Editor's note: The staff at CNN.com has been intrigued by the journalism of VICE, an independent media company and Web site based in Brooklyn, New York. The reports, which are produced solely by VICE, reflect a very transparent approach to journalism, where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process. We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers. Brooklyn, New York (VICE) -- Faustino Barrientos has spent most of his 81 years in complete solitude and isolation. Since 1965 he's worked as a gaucho -- the horse-riding ranchers and shepherds of the harsh southern swath of Chile and Argentina known as Patagonia. For most of his life, Faustino's sole human contact has occurred once every two years, when he herds his cattle to the nearest town to sell.
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VICE meets an 81-year-old man who has spent most of his life in complete isolation
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Faustino Barrientos lives in Patagonia; only human contact came once every two years
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As development changes his surroundings, Barrientos has had to adapt
While @placeholder Patagonia can be barren and almost desert-like, Chilean Patagonia is rugged in the classical sense.