By Aidan Breen, University of Vermont
Photos by Aaron Richards (UVM)
(Team Aguila)
There are two paths in life: one of complexity, materialism, and standardization or one of Rocky.
He has experienced it all. From tromping over mountains in lashing rain to chasing after dolphins in the southern Fjords of neglected Patagonia. I speak of a being who knows no boundaries, no fear, only the sound of his heartbeat urging him forward, into the unknown…
Rocky awoke early that morning, something was different, perhaps out of place. He sniffed in the glorious aroma of burnt sausage and proceeded to lick away the last stains of grease on the innards of the pan. It could be a long time before he might eat again. He scuttled down the mountainside, his matted hair catching on long snags of Cípres and the jagged edges of Chilean Holly, until he reached the shoreline. To his elegant surprise, he saw his loyal companion, Don Juan, standing on the top of his maritime vessel, staring back at him, beckoning him into his everlasting embrace. Rocky hopped aboard, and once again they were off… off on another adventure.
He could only imagine what was ahead of him. Or perhaps he didn’t need to, the breeze of time, commitments, and scheduling all a vague shuffle of nothing save love and affection. But today, deep hundred-meter-wide flats of blue-grey water laid out to either side of the vessel, quickly shooting upward into steep hillsides, which led to ridges, and ridges which led to mountains. The sun sat shadowed behind murky grey clouds and cast a certain epic gloom on Don Juan’s boat, the “Jekcal.” Yet the humans and Rocky pushed onward, slowly meandering their way through the Fjord, desperately searching for their final destination. When suddenly, Rocky felt a change in the atmosphere, the sun was appearing but he remained felt cold, and was only getting colder. The air stiffened on the nape of his neck, his eyes started to water, he stuck out his stalky snout hoping to decipher the cause of this occurrence, but could not. He watched as several students climbed the ladder onto the creamy white roof of the boat and wrestled for their cameras, a great hush came over them and everyone stared at something so far off in the distance. He cursed his poor eyesight and yelped for attention, but no one noticed. Yet as he turned to the east something caught his eye, an ominous figure sitting boldly in the boat’s path, towering hundreds of feet above him, and then he understood what was the cause of the commotion: Glaciar Pío XI.
One of the largest glaciers in South America and one of the few in the world that is still advancing, Pío XI greeted Rocky with an icy smile. Don Juan parked his vessel and quickly skirted away in his tiny motor boat while simultaneously sweeping Rocky off his paws. He revved the engine and they hurled faster and faster toward the glacier while dodging ice patches and sliding over steep waves. And then they arrived. For the first time in Rocky’s 14-year life (that’s 102 dog years) he felt so small. He watched as Neotropic Cormorants circle him, Peale’s dolphins splashing out of the icy waters and plummeted down below. But what perplexed Rocky the most was the sheer magnitude of the glacier. Its raw power contorted and seized before his tiny eyes. It crinkled, cracked, and suddenly with a chaotic thud a boulder sized chunk crumbled into the icy water below. It sounded as if someone with enormous lungs had blown directly into his ear. He quickly tumbled backward and nearly tripped over his four scrawny legs, whimpering. But what followed next challenged him. He refused to cower before this beautiful beast. The waves from the cascade of ice slowly built up their speed, plotting against him. Rocky did not move. They gathered from several distinct ripples into one colossal giant. But Rocky did not falter. He heard the pleading and shouts of caution from the cowardly humans beside him as they ran for cover. But Rocky remained. The wave rose once more, reaching its highest point, paused, and then with a whoosh it crashed inches in front of Rocky, hissing back into the blue waters as it receded. And in that instant, nothing remained but pure happiness.
Rocky celebrates a successful expedition with his companion, Aidan.