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There is one thing you should be very careful with: Public announcements.!

So far I observed: As more ambitious the announcement was and as more attention-grabbing the web page with this announcement appeared as less the loud-mouth actually archived. Let me share the most hilarious example: One hiker grabbed the name "Greater Patagonia" that I coined in 2014 for the trail and he used it without asking to create a web domain and name an internet page ("greaterpatagonia.com"). On this web page he loudly and proudly announced a "1500 mile thru-hike of the Greater Patagonian Trail". He used this page to ask for donations and even got T-shirts printed proclaiming this ambitious plan. After he started his journey it took precisely 7 days till he aborted the would-be thru-hike. He then took buses to travel primarily from national park to national park to visit a couple of the more established trails to take the much-needed selfies. This change of plans was actually a wise decision. What is ridiculous so, is that he still makes it appear as he actually hiked and paddled 1500 miles through Patagonia because he is haunted by his arrogant annunciation. This claim of having hiked and paddled 1500 miles is not just an exaggeration; it's a blunt lie. Retrospectively I can only conclude: Too proud to be prudent, too vain to be honest!

In the same season at the same time several other hikers and packrafters started in the same area without having loudly proclaimed their intentions. These "low-key" hikers covered more ground and really immersed into the land along the GPT what made it such an stunning experience for them. They were open to learn and free to adapt to the trail while each of them hiked his hike. They could find their pace without being chased by a public proclamation that they set free before they departedand that constantly lurked in their backs.

If you really believe that you need to publish your plans before you depart then do it in an humble manner and as an tentative plan. Don't pose as a winner before you start and share your lessons learned while being on the trail but latest after you concluded your journey. Don't build ruins of pride by publishing your mission without having the courage to honestly write how it developed and terminated. And don't worry if you aren't a flawless hero in this your endeavor; glossy swaggerer are anyway not loved. People admire authentic humans that share their misses, struggles and lessons learned.  A personal note: I published my first word about my hikes in Patagonia after I have traveled 9 times in a 12 years period to this area. What you find now in this article is the result of a 15 years relationship with this unique region.