Behind the Scenes at Jurassic, No. 2: Opening the Lodge
This year the snow came late. Usually by now the meseta is already clear, but we are used to it, and this is part of what makes coming into Jurassic what it is.
The meseta up above sits between nine hundred and twelve hundred meters, and the lodge itself is at seven hundred. To reach the lodge you have to cross that high plateau, and up there the snow always holds on longer. Down at the lodge there is no snow left at all.
We know the road well by now. There are a handful of spots up on the meseta where the wind piles the snow into voladeros, big drifts that block the track, and every year we have to open those by hand and with the trucks. Hard work, but everyone on the team wants to be part of it. As soon as we said we were going in to open the road, the whole crew signed up.
The crew put together a short video of the drive up. It gives you a feel for what it takes to get in: the plateau, the drifts, the vehicles working their way through, the first sight of the lodge after months closed for the winter.
The snow slows us down for a few days, but it also tells us something we like to see. A heavy winter up on the meseta means a healthy river down in the season ahead. So while it is more work at the start, it is one of the best signs we can get about what is coming.
In a few days the last of the snow will be gone from the road. From here on, real setup begins: cabins get aired out, the kitchen comes back online, boats and trucks get their final checks.
Next episode: the crew settling in and the first walk down to the river.
Tight lines,
Carlos
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