Musings on Travel and Life
All the posts about my run from South to North.
I’ve walked most the day. The shelter that rescued me last night is over a marathon behind me. It’s been a damp, humid marathon, always plowing into a stiff, stubborn wind. Dense, sensual clouds have blocked the mountains from view, but I know they’re nearby. I can feel them in the wind that never stops; …
I’ve stayed in the hostel at Villa O Higgens for three days. It’s a bittersweet feeling the fourth morning, tightening the straps of my backpack. I’ve met some amazing people, and we’ve bonded closely in a short time. Part of me doesn’t want to leave. But part of me is excited to start. I’m feeling …
It’s been a couple of days since the rain, and it’s been three weeks since my shin flared up and forced me to stop walking North. There’s no injury anymore, or none that I can feel. And the rest of my body is strong too, refreshed by weeks of steak and wine and day-hikes without …
I’m staggering into the wind. It’s wrestling me back from the summit like an animal defending its territory, pushing and feinting and easing and pouncing back stronger. The ground is a barren field of rock, with nowhere to hide from the air forcing the faintest gaps in my clothes. The harshest blasts make my eyes …
This is the next post in a long trip in South America. For the previous post, click here. For the first post in the series, click here. I’ve rested in Puerto Natales for a week, reading and writing and chilling in a hostel. Now I’m recovered enough to hike again. But I’m not going back …