Even as one can artificially, accidently, or purposefully
create start and end dates for activities, events, or happenings in life, the
same is not necessarily true for the start and end dates of life lessons or
life changing events. These types of
events can happen anywhere through direct means like giving up one’s time and
life goals to the full-time dedication of a greater cause like the Peace Corp,
a religious mission, or a humanitarian mission, or indirectly when one allows
their self to disconnect, assume nothing, and allow “whatever” to occur,
essentially becoming once again as a small child, hungry, interested, willing
to learn all that is out there. When one
does this, there is no end to what may happen, the limiting factor is not time
but oneself. As so eloquently put by the
famous Yoda “you must unlearn what you have learned.”
…………………………
Just over two years to the day I arrived home from my first
trip to Chile, an awesome and fun two weeks in Portillo, I departed on my
second trip, but this time I ventured away from the “you are taken care of
here” wonderful and easy ways of Portillo, to the unknown and “on your own”
ways of Santiago and the small town of Las Trancas to access the blessed
Nevados de Chillan. My original trip
plans had visions of getting a group of friends together along with a photog to
have fun and get some “work” done in the snow and rocky peaks of the southern
hemisphere before our season began up in the northern hemisphere. Those dreams were dashed to pieces as many
spent available funds on new Macbook Pros, cameras, or other trips, and the
arrival of the horrible snow reports of the early season coming from South
America.
Undeterred by the lack of a group and lack of snow, needing
an escape from the heat, inversion, and the drudges, and smoke and mirrors, of
“real” life in our country, I pressed forward through the anxiety of no snow
and going into the unknown alone. But,
that’s when the good stuff happens. A
few weeks before my departure, a recently new buddy recommended going to
Nevados de Chillan. He spoke of meters
of fresh pow, adventures of hitchhiking up to the resort each day, and a sweet,
cheap hostel right in the middle of town.
And to top it off, he had a buddy in Santiago that I could stay with
before and after heading to Las Trancas.
With the unfolding of this potential adventure came the calming of the
nerves. Confidence, excitement, and
smiles returned. The three weeks leading
up to the trip were filled with long hours in the office preparing proposals
and briefs. There was no rest for the
weary. I even had to give a personal
briefing to my division director during dinner the night before I was to
leave.
The gate at ATL was filled with even more skiers. The excitement and anxiety of little snow of
those there spread through amongst the crowd quickly. New friends were being made at every bench
over discussions of trip plans, reports, previous experiences, and the unknown
outcomes of new experiences. It was here
that I first met a “Reggie” from Ketchum that was heading down to do some
guiding in Las Lenas. He was pretty cool
and it never came to me who he really was.
We talked about getting our seats moved next to each other to share a
beer, but got distracted until boarding time. Now I was one “short” Ambien filled flight
away, but did manage to have a beer and a few scotches with my new acquaintance
before shutting down. Let the dreams
begin, and in the morning we live the dreams.
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