steep and dry eventhough it is the wet season. The main vegatation is various types of cactus and low shrubs. A very dramatic landscape dotted with distant villages and mind blowing terracing.

From pictures I´ve always known the the Andes Range as being steep and ruged but it is another thing when to be on the hill sides watching the winding waters below, feeling the pull of gravity, and trying to go against it. Parts of the trail were no more than 8" wide or otherwise challenging requireing placing each foot with intention. The main means of transport once you cross the river is by donkey, amazingly surefooted and strong creatures. The first day the only other people I saw once across the river was a very elderly woman who only spoke Quechua, her donkey, and two distant people working in the fields who once directed me back to the "trail" when it dissapeared as it often did.

My return hike to Cabanaconde took about 10 hours the last part seemed a never ending up hill. But I made it back to town just before dark and moments before the down pour. The last half hour or so I was be hind a sheperdess and her good sized flock of sheep, a fun albeit a dusty experience.

The next morning I bussed back to Arequipa and then to Cuzco on a night bus. I wandered Cuzco for the day and promptly fell asleep for some much needed rest. Sleeping on buses sadly doesn´t happen for me. On another bus I took a round about way to the famed Macchu Pichu the next morning. There is a train service to Aguas Calientes the main town closest to Macchu Pichu but is extremely expensive. A 2-1/2 hour bus ride is also required to get to the station from Cuzco. An alternative route besides a multiday trek which sadly I did not have the time for is via Santa Maria and Santa Teresa. From Cuzco´s Terminal Terrestre one can catch a 6ish hour bus to Santa Maria, plesant with the exception of two sales men peddling wares with the cappability to talk for abnormally long periods of time (one talked for almost two hours straight).

From Santa Maria I joined a group of other travelers also going to Macchu Pichu, and split the price of a taxi to Santa Teresa. A taxi that is almost-ish to Santa Teresa; about a half hour outside of Santa Maria we had to stop as there had been a landslide from the recent rains. After waiting and watching the road clearing progress for an hour the road was finally cleared and we continued on our merry way, screaming. The elderly driver and his magic taxi drove like a bat out of hell trying to avoid further landslides etc. A while later we had to stop because the road was blocked again but this time had to continue on foot with a good sized hoard of other people heading in the same direction.

Landslides are a near daily occurence during the wet season so there is a well defined foot path following the river to Santa Teresa.

The group that I fell in with was composed of four other travelers. Natalia and Sebastian are from Medellin in Colombia, Karol a Polish architect who lives in Spain and Nicolas a Swede.

We arrived soaked and after dark to a powerless Santa Teresa and found nice lodgings for S5 (less than 2 usd) per person and arranged for an early taxi to the trail head. In the morning our taxi driver arrived promptly at 4am and drove us the 25 minuets to "Hydroelectico" the power plant where the road ends and the trail begins. We spent the first half hour or so bumbling around in the dark with two lights between us before finding the trail that shortly finds and parrallells the train tracks 10k to Aguas Calientes. More rain and more mud but it was a beautiful walk accompanied by the wonderful sound of the most raging and churning river I´ve ever seen.

Macchu Pichu was mind blowing and breath taking in more ways than one. It took all of my will power and self controll not to start climbing, the entire city is constructed and surrounded by amazing granite. I think they had to have been climbers of some kind. The morning was overcast and raining but the sun made a grand shoulder roasting appearence. The entire day was spend wandering the ruins. Back in Aguas Calientes we got a good meal and pitched a makeshift camp in the main square people watching and being watched. After our trekking in the rain, mud, and sun we were exhausted and were totally content to just hang out in town and wait for our train. We left on the last train of the night at 10:30 and arrived in back in Cuzco at almost 3 in the mornimg post a several hour van ride in addition to the train ride. Just in time to nab a few hours of sleep and catch my flight back to Lima where I near immediately caught my bus here to Ecuador.

Currently I am in Tena, the white water capital of Ecuador. It is a very beautiful medium sized city surrounded by amazing rivers and jungle forrests. We arrived here on the 26th and have rafted every day since except today is mercifully a rest day.

We are a small group a total of four.Previously I had met the two other student David and Llocklin briefly in Mendoza, so we weren't total strangers. The instructor is Travis also but not the same one as mountaineering in Argentina and is a friend of Nachos. A small group is nice but it means that our raft does not have as much power as it could, so we have had several guest paddlers Natie and Ana on different days. Natie was our driver from Quito and Ana works for Rios Ecuador.

Learning and remembering how to paddle, guide and read the river is challenging but most deffinately an enjoyable time. It is pretty hot here being just barely south of the Equator but the water is refreshing. So far we have rafted five different rivers (names and grades to follow shortly). We are working with and renting gear from Rios Ecuador the largest of the local outfitters. So far all is good and we will be progressing into learning more about swift water rescue and other river skills.

From There to Hear and Now to Where Again?

From Punta Arenas in Chile I flew North to Lima, Peru.
Lima is the largest city in Peru and sits on the Central Coast of Peru.

In Lima I spent several days adjusting to non tent and outdoor life. I also got some of my clothes washed. Should taken before and after pictures. They even smelled clean possibly even cleaner than new if that´s possible. Audios back pack funk for a tad.

Lima has some amazing museos. Including El Museo de la Nación, El Museo de Arte de Lima and another on the anthropology and archeology of Peru´s ancient cultures. Spending a few days wandering Lima was fun but reaffirmed in my mind that I´m not much of a city person.

A highlight of Lima was deffinately meeting up with one of my best friends Eva. Eva has been traveling Peru from three months studying anthropology and was in Lima for her flight home. A friend of hers from traveling, Eva and I spent a day or so in the Barrenco district where we were staying.

Was unbelievably nice to see a familiar face from home. Although it seemed oddly out of context but fantastic. We´ve now been to three contries together first in India, then the States and now Peru.

We found a fantastic hole in the wall of an alley where we ate dinner and lunch the next day. The place as far as I could tell was signless and is open only on Saturdays and Sundays. The entrance to the resturant features the extremely smokey grill, and a long table spread with examples of their entire menu and the tasty desserts with samples. Ceviche to die for along with everything else. The deccor consisted of plastic lawn furniture and as we later discovered a balcony with a spectacular view. The ladys who ran it were very kind and full of laughter. One periodically picked up a giant floor standing fan possibly larger than her to hold it up to the grill to redirect the smoke. Best meal in a while by far.

We spent a good chunk of time with some street artists they had met. Eva´s friend Riley spins poi and spent some time spinning and juggling with some of the street vendors.

Eva and I set up my slack line in a quiet residential area with ocean views. Was so good to finally set my line up and catch up with Eva. Riley came and met us with the street artists and two friends of theirs. One was a older woman who I think is one of their´s exes or something. She was very nice at first and then started raving in Spanish: ` I´m going to cut your line, don´t come to my country to make money, do this on the main plaza, they´ll treat you like trash, they´re going to take your money(her friends) and on and on and on´. For at least ten minuets despite explaining to her that we were not asking for any money, hence setting up in a quiet street etc. that we slack just for us because it is fun and that if anyone else wanted to try it we would gladly help them for free. Her friends insisted that she was crazy. She left, and then came back a few minuets later to continue as we were walking away. All the while we had an audience of several children from their windows cheering, a few passing cars, and the few current park inhabitants an old man and his newspaper, and extreemely elderly lader and her nurse, a family and a ton of pigeons.

The street artists were nice and all but was a little odd having them follow us arround for having nothing else to do as it was Sunday and they were not working. Eventually they left.

After spending the day with Eva and Riley I caught a bus to Arequipa where I am now waiting for another bus. Arequipa I believe is the seccond largest city in Peru and is almost 20hs South East of Lima.

For two days I wandered Arequipa´s streets and museums. A very pretty city that on clear days has spectacular views of several volcanoes. Definitely city wearly I´m off to Cabanaconde in an hour to hike in the second deepest canyon in the world, Colca Canyon.

So far Peru has been fun, I think I´m still a little shocked to be back in civilization post three months of near exclusive tent life. The one problem here is everything is so far away so by the time I get to Ecuador on the 24th or so I will have spent over 4 days entirely in busses. Conclusion 20ish days in Peru is NOT sufficient unless you are a bus afficionato. Granted they are the nicest buses I´ve ever been on. Akin to flying first class sans the plane including food, blankes, pillows, and stunning views.

No pictures. Sorry. Soonish. I hope.

The End of the World

Torres del Paine

It has been a bit since I´ve written anything on here but not due to lack of adventure. Please pardon the small pictures but it was taking ages to upload ones any larger.

Since climbing in Arenales I´ve made several hops between Argentina and Chile in Patagonia.The two weeks following rock climbing in Arenales I spent in Penitentes Argentina geting certified as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR). The course covered a lot of interesting material in reguard to wilderness medicine that I wasn´t very familiar with before. This was the most traditional classroom esq portion of the course. Despite the fact that we were living in our "classroom", a rented apartment practically in middle of nowhere. Penitentes is a small boarder town home to a closed ski resort and several entrences to Aconcagua National Park thus a popular destination for trekkers and climbers. I most definitely learned a lot from the course despite my feeling like it was the most unorganized section of my semester. A bit sad considering I think it should have been the most planned out and detailed part. From it I realized how interested in Wilderness Medicine I am and might eventually get my EMT certification.

On February 11 I flew from Mendoza, Argentina to Punta Arenas, Chile. Punta Arenas is almost the end of the world, as far as mainland continents go. Here I spent one night after meeting up with the rest of the group to go backpacking. We did a whirl wind food shop and pack that I think went phenominaly well and then headed to Cabo Froward the actual end of the mainland for five days of beach walking and mud sloshing.The backpacking group featured a few old and new characters. The old being Jole and Jordan, Emily joined us later having recovered from a nasty bout of something back in Mendoza. The new were "Nacho" or Nathaniel the IWLS/AMG leader, and Sarah a gap year student form Boston. Some results of the trip are a new liking for Snickers bars which are just about the only bar down here with more that 80 calories in them, an appreciation for trekking poles (in my case ancient ski poles) when my bag is just about as heavy as I am, and a further adoration of Smart Wool socks doubled up I went 24 days and who know how many kilometers sans blisters.

Cabo Froward one edge of this land

Saw very few people during our time at Cabo Froward and enjoyed the fact that the ones we did see were all going the opposite direction. The majority of the hiking was on the beach with spectacular views including those of dolphins and penguins.

The Trail at Cabo Froward

All was not a walk on the beach, climbing over fallen trees and extremely slippery rocks with a giant bag is quite a challenge. A few parts of the trail cut inland just enough to cross some small peninsulas to save us some milage but gave us some elevation and a different perspective of the terrain we were passing through. One night was spent in an abandoned house/shack sorta turned backpackers stop over with a wood stove and basic furniture. It reminded me much of the two old red and green houses that use to stand accross the street from Corners (Mendo people know what I´m talking about). Being in the tidal zone meant we had to time our river crossings as best we could but we still ended up crossing one when it was higher than desirable resulting in me literally swimming and Jordan taking my bag over his head (he´s 6´7"), was rather frigid but fortunately the current was not strong.

Torres Del Paine

After staying one night in Puerto Natales we caught one of the busses into the park to begin our 10 day sojourn. Torresl Del Paine is one of the most popular parks in Chile if not thee. The main attraction are the giant Torres (towers) that formed about 12mya in the Magellin Basin though fissures in the sea floor. When seen at dawn they are quite spectacular so evermorning there are a suprising number of people hiking and stumbling up and down hill and scree slope to get to the look out beore the sun. There are two main routes in the park, the over popular "W" and the longer grander and "W" encompassing "Q". We did the later which circumnavigates the entire Torres formation and much more. Once past the part of the trail that is also part of the "W" we hardly saw anypeople or much evidence of them except for the much lesser used trail and few pay use campsites. One of the many spectacular sites that we passed was Glacier Grey. More Ice than I´ve everseen or imagned in my life all in one spot.

Glacier Grey

Slacking at Campamiento Britanico

Parque Nacional de los Glaciares /Fitz Roy
Located in Argentine Patagonia we took two busses back over the border. Taking an entire day to complete this trip due to border formalities, random stops, and a layover in El Chaltén we arrived after dark to a warm but extremely windy Calafate. According to the Lonely Planet Trekking in Patagonia book there should have been free camping. Not the case anymore sadly. The options now are either hostels or camping in yards for the same price. The previous municipal camp ground is now a day use only picnicing area. But suited our needs nicely along with a fellow trekker that we had run into several times between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine. Many of the visitors and hikers are only there for the day so the trails were busy but not nearly as busy as those of the "W" trek. We hiked around for 5 nights each at a different camp or squirl site that we found. Torre Fitz Roy is the main attraction in the park for climbers and non alike another impressive granite formation just over 3000M and the crown of Andean climbing challenges.

Over the entire trip we were blessed with unbelievable weather. We experienced a grand total of maybe three or four days of rain in a region known for awful weather year round. The reason for the usual crappy weather is that there is virtually no land below 40· latitude (Patagonia, Southern New Zealand and Tasmania) thus nothing to break up the

Sunrise view from my sleeping bag of Cerro Fitz Roy(large center)

From Here to Where?
I´m now back in Punta Arenas and flying somewhere tomorrow. Somewhere north but I do not yet know exactly. Way for me to think ahead eh? But its part of the fun of traveling. Currently trying to figure out tickets to Peru. Possibly meeting up with two friends in Peru; Eva who I met traveling in India and lived with in Olympia and Willow from home the beloved crazy Mendoland and Albion. It will be odd to travel solo again but I´m excited about the new territory and adventures. Towards the end of March I´ll be meeting a group of people in Quito, Ecuador to do some white water rafting and more backpacking for a few weeks. I should be heading back to the Northern hemisphere, following the Summer in either April or May for a summer job in Jackson, Wyoming.

Escalando en el Cajòn Arenales

Many thanks, the leatherman has been indespensible from cooking to gear repair and all the places inbetween. I still have both of my arms. Don´t worry.

Asado

May, Emily, Mika, Hanna, Peter, Abbot, Nick, Evan, Justinand the rest of the crew.
Who´s interested?

Chacos. Need I say more?

Granite Goodness

Up the valley

One of our many sun bathing friends

Arenales. I don´t even know where to begin. Nothing there but cows, climbers, caballeros, the gendamerie and the seemingly endless amount of rosy granite.

In comparison to Matienzo Arenales is teaming with life. There is a plethora of spikey pokey plants and shrubs, small song birds, Andean Condors, spiders, and multiple species of lizards among other things. Much more exciting than scree as far as the eye can see.

Group climbing trips brought me back to ae week trips and those out to Vantage and Si. Having gotten use to climbing with certain people I kept turning around expecting to see you all there with me.

The group was 7 including myself, 2 instructors and 4 other students. The US is beyond me, despite signing waivers enough to sell my soul we were only allowed to top rope/mock lead due to IWLS/AMG´s insurance policy. When will people get over themselves and realize that shit happens and you might as well be having fun when it does? It's really utterly and truely rediculous. Torturous to be in Areneales and not be able to lead.

The climbing that we got in was really good. But with our group and how we worked we didn´t get in nearly as much as I was hoping to. There is everything there; sport, trad, and bouldering ranging from small and crimpy to jammy cracks. The only way I can put it into proportion is that there is enough rock to climb new and different routes all day every day for the rest of this life and a few after that. Insane and beautiful.

In addition to climbing we did a lot with building various kinds of anchors, practicing knots and different rope systems. We also ate a lot of meat. So much that it´s been joaked that we'll soon be meat intolerant. Three asados and a bit later. eek but I hadn´t tasted meat until I´d eaten asado here. Slow cooked goodness.

At one of the asados we had camp guests a group of three other americans from Mamoth and Yosemite, their friend from Germany and two friends of one of our guides Mike. Mike is originally from Washington but moved down here in ´98 or ´99 and is now a resident. Mike has climbed near everything down here and is a wealth of information as well as a mountain guide. His two friends Damien Benegas (http://www2.thenorthface.com/ap/athletes/athletes-DB.html) and Fernando Grajales(http://www.grajales.net/aconcagua/information/about-us.html). Grajales is the supplier of transport, mules and other services for Aconcagua and other expeditions here in Mendoza.


For some of you you´ll understand this and others it´ll be another language but here is an overview of what we covered rope and knot wise. If I have itme before I head out on Saturday I´ll post some pictures of these and or my diagrams of them. This is deffinately the part of the course that I got the most out of. Some very important and fun new knowledge to play with.

Anchors
-static
-equalizing
-trad
-sport
-natural
-belay stations

Knots and Hitches
-8 (on a bite, threaded)
-bowline (single, double, on a byte)
-double fisherman´s
-prusicks
-girth
-clove
-munter
-MMO (munter, mule, overhand)
-PMMO (prusick, MMO)
-rescue spider
-auto block
-water

Rope systems
-escaping the belay
-passing the knot
-transfering loads
-multiple belays

I´m planning my return or extended stay to climb down here. Who is serious about getting down here? Things once you get here are pretty inexpensive compared to the states. Things to think about eh? Did I mention that it´s also summer here?

Enough for now. Love you and would love to hear from all and any of you who read this.

P.S. a random to Steven and Camp Wisdom. Your wonderful sounds have been to 15,000 ft more or less.

Comida Comida

My Door Step

Creative Repairs

The Local Watering Hole

Mañana

The past few days have provided some much needed rest and recovery. Using the mule barrel scale at the warehouse in Penetentes (where we left from for the mountains) we discovered just how much weight we all lost.

Before Leaving we had a celebratory dinner at the Hotel Anyelleen and enjoyed their breakfast including the so called famous eggs. Breakfast is not a happening meal here quite sad. So the fact that this place serves scrambled eggs makes them famous for their mere existence and not quality.

From wearing multiple layers of clothes for 24 days straight I forgot I actually had limbs and didn´t realize that they were getting a bit thin other than tightening the belt ony pack. I lost a total of 4kg (about 10lbs). The Mendoza diet has thus consisted of ice cream several times a day and meat. Lots of meat.

I don´t think I have ever seen so many ice cream shops before in my life as I have here in Argentina. There is literally at least one and usually more in each downtown block. I wonder what the ratio is of population to ice cream shop? 100:1? or how many gallons are consumed annualy on average? I don´t think that 50 would be to high.

Yestday was mission "comida" for the next twelve days. Group food shopping always brings me back to shopping for retreat and outdoor trips in high school. Tear the list and go. Here it is not quite as efficient due to needing to make more adjustments and making multiple stops. To try and eliminate the running around we went to, wait for it. walmart. Yep not only is there one, there are two here in Mendoza. But being walmart it did have the majority of what we needed including peanut butter in the international foods isle. Peanut butter here for some reason is an extreme rairity which I find kind of funny because near any candy bar or chocolate you can has mani/peanuts in it. It is also a very tasty addition to dulce de leche the national snack. This mornng I made a trip to the mercado central (sigh of relief) for bulk nuts and fruta demasecado or dried to go with our breakfast oats rather than cry around a zillion little 100g packets.

Random observations from here and around of things that I think the States needs to get on are marcado centrals, the metric system, siesta, and using our public parks and squares. To me these make much more sense and are generally much more enjoyable that the American equivilant.

ATMs are funny thing here. Follow the lines to get cash. No linea hay una problema. There is a limit to how much you can withdraw that seems to come and go. There is also little to no coin change anywhere. The local busses almost only take change and then instead of depositing it apparently sell it on a black market. Rather odd. So often prices are rounded including bus fairs.

Off in the morning for Arenales the Argentine Yosemite. With my last scoop of ice cream before I go.

Expedition Photographs

Horcones Summit Team (Travis, Joel, John, Me, Emily taking pic)

Horcones summit (5391M) Aconcagua in the back ground

High Camp #1

Up the scree to Avion de B.Matienzo

High down here

I´ve been in Argentina since December 2. The first two weeks were spent in and around Mendoza and Cordoba. Drinking wine and attempting to untwist my Spanish toung (still to no avail).

On December 17 I met up with the group from The International Wilderness Leadership School (IWLS) which is run by Alaskan Mountain Guides (AMG). There are two guides Travis and John and four other guides in training/students Sanna, Emily, Joel and Jordan.

After meeting up in Mendoza we headed east to Penitentes on the 7 near the Chilean boarder. In Penitentes we spent a day packing all of our food and gear for 24 days into mule barrels. These needing to be 20>30kgs without any rattles or else what ever you pack will be pulverized upon arrival.

Where we spent the last 24 days was the Matienzo Valley directly west of Aconcagua on the Chilean boarder. We hiked into the valley in two days following the the Rio de las Cuevas.

The hike in was fairly gradual uphill until just before where our barrels got dropped having two consecutive river crossings and a steep uphill. After 12k with packs at the beggining of the trip before my legs had adjusted to the additonal weight was a burner.

Had a bit of a detour as according to the map that we had the "refugio" was on the other side of the river. I think the cartographers where drunk. Oh it´s not Aconcagua no one goes there we can fudge no one will notice. So we trudge way up this scree hill in the good old fashion of one step forward, slide two down high enough to see our barrels up on the other side of a non crossable section of river requiring some back tracking. Find a rock, sit and contemplate accepting that they´re not going to fly to you. Split a Clif Bar and put the pack back on.

The next few days were spent deciding where we wanted to go and hauling gear to our next high camp. The next camp was about 13.9K feet almost as high as Mount Rainier. Here we learned and practiced various techniques of self arresting using an ice ace, crampon techniques, anchor building and passing pro and of course climbing.

The first peak was one withought snow the Andes having had an especially light winter; but the scree skiing on the way down was epic. A climber once made the declaration "I didn´t know god stacked screek that high" in refrence to the Andes. I didn´t know it either. Love it or hate it, it´s impressive and despite it´s difficulties and hazards can be some serious fun. According to the map I´m looking at now I think this peak was Avion de B.Matienzo (4502M) but not a hundred percent sure as these maps are special at best.

The second peak we tried to climb didn´t get climbed due to severe weather conditions. After cautiously probing and crossing the glacier in two roped teams and traversing to our desired "door"/coular we had to navigate the bergshrund (where the glacier sepparates from the mountain, usually a fair sized crack or cavern). This is where we turned around, there was a snow bridge going accross but it was thin at best and with 7 people rather risky. When probed the probe dissapeared below Travis´ feet indicating he was standing on it.

Lightening, theres something to mention. When you´re as high as I was you´re in the clouds of electricity. Metal shit+ electricity= conductive buzzing. After a restish day of gear repair/maintainence and part of an afternoon lesson on crevase rescue it arrived. Grappel (a wierd cross between snow and hail similar to shreds of packing peanuts) is not your friend usually if not always indicates what you don´t want. We were up on our training slope near camp geared up with all sorts of metal when it starts buzzing and vibrating I don´t know how to explain it. So it was a quick down the hill to camp where it´s lower. We stripped and piled the gear and spread out into lightening position. This being a crouching heels together and hands on your head or behind your neck. Not a super plesant position to hold for extended periods of time especially when it is snowing. I think of it like a bad yoga pose.

After almost two hours when we thought it had passed me and one of the guides Travis when to fill the camp bladders and peoples water bottles from the Glacial stream near camp. On the way back up the hill we both started to hear and feel the buzzing. Packs off (notheing like a lot of a conductive substence in a wet bag attached to you wtih metal rods eh?) and back down the hill into lightening position it was for another spell. Before we reached the bags again despite being stripped off all but our zipper tabs we started to buz again and I´m pretty sure I was feeling the plate in my jaw. Haven´t a clue if that is even possible but I´m a little paranoid now that I might have a lightening rod screwed into my skull. Anyone have any ideas about this? I´d love to hear them.


The third peak was in the same glacial valley as the first and seccond. Accross from the first and further down the same side as the seccond. This foray started at climbing time (way too early for anything else but sleeping) roped up, and helmeted with headlamps on. The route was straight forward almost straight up a near vertical snowy coular all the way toabout 4674M of what I think is Las Cuevas again special maps. Special to the point that we might have actually been in Chile (illegally). The way down being so steep required several pitches of rapelling off of ice screws and picket anchors. Our descent also happened to coincide with another bout of buzzing mid slope for some of us above the others. We spread out a little, planted our selves in the snow and attempted to distance our selves from our axes hard to do when you´re screwed if you loose it. Finally down and in relative proximity to camp the weather was in near white out conditions. Having left camp before the sun was up I didn´t get a very good look at the way we came. Glacial morains all look pretty similar even when it´s not poor visibility. So me and Emily got a bit lost on the way back taking about an hour to do what should have taken un 15min. Caused some worry and almost a search. Feeling highly relieved when we did arrive back and also a bit sheepish, and guilty like a 6 year old.

This saga continues and will do so shortly.

Chau,
CT