Rooted

Trapped in a foreign country during a pandemic, all in the name of science. Lake Nahuel Huapi is the same as it’s always been. The blazing sun still hangs in the periwinkle sky, the dull roar of the far-off road still blends in a familiar way with the gentle lapping of waves on the rocky … Continue reading Rooted

Campaign 4: Bariloche to Paso El Triana

Coming from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.), I thought I was accustomed to wide open spaces and dirt roads. And while it’s true that the U.P. has endless forests pierced by two-tracks, the sheer distances just cannot compare to those you’ll find in Patagonia. The emptiness of this landscape is difficult to explain. Take a quick … Continue reading Campaign 4: Bariloche to Paso El Triana

Campaign 3: Bariloche to Trevelin

Two Argentines, two Germans, two Frenchmen, and a United Statesian walk into a lenga forest... Happily, there is no punchline. After a week of intensive field sampling, we all walked right back out again! However, it goes without saying that communication is critical in field work. When there’s a mile-high language barrier, more often than … Continue reading Campaign 3: Bariloche to Trevelin

Campaign 2: Tierra del Fuego to El Chalten

Just six short weeks after beginning my PhD program, I hopped into a Toyota Hilux in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego with two complete strangers. I would spend the next 8 days and 1600 kilometers with them, hiking 75 kilometers up and down largely pathless mountain faces near the Argentinian Patagonian cities of Ushuaia, El Calafate, … Continue reading Campaign 2: Tierra del Fuego to El Chalten