A Dedication

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door... You step onto the road and if  you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." -JRR Tolkien

 

Today is the day! A train, a plane, a plane, a bus, a plane. a rental car. Airport food. Can't sleep. Customs. A reunion. Donde esta el autobus a la Aeroparque? Clock ticking. Bag too heavy? Navigate. Hostel. Saturday night.

Before I step out the door, however, I have some very important business. This promises to be the trip of a lifetime and such a trip requires reflection and dedication. This trip, this blog, these photos are thus dedicated to Breck. 

Breck is the father of my best friend from college. He has always been a mentor; a friendly guide on the way of life. Through action, he's taught me the value of patient servant leadership and shown what it means to be dedicated to a cause. He holds a deep-seated reverence for our country and those who make the sacrifice to serve in our military. He treats everyone he meets with the utmost respect, dignity, and love.

He helped me rent my first apartment (ok, he was the landlord!) and showed me that you can actually fix things like a washing machine in the 21st century. He has inspired my love of photography and guided me throughout the creative process - even finally convincing me to take up the art of Lightroom, a decision I have never regretted!

And, of course, he's my travel blog partner in crime.

So, why am I dedicating this trip to him? Well, Breck is also setting off on the trip of a lifetime this year. In April, he and his wife will be setting off on a road trip to Alaska. It will be their second such trip, but this time feels different. Can you imagine driving from North Carolina to Alaska? In the past they have set off into the unknown on similar trips without a strict itinerary in mind; I believe from a recent message that is especially true this time. In Frodo's words, there's no knowing where they might be swept off to (... well... Alaska, I guess), but I do know that I look forward to trading travel stories, photos, and blog posts of our respective epic adventures for a long time to come.

Breck, safe travels and thanks for your support on this journey.

And now - I must go catch my flight!

Tenemos los boletos a Buenos Aires!

Necessito unas vacaciones.

Tengo mi libro de espanol.

Quiero las montanas y aire fresco...

Vamos a patagonia!

The time has come to revive the blog! It's been a well over a year since I went to the Tetons and Yellowstone, which means it's high time for a grand adventure. The mountains. Hiking. Penguins. Culture. Wait, did I say penguins!?

Fingers crossed, this will be the grandest adventure of them all.

Over the coming weeks, I will be journeying around Patagonia with my former housemate and friend, Ellie. We will drive 1380 km. We will trek to some of Patagonia's most renowned viewpoints on both sides of the Argentina-Chile border. We'll step back in time and head to the end of the earth. And we'll take in the fabulous culture of Buenos Aires.

An adventure this grand doesn't happen overnight though. We've been researching and planning for 7 months to make this trip a reality. We've been through 8 draft itineraries, scoured books and blogs, debated the limitations of our time and energy, and spent countless Skype calls hashing out details. We've done winter shakedown hikes and - in my case - taken lessons in Spanish and manual driving. We have loads of maps and an epic spreadsheet of logistical details. We've ordered pesos and developed contingencies. We are as ready as we can be.

And now the time has come.

Assuming I have wifi along the way, I'll be blogging throughout our journey. I hope you'll join us as we discover some of the most rugged and majestic landscape on earth!