I’ve spent years pouring through my share of Outside Magazines and National Geographics; watched hours of Discovery Channel Programs and marveled at the beauty of nature; heard the tales of many of my well-travelled friends as they detailed their harrowing and exciting adventures. But with all of this, at 30 years old, I had never been outside of the United States. Yes, you heard that right. While I would have given my left arm to be able to say I was an adventurer, the most I had ventured from home was across the U.S. At least that was the case a year ago, when (for my 30th birthday) my boyfriend Jay surprised me with the trip of a lifetime – halfway around the world in South America. He had heard about Adventure Life through a few friends (and a few reads of Outside Magazine himself) and booked the trip without my knowing. Flash forward to March 2010 when, after months of planning, Jay and I board a flight bound for Santiago with an itinerary set to take us to the end of the world and back – and offer us experiences we wouldn’t soon forget. I had no idea what was in store but was soon to find out…