Written January 27, 2016
By Nathaniel Rees (Colby College)
The last 5 days have been surreal. It seems like yesterday that we arrived in Coyhaique, bleary-eyed and in desperate need of a bathroom (too many in-flight Cokes). Yet tomorrow, we leave for a three-week backpacking conservation trip through the fjords of Bernardo O’Higgin’s National Park, and stoke levels couldn’t be higher.
But let’s rewind for a minute. Our group congregated in the Santiago airport on January 21st for a quick flight to Balmaceda to meet our instructors. Fortunately, it was easy to profile the other Round River students (read: gringos) and we boarded the flight together, arriving in Balmaceda to smiles and hugs from two of our trip leaders, Shalynn Pack and Adam Spencer. They are both wonderful human beings.
After a short drive in Round River’s truck “Blanquito,” we arrived in Coyhaique. In this quaint and frankly beautiful town situated in a valley between steep hillsides and snow-capped mountain peaks, reality began to sink in: we had made it to Patagonia!! The next few days meandered along in a dreamlike fashion. We slept in, underwent the first stages of orientation, and treated ourselves to a pair of fabulous dinners. But most importantly, we began to feel like a family. We wore our knockoff crocs with pride as we drove 8 hours to Cochrane the next day.
On the way to Cochrane, the group was welcomed by guanaco – emblematic grazers of the Patagonian steppe. Photo by Spencer Crawford.
Cochrane is stunning. Our home base can be found directly outside the main town, nestled into a hillside with a dramatic review of Tamango Mountain. Everything solidified into reality as we set up our tents – no – homes for the semester. Meanwhile, base camp’s immediate proximity to the Rio Cochrane provided endless swimming opportunities.
A view of Round River Patagonia’s base camp where students stay in between field expeditions. Photo by Spencer Crawford.
We immersed ourselves into courses during the next few days, ranging from descriptions of the various flora and fauna throughout Patagonia to glacier formation and degradation in Bernardo O’Higgins National Park. A highlight included an introduction to binoculars and birding, a rad subject that took me by surprise. I came to the program with the assumption that birds were mildly boring and, in the case of the pigeons I had encountered in D.C., really stupid. But observing birds through the binoculars (including the rare South American snipe!) managed to capture the grace and power of their wing beats; absorbing oneself in birdcalls was utterly fascinating. Within a few days, Round River had already enhanced my understanding, perception, and love of the natural world. We were hooked, especially Spencer, who may be part bird.
Round River Program Coordinator Fernando Iglesias teaches us about the Natural History of Patagonia and of the status of Conservation in Chile. Photo by Adam Spencer.
Our days in base camp alternated between a sense of relaxed meditation and frenetic activity. We drank an egregious amount of maté, learned how to navigate with a compass and GPS, pampered Duké – king pooch of Cochrane and lover of tummy rubs – and began the immense task of planning and coordinating a three week trip that begins with a drive to Tortel tomorrow. So for any concerned parents reading, here is a final farewell before we hit the trails:
We are unbelievably pumped to head to the fjords, and for the many adventures to come. The terrain will be arduous, the coursework challenging, and the weather similar to the aftermath of my dog taking a bath: a verifiable tsunami. And yet we all agree that there is no place we would rather be, that when it rains we will play in it, and that if we take one more sip of maté, we will explode. Thanks to Round River for a spectacular opening act, and we will see ya’ll in three short weeks. Ciao, from your favorite gringos.
Top photo by Elsa Elvira Cordova.
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