El Rio Azul in the present

A fire roars before me like distant thunder in the night. The logs bleed blue flames that turn yellow and white as they reach for the star drenched sky. Past the fire, the river babbles as it runs down cobblestone shallows, and dumps into deep pools, and eddies back. A small dog with fluffy fur filled with nettles is sprawled at my side. I met my companion when first popping my tent here along El Bolson´s Rio Azul. I have not properly named her, but she seems to respond to words beginning in ¨Q¨. So many dogs run freely in Patagonia. Giving the littlest attention to one will make it a devout friend. This dog sleeps just outside my tent at night, and watches my gear while I fish during the day.

With each passing day I become more comfortable living here in the Patagonian wilderness. The first step was to forget the luxories of indoor living. I improved my living situation by carving cutlery from some dry wood that lays in abundance along the river. Extra time was spent carving my spoon to look like the face of a duck. Unfortunately, when finished, the spoon looked more like a snake, and that mildly troubles me when inserting it into my mouth.

I have graduated into the three week mark of this trip. Other travelers spoke of this moment when you realize time is irrelevent. I am calmed by the fact that I do not have to be anywhere, anytime. This results in an ease of my pace. I wake around six and get down to the river around seven. I fish till noon, then return to my campsite for lunch and a siesta in the midday heat. When I awake, I brew coffee on a butane flame and read the travel accounts of Chatwin and Darwin. At sunset I return to the river to fish the hatch. The night is finished here at the fire, eating cookies and writing.

Camping on undesignated areas is illegal in El Bolson- as well as in most of Patagonia. This mandate is largely a result of the devestating fires that have been caused by campers in Patagonia over the years. I read one story of a Czech hiker who was camped out of bounds, and started a raging blaze in Chile´s Torres Del Paine National Park in 2005. In the end, 13,880 acres (7 percent) of the National Park were burned to ruins. I spoke with a traveler who had just come from there, and he said the devestation is still very visible. Looking to do my part in preventing such a tragedy, I have decided to camp in designated areas. The spot I picked here along Rio Azul is shared with some families. My plot is the closest to the river. Behind me a family of four is camped. I have come to like this family very much over the last three days. My first day here I shared some of the fire wood with the family. A few hours later, the father walked over to me with a huge steak sandwich. It was the best steak I have had since being in Argentina. Little did I know, it would be the last bit of real food I would eat for a week.