Villarica Traverse

(Complete Pictures - even more than what is here!)

This trek was inTENSE! It was my first "demanding" rating for a trek, and the 6 days of trekking the rugged landscape around Volcan Villarica lived up to that rating. Throw an unusually angry climate into the mix, and it made it all the more interesting. I think this trek would have had some fo the most amazing scenery I have seen yet, but with the cloudy, rainy days, I missed out on what my book described as spectacular views.

(View to Lago Villarica)

When I arrived in Pucon CONAF was their typical uninformative selves, telling me that the trail was closed due to snow and trail repairs. So I climbed the volcano, went bike riding, and talked to some locals, who told me that CONAF office staff never walk the trails and know nothing, and that the trail should be open. So I went back 3 days later (arrived Friday, so I had to wait until Monday to talk to them again) to pressure them into giving me permission, but another guy was in the office and told me the trail was open. Amazing what can change over the weekend. So I got prepared to

(snow covered trail)

go, and then the weather decided to misbehave. A couple days of rain, so I waited to go. It didn't really clear up but it was supposed to get better according to the forecast I looked at. I paid for transportation up there, a whopping $30, but when I got to the ranger station to register the visibility was terrible, the forecast had changed to three more days of rain from what the rangers had looked at, and I still had around a 600 foot change in elevation before starting the trek, so I decided to throw in the towel and wait a bit longer. I waited, got a new weather report, and went back again (another $30!). Another

(Morning brings frozen tent, but clear skies)

ranger told me the trek was closed (but I now know better than to believe them), so I informed him, politely, that the trail he was in charge of was indeed open, and I was going to go walk on it. So he let me through after I paid and registered, and I continued up to the trailhead. Then came a new twist. Snow. Because of the permanent snow and glaciar on the volcano, the wind comes up mountain, picks up moisture, freezes, gets redirected down mountain, and thus results in snow. I sat in the car with my driver, who owned the company I summited the volcano with, staring out the window trying to decide what to do. I had spent 60 dollars just to get to the stinking trek, and I hadn't even started yet, and I was pretty sure the snow would stop in the afternoon and the weather clear the next day. So I took off, armed against the weather with my will and some gators the owner let me borrow for the trip. It was cold.

(L-Ohhh, preeettttyyy; R-Volcan Villarica)

I walked for about an hour and a half through thick clouds and snow, and it was snowing enough that it started to bury the trail. I finally reached a little patch of trees and decided to camp and wait out the storm, hoping it would clear by the next day. If not, I was only an hour and a half in, so I could walk out if need be. The night was cold, but with a dry tent (inside) and all my clothes on in my sleeping bag, I actually wasn't too cold. I woke up to a frozen tent though, covered in ice on the outside, and although chilly, a beautiful and clear day. The trek was saved.



So I took off on day two with a mission, wanting to combine it with what I didn't do day one, meaning I had a long day ahead of me. I took off at 8:00 and didn't arrive to camp until 6:30, with maybe an hour and a half worth of breaks, so 9 hours of hiking, and about 14.5 miles. It was a tiring day, but easy compared to what lay next. Less distance (9.5 miles) but with some steep trail, day three took me almost as long as day two, and after walking these two days consecutively, I was hurting! I got to camp, I got everything ready, ate dinner, and went straight to bed. The day wasn't that impressive as far as views go due to the high amount of clouds, but I was in some pretty forest and could see a little ways across some beautiful landscape. Just most of the high peaks and volcanoes were hidden.

(Above-Me and Volcan Lanin (GIANT!); L - Volcan Temuco (left) and Volcan Lanin, Below-Close up of Volcan Lanin)

I slept soundly that night, and woke up to the pitter patter of rain on my tent. I hate that sound in the morning. The thing I like least while trekking is having to pack up in the rain, with a wet tent, wet gear, and no garuntee you will be able to dry them later. Hiking in the rain isn't so bad if it isn't too cold, because you will warm up with the activity of walking with your pack. I didn't want to wait the weather out, pretty sure it wouldn't stop raining, and needing to keep moving since I had six days of solid hiking to do. So I packed up, took off, and got wet.

I probably should have stayed in the tent. I went over some high passes, and visibility was extremely sketchy. The trail disappeared naturally on the ground due to loose pumice and sand as well as snow fields. On a clear day, the trail has markers to keep you on track, but you need to be able to see them from afar. Thick clouds don't really allow for that. So I found myself having to stop and wait for a break in the

(L-Soaring Condor; Below-Laguna Blanca Campsite. Not shown, lots and lots of WIND!)

cloud, knowing where the trail was behind me but having no idea where it headed off too in the distance. In the sand at least you could sometimes find a shoe print here and there or some sort of mark indicating someone had been there, but the snow fields are usually long and with almost know trace of anyone walking on them in the past. I was lucky to get those breaks in the clouds, and in retrospect, probably shouldn't have attempted the pass that day in those conditions. But I arrived, so all is good, right? (My Mom and Dad are shaking there heads right now) I camped at a stark but beautiful lake, Laguna Blanca, which is surrounded by desolate hills of weathered lava rock. The wind and rain continued for the rest of the afternoon, but finally the rain stopped in the evening, a huge blessing, as I was able to get some stuff dry. The topography of the area though made it hard to find protected camp sites, so the rattling of the tent in the wind all night was a bit trying on the nerves, but survivable.

(L-The sun is out...quick, take a picture!; R-Smoking Volcan Villarica)

Day five brought clear, sunny skies, and great views, although the volcanoes still hid behind some clouds. I saw some cool valleys, marshy shelfs with cascading waterfalls, and had a beautiful lake all to myself to swim in and camp by. It was also the shortest day of the trek, minus day one due to weather complications, and I was definitely in some need of some rest.

(Top-Day 5, shot of shelf and Mtns; Bottom-On the shelf)

Day six was an uneventful but pretty walk out in the canyons and woods, with no real vistas. I arrived in a place called Puesco, which has a few unused buildings, a border control office, and a CONAF ranger station. I tried to hitch a ride back to Pucon, maybe 60 some odd kilometers away (I don't know it in miles but too far to walk, we'll put it that way), as the bus wouldn't come until the next morning. With little traffic and unwilling drivers, I finally got bored and walked 2 km down to a campground next to a rushing river with a restaraunt and cold coca-cola. The cold river, hot food, and cold coke

(Hanging out by the river)

made my day. It was also nice to see some people, who I hadn't seen since I started the trek. I took the bus back to Pucon the next day to take a long hot shower, relax by the lake, and sleep in a warm comfy bed that night. Although the views were obscured often and the weather made the already challenging trek harder, it was an amazing trip in beautiful country. All the clouds did were make it just short of spectacular, and to know I survived the trek with the weather I did almost added to my sense of accomplishment, like

(Cool mountain range, called "The Comb")

someone finishing a marathon even if they didn't place first. As I sipped a beer with the owner of the company who drove me up the first day, I told him I was headed up north next to do another 6 day trek. He laughed and said that is the spirit of montanistas, that we go out into the mountains and are freezing, and hungry, and tired, and ache, but when we get back to civilization in the shelter of our warm, comfortable homes, all we can think about is getting back out into the mountains. I can't agree more.



















1 - Collapsable Home...................On loan from Dad
2 - 5mm foam bead......................$5
3 - Aged beachwood arm chair..........Free

Having a view better then any plasma/HD TV can produce, all to yourself? Priceless.