Patagonia, Chile

The mountains are spectacular, and the weather mostly held through the hikes. The sight of the tents reminded me of my own fight in Iceland to stake a tent in glacial winds. But here they were permanently installed for the season - an ironic reminder that even finding an escape can become routine.

The winds patterns on the lake were spectacular to watch from a distance. At times the wind would pick up speed and head towards us, threating to bring the clouds of water over us in angry torrents. But always, its attempts were stopped short of the trail - maybe it was afraid of us?

“Nice here, but have you been to Baden-Württemberg?” A funny reminder from my home state. What really makes us unique?