PERSONAL TRAVEL STORY: ARGENTINA | PATAGONIA

At the end of 2017, my husband turned over another decade so I surprised him with a trip to Argentina, to hike 40 miles for 40 years in Patagonia. We flew into the ninety-five degree Buenos Aires summer, after a short overnight we flew off to El Chaltén for blisters and the famous climbing peaks of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. After a few days of lovely weather, empanadas, and long tired sleeps, we headed back through El Calafaté. We spent the last 10 miles of our 56 mile (over achievers) trek hiking over ice on the Perito Moreno glacier. Hey, who cries over the sight of a glacier? Apparently this girl. Can’t put it into words or pictures, but I can tell you it was spectacular (like maybe the most amazing thing I’ve ever done, other than birth a human). I guess I just got overcome with emotion. Maybe part of it had to do with walking 56 miles, which is something I never thought I could do, but a bigger part was just feeling really, really, ridiculously lucky. It’s not lost on me that I have a job and finances where I can run away and do this, that I have loving family willing and able to take care of my daughter while I do. That I have a body, that despite some sore knees, didn’t fail me, and best of all someone I love to share it with. We get one short life and I’m so glad I spent part of it freezing and then sweating my ass off and then freezing and then sweating my ass off there. Cheers to 40, my darlin'.