In the theater of nature, Wind is frequently cast in the role of antagonist. The Wind bellows with swift and harsh indifference and challenges others to adapt. As a character in nature myself, I readily admit to a healthy loathing and distrust of the Wind. At times, elemental Wind adds an irritating physical and mental component to hiking; and especially running or skiing. My thoughts tend to drift to negative when the Wind is in my face rather than at my back. Well, I gained a new respect and appreciation for Wind over the course of our visit to Torres del Paine. Perhaps the feral ferocity of legendary Patagonian Wind sent my mind into a state of constant adaptation or evolution. The perpetual blending of air in the region gave each moment an intoxicating freshness. Even the absence of Wind circulates a distinct aura merging the past and future into an extraordinary present in Patagonia.
This aura was never more evident than on our final morning in Torres del Paine, when we the omnipresent Wind was mysteriously absent as we peered across Lago Pehoé. Instead, we awoke to a stunningly perfect love letter from nature. I may never be able to fully express my feelings for Torres del Paine in return, but I assure you it will forever be a part of my heart and my soul. I’ll clumsily reference the words of your beloved Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, who once said; “Love is so short, forgetting is so long.”
Honestly, I don’t know what to say though. I’ve heard it said that placing thoughts and feelings into words is a powerful way of cementing their legacy into concrete entities. Well, I prefer to reject that notion on this this occasion; it seems far more fitting and true to leave the unreal scenes of the morning in the tranquility of abstraction. At the time, we were rendered largely speechless; it was the sort of scene where monosyllabic words like ‘wow’ mean more than the loquaciously threaded. Perhaps this is a cop-out, but it seems any attempt would simply be futile or inadequate in this instance. As such, the rest of my entry will be pictures with the gorgeous words of others to describe nature, wilderness, and life.
