By Elaine Gallenberg (Northland College)
Photos by Adam Spencer unless otherwise noted.
I don’t know much about the origin of language, but I would bet that the creator of the word bittersweet invented it at the end of something great. My feelings of despair at leaving the most beautiful place I have ever been that become suppressed when I think of eating mint M&M’s with my family only to resurface in teary eyes when I drink water straight from Rio Cochrane can all be neatly encapsulated into this wonderfully useful eleven letter word: bittersweet.
Students hike up Jorge Montt Valley.
The ladies take in the view together in Jorge Montt Valley.
Our final days together in Patagonia are a whirlwind of data entry, final papers, cleaning, packing, finding items we didn’t know we lost, exchanging pictures, and planning our final trip to Cerro Castillo. Amidst this has also been fun adventures such as kayaking down Rio Cochrane and enjoying one last asado to celebrate the high school graduation of our host family’s son Bastian.
As I look back on this program I realize it is not what I expected when I applied last fall. I expected beautiful views, but not ones that would leave me breathless and thoughtless. I expected fun peers, but not 11 new siblings that would crack me up daily. I expected exciting research, but not scaling cliffs and combing hillsides to find rare and endangered species and actually getting to see rare and endangered species! I expected new experiences, but not getting to run around upon, dance, and eat lunch on a glacier.
What it comes down to is that this is not what I expected because who would dare to dream, let alone expect an experience as remarkable and mind-blowing as this?
Lainey, Caitlin, and Katin at our beautiful lunch spot along Ruta Patrimonial de los Glaciares. Photo by Shalynn Pack.
We have lived the pictures that we poured over months ago when researching this trip. Names and places we did not know how to pronounce have become another home. There is a saying in Patagonia that goes “Una vez que pruebas el calafate, estás destinado a volver a la Patagonia” which means “One who eats of calafate is destined to return.” Not only have we eaten calafate in the forms of jam and berries and drank it in the form of beer, we’ve also had the spines relentlessly stabbed over and over into our bodies. I’d say that we are not only “destined” to return, but will definitely be back.
The gang’s last night in Cochrane with our wonderful hosts Angelica and Gilberto. Photo by Shalynn Pack.
Until we return, we will have scores of photos, memories, friends, and lessons learned to keep part of ourselves in Patagonia. In celebration of the 12 students that made this trip so amazing, here is one thing we each learned:
- I now know more scientific names of plants and animals than Spongebob quotes. And I know a lot of Spongebob quotes. (Ryan Colarusso aka Bubbles)
- Sometimes falling off cliffs is okay because “who else is going to be out here scaling these mountains.” – Kelsey Hamm (Kelsey Hamm aka RockFace)
- Bring a compass if you’re pooping in the woods. (Lily Spechler aka Agua Dulce)
- Your life GPA is much more valuable than your academic GPA. (Peter Whitman aka Giggles)
- To come to Patagonia and see only frozen summits and windswept steppe is to miss 99% of what is here: a storied landscape with characters as full of life as the rivers, fjords, and lenga forests we have come to love. (Matthew McIntosh aka Clifford)
- “Dreaming is easy and for free.” – Fernando Iglesias Letelier. Thank you, Fernando. (Robin Lewis aka Naynay)
- It doesn’t matter if you’re front of the line or back of the line crew. We all make it up the mountain the same way: with packs on our backs and just putting one foot in front of the other. No matter the hunger in our bellies or rain soaked bodies, smiles can always be seen under dripping hoods and laughter can always be heard throughout the long and epic trail. So don’t let any hike get you down because the only way to go down is up. (Chrissy St. Hilaire aka Cabbage Patch)
- Anything can be your TP if you really need it to be. (Maria Nappi aka Skids)
- Plants can be sneaky devils. (Katin Liphart aka Slip n’ Slide)
- Despite the ludicrous orientation of most world maps, Patagonia is most definitely the top of the world. (Emma Velis aka Trail Head)
- My most treasured photos won’t be those of the many Patagonian landscapes that blew my mind, but will instead be those taken with my fellow students that became family in merely a matter of weeks. (Caitlin Eichten aka Poison Sunset)
- Always bring your raincoat. (Lainey Gallenberg aka Lethal Swallow)
Robin, Peter, and Matt enjoying the boat ride to Jorge Montt Glacier. Photo by Adam Spencer.
In parting, I would like to pay tribute to two souls we lost this past week.
The first is renowned eco-philanthropist Doug Tompkins. Doug was influential in both the beginning of Round River as an organization, as well as our presence here in Patagonia. We would not be here without him. We send thoughts, love, and gratitude to his friends and family, and look forward to continuing his legacy.
The second loss was our beloved puppy, Aldo. Your cuddles and acceptance of us were always appreciated and will be dearly missed. We hope there are many brooms for you to wrestle in puppy heaven.
I’d also like to give thoughts, love, and gratitude to our wonderful instructors Fernando, Shay, Adam, Elizabeth, and Mateo for teaching us innumerable academic and life lessons and never tiring of our endless antics. Another thank you to all the other wonderful people we had the pleasure of meeting and working with during our short time here. You all make Chile an extremely difficult place to leave.
ChileanFlagChico RRCS Latin America Program Coordinator Fernando Iglesias Letelier and CONAF Guardaparque Juan Carlos Álvaro proudly display the Chilean flag above Lago Chico. Photo by Adam Spencer
The whole gang chilling on a Glacier Chico. Photo by Shalynn Pack.