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!

Right on time!

We finally have been able to get the pictures from our Villa O'Higgins to Cochrane leg (when we stayed with gaucho Don Rial) on the blog. Check that blog post out here: Thankful for Wine.


While Shelley was sipping "dirty bananas" on the beach at her brother's wedding, Sarah and I spent the last two weeks sipping homebrews throughout the hut ("refugio") system surrounding El Bolson. Along with their many perks (homebrews, homemade bread, tarts, pizza, actual trails) came some unanticipated hurdles such as having to register at each refugio so they can keep tabs on you and abiding by specific hiking schedules. As a result of our recent bouts with flexibility, we've developed a new mantra- as we're taking off on the trail at an unplanned hour, stopping for lunch at 4pm, or waking up at 10am, we'll exclaim, "right on time!".

The following summaries describe our experiences at each refugio along with our objectives and (mostly unrealized) outcomes for each day. In addition, we have included some posted vs. actual time and distance comparisons. Trail distances were not posted for most of the refugios - the established hiking areas we have visited in South America (Torres del Paine, El Chalten) quote times instead of distance.

Jan 4 - Puesto (300m total elevation gain)

Posted distance / GPS distance: 12km / 8km (okay, so we are hiking animals at this point but if the trail was actually 12km uphill, we'd be trail running!)

Posted timing / our time: 4.5hrs / 2.5hrs

excludes distance and timing from Lago Puelo to trailhead

Objective: Hike to refugio Motoco from the town Lago Puelo

Outcome: Hiked to the outpost at the midway point. Started hiking later than anticipated (6:30pm) after troubleshooting Shelley's flight situation.

• Wicked hot and also hazy from being sandwiched between Volcano Puyehue to the north and the Epuyen fire to the south.
• Sarah puked from eating her rice too fast
• Felt cleansed after dropping a bunch of retired gear with Shelley (down pants, fleece vests among some other small items - stay tuned for a gear post)

  Survived our first of several "pasarelas" throughout the refugio system (translation: single-person suspension bridge, our translation: sketchy-ass bundle of cables and broken planks).  

I wonder what happened to that guy...

Jan 5 - Refugio Motoco (300m total elevation gain)

Posted distance / GPS distance: 12km / 5km

Posted timing / our time: 3.5hrs / 1.5hrs

Objective: Hike to Refugio Motoco

Outcome: Mission accomplished!

• Sipping tea garnished with fresh mint while chatting with hippie refugiero Luis
• Learning that the dead bamboo in the area is due to the completion of its 50-year life cycle
• This also explains the surplus of pregnant cats and kittens at the refugios- they are mouse defense for the anticipated population increase resulting from the dropping of bamboo seeds (I hope we do not witness this!)
• Seeing our first snake (eek! although not poisonous) and loads of small irridescent lizards "lagartijas"

Loba ("shewolf") sleeping inside refugio Motoco.

Jan 6 - Riverbed

Objective: Hike to refugio Cerro Lindo by bushwhacking over the mountain separating us from the adjacent valley

Outcome: Hiked back down to trailhead and started hiking north to the trailhead for refugio Cerro Lindo. Luis told us he forbid it- he would need to come looking for us and would report us if we attempted. Additionally after some scouting, the thick bamboo groves and steep rock faces appeared impossible without machetes and technical gear.

• Since it was so hot, we didn't start going down until 4pm - right on time!
• We set up camp on the only organic matter in the middle of a rocky river island between towns Lago Puelo and El Bolson around 10:30pm
• At 11pm we were dripping sweat in our sleeping bags, suffocating from our headnets, and being eaten alive by mosquitos. Then our tent blew down (doesn't stake well in rocks) AND the crazy birds were yelling overhead. We were so miserable we began to laugh hysterically. 
• Lesson learned: Don't camp at low elevations on the only organic matter near water.

After much trial and error, we landed on this outfit to fight the mosquitos and heat (we were still sweating but it was cooler than being in our sleeping bags). Note the tent in the background that fell over.

Jan 7 - Refugio Cerro Lindo (1100m total elevation gain)
Posted distance / our distance: not posted / __km

Posted timing / our time: 5-7hrs / 3.5hrs

excludes distance and timing between trailheads 

Objective: Continue on "trail" to reach the Cerro Lindo trailhead and follow the trail to the refugio.
Outcome: Mission accomplished but not without roadblocks. The "trail" to the trailhead was washed out which forced us to hike a portion of the distance upstream in the river.

Sarah wading through the "trail" en route to the Cerro Lindo trailhead. On the upside, it made hiking in the heat and haze much more refreshing.

• Hiking trails here often originate as horse trails. Hence, they do not employ switchbacks, they go straight up.
• Along with the steep incline of the Cerro Lindo trail, it was wicked hot (we completely soaked through our clothing in sweat) and we were sucking wind due to the haze. Three and a half months into the trip, we find this all manageable... until the horseflies descend on us. Halfway up, they came down in swarms. With each horsefly experience we feel like we're hiking one step closer to the insane asyllum.
• When we arrived at the refugio, the refugiera knew our names! Shelley had been their the night before (toting a bottle of wine and our favorite candy "bon o bons") expecting to surprise us! )c:
• Another rough night of sleep - albeit cooler and mosquito-less at elevation, a rogue dust storm blew under our tent and left us with a fine film of dirt over everything- in our hair, on our faces and down our sleeping bags. At 3am we left the tent and moved to a grassy spot where the dust couldn't reach us.
• After two weeks of dry weather, it finally rained the day we left refugio Cerro Lindo. As we were leaving the refugio, they asked "You're leaving? In the rain??" to which we replied with a sigh of relief, "YES! So much better!"
• The haze thankfully dissipated with the rain. As we lowered into the El Bolson valley, we saw for the first time the surprisingly close town of El Bolson and beautiful surrounding mountain range.

Jan 8-10 - El Bolson 

• We were excited to see Shelley again if only for one day before she embarked on her travel adventure to her brother's wedding in the Dominican Republic
• Crossed paths with the superb brother-sister traveling duo Phil and Laura Armstrong. Phil and I attended CC together, reuniting at a CC Alpine Journal mixer this summer- after hearing our trip plan, Phil facilitated my introduction to Gregg Treinish, our mentor and the founder of Adventurers & Scientists for Conservation. Small world!
• We checked out the El Bolson market, cooked a vegetarian dinner, and sampled a few of El Bolson's "cervecerias" (breweries) - however, we think Argentina should stick to wine

Phil, me, Laura and Sarah waiting for our beers at an El Bolson cerveceria. 

• After hearing us long for the touch and feel of cotton, Phil offered us one of his extra cotton t-shirts to wear to bed. Since we had two nights in front of us, we decided I would wear it the first night and Sarah would wear it the second night. I put it on and purred at its softness. Sarah looked at me with so much envy and excitement, I let her try it on for a few minutes before putting it back on to go to bed.
• They also donated several Larabars to us which were a much appreciated trail food upgrade

Jan 11 - Natacion Trailhead

Objective: Hike to Natacion

Outcome: Hiked for 30 minutes and then returned to the trailhead.

• When we arrived at the trailhead at 6pm, we were stopped by the caretaker of the established trailhead campsites. He told us if we wanted to hike to refugio Natacion, we would have had to have left by 2pm. He let us pass after we explained to him the following:
• We prefer to hike in the evening when it is cooler
• We have substantial hiking experience in South America
• We hiked our previous two refugio destinations in less than half the posted time
• We are prepared with head lamps
• The kicker that usually gets us passage: we claim we are guides (which is a white lie... we were backpacking counselors at Cheley at one point in our lives)
• About 20 minutes up the trail, we were abruptly stopped by a woman with her husband and two kids. Wow did we get a talking to! She started lecturing us without letting us get a word in edgewise. She repeated everything the campsite caretaker had explained to us and more- she said we wouldn't be respecting the refugio system or Argentina's culture by leaving at such an hour and we were not allowed to camp en route - to which her husband chimed in, "which you would need a tent for," as he gestured to our lightweight packs. After trying to explain our experience and the fact that we were indeed carrying a tent, she disgruntedly continued down the trail.
• After Sarah and I hiked a little longer debating what to do, we looked at each other and felt we had to descend. We felt so guilty and uncomfortable the way she chastized us and wanted to keep our trail kharma healthy.

Jan 12 - Refugio Natacion (1200m total elevation gain)
Posted distance / our distance: not posted / __km

Posted timing / our time: 4-6hrs / 4hrs

Objective: Hike to refugio Retamal.

Outcome: Hiked to refugio Natacion. As we were enjoying a long lunch in the shade by refugio Natacion, the refugiero approached us asking our plan. We explained that we were going to continue onto refugio El Retamal. Not possible he said- we would have had to leave by 4pm and it was 5pm. Exhausted from schedules, we didn't put up a fight this time.

After realizing we'd be camping at refugio Natacion for the night, we sat back and enjoyed some free mate (offered by all the refugios).

Sunset on lake Natacion.

Jan 13 - Refugio Retamal

Objective: Hike to refugio Encanto Blanco over the pass.

Outcome: Arrived at serene and tranquil El Retamal after a half day and decided to stay- we weren't gaining much distance by crossing the pass to Encanto Blanco anyway plus we'd have to deal with the wrath of the horseflies at the pass' elevation.

• Realizing we're dumb. Sometimes we need to forget our objective and go for the experience. We passed by a bunch of swimmers cliff-jumping into the deep cool pools of Rio Azul. Sarah and I stopped, drenched with sweat and for some reason we have yet to determine other than pure determination, DID NOT JUMP IN. This realization led us to stay at beautiful refugio Retamal.

Enjoying fresh cherries ($1 per pound) and craft beer in the shade.

On a short excursion to a lookout from refugio Retamal.

Jan 14 - Refugio Los Laguitos (400m total elevation gain)

Posted distance / our distance: not posted / 14km

Posted timing / our time: 5-7hrs / 4hrs

Objective: Reach a lake past the retired refugio Los Laguitos. After reconsulting a map, we decided we could make an attempt at an alternate route to Bariloche.

Outcome: Refugio Los Laguitos turned out NOT to be retired per our map. In addition, the refugiero indicated we would need to require special permission to hike on our intended path.

• Meeting up with and subsequently hiking with Nick and Cat from Boulder, CO - our first hiking partners! We realized on our way back from Los Laguitos that we weren't even paying attention to the trail we were so engrossed in our conversations with them.
• Getting dressed in the morning, I was stung by a fuzzy caterpillar which bunked in my shorts overnight - left three welts on my thigh!

What you see: quiet reflection while cooking.
What you don't see: swarms of horseflies... we ended up eating our meal inside for protection.

Jan 15 - Refugio Cajon Azul (500m total elevation loss)

Posted distance / our distance: not posted / 16km

Posted timing / our time with limping Sarah: 6-8hrs / 5hrs

Objective: Hike back down to the town Wharton to begin hiking north to Bariloche.

Outcome: Hiked to Refugio Cajon Azul. Within 50m of leaving the refugio, Sarah sprained her ankle. We taped it up, put her shoe back on, and roller-bandaged over her shoe for additional support. She used both her poles for support on the way down and transferred all her water into my dromedary (water = substantial weight).

• We realized how important packing light is to accomplishing our mission:
• Sarah was only carrying around 25lbs (even including Shelley's portion of group gear) on her hike out with an injured ankle which significantly reduced pressure on her injury
• As her ankle became more sore and her left leg significantly more tired from compensating, I was able to carry her pack on my front (think pregnant lady) the last couple kilometers into refugio Cajon Azul

According to our timing calculations, one limping Sarah = one average Argentine hiker. 

Carrying Sarah's pack for the last few kilometers into refugio Cajon Azul.

We walked out of the refugio system's hiking trails "right on time" on January 17, the day Shelley was scheduled to get into Bariloche- bussing the rest of the distance. Although we didn't make it all the way to Bariloche by foot, we loved experiencing the refugio system, the luxury of drinking homebrew nearly every day, and having good conversation with lots of new friends along the way. In hindsight, we think it's better Shelley missed this leg because she would have ended up working at one of the refugios for the season.

We have happily reunited with Shelley and are plotting our route north around volcanoes while enjoying the beautiful lake town of Bariloche chock-full of chocolaterias.

Some favorite photos:

Haze from the Epuyen forest fire (no clouds) looking in the opposite direction of the fire.

approx. 2,000 year-old alerce tree

  Sarah talking to the tree, "tree, you've been through so much!"  

My favorite trail food of the moment- mayo. It is WAY better down here. I'd like to note that I used two pieces of bread to eat that- not one. I prefer eating the mayo so its flavor can be realized- I don't mix it into the tuna or hardboiled eggs. And yes, occasionally (as pictured here), I'll eat it with only bread or crackers. 

Golden tan or dirt?

 Our timing for resupplies couldn't have been more perfect... that shirt should be burned!   

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.