After a crazy night of questionable life choices, woke to a BANG.

rap, RAP, Rap.  Hotel door.  Up, spinning, WALL, bed.  Where am I?!  rap, RAP, Rap.  Focus.  Diego de Almagro.  Punta Arenas.  I’ve got this.  Back in Chile.

Conversation:  Bus is leaving in 15 minutes.  I don’t feel well, think I’m skipping today’s trip.  You can sleep on the bus.  Ugh.  Ok, ok.  15 minutes.  I’ll be there.

Change of clothes.  Sip of juice.  Teeth brushed.  On the bus.

Conversation:  How do you feel?  Green 🤢

Bus stop.  AMAZING what 3 hours sleep can do.  Splashed water on my face.  NEW day.  Puerto Natales, border town between Chile & Argentina.  COKE Sabor purchase.  Thanks Katya.  Would’ve LIFE MISSED Torres del Paine without ya.  Road trip!

Landscape reminiscent of HOME.

Prairie grasses, MASSIVE PEAKS jutting STRAIGHT UP — an oil painting of colour.  Turquoise water, snow-capped peaks.  Colorado HOME…well, almost.  Except for the guanacos, Chile’s native llama variety 🦙

Murky grey Laguna Amarga, 10 minutes more.  Silt-fed glacier water.  180-degree turn.

pull over, PULL OVER.  GUANACOS.  Native, unafraid, running wild amongst us.  On the lake?  FLAMINGOS.  FOREVER memory/life imprint.  Photo FLOOD.  I was here.

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine.  Entrance selfie, day pass purchased, passport stamped.  Each bus stop progressive/building on the last/memory upon memory.  Another peak, more glacier-fed waters.  Salto Grando trail, Mirador los Cuernos.  Thunderous waterfall, wind whipping off the MONSTER WALL above.  YES, YES, YES!

GROUP pic time.  Complete strangers a week ago.  Different countries/language/age.  Marathon brothers/sisters, ALL Antarctica adventurers.  I heart my new RUN FAMILY.

Day trip in South America’s Andes Mountains.

HOME from HOME, my mountain soul fed ❤️

Torres del Paine