4 Courses in the Field!

9/30 NOLS Patagonia SSPM-2 Course

Once again, I apologize for the delay since my last post. We've sent 4 courses into Patagonia over the past two weeks - two into the mountains and two, armed with kayaks, into the South Pacific Ocean. Each course has consisted of approximately 17 students and 5 instructors and, since they're in the field for approximately 12 weeks, the Equipment Team (with whom I've been doing most of my work) has therefore just finished organizing and issuing gear for nearly 7,400 field days. It's been a bit hectic. Yesterday, the latter two of those four groups left El Campo, leaving an eerie silence in place of 34 late-teen/early-twenties adolescents who aren't quite sure what they're getting into...


And now for some pictures...

A few of the kayaks taken by students into the Pacific Ocean

Max - good guy, good mountain-climbing instructor

Below are some photos of La Cucharacha (before the student tornado hit), the main building where we issue gear to NOLS Patagonia students.

This is La Mole, the area designated for the students to store and prep their gear. It shows a microcosm of the craziness that ensues with the arrival of ~35 additional individuals, more than a few of whom could be considered 'organizationally-challenged'.

Although things do get a bit crazy here, the students bring a welcomed level of excitement. As one might expect, it takes an interesting person to willingly spend 12 weeks in the snow and rain and many of these people have incredibly diverse and interesting backgrounds. In addition, they show up with smiling faces, ready to help and learn. I got to know a bunch of them during their 5-day stay here and they've all added considerably to my own Patagonia experience.

Paul showed up with a full head of hair...I turned it into a mullet, complete with racing stripes at his behest.

In addition to gear, students also prepare approximately 2 tons of food to sustain them throughout their 3 months in the field. This takes all 17 students an entire day to accomplish and is another organizational challenge and is perhaps more critical than the equipment issue process. For example, if you want to make a student miserable, you can issue them a poorly fitting pair of boots to use in the snowy mountains. However, if you want to push a student into a manic rage, give them a couple fewer ounces of cheese than they should receive and watch the carnage ensue. Perhaps nothing is more comforting than a good, warm meal when you're cold and wet.

Food Mountain

In other news, my roommate, Clemente, left this afternoon to go back to Mexico. He was here working to repair our kayak fleet. He served as one of the many Spanish teachers I have here and Martin, Dave and I will miss having him around. However, we are now back to The Three Amigos in La Vista Hermosa until the next course comes in a week or so.

Clemente

Clemente possesses a unique working style

Finally, Martin has acquired a nice, new Canon camera. So hopefully I'll actually be able to post some pictures of myself in the near future.