Walking on the Moon

Between the volcanic sand-filled valleys, full-fledged night (yes, night) rainbows, and neon green alpine vegetation, it is hard to not imagine that you are on another planet. The moonscape of the volcanic region we were able to explore was beyond any of our expectations; it left us speechless. The powerful energy in these places is so palpable it practically verberates through your soul. As we relax and recuperate by the lake in Pucón with Volcan Villarrica in the background, we are continually thankful for being able to witness such spectacular sights.

One of the breathtaking moonscapes

The moonscape leading to Volcan Villarrica 

We began this adventurous 11-day journey from Lago Lolog in Parque Nacional Lanin. Our first few days were spent soaking wet and chilled on our way to Laguna Verde. Our dry climate bodies are not used to the humid chill factor! Luckily, this hike had refugios along the way - not the El Bolson style refugios but rather small, vacant, cabin-like shelters - which provided much needed relief from the drenching climate. We spent an entire day cuddled up in our sleeping bags oscillating between napping and reading, and Trinity even made a short-lived fire from the few pieces of dry wood available. Between the attempted mice attacks and our new, yet rather silent, friend Guillermo (he arrived, looking like he fell in a lake, later in the afternoon), we were plenty entertained. The next day, the magnificent waterfall-graced-volcanic pass made the rain entirely worth it. Then, Laguna Verde greeted us with a campground full of fun. A group of five Argentinian guys invited us for an asado complete with music, Fernet, fire, and dancing, followed with mate and a wonderful 70´s remix party in the morning.

River crossing at Lago Lolog

Shelley line dancing with the crazy Argentinians! 

Continuing on through the park we anticipated hiking to a guardaparque office, taking a boat across Lago Epulaufquen, hiking a bit on a trail and then swimming across a small restriction in the lake to arrive at the main road going through the park; the next day we would hike on a trail traveling up the east side of Volcan Lanin to the road which we would then take to cross over into Chile. Oh, how things never go as planned. The guardaparque (noted as so on the park's official map) turned out to be Marcelo, a single man living on his family's land inside the park. Despite the fact that Marcelo desperately wanted to keep Shelley as his wife, his hospitality was gracious as we thoroughly enjoyed a delicious asado dinner, mattresses to sleep on, and a gorgeous horseback ride. During the horseback ride we discovered we were able to swim across a different and closer restriction in the lake (and realized that Marcelo had discreetly withheld information about the trail, possibly in order to keep us around a bit longer). We "escaped" the next day via swimming - not without garnering many bizarre looks from onlookers.  Our next road-block came in the form of the actual guardaparque. After a valiant attempt at stating our cause as to why we are completely competent enough to do the hike around Lanin, we were ultimately denied due to the fact that the trail is now closed. We are becoming quite experienced with the National Park's bureaucracy.

Another phenomenal horseback ride - hazy from volcanic
ash with Volcan Lanin in the background

Swimming across the lake. Nothing can stop us from
moving forward (well, except the guardaparque...)

Luckily, we are masters at flexibiltiy these days so simply began the Chilean part of this leg, the 5-day Volcan Villarrica traverse from Puesco to Pucón, a few days early. The next three days were filled with cracked-out weather but incredible scenery: blue lakes, white lakes, marshes, volcanic rock, black ridges spotted with green, vibrant red rocks, and snow-capped volcanoes all around. Unfortunately, we saw eight dirt bikers (and their tracks) scarring this delicate and unparalleled alpine moonscape - quite upsetting. On our fourth day we were presented with very unfortunate weather conditions which led us to the choice of: do we hike above treeline all day in the windy, frigid clouds with no view or walk the 9km to the termas (hot springs)? We chose the latter. The termas were simply divine; the natural pools, cascading waterfalls, tiki torches, and hand-carved wooden everything made us feel like we were in a tropical, jungle paradise. Oh wait, we were.  The day was spent soaking in the natural hot springs, eating fantastic raspberry streusel, and being so glad that we were not hiking in the misty-rain-fog conditions.

A little slice of paradise 

Spent the foggy, cold day soaking in the hot springs instead of hiking - good decision by us!
We also became the stars of many Chilean´s photos. Apparently foreigners don't frequent this termas that often 

Now in Chile, for what will be our last time, we are stocking up on peanut butter and hoping that the package I sent from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas 4 months ago will miraculously make its way here.  Our friends at NOLS have made an impressive effort in trying to help get this package to me. In the meantime, we will be planning our next adventure north and still not quite believing that this is our life!

Bright as the full moon:

• making good decisions: spending rainy days inside cozy shelters or in termas, making forward progress via swimming, and saying yes to asados 
• an absolutely complete night rainbow...mind-blowing. We didn't even know they existed?!
• finding out that someone is actually more of a klutz than I am (poor Guillermo...). In our day of hiking with him he bent both his trekking poles and dropped his boots in a river! 
• in the first 6 nights of our trip we only used 1 of our packed dinners! We are very economical...  
• Shelley is entirely capable of having 15 husbands by the end of the year simply from her penetrating eye contact
• Rocklettes - far superior to M&Ms
• waking up to ABBA and falling asleep to Phil Collins

• attacking the mice with our trekking poles 
• so much mate love! We had almost forgotten how much we love mate
• powerful theme music in the misty mountains (great hitch-hiking experience). 
• finding out that the pompous parky's name was Gaston - so fitting 
• feeling entirely comfortable as the town "park bums"
• watching the faces of the post office employees as they try to decipher the mess of my package
• various dogs and cats attaching themselves to us (well, Trinity) and then us naming select favorites; we love them all but especially Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and then later the all time best, Gnarls Barkley
• continuing to beat the proposed hiking times - sometimes by more than 50%
• sleeping in until 11:30 and feeling great about it 
• experiencing Mapuche foods: humitas (tamales), merquen, and mote (sweet barley drink) 
• sailing on Lago Villarrica 
• delicious vegetarian meals! How we miss our veggies...
• not having any noteworthy "lows"

So many brilliant sunsets 

Trinity battling crazy mud puddles amongst the dense bamboo forest 

Navigating through bamboo

The cairns are way cooler on the moon

Marcelo showing off his riding skills...to prove his worthiness to Shelley

On the path towards Volcan Lanin

Volcan Lanin

Stunning rock structures

We like to think that our arm strength is comparable to that of our legs but turns out volcanic rock is aerated. 

Our jumping skills are improving significantly... it only took about 10 attempts to get this shot!

So impressive seeing the vibrant green patches of tundra amongst all the black 

Moon flowers 

Volcan Villarrica - it is active so you can see smoke coming out the top!

Incredible Araucaria trees...by the volcano, with the bamboo...

Moss-covered Araucaria trees - the bark looks like a
tortoise shell and they can survive lava flow!

Here's to Flexibility!

When one or two people tell us we have to do this or that, we note it and see if it fits in. By the time the sixth person told us we have to raft "the Fu" we decided to escape the heat of summer and stop off in Futaleufu to take on the world famous river. Having rafted in the States, we were prepared to take on class IV sections but we were quickly persuaded to join a group for a more intense full day trip. The 20-foot waves and class V sections gave our arms a good workout. Unforgettable!

Preparing ourselves to put-in, water raging from the get-go!

Unbelievable how much white water there was, this picture does not do it justice!
(Note the Cat on the left side for size reference)

Our first Class V water! This rapid is called the "Terminator". 

Sunset hike to overlook Futaleufu, great way to end a great day

Los Alerces National Park, Argentina was our next stop. We couldn't get much information on the park from Chile, so we crossed to Argentina to plan our route. The entire western side of the park is protected but inaccessible by foot due to all the waterways (and only scarcely by boat). The thick bamboo and thorny bushes make the forest inpenetrable for bushwacking, and the trails few and far between. In order to get off the dirt road, we diverged from our typical through-hikes and opted for an out-and-back one night trip to Lago Kruger. We never imagined a worse day than our first day in Reserva Cerro Castillo was possible. Alas, now on top of the heat and horseflies, we were bleeding from the inescapable thornes swallowing up the trail. Our various ways to deal with anger and frustration became evident- I slip into a quiet zen state and go to a happy place in my mind, Trinity reverts to a 13-year-old cheerleader "wahoo-ing" down the trail, and Sarah develops a severe case of Tourette's where she swears with every step.

I lost the tread on my shoe after we left Cochrane and the liner gets jammed with rocks with every step

Enamored with the bamboo jungle trail... at first...

Getting this amazing view during our miserable hike made it more worthwhile

Around the half-way point to Lago Kruger we found a secluded beach where we dropped pack and ran into the water to sooth our itchy wounds. No way we were doing that again! Refusing to return the way we came, we spent two nights at this pristine beach- lounging under a willow tree taking in a spectacular view of Lago Futalaufquen. We would have stayed there indefinitely had Trinity not so boldly plunged into a nearby cove and flagged down a wakeboarding boat that took us to salvation across the lake. We were back on the dusty road to hike through the rest of Los Alerces.

Quiet reflection at our private beach

Relaxing sunset on our private beach after a looooong day

We did not hesitate to jump in the water fully clothed to get a ride across the lake

Although the first day was absolutely miserable, Los Alerces National Park is without a doubt stunning: most notably its 2,000 year old trees and crystalline rivers and lakes. Due to the abundance of water, we kept coming back to the same word to describe it: tranquil. We just wished we had kayaks in order to explore it more! The few existing trails skirt alongside the dirt road and were occassionally hard to follow due to the plethora of cow trails leading in all directions, so we faced the dirt plumes and took the more direct route most of the way.

One of the many gorgeous rivers in Los Alerces National Park

Although awful to breathe, the dusty road provides excellent lighting in the forests!

Los Alerces is a prime destination for fly fishermen

We were excited about a less travelled trek between Lago Epuyén and Lago Puelo. However, on the bus to Lago Epuyén we noticed a haze in the distance. As it grew thicker we learned that a forest fire had started only hours before, directly between the two lakes and in our path. As the sun set, the red sky framed the mountain silhouttes and cars had pulled over to take pictures of the burning hillside which was started by a 20-year old pyromaniac. This was unfortunately the second human-caused forest fire we heard about this week. The first being in Torres del Paine, on the front side of the park where we did the "W". We feel an indescribable grief for Torres del Paine. It holds a special place in our hearts and we feel fortunate to have seen one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Spotting the haze across the valley from the forest fire near Lago Epuyén

We can't help but think that maybe the lack of trails in Los Alerces and the forest fire at Lago Epuyén are signs that we should have stayed in Futaleufu and spent the summer on the water. The bungalo style jungle lodge, five-day sea kayak trip and roll classes were all very enticing...

Blessings:

•  After telling our ride we were from the States he promptly put on his CCR classics, we really miss music!
• Our first class V water with olympian and kayaking pioneer Chris Spelius's company Expedition Chile 
• Being told the "girls dominated" as paddlers next to the brawny midwestern boys on our trip
• Sarah finally got a new sleeping pad!! ...and I used the excess for shoulder/hips pads for my pack (unlike Sarah and Trin, I haven't had them the whole trip, now I feel like I'm wearing my comfy Osprey pack!)
• Picking fresh cherries
• After telling our river guide Josh that we heard horseflies taste like honey, we learned that ants apparently taste like oranges. We are invisioning a very organic ants-on-the-log but have yet to try it...
• Spending a full day lounging and swimming on our own private beach
• Wading up to our chests in all our clothes to be rescued via boat from returning on the awful jungle trail
• Having the best showers of the trip so far- consistent hot water and pressure! At a campground no less...
• Ringing in the New Year's on our secluded beach and listening to the music from across the lake
• Camping next to the most tranquil river in Los Alerces
• Bathing in the rivers and forgetting that even though we were "clean" we still hadn't done laundry in almost three weeks
• Being able to throw out trash throughout the park and not have to pack it out
• Homemade apple juice on a hot summer day
• Being swarmed by the black horseflies instead of the yellow/green ones- they are easier to catch!
• Doing the last hike in my shoes which have a hole in the tread and inevitably fill with rocks with every step

Bitter Pills:

• Getting sunburnt in 10 mins of exposure. We go through bottles of sunscreen like water and keep getting darker!
• I woke up to Trinity yelling she had a "leech" on her neck. All I could manage to say through sleepy eyes was no way it was a leech because they live in water. It was a slug and left quite a mark- both physically and mentally on Trinity. We affectionately refer to it as her slug-bite. She may have discovered the newest cross-breed of slug-leeches.
• Another traveller breaking a "hitchhiker code"- if three girls stop a car, you can't just throw your stuff in too without saying a word!
• As much as we love sleeping without the tent and under the stars, it comes with a cost. Sarah got shit on by a bird while in her sleeping bag... a little too close to the mouth.
• Seeing volcanic ash along the trails and beaches
• Getting straight robbed by campgrounds! They charge US$10 per person to camp, unlike in the States where they charge per campsite. When we asked if we had to pay the additional "tent fee" if we just didn't put up the tent, the lady looked at us like we were locas! (and waived the fee!)
• Waking up to a skunk outside our tent and praying the papparazzi of tourist taking pictures would not startle it enough to spray us
• Sarah's can opener breaking on her multitool... not as indestructible as we thought!

After re-routing ourselves around the fire to Lago Puelo, I learned that the Bariloche airport is closed due to the volcanic ash (I am leaving this week for my brother's wedding in the Dominican). Trinity and Sarah hiked from Lago Puelo to El Bolsón via two of the refugios (huts) in the area. I reluctantly left them and went on to El Bolsón to rebook my flight, unsure of whether I would need to take a bus to Buenos Aires sooner than expected (I now fly out of Esquel, three hours south).

El Bolsón feels like a hippie beach town but instead of the ocean it is set in a wide valley of jagged peaks, which were hidden behind the smoke from the forest fire the first few days. Every other day they have a vibrant market of artisan crafts and every other restaurant seems to be a microbrewery. With the relief of rebooking my ticket, I hiked up to Refugio Lindo to surprise Trinity and Sarah, but was unfortunately a day too early and we missed each other. We reunited in El Bolsón for an asado with new friends at Hostel El Bolsón. I leave them for a week on the beach in the Carribbean and they will make their way north from El Bolsón to Bariloche.

High Mountains and Low Valleys

Imagine hiking uphill over several false peaks of boulderfields in 90+ degree weather with no breeze and in direct sunlight. It's tough work. Now imagine being constantly swarmed with large, biting horseflies. This was our first day on the trail into Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo. The three of us were absolutely miserable - we were brushing handfuls of horseflies off our arms, nausious from the heat, and cussing the world. We couldn't even take a worthwhile break because we'd have to drape ourselves in our hot, clammy rain gear for horsefly protection. However, with extreme lows also come extreme highs because we woke up to this the following morning:

Waking up on the "right side of the sleeping bag", this day turned out to be one of our favorites yet - or maybe just in comparison to the day before? The day was balanced between finding comfort on a well-marked trail (although it would be considered "unimproved" in Colorado) and a healthy dose of adventure crossing over a snowy pass.

Laid-back trail-finding never lasts long in the Andes. On our third day, the published trail progressed from a retired ranch road through forest, to a decent trail following treeline, to superbly-built rock cairns over a mile-long pass, to absolutely nothing on the opposite side of the pass. So we embarked on a seven-hour stretch of trailblazing which included hiking over yet another pass in a cold, windy rainstorm to circumvent an impassable waterfall luge (when we couldn't cross through, we crossed over!). The next morning the forest opened up into a wildflower meadow as a hawk cawed in the cliffs overhead - moments later we found the trail that led us out of the Reserve.

High As A Mountain

• The first thing Sarah and Shelley noticed when I stepped off the bus in Villa Cerro Castillo were my new black ankle socks in lieu of my dark gray ones - we know each others' wardrobes intimately
• Running into (and subsequently camping with) four NOLS students during their independent group travel section
• Feeling like Tarazan woman using trees to aid uphill travel through the forest
• Shelley reenacting a scene from the movie Armaggedon which brought Sarah and I to tears
• Witnessing ~6 dogs herd cattle - so cute and so good at their jobs!
• Stopping at a farm to purchase fresh cow's cheese which we ate with homemade bread under an aromatic jasmine tree while playing with kittens - idyllic, right??
• Swapping stories with NOLS instructor Betsy Winston at a dinner party she hosted at her uber-cute cabin - Betsy and her friend did a six-month South American bike trip six years ago
• Using legitimate topographic maps - thanks NOLS!
• Seeing bamboo!
• Shelley's and my gear is holding up pretty well

Low As A Valley... or Lower

• Sarah is sporting multiple holes in nearly every piece of clothing she owns (and some gear)
• Horseflies have a surprisingly durable exoskeleton. A single slap will kill or disable a horsefly only about 10% of the time. Shelley has developed an innovative method for keeping horseflies at bay- she removes a wing. Sometimes, this is a joint process where Sarah holds the fly and Shelley pulls the wing off. To our fellow animal lovers: In our first horsefly encounter a few weeks ago, I announced that I don't kill bugs because it's bad kharma - it lasted 30 minutes until I killed three within 10 seconds.
• Swapping horsefly stories with the NOLS students who not only also de-winged them but would sometimes EAT them (they are filled with a clear honey-like liquid)
• Shelley had killed 40 horseflies before we even left camp one morning (impossible to count while on the trail)
• Finding a sign for the Sendero de Chile (Chilean Trail) on a dirt road but no signs or gates leading to the actual trail a few miles down the road- just an old hiking sock indicating which hole in the fence to climb through
• Seeing haze from volcano Hudson which errupted days earlier only 50km away
• The hat + bandana headdress combo (a fashion faux pas but sun/horsefly protection necessity)
• A cow stalking our hopped-the-fence-camping-by-the-side-of-the-road-in-pasture campsite in the dark while Shelley is outside the tent cooking
• Waking up to a horseman whistling outside our tent the following morning. He must not have cared because by the time I stuck my head out the tent, him and his dog had moved on.
• Shelley slipping on frozen moss into a thankfully flat section of the waterfall luge 15ft below.
• Entering the Uni-Marc (think of a small Target or Wal-Mart) in Coyhaique and being completely overwhelmed... expecting some culture shock when we return home.

We spent the holidays ultra-lounging in Coyhaique. Thank you to Tony and Sharon Field (Sarah's parents) and Jimmy and Laura Field (uncle and aunt) for sponsoring three days in an actual hotel. We've eaten well, watched Home Alone, Christmas Vacation and Miracle, slept in warm beds, taken in the sunset and an owl coasting on the wind from the hot tub (they took a picture of us for their advertisements), drank alcoholic apple cider, champagne, carmenere (wine), gin and tonics and homebrewed cinnamon and mint alcohols. We celebrated the holidays at NOLS with a large traditional asado (lamb cooked on stakes) on Christmas Eve, Sarah's delicious crepes for Christmas morning breakfast, and cookie decorating. Christmas was hot and sunny. I even went climbing!!

Currently en route to Futaleufu where we will begin our next hiking leg after some white water rafting on "the Fu's" world-famous rapids. Looking forward to getting there... we're having to navigate untrustworthy bus schedules and little-traveled roads. Much easier to hike!

So. Many. Horseflies.

Shelley comparing pack size with the NOLS students we ran into on the trail.

 Visor + bandana combo, so stylish. Also check out the fly that made it into the pic near my cheek.

Pass one of three.

Enjoying a beautiful breezy day through the rocky river valley.

Pass two of three.

 

 Bushwhacking up a tangle of logs leading up to our last pass.

Excited to be out of the difficult trail blazing in the forest.

Lock on one of five gates on this side of the Reserve. Are we really welcome??

Mmmmm farm fresh cheese!

Lupins in the Coyhaique valley.

Dog Gonnit!

A stray dog stole one of my shoes and a tall chilena stole my pants. At this rate I'll be naked by Christmas. This is my story.

Since we spend all our non-hiking time in flip flops, I didn't notice my shoe went missing from under the side of our tent until we were packing up to leave Cochrane. We then found out stray dogs steal shoes and other items with some frequency at Carmen's house (Don Rial's daughter- we camped in her yard). This was unfortunate for several reasons:

1. Now I only had one shoe (+ flip flops)
2. I'm now without my Newton custom orthotics
3. I was in Cochrane, a spot of a town, not exactly a shoe-purchasing destination
4. I only had $44 in cash. Cochrane's ATM does not service VISAs nor do many stores accept credit card payment.

On the walk to the general store, a stray dog started following me, which I ignored (because otherwise they keep following you in hopes your love will translate into food). I sat down next to the general store to read while waiting for it to open. The dog sat next to me and started to put the moves on me like a teenage boy in a movie theater. He put a front paw on my leg, then the other, and soon enough he was on his back lying in my lap. I kept ignoring him, trying not succumb to his cuteness. Awhile later, he got bored and moved on. Could this have been the culprit?

I got the last (probably only) size 40 tennis shoe in the general store for $40. The shopkeeper was kind to give me a little discount for my troubles. They fit perfectly so I started off on the trail with optimism.

Sixty kilometers and two days later on a quiet dirt road through beautiful Valle Chacabuco (refer to note at bottom of post), large blisters developed on the pads of my feet. I could feel every pebble through the ultra-thin sole. Not to mention, rain drops and wet grass would permeate the shoes straight through to my foot. As I read just weeks earlier in Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills, "(blisters) probably represent the most common health-related reason for ending outings." Although my heart wanted to keep pushing on, I knew I had to let these buggers heal and get some appropriate shoes before I continued on the trail.

Two hitch hikes and eight hours later, I arrived in Chile Chico which unfortunately didn't offer adequate shoes or a VISA-accepting ATM. I would need to travel to Coyhaique where I was assured I could find replacements. With night falling and $4 to my name, a gracious hostel owner agreed to let me stay in exchange for buying her groceries (the grocery store thankfully accepted card payment). I ended up having to stay two nights because the ferry ride was booked (across the largest lake in Chile to subsequently take the bus to Coyhaique)- it was another random Chilean holiday. Luckily, there were several travelers "in the same boat" as me so we made the most of it with a big dinner (for which I did the same groceries-for-cash exchange).

Then my pants were stolen. Yes, my pants. They went missing from my small laundry load the señora was washing in the back of the house- due to timing and circumstance, she believes the thief was a tall chilena who stays with her occasionally on work contract and gave her "mal sentimiento" (a bad feeling). I will keep you posted if she finds the thief.

I arrived in Coyhaique late Friday night and dined on sushi in my rain pants and flip flops. Yesterday, I searched high and low for new shoes and pants. In a shoe store, I was telling the salesman my story and asked him if he had any recommendations for where I should seek pants. He suggested the closet of a store next door that I hadn't even noticed. Although the store next door had already been closed for "mediodia" (lunch/siesta time), he lead me around back so I could check out their selection while they were closing up. While trying on various pants, I wandered over to their small selection of shoes and yelped in surprise with unexpected tears when I saw my Patagonia Arrants! I think she thought I was crazy. They also turned out to be only $90- compared to $150 back home.

I've forfeited the search for pants. There's not a very good selection here and the ones I've liked have been too short. Additionally, the hiking pants have been wicked expensive (despite their ugliness)- $150!! I bought some light leggings and will call them good until Shelley can retrieve my Patagonia Inter-Continental Pants (which come in a Long size) at her brother's wedding in mid-January.

I'm enjoying hanging out in Coyhaique at a friendly hostel with a lock on my door, eating lots of green veggies and fruit smoothies, using fast internet, taking luke warm-ish showers, meeting folks at the NOLS base, arranging our Christmas dinner plans here (I volunteered Sarah to be in charge of dessert), and being followed by a german shephard puppy (do you know how much self control it takes to not coo and pet it??). My blisters are nearly healed so I'll be ready to return south later this week. I feel like I'm missing limbs without Shelley and Sarah- I'm coming chicas!!

Letting go and flowing with Chile...

NOTE: This was in North Face/ Esprit founder Doug Thompkins' and Patagonia ex-CEO Kris Thompkins' land preservation project. They have two reserves and an estancia (estate/retired ranch) that they are combining to develop a Chilean National Park. Read more about their phenomenal project here.

...and then there were two...

In the states, summer seems to be marked by the giant S'mores displays in the grocery stores. In Cochrane it is marked by the popsicle delivery at the local store. Everywhere we looked- Popsicles!! We had definitely walked out of winter and into summer. Hard to believe we were in waist deep snow a few days before. As the thick of summer approaches, we can't wait to bathe in these glacial rivers and will soon be swearing off the extra weight of our down pants/jacket and thermals.

Semi-healed after a few days in Cochrane, we were back on the road! As you probably know from Trinity's uber long adventure, her bright pink reebok-type sneakers gave her giant blisters and she left Sarah and I while we began our trek through Conservacion Patagonica, Valle Chacabuco, Reserva Nacional Lago Jeinimeni and Chile Chico. As Trinity mentioned, Doug Tompkins (owner of The North Face) has started another project here in Chile regarding the national parks- Conservacion Patagonica. The idea is to remove all traces of the previous ranchers in Valle Chacabuco and turn it into a national park, thereby connecting Reserva Tamango and Reserva Jeinimeni. Fellow travellers had told us this was a beautiful valley, but the trails were still "in the works". Sarah and I headed down the canyon and assumed we would stumble onto the trail at some point. Alas, with over ten years of regrowth and minimal use we realized we were not going to be able to follow the old "cattle trail" and started forging our own path.

The natural history is hard to ignore when looking out over these valleys. You can easily see how the plates shifted, where the erosion has been the greatest and how the regrowth has begun on top of the boulders. The stones in the wide valley floor look like they are covered in corral and range from emerald to purple to burnt orange to robin's egg blue, evident that we are walking on land that used to be filled with water. Luckily, Sarah kept me on track so that I didn't spend all day staring at rocks.

Our trail varied between a faint cattle trail, bushwacking through throny bushes, boulder hopping, navigating through dense forrest or hiking for hours in flipflops down the middle of the canyon and crossing the river every 20 feet. At the birth of the river there are so many veins it seemed impossible to choose a good path- but local guides told us if you know where to go, it is possible to cut them down from 14 to 4. We eventually stumbled upon cairns (rock piles) which led us finally to a legit trail around the cliff-lined lakes, back to a road and on to Chile Chico. We took the ferry across Lago General Carrera to Puerto Ibáñez and hiked to the 10-house "town" of Villa Cerro Castillo with plans to meet Trinity on Thursday. A couple days to get a bit of reading done! We just keep saying "it always works out in the end."

Highs:

-Getting to the first lookout over the valley to have lunch and being able to see for miles

-Eating fresh spinach out of the greenhouse at the Estancia Chacobuco

-Seeing herds of guanacos numbering 50+

-Swatting at horseflies and being able to kill 3 in one blow (there were seriously a ton of horseflies...)

-The temperature outside is hot enough now that we sometimes look forward to river crossings

-The rocks in the valley and their wide variety
-Waking up in the middle of the night to a sky full of stars and an orange glow from another full moon rising over the patagonia peaks... really breathtaking.

-Lago Jeneimeni, as blue as the sky (maybe even more blue), framed by gorgeous rock faces

-Actually getting a good night sleep on the road in a nook among thorn bushes to snuggle up

-Meeting some French travellers and attempting to "go out" on a Saturday night in Chile Chico (NOTE: if you guys read this we are sorry we never said goodbye! We thought for sure you would make it on the ferry!)
-Paying for a family's dinner via credit card in a restaurant in order to get a little bit of cash

-Being able to pay for the hostel by buying the señora groceries with our Visas (we are getting very creative)

-Seeing puma tracks

Lows:

-Seeing puma tracks... while bushwacking in the woods, realizing my knife was in the bottom of my pack and Trinity had taken the pepper spray

-Discovering all the various types of pokey bushes

-Lacking a good night sleep on the road: one night we were on big rocks, another on lumpy/pokey bushes, another on sand with tons of wind...etc

-Waking up at 6:30am sweating and having to get out of the tent...
-Crossing a waist deep river which knocked me off balance and stole my flipflops, even after swimming downstream after them I exited the river soaked and one short of a pair

-Going to bed at night with the buzz of horseflies ringing in our heads from constantly swarming us all day, they might drive us insane by the end of summer (supposedly they are only going to get worse)

-Arriving in yet another, and another, and another town that has no ATM that accepts Visa

-Missing our trecera amiga, Trinity, as she battled her own adventure on the road

Guanacos are not nearly as skiddish in Chacabuco as they had been in Tierra del Fuego

Enjoying lunch with a view, the wind up here kept the horseflies away!

Amazing canyon showing the power of water

Sarah navigating through pokey bushes

One of the many gorgeous waterfalls

LOVE these rocks! Just a couple examples...

We call this one "African Sunset"

My brother called me his "crazy sister wandering through the woods in South America"- this pic is for you Ry

Cairns! Not that it is hard to find your way down this wide valley but still good to see...

Lago Verde or Lago Jeinimeni... not sure, but beautiful all the same!

Reserva Nacional Lago Jeinimeni

Happy to see "a road"

Sarah showing off her Parisian pastry skills to the Frenchies

On our 35km hike from Pto Ibánez to Villa Cerro Castillo (that is Cerro Castillo, the peak)

Our nook! Too windy to actually set up the tent, so we just cuddled up on the tarp

We look forward to spending Christmas with other "holiday orphans" at the NOLS Patagonia headquarters and maybe even a night in a hotel! After Coyhaique we have quite a bit of ground to cover to get to Bariloche for mid January, where I will fly to my brother's wedding and Sarah and Trinity will be one short of our threesome yet again...