So I’ve camped before. Been to Burning Man three times now, and each visit was the only time I have camped for more than one night and not in a backyard. My first BM I slept in a tent next to my group’s RV, but the next two trips I made sure to grab a spot inside the RV. Not that it made much difference given we always brought at least: two futon couches, a coffee table, end tables, vases with plastic flowers, 5 sqm x 6 sqm of carpet, dry ice for our cooler full of pre-ordered Thai take-away, a generator for air conditioning and music, and enough fairy lights to make Vegas wish we were there.
So I was ready for Patagonia.
Luckily I’m living a carry-on, minimalist, kind of life, so no fun stuff for me (except for my spork and these wafer-like soap tabs), but I have learned, and do not believe, unrelated grown adults have any business sharing bathrooms and showers in the woods. There appears to be absolutely no home-training, or potty training, when folks gather in the woods. That said, my whole experience was saved by the awesome availability of Malbecs in Argentinian Patagonia and Carmenerés on the Chilean side. Unfortunately, this also meant that I would have to go for a little walk at 3am ish to locate the toilet block, and would inevitably take a wrong turn, and begin to worry about attacking pumas, and end up finding relief in a bush that would have been just as easy next to the tent.
Camping does put you closer to the action though. And it allowed me to spend days getting to know ice, icebergs and glaciers. The spectacle of ice was on full display these days.
Watching mini-avalanches occurring regularly as we hiked along the opposite ridge. Witnessing the calving of the glacier — where the creaking and plunging ice sounds like thunder and lightning.
And the kayak trip up close to the glacier where we saw the iceberg that flipped 180 degrees exposing it’s translucent, polished stone-like underbelly that is only visible in that state for a few hours before turning white and snowy like we usually see icebergs.
When it comes down to it, the science, and the geology and the majesty of it all makes camping pretty cool.
Yep, just now getting that memo . . .
That flipped iceberg is stunning!
Jaw dropping beauty Terry! The colors are probably even more stunning in person…
. . . and congratulations again on your 25th anniversary!