Going home was a relief. Bedraggled and worn out, I swore I'd never come back. But after one winter back in the States I started to miss the intensity and the raw power of Patagonia. Now I can't stop coming back here. A season in Patagonia is hell on your free-climbing fitness, but somehow it's always worth it.
Many people come here once and never want to return.
Incessant wind and storms, days and days of load-carrying, being blown around glaciers, being cold and wet and never climbing, can all be torture for a motivated climber. But the rare perfect days are surreal. And there's something humbling and incredibly moving about getting to know the spirit of Patagonia. Here, more than anywhere, I am forcibly reminded that nature is supreme. At home, technology, pollution and development seem to be rushing at me from all sides.