By Sierra Lammi, of the College of Saint Benedict / Saint John’s University
Everyone said this semester would be over too fast – and they were absolutely right. It is hard to believe that this is the last day of our Round River semester, and that tomorrow morning I won’t roll out of my tent and see all the people that have become my family over the last three months.
Team Delfin poses at the airport and gets ready to say goodbye (for now) to Patagonia. Photo by Valeria Briones.
While this semester has flown by, we have packed a lot into those three months. We have seen snow capped mountains that capture the essence of this wild country, magnificent glaciers that have moved us nearly to tears with their beauty, rivers an unbelievable shade of blue that are clean enough to drink out of, and we have met and worked with people who’s passion for their work and this amazing area has inspired us all and left us with a better understanding of what conservation means.
While conservation of wild places is one of the missions of Round River, that word means different things to each of us. During the last few days of the program students and instructors all shared their thoughts about conservation and how our views of it have changed over the semester. Everyone has different ideas about conservation and what it means, and everyone has added to their definition of the word or changed it in some way throughout the semester. That is the wonderfully difficult part about this field – there are so many different views to take. The truly beautiful part, however, is that while we all have different ideas, our passion for nature, the environment and local communities drives us towards the same goal: to protect all the wild and beautiful places that we have had the honor to be able to witness.
Our last final exams and final research papers were completed a few days ago, leaving time for a few special days free of academics and research. We decided to take a last backpacking trip in the Tamango Reserve near our base camp in Cochrane to enjoy the beauty of the land and be humbled by it one more time. Our plan was to summit a small peak in the new Patagonia National Park to celebrate our time in Round River and the park’s creation, made official in January. We planned on spending two nights camping at the alpine lakes near the summit and one night at a campground before heading to Coyhaque- our final destination where we would fly out of.
We began hiking one sunny afternoon, slowly winding our way up the steep mountain slopes. Even though this was our fun hike, where we didn’t have to think about the scientific names of all the plants, or take a track of our route with the GPS; we found ourselves identifying all the plants we could, stopping to get a better view of the bird that just flew by, and bombarding our instructors with questions about the ecology of the landscape. I don’t think any of us will ever be able to go on a hike without noticing these things again.
Appreciating the fall colors while looking over Cochrane. Photo by Shalynn Pack.
All the way up the mountain we were dazzled with stunning views of the valley below, littered with the bright colors of trees turning color in the fall. It was a long way up, and at times steep and difficult, but every step was worth it because each step we took provided us with a new view to see, a new area to explore and more laughs share.
The lake that we camped at during our backpacking trip was vibrant with the beautiful fall colors. Photo by Shalynn Pack.
We reached our first campsite and were all stunned into silence by its beauty. It was along the shores of an alpine lake with crystal clear water, smooth as glass reflecting the brilliant fall colors and surrounding peaks in its depths. After taking some time to appreciate the beauty, we quickly fell into a routine that had become second nature to us this semester. People set up their tents, began to organize dinner for the group, and the cooks set out to feed a group of hungry backpackers.
After a cheerful evening and good food, the gang was stunned yet again when night fell and the brilliant lights of the stars shone clearer than I have ever seen. Photo by Sierra Lammi.
The next morning, we awoke to a steady rain hitting our tents, and as we slowly began to unpack, that rain turned to snow. Beside ourselves at the ridiculous weather change, we wasted no time in making snowballs, and taking pictures of this new winter wonderland. Hiking through the forest covered with snow was enchanting, and a few Christmas carols even broke out along the way.
Team Delfin cheerfully embraces the snow on our trip. Believe it or not, these pictures were taken the day after the photos at the lake. Photos by Sierra Lammi.
While the snow was beautiful, it was also problematic. We had planned to be above tree line for most of the day, and when we reached the tree line, we were greeted by a roaring blizzard. After a few moments of discussion, the instructors made the wise decision that we could not continue up to the summit in the blizzard – it was too dangerous. Disappointed, but understanding of the situation, some students still braved the blizzard for a few minutes to run around above the tree line in the deep snow and try to get a view of the peak we were attempting to climb. The winds whipped our cheeks as we faced the blizzard, and there was so much snow that I could hardly see the people ten feet in front of me.
Looking out at the oncoming blizzard at the edge of the tree line. Turning around was a good idea- there are supposed to be mountains in front of us but they are blocked by the blizzard. Photo by Sierra Lammi.
After spending an intense few minutes enjoying the blizzard, we retreated to the safety of the trees to warm up before we began our descent to lower elevation. The way down was long, beautiful and cold and by the time we reached the place we had started hiking the day before we were exhausted but exhilarated by what we had just witnessed. It seemed as though we had experienced each season in one day – the stunning colors of the trees told us it was fall, but our path was thwarted by an raging winter blizzard, and by the time we had returned to lower elevation our layers were shed and it was sunny and warm once again.
The unpredictability of this trip, and indeed this whole semester, is quite representative of conservation and the nature of Round River’s work itself. Conservation is a field that is ever changing, with new ideas formed everyday, and we as students of Round River are lucky enough to be a part of those changes and present our own ideas to learn and work with others to share our passions for what we do.
The next day we left on one final road trip to our last destination in Cohyaque. There were many laughs, many memories made and a few tears shed during these last two days, but overall we all felt humbled and very thankful for the experience that we have shared here in Patagonia.
I personally am very honored to be apart of this program with such an amazing group of students and instructors. Each student and faculty member have added to my experience and taught me something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
The day before this last backpacking trip I twisted my ankle, and though the injury was not serious, I was afraid it would put the group at risk for me to continue on our last hike. I tearfully told the group that I was considering turning back not long into on our first day hiking. However, this group rose to the occasion. Within minutes weight was taken out of my pack and redistributed, a trekking pole was lent to me to give me extra support, I had walking buddies volunteering to hike slowly in the back with me so I would not be alone, and an entire team cheering me on the whole way. I don’t know if I would have been able to complete this last hike, or indeed this semester, without the support and love of Team Delfin – students and instructors alike.
It takes a certain type of person to do the work we do at Round River and to live the life we do – it’s not easy. Things go wrong: plans change, equipment gets forgotten and sometimes mountains are too high to climb in a blizzard. Every person who came to Chilean Patagonia had the drive and passion to keep getting things done even though they were tough sometimes.
Even though we all had similar goals and passions here in this program, we are all here in Patagonia for many different reasons. We’re here for conservation, we’re here to learn, we’re here to explore and have adventures, but most of all we are here for each other.
Team Delfin is always happy to be outside- no matter what the weather. Photo by Scott Braddock.