Gap Year.......And A Half

Jane always told me this would happen. You plan to take only six months off, then before you know it, you have been travelling for a year and a half. I'm headed to Patagonia tomorrow. This trip doesn't hold a lot of mystery for me probably because I have already been to Chile and Argentina. However, this doesn't diminish the excitement I have for this journey. I always considered my first South American journey with Jane "her" trip. It is not that I didn't enjoy the three and a half months this summer. I really DID enjoy all of it. However, my initial plan when I was still working at TI was to backpack in the Andes and see those picture perfect snow covered mountains with turquoise blue glacial lakes. I'm really looking forward to heading down south during their summer and I plan on seeing as much natural beauty as possible.

I'm taking a different approach to packing my bag this time. I'm taking much more camping gear than before and also transporting some goods for my friend Heather in Puerto Natales. Apparently, Powerbars and other backpacking items are a bit pricey, so I'm bringing as much stuff with me to save on cost. Many of these things are consumable, and I should be able to lighten the load along the way. In total, I'm doing three overnight treks which include the Torres Del Paine "W", Monte Fitz Roy, and Nahuel Huapi Traverse. I hope I can accomplish everything in four weeks.

The end of this dreamworld I've been living in for the past year is in sight. At last I decided to travel to New Zealand and Australia starting in March until the middle of April. Then, I'll return to Switzerland to close out the ski season with Jane and the kids from the Peak Leaders program. It is fitting that my world tour end in Switzerland because this is where all of the craziness began. This is where Jane talked me into spending so much time in South America. I came to embrace her "who the fuck knows what going to happen" attitude. This is where the British kids breathed a new sense of adventure into my life. This is where I rediscovered the thrill of snowboarding steeps pitches and catching air off big kickers. I'm gonna continue making memories and friends all the way to the very end...We'll see if it truly is the end when I get there.