I've Missed You People!

“First, I dropped off the face of the virtual world because I got in trouble at work for idling away the hours (on this website, mostly).

Then I really did leave this hemisphere for a month in Patagonia where I waded through rainforest mud and cramponed my way to the top of Mount Tronador on a three week Outward Bound adventure.

Now I'm back in New York and more disturbed than ever to face the noise and the dirt and the concrete of the big city.

Snow camping, ASAP, anyone?

(A special "I've Missed You" to Treebeard and Mapleleaf... How's the new digs?)

N.”

“I'm not envious at all.”

“HI HI HI


you need to come on our next Ghost Hunt trip!!!

I missed”

“Hi natalio! I just wanted to say that.”

“TROLL!!!!!!!!!

OK, I know you aren't a troll. Just had to get that out of my system.

Welcome back cutie!”

“Weren't you a hotie who caused a stir amongst all the horn dogs on this board?”

“no, she was the one that was into kayaking, hiking, running.

geez, real class act MH”

“woof woof”

“no, she was the one that was into kayaking, hiking, running.
mapleleaf
12:56:42 PM

Yes! And she was the hottie who caused a stir amongst all the horndogs on this board!

Hey, Natalio. Welcome back! Maple and I were wondering about you the other day...”

“Is there something wrong with saying natalio is hottie if it's true?

Welcome back, natalio!”

“I was wondering about her first!”

“The new digs are great. You must ferry over to us sometime...”

“lol @ SS”

“Move over little dogs the big dog’s moving in.”

“Tree - I was looking at Phil's Photos after the last update and saw her pics again. I did wonder if we had scared her off.”

“That's ALWAYS a possibility around here, Stove!”

“Welcome back! I was wondering what happened to you.”

“I missed you all soooooooooo much!

Well, OK, being in Chile for a month, I actually wasn't missing much of anything, but now that I'm back in the office (I HATE BEING BACK IN THE OFFICE), I'm missing Treebeard, Mapleleaf, Paddling, and, most of all, having a pack on my back and a dozen miles to hike before dusk.

Yesssssssss, I want to visit the new digs.

Yes, I want to go on an adventure.

Any snowcamping trips coming up in the NE?

Count me in.

(I'm staying out of the hottie/stir/dogs discussion.)”

“(I'm staying out of the hottie/stir/dogs discussion.)"
natalio
01:10:27 PM

Yes, leave that to the pros!”

“Are you still planning to visit NYC this winter? Don't we have dinner plans?”

“Is this THE THING? lol....”

“Yes, dinner plans are still on for when I visit! But, it might be a few more months. :-( Do you still have my e-mail? If not, look in my profile and e-mail me there if you'd like.. I'll reply back using my main address, which I don't post on TT out of fear of spam.”

“If you like hiking and paddling, you need to move to Caleeeefornia. If you like snow camping, the Sierra rocks. But just remember we live by a different set of rules out here... whoever dies first in the snow gets eaten. It's a tradition.”

“Chief Horn Dog Artex checks in. ;-)”

“Now, now guys...

:-)”

“Lucky Dog, you!”

“more like Horn Dog”

“lol ML...there's a hidden message in my post...”

“(staying out of it)”

“So tell us about Patagonia then :o)”

“good save, man of many letters in his name....”

“So tell us about Patagonia then :o)"
ynamiynami
01:28:28 PM

I hear they make some pretty nice but pricey fleece. ;-)”

“Eat any Chile dogs down there? :)”

“:o) - good green credentials though.”

“OK, who slipped treebeard the mickey and is posting under his name?”

“I did!”

“the eggman did it!”

“Is this natalio's best side? ;-)
Looks like that gray haired dude is getting an eyefull! LOL

If I ever meet this girl, she's gonna kill me!”

“Stove, you took the words right out of my mouth:

If I ever meet this girl, she's gonna kill me!"”

“so Nat you coming over this weekemd?”

“Looks like maple's already trying for another hubby...”

“Backpacking and Mountaineering in Patagonia with Outward Bound

It was amazing. Austral summer... Traipsing for a week through sixty kilometers of mud and biting flies along rainforest horse trails, then arriving at the foot of Cerro Tronador, resupply at the mercy of gauchos on horseback, trading in the hiking boots for plastic mountaineering Koflachs, then ascending to the high camp far above tree line, digging ten foot deep pits in the snow for our fleet of bombproof trangos, and doing five days of snow and ice skills on the glacier, to wake up at two a.m. for the summit bid, only to have to turn back from the col because conditions got burly... And, finally, descending, back into ninety degree heat and far below the skin-splitting minus-twenty windchills, back into the jungle, for an accelerated trek back through the bogs and valleys.

To think, last June I went camping for the first time...

It was epic. I shot eighteen rolls of film. I got malnourished from eating pasta and oatmeal for twenty three days. I had to endure group dynamics disasters and conquer my inner spoiled brat. I wiped my butt with sticks and stones and had a pee rag (which doubled as a hankie and tripled as a towel for drying my feet after river crossings) hanging from my pack for the duration of the trip. I learned about knots and leave-no-trace fires. I learned that I love using trekking poles. I learned that no matter how much sunscreen you use, or how high its SPF, or how often you reapply, the skin on your nose WILL peel off after four days on a glacier. I studied the ecology and natural history of the region, the evolution of mountaineering, and the intricacies of expedition planning.

And I learned the hardest lesson of all: I learned that when it comes down to the important things – to survival itself, and to teamwork – my talent and intellect, my advanced degrees and my professional experiences, my notorious connections and my linguistic abilities – all these are completely useless. When it comes down to the important things, I've got a lot to learn.

I bivvied solo all day and all evening long after our summit attempt, when the rest of the patrol were sleeping. With piping hot chamomile Nalgenes inside my sleeping bag to keep me warm, watching two condors circle above my head, shielded from the wind on the lee side of a volcanic rock ridge, looking out on endless crevasse-ridden snowslopes, I baked bread on a Whisperlite stove and felt myself, perhaps for the very first time, truly let go.”

“What would Nigal say - "I think my pants are getting tight!"

Sounds like a fantastic trip - always fancied a trip to Patagonia - how did you get signed up for it?”

“very nice summary report.”

“<sigh>

Why did I waste my youth being responsible?”

“Thanks for the report.
Please post a few pictures of the trip!”

“Come on now bit - you're never too old :o) - just move a few things round and go for it!”

“There I was, stealing the billable hours away from our client and drafting up the trip report for you SLANDERERS out there, and what do I find when I finally post but a visual of MY BUTT made way too accessible by Stove Stomper.

But then again, what else WOULD I expect of this fabulously inappropriate Trail Talk bunch of hikers?!”

“But it's a very nice Butt. ;-)”

“I have to wait for my kids to get a little older, then I can go be irresponsible...lol...”