story one...(geez, i've been a slacker about this!)

the avalanche.

we had been camping for three days in torres del paine national park in chile. it is probably the most beautiful place i have ever been.

the first day we hiked up to the paine towers, three spectaclar peaks towering above a turquoise-blue lake. The hike was long and the last 45 minutes were up a boulder field - scrambling and attempting not to twist ankles. (how people did this in sneakers, not hiking boots, is beyond me!). we had a cloudy day, not unusual for patagonia. the notorious patagonian winds were mild, fortunately.

that part of the trip was led by a company called bigfoot. they provided guides, tents, and fantastic food. we arrived back at camp to find 'happy hour' - appetizers and pisco sours (kind of a chilean margarita) - a HUGE spead of great food - home baked bread, cheeses, fruit, nuts...followed by a huge dinner, complete with wine and dessert. i want to camp like this all the time!! i thought i cooked well when i camped, but nothing like this!

the next day we hiked out to the grey glacier. we had another cloudy day, but no rain and mild wind again. of course, we had another great lunch, dinner, snack, dessert. it was a good thing we were hiking 8 hours a day! our final day was the journey out to the french valley and the famous cuernos del paine (horns of paine). we were extremely fortunate to get perfect - absolutely, positively PERFECT weather. patagonian weather is the type where people say 'if you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes'. climbers wait days and days for the weather to clear.

it was another long hike out, but the scenery was spectacular (that word cannot be over-used in describing patagonia). i often hike looking at my feet, in order to avoid tripping. yes, i'm a klutz! but, i sacraficed a few stumbles to gaze at the snowy peaks as i hiked. on one side of the valley we hiked in there were smooth granite walls, and on the other snowy peaks. as we neared paine grande we could hear the avalanches. because of the warm day, we had the opportunity to view some as we ate our lunches. watching, waiting, hearing the start of one...quickly scanning the peaks, looking for it...sometimes they were out of our view, on the other side of the mountain, but you waited...for that 'big one'.

we heard, then saw, the beginnings of one on the right side of the mountain. right away, it was obviously going to be a large one...we scrambled to grab cameras...frantically photographing and then looking with our own eyes...it got bigger and bigger...it was a bit eerie and surreal.

there were a few seconds where i was a bit nervous...we were on the other side of a small valley, one which i could easily imagine filling with snow, causing it to cascade over us. bigger...and bigger...then, poof! the snow dissapated and it was over. i never ever thought i'd be that close to an avalanche that large - and if i ever was, never thought i'd live to tell about it!

these words don't do it justice. the force, the beauty, the magnificance of nature. pictures can't do it justice. it's just a little taste. i wish i could take you all there, show you how awe-inspiring it was.