When we initially planned our trip, we knew we would be on the road for at least six months. Living out of our backpacks and staying in some pretty dodgy areas. For a long time, I debated whether or not I should bring my Canon DSLR to help document our amazing journey. In the end, weight and space became too much of a factor. Plus, we didn’t want to make ourselves too much of a target for thieves and vagabonds. As much as it hurt, we decided to only capture our memories on our phones. And what we sacrificed in picture quality, we would make up for in speed of travel, safety and lightness of packs...
I was three cervezas deep and contemplating a fourth when the epiphany hit me: cavemen took selfies. Now, I know what you’re thinking -- Cavemen didn’t have phones. (Or perhaps that I was under the influence of something other than cerveza). But, hear me out. I am absolutely convinced cavemen took selfies, and by the end of this article, you too will believe.
See, my Spanish lover and I had recently abandoned our home in Auckland and our careers in TV and architecture to embark on a six month around-the-world odyssey. I won’t call it a mid-life crisis. (With modern medicine, forty is too young to be mid-life). But, things were getting serious. And talk of babies and marriage were starting to permeate every conversation.
So, the only sensible thing to do in that sort of situation is to run for the hills. We figured, a good place to avoid the pitfalls of a life-more serious, would be South America. The Parque Nationale. Torres Del Paine.
There are certain places on this planet that seem to call to us. A siren song blowing on the winds of Instagram feeds and condor’s cries seen on saved Pinterest boards. Mythical lands of creatures and people who are far more exotic than we could ever believe exist — except we know they do, because they are documented in click-bait articles with titles like, “Ten Best Hikes in The World” and “Do This Before You Die!”
So. With cell phone in hand, ready to document that exquisite moment next to the towers and live in the rarefied air of instagram-fame, we set off on a hike into the unknown…
But first, some logistics; to paint the proper picture:
Esta historia es de la edición December 2018/January 2019 de Adventure Magazine.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 2018/January 2019 de Adventure Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Papua New Guinea
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The RELUCTANT adventurer
An eighteen-year-old princess, who paints his (yes, his) nails and dyes his hair bleach blonde, embarking on an adventure trip with his family, sounds like a plot for a bad 80s movie.
The Meaning of Tramping
What does tramping mean to you?
Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude
The North Shore season of 1957 is recognized in the surfing world as the start of an era. When Greg Noll, a young Mickey Munoz and company went out and rode Waimea for the first time, it was a glimpse of what could be in the world of big-wave surfing.
North West Circuit Stewart Island
I found myself in limbo during the winter of 2020, in between jobs in a strained covid economy. And so, I did what any outdoors person would do with a large amount of free time on their hands. It was time to pack up my belongings and hit the road. It was time to leave behind home comforts and go adventure-seeking.
Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut
“I want to be the leader!” Miss Six announced, pushing past me in her determination to be in front. Momentarily off-balance with my heavy pack, I narrowly avoided twisting an ankle on the sharp rocks and silently swore while cracking a bright smile.
Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes
I recently watched a youtube movie entitled, “Her Way” (check it out on the Adventure Website) which introduced a woman who had an overwhelming passion for running. The preface at the bottom of the clip, read as follows:
Adversity at Altitude
The wind and snow is whipping at my face. I’ve readjusted the stiff frozen fleece buff around my neck and mouth, desperately trying to protect myself from the -20 degree bitter wind. Adrenaline is still pumping through my body but I know I’ll start to get cold soon.
Last Great Mountaineering Challenge
Ground-breaking mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE has attained an incredible new world record by submitting K2 as part of a collaborative team in the depths of winter. Until now, it was a record that was believed to be impossible to accomplish and was famously known as the ‘last great mountaineering challenge’.
