Vail’s Patagonia Connection
By Susie Kincade
(Copyright, March 2007)
Not many people can say that they knew their destiny at the tender age of sixteen. But Eric Eves can. He knows the exact month when he realized that his future lay in the expansive land of Patagonia in South America. More importantly, he knew he had to share this enchanting place with others. Now 26, the Vail native is realizing his dream as he launches Adventura Patagonia, a tour company that will take visitors to many of the hidden treasures of this truly magical region.
Patagonia refers to the southern third of South America, encompassing 660,000 square miles of Chile and Argentina and spanning from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Northern Patagonia includes soaring Andean peaks and smoking volcanoes, separated by deep valleys carved by turquoise rivers and dotted with countless azure lakes.
In the east, wide deserted valleys support the famous cattle ranches where gauchos tend enormous herds, fattened on rich pampas grass, that provide the world with legendary Argentine beef and fine leather.
The western edge of Patagonia is an archipelago of thousands of uninhabited islands, accessed only by waterways and inhabited primarily by cormorants, dolphins, penguins and myriad sea life.
On the southern-most tip of the mainland, the pampas host ostrich-like nandus, guanacos (a smaller, quicker llama), and thousands of species of birds, from flamingos to condors. Scattered trees are stunted and flat-topped from relentless winds. Here, unique stone massifs send towers of imposing granite thousands of feet above the windswept plains. Giant, tumbled ice fields stretch for hundreds of miles and glaciers grind and cut relentlessly from the mountains to the ocean. People of hearty stock inhabit the vast estancias of this rugged land; many are descendents of English and German settlers who came to tame this wild country 150 years ago.
Ask Eric Eves about this land of wonder, awe, and abundant recreational opportunities and his glacier-blue eyes light up as he erupts in a flow of enthusiastic love for the place, its people and culture. He also displays a maturity beyond his years in his sensitivity about Patagonia and how tourism can be both a boon and a plague to the people and land if not introduced in a sustainable way. This is something he knows about, having grown up in Vail.
Eves is part of the first true generation of Vailites, born and raised here, cutting his teeth on a baby back-pack frame as his parents carried him about the mountains on foot or on skis. Eric’s parents came to Vail 1971, built a business (Eves Print Shop, now in Edwards) and a family, instilling in each of their three children a love of the mountains and respect for the gift of a pristine environment.
Eric discovered his love for travel when, at fourteen, he went to China with the Vail International Hockey Team. Within two years he badgered his parents into allowing him to study abroad in Chile. Then a high school sophomore, Eric spent six months in an all-Spanish program in Chillan before he finally got his chance to pack his backpack and travel the country. It was during that solo trip that Eves epiphany occurred.
“It was so eye-opening and liberating to know that I could survive and find such incredible adventure! I already had an appreciation for the mountains but to find country so wild and untouched was really exciting. I grew up hearing stories of early days in Vail and Colorado – then I found places in Chile and Patagonia that were like our mountains 60 years ago. It seemed like a fairy-tale place and I knew I wanted to share it with others,” recalls Eves. So he returned to the States and began to pursue his new-found dream.
As a tourism and recreation major at Colorado State University, Eves continued to travel to Chile as often as possible, exploring new places and expanding his network. Eventually, he zeroed in on a particularly beautiful spot in the Lake District, a private bio-preserve called Huilo Huilo, 150,000 acres of temperate rain forest, mountains, lakes, hot springs, volcanoes, and waterfalls. In the neighboring village of Neltume, Eves bought his first home, a run-down cabin that he refurbished with the help of lifelong friends from Vail. He invested financially in the bio-preserve, purchasing a beautiful wooded lot for his future guest lodge.
More importantly, he invested his heart in Neltume, a town desperately trying to adjust its economy from the dwindling logging industry to one of tourism. In Neltume, Eves saw an opportunity to be part of the wind of change. He taught English to the natives, helped establish a volunteer fire department, and began planning his own tourism company based in Huilo Huilo and Vail.
Finally, in the spring of 2007, Eves launched Adventura Patagonia and began taking clients to Patagonia.
“This is the culmination of my life’s dream,” said Eves, radiating enthusiasm and excitement. “Patagonia is such a vast, expansive land that it’s really impossible to get a feel for all of it without having an experienced guide. So I have set up the tours, guided several trial excursions, and worked out all the details. Because of the amazing connections I’ve made over the years Adventura Patagonia will have access to some of the most pristine and untouched areas of Patagonia.”
Eves' custom-designs his tours around three to six Patagonia destinations depending on a person’s budget, time, and interests. To maintain quality control, he leads the small groups himself. The ideal way to really get a feel for the diversity of Patagonia, suggests Eves, is to set aside a minimum of three weeks, four is better, and take his grand circle tour.
