Torres Del Paine, Chile

Been traveling with these guys for a couple weeks and I have cried laughing everyday for 2 weeks strait. Klemen (Slovenia), Mark (NY), Luke (nomad), Igor (Slovenia). Going to see an an amazing place is great but these guys made it a trip I will never forget! *EVER

I actually took that picture myself with just 10 seconds to get in the photo!

I'm sure a lot of you looking at my blog are probably getting tired of seeing another landscape photo of some beautiful setting but this place is AMAZING! For the 4 days of hiking we were fortunate to have great weather and from what I heard it was about the best it's been this season so far. I also wanted to wish all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that life is treating you as kind as it is for me. My Thanksgiving included a beautiful boat ride and a 23k jog to finish up the 80k circuit. I am still limping a little because my ankle could use a vacation from my vacation, but it will survive. For a trip update I have locked in my flights for the rest of my trip, and now have an idea where I am going and when I will return to the United States. On the 16th of January I fly out of Santiago to San Francisco. I have 3 days in California to get visas and then I fly to Hong Kong. I arrive in Hong Kong on the 23 of January and I will travel overland through China and S.E Asia and fly out of Bangkok on the 15th of May. From there I will go to Delhi, India and will be there and Nepal for 70 days. On the 25th of July I fly from India to Germany and will be in Europe until the 22nd of September. Following this I have a wedding on the east coast, and I am still considering riding a bike across the US but I am starting to think the budget will not allow it. Most likely I will be back in October 2009 and look forward to seeing you all again!

El Calafate, Argentina

The main reason why so many people drop down this far south, other then it's extremely beautiful is to see this huge glacier Perito Moreno. It is so big it doesn't seem real.

El Chalten, Argentina

Here in El Chalten the city is located at the base of the Fitz Roy Range! I hiked almost all the the trails in this area and it is even more spectacular in real life then in the pictures. I have probably hiked 50 miles in the last 4 days on a twisted ankle, so I have decided to take it easy for a few days before I go hike the popular Torres Del Paine in Chile. Like a funnel all the people I have crossed paths with are all ending up at the same place and it's crazy that when I get to new towns that I have never been to, I know more people there then the locals! Having a blast and putting this as some of the most amazing things so far!......I'm wondering how many times I will say that about something on this trip?

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

OH WHALE!

200 DAYS DOWN

November 14th will mark 200 days for my trip so far. Looking back at things, more has happened in the last 200 days then the last 10 years of my life. Taking the time to really enjoy my life, and live a dream has given me a sense of fulfillment that I value so much. Having the time to read a book or conquer the biggest mountain I find or, meeting people from all over the world and understanding how they view the world, learning what life is like for so many, viewing my country from outside the box, and realizing what is really important to me in life is just a FEW of the things that come to mind. The big disadvantage of this is missing all of you back home and not getting the time I would like to spend with friends and family. I plan to keep pushing on and want to let you all know that I think about you a lot and hope life is treating you kind!
Lucas

Barilochie, Argentina

Maybe one day I will grow up and quit acting like a child.

Hallmark might be calling me for some of these photos.

This is actually a glacier that was a volcano and has somehow turned the ice black!

This is a picture of the most expensive hotel in South America! LLAO LLAO

What did you do today? This was my view from a 36k hike to the refuge Italia!

Barilochie, WOW!!!!! Not cheap at all but it is amazing place to visit. For the last 6 weeks traveling I haven't really found anyone (I'd like to travel with) who is on the same track as myself. I think in the last 2 months I traveled with about 15 different people for 3 or so days and then onto a different track they go. The best part of traveling is meeting other people from other countries, and you learn so much about the world and different views about the world. My travel plan for those of you who don't know I am going to work my way back home in mid January. From there I need to iron out a couple of visas and then I am off for my around the world trip. I will be buying a flight that will bring me back home in October of next year! The countries I will be visiting are China, S.E. Asia, India, Nepal, and Europe. It is possible I will be home for a few weeks, but most likely I may not have time between South America and China. If so I hope that I get to see all of you back home who follow my blog and I will let you know as the time comes closer.

IM LOST!

San Martin, Argentina

Going to this town reminded me of Estes Park, Colorado. Every other corner has some sort of place that sells chocolate or something sweet. It is an extremely nice ski town that is very popular for the rich people. If you plan on visiting this spot be prepared to pay the same that you would pay in any other popular ski town in the United States.

National Park Huenquecho-Pucon, Chile

Where is Bob Ross?

"GOD GIVES NUTS TO THOSE WITHOUT TEETH"

On my last day in Pucon we took the bus into National Park Huenquecho to hike a 20k loop. Views were great and enjoyed meeting new travelers and sharing stories. I left Pucon without my camera and as I was sitting on the bus going through my photos I lost my memory card with the back up copy of all my photo's for my trip. Although I still had a copy I was severely pissed off as I arrived in San Martin, Argentina. For 4 hours I was trying to find the phone number and a telephone that worked and finally I got a hold of the hostel that I was staying at. I was fortunate enough that they still had my camera and they told me they would send it on the same bus the following day and to pick it up at the bus station. The next day I went to the bus station and not only did they have my camera there the bus company found my memory card with my photo's and............. WOW was I happy! On a different note I have found my way back into Argentina and although it is starting to get a lot cooler down here, the closer I find my way towards Patagonia, the better the views get! I am really looking forward to some of the amazing hikes to come.

Pucon, Chile

Here at the top of the Volcano Villiarica the smell of sulfur will take your breath away!

This was the top of an old ski lift that got burnt up after the Volcano erupted and melted it.

Chile and Argentina are so much more expensive then everywhere else I have been so far, I have been really big on renting a bike for a day and going to check things out for myself. They have a tour that takes you to the top of an active volcano and everyone who comes to Pucon usually does this. For about 50-60$ a company will drive you 15 miles up the road and then you have a guide that you follow up this snow covered peak. I decided to do it on my own and I rented a bike to ride it there, hike the mountain and ride it back to town. I guess I should have taken into consideration that the elevation from where I started to where I finished was about a difference of about 9000 vertical ft. Although I didn´t have any problems, I was really tired after riding a bike for 15 miles, all uphill, to walking up the mountain through the snow where I didn´t exactly know where the path was. Half the time I was cutting a new path through soft snow up a steep mountainside. On the way back down there were chutes where people would slide down in the snow and it was a blast sitting down in the snow and what took 5 hours to get up, took less then 20 minutes to get down. As for the bike ride back it was the same too. It took me around 3 hours to ride up the road and on the way back I was passing cars going down the hill! The day before we went on a 42k ride with some people in my hostel to see the country side and a waterfall which was also a really enjoyable day. Pucon, so far my favorite place in Chile.