Chile Chico
After saying our goodbyes to Rigo and Ricardo it was time for Pat and I to continue north. Our first stop was Chile Chico, a small town just over the Chilean border that offers beautiful views of Lago Gral Carerra but little else in terms of entertainment. Naturally this meant that Pat and I had to create our own. We decided to rent mountain bikes and check out a cliffside viewpoint that we had spotted the day before. On the way over to the trail we spotted a couple of BMX ramps in the central plaza and obviously we couldn't resist. Pat sent it first, landing it just fine, but I sent it a little too hard and barreled over the handle bars, landing on the palms of my hands. We don't have any footage of the crash but here is a professional reenactment:
It was a real pride breaker. As Pat keeled over laughing I had to drag myself to a store to get something to clean myself up with. Once I had collected myself we continued on, even finding an empty motocross course for a little redemption. Sorry Mom for the lack of a helmet.
Chile Chico might not have left me with the fondest of memories but the drive out certainly did. Our trip offered us views of mountains that dropped into strikingly turquoise waters, dappled by sun and small hamlets that provide what I imagine to be incredibly peaceful existences. This happened to be our first taste of the Careterra Austral, a beautifully scenic highway that winds through all of Patagonia. Little did we know at the time that we would end up becoming quite acquainted with this road.
Rio Tranquilo
This beautiful drive brought us to Rio Tranquilo, a town even sleepier than the last. The town had two grocery stores, one that seemed to constantly be on siesta and one that literally only had two containers of cheese and a packet of hotdogs for sale. Luckily we were able to find a cabana with Marco and Léonie, two new friends that we met on the bus. Although this cabin had nothing but ice cold showers we did have a wood stove to keep us and our briefly adopted cat warm.
The main attraction of Rio Tranquilo are its caves, marble formations along the lake that have been carved out by thousands of years of wave activity. This caves are magnificently unique, consisting of paper thin walls that stretch back into cavernous darkness. We hired a boat to go out and explore them and we were not the least bit disappointed, getting even to stop and explore an abandoned mineral transport ship on the way over.
coyhaique
When we first met Marco one of the first things he mentioned to us was renting a car to see the entire Careterra Austral. After being spoiled by the last rental Pat and I immediately jumped at the idea. This meant that we had to bus up to the bustling metropolis of Coyhaique. In reality this is only a little more than a town but seeing a real grocery store for this first time in weeks made me feel like I was back in Buenos Aires. We also took this time to wait for Lotem and Elina, the final two members of our crew, to arrive. Our plan was to cram all five of us, our luggage, and food into a car and travel for about 20 days all the way up to Puerto Montt in the north.
I believe some introductions are in order.
Marco
Photographer, master chef, and resident dad, Marco really made this whole trip possible. Not only did he come up with the idea and form the group he also whipped up fantastic meals nearly every night (his secret is using fried ginger in nearly everything) and served as the voice of reason when the rest of use got a little too crazy. Marco comes from London but is one of the most well traveled people I have ever met and served as an endless source of information about South America and the world beyond.
Lotem
(On the left)
Lotem was the glue of the group. Always the chill one in the car but when it came around to doing things she was always down and never afraid to pull the rest of the group along with her. "Let's send it" quickly became her motto and we couldn't exactly say no. Lotem is from Israel and came down to travel alone before meeting up with Elina on a cruise to Antartica. Now they are absolutely inseparable and I have no idea how they are going to survive without each other after their trips are over.
Elina
Elina was the storyteller of the group. Elina kept the conversation flowing as best as she could even on long car rides when all everyone wanted to do was get out and hike. Elina originally comes from Russia, which allowed Pat to flex his Russian a bit, but lived in London for a while before leaving everything behind to travel.
With the whole group gathered and the car loaded with luggage and food we set off bright and early, excited for what our road trip would bring. And then this happened:
About an hour in, Pat, while talking about how much he loves going fast, hit a patch of ice and lost control of the car, slowly spinning out and pitching the car into the ditch. By far the chillest car accident I have ever been in, it took us about 15 seconds to go from sliding, to skidding, to spinning, to being nose down on the side of the road. The girls were cracking up in the back after everything came to a stop so we were able to breath out a sigh of relief. The car might be screwed but at least everyone was okay. We were super lucky to escape without a single scratch, although the same could not be said about the car. And, all things considered, it wasn't a bad place to get into a car crash.:
Marco and I waited with the car while Pat, Elina, and Lotem headed into town to call a tow truck. After the wreck we settled into the scene and became a bit of an attraction, as word had spread pretty quickly that some gringos had wrecked a car. The responses from people driving by really reaffirmed my faith in humanity though. Immediately after the wreck several cars stopped and tried to pull us out and throughout the day while waiting for the tow truck people were pulling over to ensure that we were doing alright. One couple even drove all the way into town and returned with juice and cookies for us to munch on. After about four hours we were rescued by two tiny Chilean men that spoke zero English and couldn't understand our faltering attempts at Spanish. They did appreciate my attempt at thanks with chocolate though so I would say we ended on a high note.
Carretera Austral
After we reunited with the crew we learned that Pat was able to walk into the rental car agency, explain the wreck, and walk out with a brand new rental. Not a bad turnaround. With the group rejuvenated after surviving such an experience we set out the next morning, heading north on the Carretera Austral. There are too many stories to recount over this entire road trip so I have had to restrict myself to just the highest of highlights. What I will say about traveling along this highway is that every moment on it envelops you in such natural splendor that you almost get bored of it. Almost. Mountains, waterfalls, fjords, and expansive mountain fields can never truly lose their luster.
El Bosque Encantado
Our first hike together, excluding the 100 m walk we took to get to the waterfall above, was through "The Enchanted Forest." When we arrived the trail was marked as closed for no specific reason. We assumed that this was part of the guise of the whole enchanted forest thing so we continued on. A second sign across a bridge marked the trail as closed once again but we weren't going to be fooled out of the enchanted forest by some measly sign so we inched around it and continued on. Pretty soon the lush forest gave way to a trickling trail which in turn gave way to a massive field of snow-covered boulders and uprooted trees piled haphazardly atop one another. Clearly an avalanche had taken place here. Maybe there was a reason for those signs after all.
We knew there was a lake somewhere up here so we forged a path through the snow, over rocks and up a hill until we finally reached what we were looking for:
While we didn't find any dragons or even a single gnome in the Enchanted Forest this lake wasn't half bad. There was a stillness up here that a picture just can't fully capture. With another sketchy Pat-Joe adventure in the books we called it a day and headed back to the car.
Hanging Glacier
The Enchanted Forest ended up taking longer than we thought so we pushed the Hanging Glacier back until the next day. The hike was a bit tricky, filled with muddy pits that forced us to balance on rocks and branches, all the while risking a slip into ankle high mud.
The real highlight of this day was what came after the hike. Pat, Elina, and I all decided to check into a hot springs right next to a fjord that offered us expansive views of the water while the sun was setting. In fact, the spot was so incredible that we wanted to share it with the rest of the group so we paid a little visit after the sun went down. Crowding into a hot tub and passing around a bottle of vodka while staring up at the night sky filled with stars and hints of the Milky Way made for an unforgettable night. This is the moment that I most wish I had a good picture of, the only ones that I have are of us being drunk fools in the water. Maybe some things are better off remembered.
CHAITÉN Volcano
This one was a burner. At less than 2 km but over 600 m of elevation gain, this entire hike was basically one large unforgiving staircase. They don't really believe in switchbacks here. The scenery made it all worth it though. This volcano erupted back in 2008 so much of the destruction is still evident. Most of the undergrowth has come back but the mountainside is still littered with trees stripped bare, leaving white trunks that stick out of the ground like bones.
PUMALÍN PARK
The following day we traded elevation gain for distance, walking 10 km into a river valley all the way to the very foot of a glacier.
You only really realize how big it is until you get right up close to it. Although it looks still from far away, being right next to this giant chunk of ice reveals how violent it really is. Cracks resonate through the air and occasionally rocks the size of baseballs will come spinning off the top of the glacier. Not exactly the ideal spot to relax at the end of a hike.
Chiloé
Chiloé island is a stunning gem of the lakes district, filled with rugged coastlines and soft beaches filled with color.
When the sun is not shining, however, it can be a dreary place filled with rain. On days like these we felt trapped inside with nothing to do. That has been the nature of Patagonia in general though, and one tradeoff that we have had to come to accept about traveling this time of the year. On one hand our schedule is dictated by the weather but on the other, it feels like we have this entire place to ourselves. We have only met a handful of other travelers down here, no sign of the summer crowds that we have heard horrifying rumors of. All in all I feel like we have been incredibly lucky with the weather and I would take a couple of indoor days in exchange for the peace that comes with traveling in this season.
When the sun does shine the colors of this island's cities really come out in full force.
Chiloé is known for its wooden churches dating back to the 18th century. Although they may not look like much on the outside, the insides show incredible wood craftsmanship, especially in the way that they create curvature out of straight wood planks.
Come for the churches, stay for the dogs...
... and maybe a pig or two.
Cochamó Valley
You know what's better than Yosemite? Yosemite in South America that you have to hike 13 km through mud to get to. Alright the mud part isn't so great but this place really is magical. The trek in can be pretty disheartening since slipping on a rock and ending up ankle deep in a pool of mud is never fun but the moment when the forest gives way to a giant valley surrounded by sheer granite walls makes it all worth it.
Of course I would be missing the best part of this whole backpacking adventure if I didn't mention Benny. We were greeted by Benny at the start of the hike and since he looked a little hungry we gave him some food. This resulted in an inseparable bond and Benny ended up guiding us for the entire trip, correcting our course whenever we took wrong turns.
On our full day in the valley we hiked the Arco Iris trail, a steep climb that ends in a series of ropes that you have to use to haul yourself up steep rock faces. We were sure that Benny would wait for us at the bottom but after we had made it up a couple of rope sections Benny appeared out of nowhere wagging his tail. We were all pretty worried at this sight since although Benny was able to scamper up these rocks, getting down would be a completely different issue. Since we knew at this point nothing would stop this guy's spirit we decided to take turns waiting with Benny while the rest of the group went all the way to the top. The views from the top were sweeping and beautiful but the highlight of the day came on the way down. Worried about Benny the entire time we were careful about spotting his descent but really there was no need. We got to a ledge about 6 feet tall that was cornered by another flat face and bottomed by a small landing area. Benny got to the top of the first ledge, thought for a bit, and then jumped towards the second rock face, rebounding off of it, and then landing safely on the flat piece below. By far the most athletic thing I've ever seen a dog do. If dogs had Olympic events this kid would be a star. After this little feat we didn't worry about him to much on the way down.
We ended our trip chatting with new friends around a fire that was a welcome break from the cold outdoor air. After sharing jokes, stories, recommendations, and wine, we called it a night, hoping to reunite further along the backpacking trail. After Benny escorted back out he was greeted by his real owner who revealed that his real name is Mono, a fitting name for such a mischievous dog but he will always be Benny in my heart.
All Good Things must come to an End...
We ended our trip in Puerto Varas, a quaint town nestled on the shores of Lake Llanquihue. After our backpacking trip we took a couple of days of well-deserved rest which gave me time to reflect on this trip. Traveling in a tightly packed car for three weeks with a group of strangers taught me a lot of important lessons in how to interact with others, namely that a little bit of effort goes a long ways and that whenever problems arise it is best to air them out as early as possible. As amazing as the sights that I saw were, these lessons mean infinitely more to me. Above all, its the group of people that makes trips like these and I will always be thankful for the experiences, both the good and bad, that I got to share with Elina, Marco, Lotem, and Pat.
Our next stop is Santiago where we are meeting up with Damir and two new members of the Patagucci Gang: Micha and Gavin. Here's to trading in the cold wilds of Patagonia for a couple weeks of sunny debauchery in Santiago and beyond.