Portrait of Patagonia-Futaleufu, Chile

Reviewed by Anne McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Portrait of Patagonia-Futaleufu, Chile is a stunning photographic exploration of the Futaleufu River Valley, one of the premier whitewater rivers in the world.

While the book, a collaboration between Liz McGregor and Alex Nicks, certainly captures the adventure and challenge of rafting and kayaking the Futaleufu River, it does an even better job of capturing the people and the landscapes of the area. Farmers, shopkeepers, rodeo cowboys and princesses as well as foamy waters, foggy and lush mountain valleys—all are photographed with an unmistakable understanding and love for the region and its people. That’s because they are loved.

Liz McGregor, a producer and director of short films that focus on the environment, culture and adventure, first visited Chile in 1991 on a NOLS Semester in Patagonia.

Gear Review

RDCL Superfoods

Reviewed

by Anne

“It changed the course of my life and set me up for an enduring love of and life in Chilean Patagonia,” Liz wrote of her three-month NOLS course. She and her family now live half time in the area.

Alex Nicks is a kayaker and award-winning adventure travel photographer whose heart, like Liz’s, is in the middle of Patagonia. Nick, also like Liz, spends a portion of every year in the Futaleufu area.

Their passion and photographic talent, coupled with passages by a social anthropologist, residents, and a river conservationist—translated into both English and Spanish—pull the reader into the pages of the book and the history and culture of this gorgeous and remote locale.

Through hundreds of photos, we see how the traditions continue to thrive alongside the relatively new adventure culture, sharing the waterway that means so much to all who spend time there.

For more information about Portrait of Patagonia-Futaleufu, Chile, its collaborators and how to purchase a copy of the book, visit the website

McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Ifever there’s a time to enjoy cocoa, it’s winter. So, with several feet of snow piled up outside my NOLS office window last winter, a friend and I, feeling the call of hot chocolate, cracked open the box of RDCL Superfoods Super Cocoa that’s been sitting on my desk.

Made with six grams of plant-powered pea protein, ancient grains and seeds, greens, veggies and fruits—and no refined sugar—Super Cocoa is a vegan and nonGMO product.

The company, owned by NOLS parent Donny Makower (his daughter is a twotime alumna), recommends the powdered cocoa be mixed with water or your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk and enjoyed hot or cold. We opted to mix it with hot water from the staff break room.

The upshot: it’s yummy! The beverage is creamy and chocolaty, as promised, and there’s not even a hint of pea-protein taste or the kale, broccoli, and spinach also listed on the box. It mixed smoothly into the hot water—no cocoa lumps here! I detected a pleasant hint of raspberry, though my fellow-taster did not. I’d consider adding a little bit of milk—dairy or non—the next time I settle in with a mug. And we’d also follow the instructions that suggest we “vary the amount of liquid to your liking” and add a tiny bit less than the scoopful (scoop included!) of powder suggested on the box.

Whatever way you drink it, drink it! If RDCL Super Cocoa is a delicious treat in the office on a snowy day, I can only imagine how it might taste after a winter hike, some time spent at the ice rink, or while winter camping.

Awards

NOLS recognized its own at the annual Fall Meeting and Awards Dinner held in Lander in October

Staff Awards

Rob Anderson NOLS Rocky Mountain Transportation CDL/Mechanic

Ashley Wise NOLS Alaska Program Director

Lena Conlan NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Pete Walka NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Jim Wynn NOLS Wilderness Medicine Logistics Coordinator

Ana Carolina Didyk Souza Field Instructor (and newly named River Base Campus Director)

Caio Poletti Expedition Curriculum Special Projects Manager/Alaska Program Supervisor

Mary Ellen Avery Field Staffing Coordinator

Bharat Bhushan Instructor

Brian Barrett NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Mark Crawford NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Atila Rego-Monteiro NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Jared Spaulding Instructor

Roger Yim Instructor

Margo van den Berg Instructor

Alumni Awards

Rich Brame Field Instructor (and former Alumni Relations Director)

Nutrition

Sopes, Baja Style

From the NOLS Cookery

NOLS Mexico is the source of this of this versatile recipe!

Sopes are similar to raised tortilla patties and can be filled with just about anything, making them the perfect base for both vegetarian and meaty meals.

4 cups corn masa flour

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:

1 1/2 cups refried beans

1 1/2 cups cheese

3/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cups cabbage, chopped

2 cups red or green sauce

Combine corn masa flour, water, and salt. Knead for 5 minutes or until masa is no longer sticky. Divide dough into 20 small balls. Flatten into thick tortillas approximately 3 inches in diameter. Heat a pan until hot (without oil), then cook three masa patties, rotating until patties are brown, approximately one minute on each side until they just start to blister. Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining masa balls.

Working on the side that was heated first, pinch the edges of the patty up (be careful, as the masa is likely still hot). Then pinch another small circle inside the patty. This will help prevent the sope from collapsing when you stuff it. Fill the sopes with the filling of your choice, or spread with one tablespoon of hot refried beans. Top with cheese, onion, cabbage, and your choice of sauce. Serve immediately.

1 serving = 1 sope

Calories - 209

Carb (g) - 26

Protein (g) - 8

Fat (g) - 9

Fiber (g) - 5

A hot meal, like sopes, is the perfect end to a cold day.

Pascal Beauvais

Who Is This?

Do you recognize this person? The first ten people to contact us with the correct answer will receive a prize in the mail.

The answer to last issue’s “Who Is This?” is no other than Melissa Gray, NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s Director since 1990. Prior to that, she co-founded the Wilderness Medicine Institute because she only wanted to work half the year so she could save the other half for playing in wild places.