As the helicopter lifted off and disappeared into the clouds, the roar of the whirring blades fell away and all that was left was the sound of the rain.
I just had been deposited deep inside Cochamó Valley, a remote cathedral of towering granite in central Chile that was at the center of a decade-long conservation battle.
I wanted to see this land for myself and hear firsthand from the people who had saved it.
An avid backcountry camper, Condeza started a nonprofit organization called Puelo Patagonia in 2013.
His goal was to stop a proposed hydroelectric power plant in the area, a project that would have entailed the construction of roads, transmission lines and electric generation facilities.
Persons:
Rodrigo Condeza, Condeza
Locations:
Chile, Patagonia