No Map, No Worries: How Off-roading Helped Ease My Anxiety
The mountains and fields in Mendoza, Argentina have a lot to offer—including life lessons. (Photo: Thinkstock)
By Nora Walsh
I am working from home for the first time in my life, and most days, I love it. I live in Mendoza, Argentina, with my husband, who is an Argentine native, and it’s nice to be able to appreciate my beautiful home to the fullest. There’s such freedom in making my own schedule, working in my pajamas when I’m in the mood, and cooking meals while taking care of business.
But it can also be quite lonely. I miss office banter and hilarious colleagues. There are days when I don’t leave my apartment building or have any sort of meaningful face-to-face interaction with anyone aside from my husband.
My home office, aka my apartment building’s rooftop lounge. (Photo: Nora Walsh/Patchwork Compass)
Last week, my cabin fever reached new levels and I started to panic, questioning my job, my choices, and, well, my life. What was I really doing? Did I want to be an expat for the rest of my life? Did I really want to live in Mendoza? What was my grand plan?
I came to the conclusion that I didn’t have a conclusion, but that a change of scenery would help. I decided to go outside, get some fresh air, and climb something really high to get a new perspective.
“This city is surrounded by mountains,” I said to my husband. “Is there a place we can hike to quickly, without having to drive an hour and a half?“
Months ago, an expat friend of mine had recommended a hike up the mountain Cerro Arco, but I didn’t know where it was. Neither did my husband, and neither did Google Maps.
So we decided to wing it. We got in the car and drove toward a new neighborhood development, figuring we’d carve our own path as we went. It was a holiday weekend, and there were crowds of Mendocino families having pop-up barbecues along the road. It was like a tailgate at Giants Stadium, but with the traditional South American drink yerba mate instead of beer.
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Soon, my husband and I spotted a deserted dirt road that headed toward the Precordillera Hills. Out of pure curiosity, we ventured down the rocky trail, hoping it would take us closer to something we could possibly climb.
The unmarked dirt trail leading to Cerro Arco. (Photo: Nora Walsh/Patchwork Compass)
After we bumped our way down the road for a good 15 minutes, debating whether or not to turn back the whole time, we stumbled upon a rustic restaurant called Puerta de la Quebrada. And guess what: It turned out to be a base camp for Cerro Arco, the mountain I’d originally wanted to climb!
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Hikers enjoying a meal at Puerta de la Quebrada. (Photo: Nora Walsh)
We scaled the towering hill high enough to see for miles and miles, and I began to feel a sense of calm settle over me. I realized that we wouldn’t have found this place even if we’d tried. It doesn’t have an address, it’s off the GPS grid, and there’s absolutely no signage.
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Learning to trust the notion that sometimes you really do end up exactly where you need to be. (Photo: Nora Walsh)
And that’s when I realized that you don’t necessarily need a road map to get where you’re going — both in travel and in life. The fact that we’d stumbled upon the very mountain we’d wanted to visit in the first place seemed like a subtle message from the universe to stop obsessing over a mapped-out final destination. By indulging our curiosity and simply enjoying the moment, my husband and I ended up in the exact place I’d been yearning to go to all along.
So, the next time I start having a “Where am I going with my life” career freak-out — of which I have many — I will stop and think back to the lesson I learned that day on the hill. Life is not always mapped out, nor is it neatly assembled in one straight line. But if you follow your instincts and stay open to off-roading, you may ultimately end up exactly where you’re supposed to be.
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