The art of choosing

As I started my sabbatical, I thought WOW 7 months!! I won’t have to make any choices, I can do it ALL! But, that illusion came crashing down as I started to travel through Southern and Northern Patagonia in February. With so many options and no travel partner to bounce ideas off of, I called my Mom in a panic. (Yes, at 31 I still call my mom during times like these.) I was overwhelmed. It turns out, traveling is just like life. We are the choices we make.During the past month, I traveled from El Calafate y El Chaltén, Argentina to Villa de O’Higgins to bump along the mostly unpaved Carretera Austral traveling north through Chilean Patagonia. As someone who is travelingsolita, here’s how I’ve helped myself narrow down all the cool places I wanted to go to, activities I wanted to do, and people I wanted to spend time with!

Follow My Passions

I thought during my sabbatical I’d magically start waking up stoked to read the non-fiction books I’d purchased on my Kindle. Turns out I still love climbing, backpacking, hiking, meeting people and building (micro moments of transient) community, and trying new foods & cocktails. As I kept coming back to the things I love the past two months, I reminded myself I am in my 30s. By now I know what gets me stoked to jump out of the tent in the morning. I am planning to use my interests and how I hope to continue to grow during this time to guide my decision making as I brainstorm & plan the next 5 months!

Be bold

Given I’m traveling alone, it is easy for me to change plans when I learn new information! When I was on the ferry crossing Lago de Desierto I was looking forward to a leisurely but long 22km hike. I had all my worldly possessions in my backpack (~23kg/50 lbs). I hoped to arrive around 7 PM at the Chilean border to be in position for the ferry scheduled for the following day. But, the crew announced that there is a ferry leaving today to cross Lago de O’Higgins at 4:30. Ferries are supposed to cross O’Higgins every 2 days but I’ve heard they can be delayed 4-5 days if there are really strong winds! I wanted to be on that ferry! Some quick calculus and I thought the 22kms juuuuust might be possible. I turned up the pump up tunes and turned on my jets; moving faster than I’ve ever backpacked before. As I hiked, I tracked my min/km pace and saw I was making great time. I crushed the hike in 5 hours including two border crossings at either end. One of the guards even offered me hot chocolate as we waited for the police to get back to him to clear my entry into Chile!

Pics from an epic day traveling from El Chaltén to Villa de O’HigginsI had an absolute blast crossing on foot, proving it is possible to get from El Chaltén to Villa de O’Higgins in a day. Bold days are the days for memory books. When I look back, the times I have been bold are some of my fondest memories that I still remember years later. This intense and epic day turned into my favorite day during this section of my trip. Being bold rarely lets me down!

Put the Odds In Your Favor

Travelingsolitais like a game of Cachos (similar to Liar’s Die 🎲) where I make bets on how I want things to work out. By stacking the odds in my favor, things tended to work out but I also had to learn to live with less than “ideal” outcomes. Since I never know if the person I mayyyy have made plans with will follow through, I think about both options and create a mini decision tree in my head. I am a recovering MBA after all. For example: On my first day in Cochamó I’d talked to two people who mentioned climbing together the following day but plans seemed vague. So:

• If I go on a hike this morning:They go climbing: I miss out on climbing but still did a rad hikeThey don’t go climbing: I did a rad hike

• If I wait around in camp hoping they go climbing:They go climbing: I go climbing!!They don’t go climbing: I sit around bored and lonely at camp waiting

So, I decided to go on an epic hike because in that scenario the odds are in my favor to do something I love! And, that afternoon I learned how to play Cachos and played many many rounds of the game.

Faith

My first day ever hitchhiking by myself, my word of the day was “faith.” As I arrived at the corner of the road where I wanted to go, I already saw five groups of people hitchhiking. Being that far down the line, I decided to start walking. Parque Nacional de Patagonia was only 25 km away and I knew if I walked all day I could arrive by the evening. So, worst case if I didn’t get a ride, I could still end up where I wanted to go. I walked for over an hour when a construction vehicle pulled over and offered to drive me to the end of the construction zone. Seeing me walking in the middle of “nowhere” the next car that passed 15 minutes later brought me to the park entrance. I entered the national park on foot and a few kilometers later, someone working at the hotel pulled over and drove me the rest of the way.

Alter along the hiking trail to Valle de CochamóThroughout the day, I kept thinking that if I have faith and believe in myself, things tend to work out. Visiting this national park was spectacular because, on one of the most iconic hikes from my campsite, I only saw eight people on the trail all day. I arrived with faith, and spending time surrounded by such expansive beauty brought me even more faith. Traveling in this way has reminded me that choosing faith in the unknown rather than stressing about the unknown is a beautiful reframe!

Intuition

As I recede from the grind of business school, I have been able to let go of my structured calendar and to-do lists I have been using the past few years. As I made bigger decisions on how to spend my time, I pulled out my journal and let the words flow to empty the chatter in my mind and arrive deeper. Then, I sit in silence until I can hear my gut and use my intuition to decide what’s next.

Make small decisions quickly and move on

I am traveling with a plan I build on the fly so I have to make a lot of decisions daily - what to eat, where to stay, and how to travel from place to place. When it’s only a few pesos difference or a small decision, I started setting a short time limit to make these types of decisions so I could move on to enjoying where I am.

Regret

Regret is a powerful emotion. I made one decision I deeply regretted because I moved on too quickly. As Carolyn shared, “we often regret the things we don’t do more than the things we do do.” I decided to double back and retrace my steps. Most decisions are not so serious that they can’t be undone.

Let the flow take you

The decision fatigue is real when traveling alone. So, sometimes I let go and followed those around me. By following the path of el Jasson and el Diego I got to see La Catedral de Mármol, to see a very off-the-beaten-path town of Puerto Císnes, and to travel by avioneta! Plus, I wouldn’t have learned about 3 different meanings of one of Chileans’ favorite words -Weón! So, the phrase “Puta el weón weón, weón” means “Dang, that idiot is so stupid, my friend.

January was the month of chicas. February has been the month of chicos because, this month, I’ve spent a lot of time with dudes who are part time dirtbags, part time hippies, and full time employed in the outdoor tourism industry. I’m looking forward to March because the plans show it’ll be a month of family and friends. Next, I’m heading north to Quito to see my quiteña host families again!Con Buena Onda,Señorita Jalter* *My favorite way I’ve seen my last name spelled

Agradecimientos:

• Karen, Aunt Julie, & Uncle Mark: For always being one of the first to respond!

• Erica: As always, thank you for providing a first look at each edition.

• El Diego y El Jasson y muchos más: Gracias para llevarme a dedo y por todas las memorias inesperadas en la Carretera Austral!

• El Alanso, El Nico, El Rambo, El Roberto, El Tomi y El Juan: Gracias por jugar muchos juegos de cachos!!

• Lachlan & Lily: Thanks for being amazing planning buddies to bounce off our similar and crazy plans to travel through Patagonia along the Carretera Austral.

• Carolyn: Thanks for sharing great insights about regret you’ve heard from someone who’s hiked the AT 3 times.

• Gal Pals (Lo mejor equipo de voluntarias y mis ñañas Erica, Becca, Carolyn, y Mari): There’s nothing like an active, chirping WhatsApp group chat to share a bit of gossip back and forth.