The transition

So now I am writing you from Copenhagen after having to face some tough and quite quick decisions regarding my future and health, having to completely ignore important elements such as my present desires and plans. After having received 2 different medical opinions about my weak and hurting knee in November, another month had to pass by before I finally understood what I had to do. After that I robotically bought the ticket, made all my preparations and on the December 20^th I was hugging my family in Copenhagen Airport leaving behind my husband, my job and all our plans on standby.

In mid-October I suddenly felt a deep and abnormal pain around my knee. That made me slow down my rehab to a full rest. 3 weeks passed by and no improvement was noticed so I went ahead and had an MRI scan of the knee. I had my doctor and a second have a look at the scan and was not at all pleased with the different opinions. But I was left with the impression that time could heal, so I cared and nursed for my knee with passion and dedication, my PT passing me the energy, hope and tools. But when she one day told me that she was running out of explanations and ideas, a heavy load was suddenly dropped on me. This load fare surpassing the other bomb recently dropped on me when my doctor told me to look for a desk job and forget all about the mountains, having spent one year believing in my full recovery and return to the same. A belief he himself had planted. The knee status changed that day from no progress, pain and aches also to include an alarming lack of local help.

The end of the Maya calendar era is strangely coinciding with all of these more or less unforeseen events making me feel somewhat driven or even controlled by this odd energy. It is the end of an era and the beginning of a new. I feel strange: Home and away at the same time. I can’t shake away the sensation of having to draw a line again confronting all of my decisions and my standpoint in life. Even though I am happy where I am I still feel that the transition brought to me by these current and surprising events is the beginning of something new. I am realizing that I would be a fool not to reconsider my life and the path I have chosen, taking this new hand I have been dealt into account - along with other sudden changes of events. To me this certainly proves that life is ever changing and nothing is given – and that a life journey is successfully completed if you know how to adjust your life according to the unforeseen brought upon you.

Either way I am actually enjoying the naked Danish winter landscape from which I have been separated the last 4 years when I usually am travelling from springtime to springtime jumping between the hemispheres. It has been cold and snowing and the days are extremely short. That strangely does not emphasize my state of mind rather it is making me feel at home. 

My knee coming in the way...

Being in the middle of telling you about the Torres del Paine Expedition, I need to tell you about more recent matters. Even though you don’t know the end of the expedition yet I must break to you that I was not able to finish it (but be excited to read about the 9 days lost in the wilderness later on). There was no accident or other unforeseen events, just an ongoing battle between my heart and my mind during the entity of the expedition that finally had a winner. After 1 whole year of absence from the mountain, and from strenuous exercises in general, I quickly became aware of the difference in my strength and endurance. In spite of a very dedicated and focused rehab and preparations towards the expeditions, my body was to my surprise very weak, and I had a lot of difficulties in just walking with my backpack. But a mixture of pride, willpower and the comparison with the pre-op dorthe just a year ago, forced me to not accept that this was too big of a mouthful. See I wanted to keep on but eventually realized that it would be very dangerous to continue with the knee feeling more and more tired and worn out for every day.

So after 9 incredible days my partner Bondig reacted to the first insecurity I mumbled out, and we agreed to head back to Puerto Natales and get some important rest and access to better care for the knee. This was October 14. Since then I have not been able to walk without pain and irritation in the area close to my repaired meniscus.  3 weeks of rest and uncertainty when finally I was ordered an MRI scanning that discarded major internal damages. Then 3 more weeks with light exercises, massages, kinotherapy, a lot of stretching and heat/ cold treatments before I yesterday was able to get a (actually 2) medical statements that, even though completely different, both are heading towards a new operation. One of them even told me to start to forget about the mountains. “You will probably never be able to walk in them again”. Wow that was new but to be honest not that surprising. If you could see into my knee you would immediately notice the absence of all the cushioning parts (cartilages) leaving the bones in direct friction whenever I bend my knee. That makes me either way you put it a future arthritis victim. But it was not what I had been told before, and I had up till that moment clung onto the hope that the knee would be a 90% as opposed to the approx. 85% it was prior to the operation. Now it seems I should be lucky if I get to 75%.

What a major bummer.  And for a while I really found it unfair – I actually still do. I felt that the road I have chosen and the life I have fought for all of the sudden was being taken away. That the castle I was working my way towards had been torn down right in front of me.  I can’t understand why what I really love to do is being taken away from me? Unfortunately this is not one of these stories where I with hard work and willpower will contradict the doctor’s word and you will find me running from mountain top to mountain top within a few months. If I do I will just apply more stress on the bones and cause myself more pain and cut time off towards the inevitable: a life with anthritis.

I have been down, but am on the way back up. I do not believe that I will never make it back up in the mountains. I have just to lower the bar because I have a bad and worn out knee – which I myself have inflicted having played soccer as a teen. But I believe despite it all that my knee can get better. Free from the pressure of fixed deadlines I have decided to take the time and put in the energy (once again) necessary to recover. I know what to do and are willing to fight back.

Have you ever had any experience with a knee having had 3 partial meniscectomies, 1 meniscus repair, a ACL reconstruction and a diagnosed kneecap ulcer at the last stage (chondromalacia patella grade 4). I am interested to know any happy-ending stories….

Equipment Review - SUMO expedition bag from Haglöfs

SUMO 75/95 L

If you are looking for a reliable, well-thought and straight forward backpack for heavy loads. This is for you.

This backpack is the ideal friend on your several-day-hikes and/ or expeditions. It sits very well even on narrow lady shoulders and the waist band is very well padded securing that all weight is transferred without any pinching or bothering – even though the load might be very heavy.

I prefer the pack as simple and straight forward as possible without any excessive and unnecessary pockets and features. This pack fully lives up to this demand. It is perfect for packing fast and tight in the morning. The bottom entrance is formed and perfected as to easily enter bulk from the bottom and on the side of the bag is another zipper to gain easy access to your “middle” stuff. Great.

The fabric is tough and black which I personally like as my packs always get very dirty. The top compartment can be detached and carried around the waist when doing exploring outside of a fixed basecamp.

Cool features:

-          - Waterproof zippers

-          - Good positions of grips for easy handling

-          - Camelbak inlet and easy directing of tube

-          - Great distribution of pockets and roll-up straps

-   

A dream coming true?

Finally we are ready. And finally the day arrived. We set out towards the park with all our stuff for 16 days of exploration and fun on and off the trails in the National Park Torres del Paine in Chilean Patagonia. In the beginning of October the majority of the trails are closed or only accessible accompanied by a guide. I am a certified guide and have all the permissions in order before leaving.

We are 3 of us, all with a great love for and fascination of the nature and the outdoor life, but with the experience and skills not yet equivalent. They will without a doubt be tested and improved the next couple of weeks. Our gear is all new, partly sponsored and all tested stuff. Not a single empty pocket or cavity in the approx. 25 kg backpacks we are carrying.

I have worked very hard on getting ready for this. And I have a lot at stake too. It is a crucial moment. This is the moment where everything I have worked for the last 6 months are to be set in motion. This is DEFY Patagonia finally coming to live. To be completely honest I am not as ready physically as I had relied and always hoped I would be, but I am letting it aside in favor of the grand overall plan of my future. You see the expedition’s most important goal is to be able to write and take impressive photos of Patagonia in order to promote and bomb Scandinavia with this fantastic place throughout winter. This leading to an increased interest in travelling to here and thereby making way for the tour operator DEFY Patagonia I am soon to open. Secondary, but equally important, it is about having a goal during the long and hard hours of training recovering from my knee operation in January.

What a thrill it is for me to be back in the mountains with my backpack, all liberated at once of the worries and duties of the city-life. It has been almost a year since the accident and here I am after a long struggle ready to face once again the curious and mighty mountains. And what better to share this with my husband and my best friend. I am truly happy and excited. Anything may come – I am ready!

The first part of the expedition is taking place within the Pingo valley. A valley rarely visited and therefor very virgin - and to us completely unexplored.  We are aware of the presence of the rare and shy Andean Dear, the huemul, and are hoping to see one. Also we will try to get to the Southern Icefield and the Tyndall Glacier where we know several vertebra fossils of the extinct Ictiosaurius are embedded in the polished rock.  Early October is also early spring meaning that we have something new, fresh and colorful in store for us. The smell and color of the new baby leaves and flowers in bloom gives a warning of the start of something new. 

Shortly after setting out, leaving behind civilization, we are surprised by 3 all-white horses, showing up from nowhere, greeting us and wishing us good luck. That is at least what was gathered from what I saw as mirrors of our pure souls ready for new adventures...

Read on soon.....

Foto teaser to upcoming blog

Soon you can read about the 1. part of the expedition to Torres del Paine. Meanwhile take a look at a few fotos from the 4 days in the Pingo Valley

Leaving for Torres del Paine

During the last week I have trained very hard to prepare my knee for what is to come: 16 days of exploration and absorption of Torres del Paine National Park.

Tuesday I picked up my expedition partner Dennis Bondig arriving from Denmark to share the experience of the first expedition. And the last couple of days we have prepared and rethought over and over our provisions and logistic.

The itinerary is a bit alternated to apply better to the actual physical state of the 2 participants. Instead we have added a couple of days at the end to be able to really explore and get lost in this marvelous place. En route we are able to store our provisions so as not to carry food for all 16 days and that way minimize the backpack weight. It has been complicated but finally with a little luck and goodwill it all worked out.

Permission has been granted from the administration of the park so the only thing missing now is to finally complete the backpack.

We expect it to be very cold as the temperature has dropped drastically and as it appears it will continue for a while.

First stop is the Pingo Valley where the main object is to find the Ictiosaurus vertebra carved in the sedimentary rock. If succeeding we will join a very small club of people who have actually seen this true wonder.

See you in 2 weeks

C° Tenerife in September

This tuesday I met up for a mate with my former colleague Felipe V. who has spent the winter doing an instructor course with the NOLS people in Wyoming, USA. It’s been 9 months since we last saw each other, but having talked via facebook we both knew that this time meeting in Puerto Natales we had to go and enjoy what surrounds us instead of getting lulled into the usual working habit of just Torres del Paine and Puerto Natales on our days off. It’s pretty much the most important lesson my knee injury has taught me: go now while I can.

So without too much hesitation we decided to go the next day and do a 3-day scouting and pre-mountain rehearsal to a close-by mountain. One that draws the attention every single day from the city promenade: The Tenerife (1598 m above sea level).

I am still in training and am not quite sure of my skills in the mountains yet, so we decided to do it over 3 days putting up a base camp and stay for 2 nights. That way the distances would be tolerable and maybe we would even be able to look around in the valley on the backside of Tenerife, Valle de la Olla. The weather even looked promising with little wind and sun. It was also a great way to test my new gear and equipment before setting out on the expeditions next week.

On the 26^th we sat out early the 3 of us, me, Felipe and my husband Luis, who took the opportunity to go with us before he start his season work, to drive the approx. 45 km to the Complejo Torres del Paine ranch, where we were able to keep the car while being in the mountain. From the ranch the Tenerife mountain towers up behind the hills and shows us its snowed peaks. A trail does exist but we decided to do the off pist and direct route towards the tree-line and thereabout locate a suitable camp site. And off pist indeed it was. The approximation was steep and thorny, bushy and cliffy. But it was great fun penetrating and fighting our way between the different berberris, pick woods, bedstraw, wild currants and myoschilos. Felipe led the way while I followed behind feeling like a train plowing through everything in my way. At the end was Luis paying attention to my progress. The communication between my brain and my leg is very slow having been completely interrupted by the operation. I felt that very tensely as I noticed that my usual grace and ease has gone. I have to focus and concentrate very hard on the next step meaning that I look down on the ground instead of curiously around, looking for details, flowers and birds as I did before. But I feel confident that the grace of before will come back with more experience and practice.

At 550 m and 2 and a half hours later, the snow started to get more intense and deep between the trees so here we decided to set up our base camp. After having checked out the proximities we found what I believe to be the only reasonably flat, yet very overgrown, spot on the entire mountainside. Luckily a little stream passed by just a couple of meters away so this was the place to set up our base camp. We had lunch before changing our heavy backpacks with just daypacks to set off towards the tree-line. We walked in meter-deep steep and soft snow, before hitting a platout of sedimentary rocks at 900 m above sea level. From here we could see the Almirante Nieto of Torres del Paine, The Porteño Lake, The Castillo, Mesa and Ventana mountains, Sierra Dorotea, Puerto Natales and the inside of the Prat Mountain range. It was great and even though we still lacked 700 m to the top I felt like I was on the top of the world. I do not have a lot of experience hiking under these circumstances so I was proud and happy. I learned a lot about being and roaming in the snow and in the mountains and just know that within a short time I will be back again.

The downhill hike was rough on me and even though I put on some ice at returning to the camp, the next day I stayed at the camp with Luis while Felipe did the climb to the peak alone. I did not want to risk anything knowing that the following day we also had to get down again. The day lost in the forest was spectacular. 

It was a clear blue sky making a scenic show casting down sunbeams between the tree trunks. I checked out all my equipment thoroughly, went roaming about the camp, took photos and wrote contemplating where I was and what is to come.  I nursed the leg with stretching and massages. I am proud of the progress and what I now know what I am capable of. Felipe was back 6 hours later after having had a perfect climb with great views, mate and a nap. We cooked dinner and had some introductory climbing lessons. Luis spent the day on his slack line. We want to climb this season. In between jobs it’s a perfect way to be together, outside and stay in shape, also working coordination and brainwaves.

On the third day we slept in, had breakfast and packed down the camp. The downhill climb was hard, thorny – again – and demanding. I practiced my orientation skills all the way down. I fell nose first 2 times. With the weak leg and slow coordination it was impossible not to. However nothing harmed and the mood still very high.

Thank you Felipe and Luis for a great outing. I hope we will repeat it soon.

On Tuesday I am heading to Punta Arenas to pick up my Danish friend Bondig who is to accompany me for the next 4 weeks. In 1 week we are heading towards Torres del Paine where we will do an expedition for 14 days. It s exciting but after this trip I feel ready.

My return to the mountains

Sunday 23 of September was to a very important date, as this was the day I returned to the Patagonian Mountains. In October 2011 I had an accident that ruined my knee and season as a guide. In January 2012 I had surgery and just now I am back. With more energy and desire than ever.

I set out with a friend of mine and we went to a nearby site beautifully situated by a lake surrounded by snowcapped mountains and with a cliff housing loads of condors - the majestic bird of South America.

The spring is coming and the early-birds are already in blossom. The otherwise baren landscape hides al kinds of colors and miracles for the one seeking.

We climbed for about 2 hours reaching an altitude of approx. 500 m above our site of origin. Passing from grasy/ bushy to almost tundra. Pure rocks and sturdy shrub groving low almost embrazing the rocks. At the top the wind hit us but we sat there for about 1 1/2 hours eating our lunch, enjoying the moment and shooting lots of fotos of the condors planing above and under. Sometimes so close that we could hear the wind under their wings... Amazing.

I felt pure happiness being back in the pure nature I had been longing for an entire year.

I had brought my new hiking poles that came into use on the slippery climb down. The knee was good but I noticed that the leg does not respond as quickly as I am used to, but with care and more experience this will be better. I am confident that this was just the beginning of a beautiful season.

Now I am packing and preparing a 3-day scouting to Cerro Tenerife. I will bring my new gear and all the new interesting electronics I have received. This is going to be good....

Back at home

Its been 4 months since we left our home in Puerto Natales. Yesterday morning we arrived on a windy and snowy day. Upon arriving the sun came through and cast the most beautiful light upon our beloved little town on the shores of the Señoret Sound surrounded by the mountains all clad in white. What a wonderful feeling!

The 3 months in Denmark has been very productive and fortunate. I was able to carry out the first step of the 3-step promoting-plan I have developed to present Scandinavia to the travel destination and to the new tour operator and partner in Patagonia, DEFY Patagonia.

Now back in Patagonia it is time to set in motion the second step of the plan which is carrying out extreme expeditions in my region in Chile. I am training very hard to recover and get ready to set out within 2 weeks on the first expedition to Torres del Paine. 

South America

Patagonia

Red pin: 1 expedition - Torres del Paine
Yellow pin: 2 expedition - Canal de las Montañas
Green pin: 3 expedition - Isla Navarino

Southern Patagonia

I have succeeded in obtaining 3 sponsors to equip me with everything I need to carry out the expeditions called “Challenge Patagonia 2012”, to work as a trekking guide throughout the season and to go and play when I am not working. Haglöfs has sponsored every layer of technical clothing, sleeping bag and a variety of boots, rug sacks and dry sacks, SpejderGEAR has provided me with tents from Helsport and a GPS and the Danish importer STM Sport provided me with a weather station, head-lamp, compass and binocular from SILVA, a solar-light charger from PowerTraveller, drinking systems from Camelbak, Showel from Gerber , socks from Lorpen ,1. Aid kit, sunscreen, towels and sleeping bag-inlet from TravelSafety, hiking poles from Masters, storm stoves, pots, ETAsolo, bottles to carry gas and thermos from PRIMUS, a pair of gaiters from VAUDE and finally a pair of sunglasses from. I myself have bought an ice ax, a good and light self-inflating mattress and a new camara - CANON PS SX 230HS – to be able to take good fotos to send back to Scandinavia. I am still looking for a radio and a satellite telephone that is a definate must to carry out the second expedition.

A small introduction

This blog is created to be able to share with everyone interested in the preparations towards and actual execution of the extreme expeditions I will carry out in the months of october and november 2012 in the very south of Patagonia.

The expeditions are part of a project called "Challenge Patagonia 2012", and this blog will be the place to get more detailed information apart from the small updates published on DEFY Patagonia on facebook.

I am a danish trekking-guide, living in Puerto Natales and working in the famous national park Torres del Paine. The expeditions are part of a promotion-plan directed towards adventurous Scandinavians to be able to organize and offer great and different tours to Patagonia.

The expeditions are sponsored by: Haglöfs, SpejderGEAR, SILVA, PowerTraveller, Camelbak, Gerber, Lorpen, Masters, Travelsafe and PRIMUS.

Check out the page www.defypatagonia.com to learn more about me, "Challenge Patagonia" and DEFY Patagonia