Patagonia...Wow

So I mentioned to several friends before I left the US that one of my goals while living in Ecuador is to learn to appreciate hiking. Done, and done. While it turned out to be a lot harder to hike in the national park outside my front door, I've done some day hiking when I've had the chance. However, I just spent a week backpacking/kayaking/camping through Patagonia with my parents and it was absolutely ah-mazing. It was beautiful, and energizing, and spiritual, and fun, and everything I expected to come out of a genuine appreciation of hiking. Holy cow. I am an official hiking convert. Life is good, my friends.