The spirit of adventure

Some pictures tell extraordinary stories. Stories that can be hard to believe.

There’s an inscription on a rock on the Carreterra Austral in Southern Chile, dedicated to the pioneers who built the extraordinary road. It reads:

"No importa la lluvia ni el frio
Porque esto es un trabajo espirituale
Y por eso siento orgulloso"

Or in English:

"It doesn´t matter about the rain, nor the cold
Because this is a work of spirit
And for that I feel proud"

In the week in which Kirstie and I have been reflecting on 10 years of adventures with our children, this photo looks back to a formative time, before children, when the spirit of adventure first truly gripped us, deep in Southern Patagonia.

It’s a time while on our extended cycling honeymoon, we made a conscious decision together to follow an uncertain route, one that some counselled us against while others beguiled us with stories of its' unique beauty. We literally decided to follow a gravel road less travelled and had to face the consequences together, ending up with our bikes on horseback on the way.

The experience taught us some simple but powerful lessons, ones that to this day we strive to remember and act upon. Life is uncertain. Anything really can happen. Together you can achieve far more than you’ll ever know.   We also discovered we weren’t cut out to ride horses.

It’s a long story, but if you want to know more, grab a coffee, and enjoy The Long and Incredible Story of the Boy from Cochrane, a true but unbelievable tale of The Boy from Cochrane, and his bicycling adventures by horseback. Believe it or not, it really did happen like this. As the photo testifies.

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