patagonia

In 2008, the province of Buenos Aires banned the used of plastic bags. In 2004, the province of Mendoza prohibited the use of non-biodegradable bags. In 2005, the province of Chubut, in Patagonia, prohibited the use of polyethylene bags. The same happened in the Patagonian tourist towns of El Bolson… Read the rest

This land has been many things to many people. For Magellan and Drake, it was the land of giants. For FitzRoy, it was the beginning of the end. For Darwin, it was a trip that would change his life. For Jeremy Button, it was his home, then his curse. For … Read the rest

“I had become incapable of reflection; my mind had suddenly transformed itself from  a thinking machine  into a machine for some unknown purpose. To think was like setting in motion a noisy engine in my brain; and there was something there which bade me still, and I was forced to … Read the rest

A few days later, my friend and fellow Patagonia Surf Ambassador stepped off the plane onto the airstrip just a half-mile south of where Swell was anchored inside the atoll. A year prior, Crystal showed me two weeks of unforgettable fun at her North Shore residence, so I was anxious… Read the rest

It was ten years ago when we pedaled our gear-laden mountain bikes along Chile’s Lago General Carrera and caught our first glimpse of Chile’s wild and wonderful Rio Baker (Baker River) watershed. Never before had we experienced such a vast and ecologically diverse corner of the planet – and our… Read the rest

A few mornings later I stared intently at my computer screen in the belly of Swell, under deadline to finish a photo caption piece for Patagonia’s new story-telling internet forum, the Tin Shed. I heard a strong gust of wind followed by a squall rain but in my intent to… Read the rest

With me here this week in the Tetons is Ethan Senturia, a Wharton graduate who is helping me to develop and promote my guiding business, Aerial Boundaries. Disillusioned by the world of high-finance, he recently quit his job with what was formerly Lehman Brothers and now is owned by Barclay’s… Read the rest

The goal on this second Wharton Leadership Ventures program was to help these young women hone their leadership skills by putting them in mountain leadership roles and challenging their decision making, cooperation and community visioning skills. One of the hallmarks of our program is its service component. Each year we work with a local group to help with various projects.

We were supposed to leave that evening. The plan was to kayak a couple of hours, pass Puerto Pardelas, and camp before Punta Alt. There, a small cave, up in the mountains, would provide us with a good campsite, and beautiful scenery. From there, we would paddle for 3 days,… Read the rest