Feb – March 2016 I don’t know where to start when trying to describe this part of the world, or my experience during this time. The fact that I was able to spend the 3 weeks with my brother made the trip! I’m pretty lucky to have such amazing family – and getting to share this trip with my bro was unreal!

After climbing and living in the French Valley I have been inspired and my perspective on climbing and what good weather is has been changed forever. My horizons have expanded and the possibilities for future adventure and potential climbs have sprouted as springtime in my imagination! 

The many glaciers, endless moraines, half a dozen El Capitan size walls, lakes, rivers, small mountain streams, roaring glacial rivers, crystals and iron granite / a wild assortments of igneous rock, the way the clouds lace the valley making the wind a visible substance… 

During the weeks spent in this single valley, amongst the complexity and surrealness of it all, I found a quiet rhythm and beautiful simplicity in our day to day life and in myself. Similar to many other extended periods in the mountains I guess, but somehow different. 

Patagonia is tumultuous and emotional and furious. The wind is filled with water, ice, or pulverized granite, and gusts well over 100km/hr for days on end. The wind. It is impossible to describe. It will tear you from the rock and knows no bounds. It rips straight up and straight down, then left and then right with no logic to its discretion. Living and climbing in these conditions require one to know how to stay warm and dry, and how to co-exist with nature in an exaggerated way. 

Just the simple things like crossing a moraine or glacier, setting up a tent, managing ropes, or building an anchor can take you to your limits. But it is simple. There are only a few decisions to make, and up in those mountains I let my mind wander through the glaciers and granite spires, and be cleaned by the snow and rain and wild winds. After taking this time, I would recommend that everyone take some time for themselves periodically. To be. To explore the intricacies of themselves. It is amazing the things you find when you are quiet enough to notice them. However, taking this time in this kind of environment was something truly special for me.