17th – 22nd January 2025

Since leaving South America we have spent a night in Panama City before heading onwards to join my parents on their road trip from Houston to Miami, staying at Sanibel and Marco Island. Here we have enjoyed runs along the beach and shelling, dolphins adorning the seas, their cheeky faces and fins waving at us. Each night we enjoy sunsets that only just break through the grey skies which have plagued us since we arrived in the States. 

Although our North America road trip is ongoing, this will be the last post from this trip as most days are spent doing what I have described in two sentences and doesn’t make for the most interesting read! Therefore, to conclude this postcard series I would like to give thanks to you, the reader, for following along. I’ve been overwhelmed with messages of support and surprised to find people I have never met reading these posts. I hope these ‘postcards’ have entertained and transported people around South America with us. 

The intentions of the blog started out simple: to update our families of our travels. However, Postcards from Mordor quickly evolved to a diary of sorts, where I felt driven to capture moments in their entirety for fear I would forget the details associated with the photos when we’re back in the real world. However, it has been a timely endeavour, taking longer than I care to admit for me to pin down the racing narrative in my head into writing. Even then my awful spelling can leave sentences incomprehensible. Luckily, I have a boyfriend that’s used to interpreting my chaotic ramblings. Editor Dan has silently contributed throughout these posts, quickly telling me when something doesn’t make sense, or I’ve spelled dessert instead of desert, or that I’ve over-alliterated a sentence (although, personally, I don’t think you can ever really over-alliterate a sentence!).

We loved our time in South America, but it was limited and we had to prioritise things that were important to us. This means our itinerary has neglected many typical tourists attractions such as cities, nightlife and wildlife. From what I have read and heard, South America has these in abundance but we ourselves cannot comment. However, if you are someone who values diverse and dramatic landscapes, have a love of hiking, and are willing to endure the wims of Mother Nature to enjoy such sights, then I can wholeheartedly recommend South America. The beauty and size of these mountains have left me feeling small and insignificant, but mostly, in awe of the beauty of this planet that we call home. Independently we have both stated that seeing Fitz Roy glow at sunrise was the most spectacular sight we saw on this trip. A privileged moment so beautiful and wild it left us goose-bumped and awestruck. Our favourite walk, however, was the O Circuit with the best hiking landscapes, weather and community. We learned a lot from this eight day walk which has given us reassurance for what we have planned next.

So what is next? Well in May, posts will likely become active again when we attempt our walk from Mexico into Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Our South American trip has helped us prepare for our 2650 mile adventure next spring by subjecting us to mountainous terrain, technical climbing, altitude, extreme temperatures, and a deep understanding that discomfort on a hike is only temporary. At present, I’m not sure how I will blog or structure posts on our walk so I am very open to suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

On this trip we have followed the Andes, which make up the southern part of the American Cordillera, a continuous mountain range stretching from Alaska to Argentina. The PCT will see us complete a large section of the Northern American Cordillera. There is something quite comforting about returning to the same mountain range in Spring, as the one that gave us so much joy these past seven weeks. We can’t wait to get started!

Oh, and finally, in keeping with the blogs title, I have now walked 996km of the 2865km to Mordor!