Seeking To Wander
“I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bread by cities. . . it is enough that i am surrounded by beauty.” — Everett Ruess
One middle finger in the air toward society and one thumb out toward destiny, in the direction of the unknown, Alex Taran has never been able to sit still for long. Home is where her truck is, her heart is in the mountains. An insatiable passion for skiing, a ski-vagabond mentality, and an altruistic desire to give back and teach have made Alex Taran the ultimate skiing adventurer. Her adventures from this spring alone are jaw dropping: she slayed powder in the North American West (UT, CO, and CA), skied a volcano in the middle of the Bering Sea, got lost in the Pacific Northwest, then got lost again in the desert, and made it back to SLC in time to pack for another season #chasingwinter in Chile.
Alex is headed for another season guiding for CASA Tours, improving South American Avalanche Safety with The South American Beacon Project, and pushing the limits of her skiing desire. The adventure fascination is an innate human virtue, passed along courageous lineage. It beckons us to climb high and travel into the depths of nature, explicating the depths within ourselves. In these travels, we untangle ourselves. We can amplify our beings while we elucidate our souls. We gain clarity, we relax, and we learn. For Alex Taran this must be done on the mountain with skis underneath her…or perhaps, on her backpack, thumb out, and smile cracked.
Thumb’s Out, Fun’s Out: Hitchhiking in Chile
“I kept looking up the road, hoping to see another vehicle. It had been 20 minutes since the last car passed, and 2 hours since I started hitchhiking. An hour later I heard a thunderous sound. As it got louder, I could barely make out a bus in the distance. It was heading my way. I felt a sense of relief.
While hitchhiking most certainly saves you money, it’s money saving qualities are not the reason why several hours earlier I chose to demonstrate to oncoming traffic that I posses opposable thumbs. I choose to hitchhike purely because many times in remote areas there are no dependable bus schedules. Sometimes the bus shows up at 10am, sometimes it shows up at 1pm. On that day it showed up at 3. I climbed on board with my backpack on my back, skis in my hand. I barely got both feet into the bus before it started to pull away. I paid the driver 1.300 pesos ($2.50 USD) as the door shut behind me. For the next 3 hours I contemplated how I was going to get from the curb where I would get dropped off in Temuco to the Central Bus Station in Santiago.
This is Chile.
There are no coin washing machine facilities. Not many people here can afford cars and all the conveniences that come with them. All governmental organizations close at 1:30 (technically 2:00), and heating is so expensive that most people avoid using it (even in the middle of winter). But it is not really that bad. Most of the time the fact that data signals and 3G doesn’t work leads to conversations, and observations. The mountains that create cold housing and storms, which close roads, also create some of the most incredible skiing in the world. Waiting for a bus for 3 hours teaches you to laugh at yourself and be patient with the things you cannot control. We learn to become less attached to outcomes and more attached to the journey. Because after all will we ever be satisfied with an outcome, or will we just want more? Chile teaches you to stop focusing on the future while ignoring the present. Because here you don’t have a choice really, the bus comes when it comes.
So bring it on Chile. I will see you, your rickety buses, majestic peaks, and uncomfortable yet invaluable lessons in 2 weeks. Nos Vemos!” — Alex Taran
House Rider Alex Taran is enjoying the fresh coat of white in the Southern Hemisphere. Follow her Chilean Ski Adventures on Instagram: @alex_taran and @thehouseboardshop
By: Paddy O’Connell
