Sunday, February 24, 2008

A Note from the Road

65 km or more under the soles of my feet, feeling strong, the wind in my face, the road and trail underfoot.

Lindsay and I walked through spectacular Cerro Castilo, a huge glaciated mountain comprised of beaututiful spires of old volcanic rock eroded away from so many years of glacial activity.

Life threw us a curveball after we left the park.. We were tired, 4 days, 2 passes, and 40 miles of trail, plus a super wind at the end left us a little ragged. We went to Puerto Ibanez to catch a ferry to Argentina, where we were going to arrange transport south to Torres del Paine Natl Park. When we arrived in Puerto Ibanez it was a twilight zone. Kind of reminded me of the Rez near Flag. Empty streets, aside from wandering dogs, lots of wind, sun, and rocks all around.

The people acted like we didn't exsist. We tried to get a ferry and were told it was booked for the next 4 days. Desperate not to be stuck in this weird little town, we caught a bus to Coyhaique to reformulate our plans.

Looking back I know I have learned a lot about the value of perseverence from this moment of weakness. I wish we were still headed south.

However, Torres del Paine is out at this point. We are headed North to Bariloche, back up to the beautiful lakes and mountains of the Lake Region of Chile and Argentina. Just over 2 weeks more for me during this trip, before I head to NY to meet up with Natty for a few days.

Sorry for the short post, I'm out of time at this little internet Cafe.

From here on I will be pointing back towards the north, beginning my long journey back home.

5 comments:

  1. El Condor Pasa, once more once ...

    Occurred to me, Senor Pard, that the
    theme-music for this passage of the movie
    (of The Voyage (Of The E4)) may well be the
    piece by that name, which you may or may
    not be familiar with, which Paul Simon
    & Urubamba recorded for you back in
    the 20th Century (1970 / 38 years ago).

    Thinking back, it seems to me now that
    its lovely soaring sound has been gently
    building in The Force all about us since
    your first footprint in the snow shoving-off
    in the dark from View Court.

    At any rate, whenever I look South
    to see you, and now you-and-Lindsay,
    I hear that music; and whenever I hear
    that music, I see you (and now Lindsay).

    It's not a very long piece of music ...
    3 minutes, 5 seconds. The magic word
    to play it on speaker systems is

    http://www.last.fm/music/Simon%2B%
    2526%2BGarfunkel/_/El+Condor+Pasa
    +(If+I+Could)

    ---

    El Condor Pasa
    --
    I'd rather be a sparrow
    than a snail.
    Yes, I would.
    If I could.
    I surely would.

    I'd rather be a hammer
    than a nail.
    Yes, I would.
    If I only could.
    I surely would.
    --
    Away ... .
    I'd rather sail away ...
    like a swan ...
    that's here and gone ... .

    A man ...
    gets tied up to the ground ... .
    He gives the world ...
    its saddest sound ... .
    Its saddest sound ... .
    --
    I'd rather be a forest
    than a street.
    Yes, I would.
    If I could.
    I surely would.

    I'd rather feel the earth
    beneath my feet.
    Yes, I would.
    If I only could.
    I surely would.

    ---

    Steady as thou goest,
    and hast been going ...

    El Caballo De Los Picos

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wondering how it's going, Out There ...
    on The (Cutting) Edge ...

    ---

    You know this guy?
    Walt Whitman?
    1819-1892 (A relic.) 72 years
    (Friend of Emerson and Thoreau
    and those ... dudes.)

    'Song Of The Open Road'
    (1855)

    'Afoot and light-hearted
    I take to the open road;
    healthy, free,
    the world before me ...
    the long brown path before me ...
    leading wherever I choose.
    ...
    Henceforth,
    I ask not good fortune;
    I myself am good fortune. ...
    Strong and content,
    I travel the open road.
    ...
    ...
    You road I enter upon
    and look around;
    I believe you are not
    all that is here.
    I believe that much unseen
    is also here.'
    ...
    & >>

    ---

    I guess I'd guess that,
    though you may not have met
    one another (yet),
    you seem to know each other
    pretty well.

    Hope you can find some space/time
    for the weblog.
    * It's good to know what's happening.
    * It's good practice at something
    I think you're very good -- and
    will get even better -- at.
    * It's a different thing to be writing it
    when you're actually Out There,
    Doing it.
    * I think it will be of value to you later,
    to have it with you, from there.

    There's getting to be a pretty long line
    outside your log here, waiting to leave
    a comment, so I gotta go.

    "Fair winds!" to Lindsay! ~ Dad

    ReplyDelete
  3. i highly reccomend parques natl' lanin and nahuel huapi.......san martin de los andes, and don't miss lago traful-traful. we caught a boat from chile at hua-hum. hope you have been trout fishing......steve.

    ReplyDelete
  4. we must be flexible in our travels and follow our instincts. i hope that your decision to travel northward has brought you much adventure and many beautiful sunsets.

    I am thinking of you and my thought now is you still have two more weeks of otherworldly adventuring to do...and then some! what a wondrous life it is.

    cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! What wonderful comments, friends! Each of you posted someting, or many things, of interest and inisight, and each one made me smile and contemplate where I am an my good fortune to be on the trail.

    I'll post a post tomorrow, but tonight I'm off to enjoy the sunset and the people of El Bolson, Argentina.

    ReplyDelete