MEM-SCL
December 22-Jan 2, 2011
- On the 27th of December (a Monday), we all got up around 5:45 and went into Pucón, where the outfitter was located. We had gotten fitted for pants, jackets, boots, etc the day before, so all that stuff was distributed to us. We got into the van, along with 7 Israelis who were about 20-25 years old. They were a loud group, but friendly. One of them mentioned that they had been in Chile and Argentina for about 2 months, traveling around the countries.
- Once at the Villarrica Volcano, we all opted to take the ski lift up to the first portion and then climb the mountain from there. It cost 5,000$ CLP (about 10$ USD) to take the lift (but was worth it).
The Ski lift actually ran to the base of the volcano, to where it began a steep ascent...where we then began the ascent to the top. The high point of elevation is nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. There were a lot of people climbing that day; this is actually one of the most climbed "stratovolanoes" in the world.
After a (what seemed alarmingly brief) instruction session on how to climb, use the tools, and stay safe, we and our guides headed up the mountain.
- The beginning of the trek was not too hard; we climbed for about 30 minutes, then rested and ate a quick snack.
After about 10 minutes, we climbed on, hiking for another 45 minutes to an hour before stopping again. 
A short time before, Angie had decided to turn back to go to the base with one of the 3 guides. The incline was beginning to get steeper at that point and our legs were starting to ache. We had a quick lunch, and at the prodding of our guides ("let's go, chicos, vamos"), we began climbing again. This section of the climb was extremely steep and long. For a portion of this area, we were at about a 45 degree angle and looking down induced instant vertigo. This was probably the most dangerous part of the summit. Another hour or so later, we reached the last rest point, where we ate a snack, drank some water and took photos. The view this high up was incredible. We could see lahars extending outward from the volcano, Quetrupillan Volcano in the distance (another stratovolcano that is inside Villarrica National Park as well) and all the surrounding towns and Lake Villarrica and way beyond. 
We began climbing once again, and after 45 minutes, reached the summit. During the last portion of the climb, our legs were exhausted, and we had to stop frequently. At the top, though, we were able to sit for a few minutes, eat, and relax. The Israelis that were with us were also relaxing, smoking their cigarettes ("if the volcano is smoking, so can we"). We were also able to descend into the volcano's caldera, explore it a bit and take some photos. 
The caldera itself was massive, spewing sulfur fumes and steam into the air and belching up gases that had this odd echoing sound. 
It was a strange feeling to be so close to something that is so fascinating and mysterious yet so dangerous. The gases make it hard to breathe anywhere inside the caldera. The maximum amount of time that we were able to stay at the summit was about 30 minutes because of the noxious fumes. - Once ready to head down, we suited up in our jackets, pants, hats and gloves and began a series of slides to get down the mountain. Literally, sliding on our asses the entire way down. After a slide of about 100 yards or so, we picked up, moved 100 feet to the right or left, and did it over and over again until reaching the base. It ended up taking about an hour to get back to the bottom. We were all so happy to have accomplished what we set out that morning to do.
We reunited with Angie, and then got rid of our suits and boots. The driver of the return shuttle van took us to a house in a neighborhood to get our things. It was a bit confusing at first, because we didn't realize that they were going to be taking our stuff from the outfitters to the house. Once we figured it out, we got everything and returned to the rental car.
- The first place we hit up was a grocery store for alcohol. After a day like that, we wanted to reward ourselves and let loose a bit. We all began drinking once we got back to the house.
- Angie and Nick went to the casino in downtown Pucón at 10 PM, had a few drinks there, then played some slots, roulette then left around 1:30. Nick won about 25$; Angie lost about the same.
- On Tuesday, we ate breakfast, sat around for a while and did nothing at all till about noon. We hadn't visited Villarrica yet, so we wanted to check it out. It's a city bigger than Pucón (about 40,000) with a lot of shops and markets, with some pretty decent restaurants as well. We ate at a place called El Rey del Marisco. It was delicious food, great service, and moderate prices. After leaving the restaurant we stopped at several markets and bought a few things from the craftsmen manning the booths.
Then we drove to the home building supply store (Sodimac) for a shelf for the refrigerator at the house. Somehow the previous day, the top shelf in the fridge cracked in two so we felt like we should replace it. They didn't have the part we needed though, so the only other option at that point was to let the owner, Patricia, know about it and leave money for her. - Back in Pucón, we rested for a couple hours, then went back downtown and ate at a tapas bar called Mamas & Tapas. We had some great tacos, enchiladas, and chimichangas (as well as two for one mojitos and beers). So much food!
- Back at the house, it was very dark outside, so we sat out and stared at the stars for a while. In this area, there really isn't any light pollution, so the number of stars that were visible was pretty amazing.
- By 11 PM, we had pretty much packed all our things, in preparation for the drive north the following day. The house was cleaned that afternoon so we would be ready to leave in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment