At the beginning of his memoir Life Lived Wild, Adventures at the Edge of the Map, Rick Ridgeway tells us that if you add up all his many expeditions, he’s spent over five years of his life sleeping in tents: “And most of that in small tents pitched in the world’s most remote regions.” It’s not a boast so much as an explanation. Whether at elevation or raising a family back at sea level, those years taught him, he writes, “to distinguish matters of consequence from matters of inconsequence.” He leaves it to his readers, though, to do the final sort of which is which."--Amazon.
Patagonia is a strange and terrifying place, a vast tract of land shared by Argentina and Chile where the violent weather spawned over the southern Pacific charges through the Andes with gale-force winds, roaring clouds, and stinging snow. Squarely athwart the latitudes known to sailors as the roaring forties and furious fifties, Patagonia is a land trapped between angry torrents of sea and sky, a place that has fascinated explorers and writers for centuries. Magellan discovered the strait that bears his name during the first circumnavigation. Charles Darwin traveled Patagonia's windy steppes and explored the fjords of Tierra del Fuego during the voyage of the Beagle. From the novel perspective of the cockpit, Antoine de Saint-Exupry immortalized the Andes in Wind, Sand, and Stars, and a half century later, Bruce Chatwin's In Patagonia earned a permanent place among the great works of travel literature. Yet even today, the Patagonian Andes remain mysterious and remote, a place where horrible storms and ruthless landscapes discourage all but the most devoted pilgrims from paying tribute to the daunting and dangerous peaks. Gregory Crouch is one such pilgrim. In seven expeditions to this windswept edge of the Southern Hemisphere, he has braved weather, gravity, fear, and doubt to try himself in the alpine crucible of Patagonia. Crouch has had several notable successes, including the first winter ascent of the legendary Cerro Torre's West Face, to go along with his many spectacular failures. In language both stirring and lyrical, he evokes the perils of every handhold, perils that illustrate the crucial balance between physical danger and mental agility that allows for the most important part of any climb, which is not reaching the summit, but getting down alive. Crouch reveals the flip side of cutting-edge alpinism: the stunning variety of menial labor one must often perform to afford the next expedition. From building sewer systems during a bitter Colorado winter to washing the plastic balls in McDonalds' playgrounds, Crouch's dedication to the alpine craft has seen him through as many low moments as high summits. He recounts, too, the riotous celebrations of successful climbs, the numbing boredom of forced encampments, and the quiet pride that comes from knowing that one has performed well and bravely, even in failure. Included are more than two dozen color photographs that capture the many moods of this land, from the sublime beauty of the mountains at sunrise to the unrelenting fury of its storms. Enduring Patagonia is a breathtaking odyssey through one of the worldís last wild places, a land that requires great sacrifice but offers great rewards to those who dare to challenge it.
Like a conquistador drawn to gold, glory, and God, Caspian Ray has always felt a magnetic pull toward Latin America. He visits anytime he has the chance. Of all the places that have captured his heart, Patagoniaa sparsely populated area shared by Argentina and Chilehas been the site of his defining adventure. Here is a fairy-tale land divinely undefinable. It is the land of the corderos and gauchos as well as screaming westerly winds that whip up from Antarctica. Here is the way to love, death, corruption, God, sex, and pure energy, and they mix together in a concoction that you will never forget. Join the author as he celebrates the spirit, and somehow finds love. In Walking Patagonia, everything is epic.
The masterpiece of travel writing that revolutionized the genre and made its author famous overnight An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin’s exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Fueled by an unmistakable lust for life and adventure and a singular gift for storytelling, Chatwin treks through “the uttermost part of the earth”—that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome—in search of almost-forgotten legends, the descendants of Welsh immigrants, and the log cabin built by Butch Cassidy. An instant classic upon publication in 1977, In Patagonia is a masterpiece that has cast a long shadow upon the literary world. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Your World Your Way! Patagonia's staggering landscapes, titanic glaciers, and rugged mountains evoke mystery and inspire self-discovery. Explore the ends of the earth with Moon Patagonia. What You'll Find in Moon Patagonia: Expert author and world traveler Wayne Bernhardson shares his perspective on his favorite place on earth Full-color guidebook with vibrant, helpful photos Detailed directions and maps for getting around and exploring on your own Strategic itineraries, including The Best of Patagonia, Wildlife Encounters, Explore the Natural World, Glacier Gazing, and Classic Patagonia Road Trips Activities and ideas for every traveler: Hike the glacier of Perito Moreno National Park, or glimpse Patagonia's pre-Colombian past at Cueva de las Manos. See penguins and marine mammals off the coast of the Falkland Islands, or visit Chile's lakes district, home to the Mapuche people. Savor authentic asado at a local ranch, and go horseback riding through the Torres mountains. Sample seafood in Santiago, or take in tango in Buenos Aires In-depth coverage for Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Northern Argentine Patagonia, The Chilean Lakes District, Aisén and Continental Chiloé, Southern Argentine Patagonia, Magallanes, Argentine Tierra del Fuego, and the Falkland Islands Accurate information, including background on the landscape, culture, history, and environment Handy tools such as travel tips and safety information in an easy-to-navigate format, all packaged in a book light enough to fit in your daypack With Moon Patagonia's practical tips, myriad activities, and an insider's view on the best things to do and see, you can plan your trip your way.
Originally from the Denver suburbs, the author later moved to Palmer, Alaska, where she began to take horseback riding lessons. As a novice horsewoman, Nancy Pfeiffer took off across Patagonia alone on horseback. Over the next two decades and three thousand kilometers of rugged horse trail, the hospitable people who live there took her in, and Patagonia slipped silently into her soul.
After tough assignments as a Canadian diplomat abroad, Nicholas Coghlan and his wife Jenny unwind by sailing Bosun Bird, a 27foot sailboat, from Cape Town, South Africa, across the South Atlantic and into the stormy winter waters around Tierra del Fuego, South America. Coghlan recounts earlier adventures in Patagonia when, taking time off from his job as a schoolteacher in Buenos Aires in the late 1970s, he and Jenny explored the region of southern Argentina and Chile over three successive summers. This time, as they negotiate the labyrinth of channels and inlets around snow-covered Fireland, he reflects on voyages of past explorers: Magellan, Cook, Darwin, and others. Sailing enthusiasts and readers of true adventures will want to add Coghlan's world-wise narrative to their libraries.
‘Enthusiastic, pleasingly madcap’ Geographical Adventure – something that’s new and exhilarating, outside your comfort zone. Adventures change you and how you see the world, and all you need is an open mind, bags of enthusiasm and boundless curiosity. Recommended for viewing on a colour tablet.
Patagonia is one of the 'final frontiers' on our planet: remote, untamed and much of it inaccessible except on horseback. Though travelled before and sporadically settled, it remains remarkably resistant to human trampling. Divided unequally between Argentina and Chile, Patagonia remains a land of mystery today. The history of those who settled in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries along its Andean frontier is even less known. They are the 'dark horses' of this book.Jon Burrough rode with his gaucho guide for 1,500 kilometres through this land of savage beauty. Dark Horses at the Patagonian Frontier evokes the rawness of the region using extracts from diaries, personal interviews, tales told or recorded, myths and legends--all wound round the narrative thread. Part travel record of a 'third-ager' on horseback (who was to discover he had cancer ten days out) and part history of this truly wild region, the book explores the landscapes and legacy of a pioneer culture. Illustrated with the author's own photographs, it also contains several detailed route and location maps to ensure the reader does not get lost. Dark Horses at the Patagonian Frontier is a tale both of the author's epic journey and of the remarkable pioneers he met and who showed him a hospitality and friendliness which seemed to have no limit.
