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Family Force Forced

By Dan Wallace - 2009-03-15

After surviving the infamous “Hike of Death”, our next task was to ride the ferry across Lago O’Higgins to the town of Villa O’Higgins and enter the Carreterra Austral. This was accomplished, even amidst almost constant rain, intimidating clouds of mosquitoes and very cold air temperatures due to thick overcast conditions. We were even received into a family of travelers I dubbed the Lago O’Higgins Community Outreach Program (LOCOP).

Our first morning waiting for the ferry at Lago O’Higgins met us with about 20-some travelers just like us. There were backpackers, cyclists, fisherman, all with the great spirit of adventure and comradery. The first traveler that approached our weary, wet group was a man named Alfonzo. Alfonzo lives in Santiago and works as an architect. He walked over to me with an outstretched hand and welcomed me to what had been their home for six days prior to our arrival.

Alfonzo explained to us the ferry only makes the trip across the lake in fair weather conditions, and since it had been raining and windy for the past week, there had been no ferry. Each day more and more travelers had arrived at the dock to await the ferry, but there was an original group of about ten people who had been stuck there for the longest time – almost a week.

The group pulled together and began to share their food and resources, toilet paper, everything to get by. It was really beautiful to see. I love it when people fall into situations that force them to lay down their prejudices and apprehensions about other people and work together to a point where a family develops. Receiving and giving love is without a doubt one of most amazing things to witness, experience and be a part of for me on this trip.

Situations like this, where people open up and display love and compassion for each other, just like with our families in Porvenir, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Natales, grant me the new, more mature perspectives on life I desire from a big trip such as this. At the Lago O’Higgins dock, waiting for the ferry, we immediately felt loved and accepted by everyone there. The feelings of family and closeness were so strong that when it came time for us all to separate there was almost crying.

During the ferry ride we were all so happy to be moving again, but I think most of us were more happy about the strong bonds that were being created through such a tough situation. We all laughed while sitting close together, talking about the past week of rain and struggle and making plans for visits in the future. Alfonzo and I talked about when I soon arrive in Santiago and that I would stay with him there for as long as I wanted. It was definitely an emotional high. There were no bad feelings at all, no bickering or people being annoyed with each other. It was like heaven for a time, on a boat, sheltered together from the terrible rain and cold outside.

The next week was spent surviving through yet more rain and cold. The team and I rode from Villa O’Higgins to the town of Tortel. The road damaged Daniel’s rear tire almost immediately. The rain forced us into an abandoned house for two nights, and the massive hills made us walk up and down. We took a “three hour tour” up a Pacific inlet and arrived at Tortel. We were still tired, cold and wet, so we slept under a pavilion along the main wooden boardwalk. The whole town is built into a cliff side and there are no streets. The buildings are connected by a giant system of wooden staircases and boardwalks.