Snapshots from Patagonia

simple moments from a wild place

I’m a few weeks back from Aysén, Chile guiding the latest VIVIFY cohort - and what a journey it was.

Icy rain, endless laughs, frigid river crossings, long sunny days, and some very bumpy van rides.

A refreshing & invigorating start to 2025 (which has since felt significantly choppier).

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Every time we go into the wild, we release control. This time, especially so.

In Patagonia, very little went according to my plans.

Fortunately, my plans didn’t matter much - what did matter was the place, the people, and the slow unfolding of time as we returned to an embodied relationship with the landscape, the rain, the sun, the rivers.

So rather than a recap of concepts, profound learnings, and abstract nouns, it feels more appropriate to share some simple moments, in images and words.

Enjoy!

Welcome Committee

The rain begins at the park entrance.

We grab our gear and duck under the little covered shed, hoping for a refuge to get ourselves organized.

“Hold on,” I say. “Watch out for the caterpillars.”

Hundreds of them cover the picnic tables and benches.

“They’ll irritate your skin,” Frannie says. “Try not to let them touch you.”

I pull out a handkerchief and begin methodically clearing them away. Everyone else wonders what the hell they’re doing here.

An auspicious start.

For The Senses

We reach the top of Paso La Gloria just as the rain stops—our first views of Lago Verde take our breath away.

Resting after the climb, I share some words from John O’Donohue’s For the Senses. An excerpt:

“May the fragrance

Of a breathing meadow

Refresh your heart

And remind you

You are a child of the earth.”

As the poem comes to a close, the wind kicks up.

“I can’t feel my toes,” Eva says. “Can we start walking?”

Lentils

Safely in camp, we cook a New Year’s Eve meal of lentils—unknowingly, an Italian tradition.

Julia and I huddle over the pot, tossing in spices, butter, cheese.

We take our meal to the riverbed, sharing side-splitting laughter in the long Patagonian evening.

Hot food in the chilly air. Nourishment after a day on our feet.

Another year comes to a close.

Biohacking

We make camp by the river after a long day.

Bodies are tired, feet ache, but we’re happy.

I disappear to set up the tent, then head down to the water. On the way, I hear yelps and whoops.

Tired bodies now in the river, washing away the day’s dirt and exhaustion.

Clean, cold, content.

A new year begins.

Asado

The good folks at Alma Verde Permacultura take their time with the asado.

Slowly, slowly turning the lamb over the fire. Frying the potatoes, carrots, sopapillas.

We mingle, each of us with half an eye on the food.

Finally, we eat. Ecstasy in simplicity.

We close our trip fed, happy, together—watching the 10 PM sunset over a landscape tended with love.

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Thank you to Chulengo Expeditions, Nadine Lehner, Frannie Parkinson, to all those who joined this adventure, and primarily, to Puerto Guadal, Chelenko, Jeinimeini, Valle Aviles, Valle Chacabuco, and all the beings of the land that made this adventure possible.

What’s Next for VIVIFY

We’ll be back at it next summer in the Sierra - July 30 - August 3!

Returning to my favorite place on this planet for a journey of renewal into the wild.

If you’re curious about joining us to discover some of the true hidden gems of the Sierra, you can join the waitlist here: VIVIFY

BONUS: Sunrise in Jackson 🧉❄️

6 AM wake up.

6:05 maté by the fire.

In the car at 6:30, vibing & vibrating.

We bootpack up while the Earth turns beneath us, revealing the sun over the eastern mountains.

Cold inhale, warm exhale. The colors change each minute, each second. Each tree an icy sculpture.

Vision sharp, mind calm, heart full.

Winter, I missed you.