I returned home from my six weeks in Patagonia in mid February to heart-breaking news; some one very dear to me and many others had lost his battle with cancer. Tim was my best friend's father and I count my blessings every day for the great fortune of knowing and loving him. He was a wonderfully generous man who gave so much of himself to his family and friends. I was blessed to be able spend as much time with him and the family as I could just before I left, much of it being in the hospital or at the center where he received his treatments. I couldn't bear the thought of being away for his passing, his funeral, or to grieve with his family, but he passed when I was up in the mountains, far too far away from phones, computers and mail. This world lost a bit of its color the day Tim left us to go home. He was a great, great man with a beautiful soul. We miss you and love you so much Tim.

Finally, after more than a year of promising I've created a blog to help keep up with everyone. As many of you know, I've switched things up in my life...a lot. After 11 years of chugging along at good ol' Costco Wholesale, I decided that enough was enough. I found an organization that runs volunteer projects worldwide, gave a healthy ten-month notice at Costco, took a leap of faith and boarded a flight that would mark both an ending-but more importanty, a beginning.

First adventure: Patagonia, Argentina.


In the shadowy spine of the great Andes mountains I found myself in the pristine beauty of an earth untouched, undisturbed and uninhabited by our clumsy kind. I spent six weeks with 9 others of the same mind, hiking with our lives on our backs through the wilds of Patagonia; a land known in the hearts of the few wandering gauchos that remain amongst the quiet. It's the only place I've ever experienced where you can hike for six days straight and never see a single wrapper, cigarette butt or footprint. It was perfection, and for the first time in my life I let my breath go from my body with a peace I've never known; the peace of being part of something that is undeniably as it should be.

We trekked the length of each day, then set camp, cooked dinner and fell exhausted into our bags with eager descent into the vivid dreams of sleeping under the stars. There are so many stars with such brilliance in Patagonia that even the constellations are difficult to pick out. Night after night I'd fall into a deep slumber in the company of the Southern Cross and an upside-down Orion's Belt. I can remember so many nights where I'd try desperately to stay awake, if only to watch the brilliant night sky a little longer. It was simply magnificent. I'll hold Patagonia in my heart as a most cherished and profound experience for the rest of my days.



The main objectives of our work in Patagonia involved research of the Andean condor, aracaria tree, cachana (parakeet) studies, and finally red deer consensus. We worked hard, long but exquisite hours, tasting the research of a scientist and getting our hands dirty in the rich soils of conservation. It was fulfilling and grand and we founds ourselves constantly in awe of the Godly vistas before us.



















I found a peace in Patagonia that I'm sure will sustain me throughout my life. For in the most chaotic of times, I'll have a place to go in my heart where the only sound is that of the Andean winds blowing softly across the grassy valleys of the Steppe.


I return often enough in my mind, closing my eyes and reaching for the silence. And even if I never find that silence again, I'll always be grateful to have known it at least once.