Desert Solitude

Quite often, the desert can be a difficult thing to appreciate. It can bake you to the core; there are nasty dust storms; it is full of spiders, snakes and scorpions; there are more thorny, poky plants than imaginable; water sources are scarce; the barren, desolate landscape makes you vulnerable. However, despite all these hardships, the desert country we traveled through the past week left us in awe of it's imposing mountains and raw, untamed beauty.

the vastness of the desert 

that is some seriously dry earth - kind of resembles our desert-dry skin! 

feeling ruggedly alive at this moment

We were introduced to the harsh climate of the Argentine desert the day we traveled to Caviahue. After unsuccessfully hitch hiking for two hours in the middle of stinking nowhere, we ended up hitch hiking for an additional hour or so through an eye-blinding, skin-lashing dust storm. We had dust in places one should never have dust. Eventually, we arrived in Caviahue...at 3am and at the start of a 36-hour chilly rain spell. When it finally rains in the desert, it rains with force. We spent our "rest" day avoiding the rain and planning our route north to Chos Malal. The next day the clouds parted and rain cleared as we headed to the awkward, random little village of Copahue. There is an actual hiking trail as well as a road connecting the two towns, but we thought, hey, why not take the more direct route and just go up and over the mountain? Because, as we later learned, the thorn filled bushes are so dense your legs will be bleeding and it will take you just as long to hike 10kms as 20kms. Check - good to know.

worst hitch hiking experience ever - so much dust! 

Trin celebrating as we were breaking our way through to a small clearing 

From Copahue (we originally planned to spend the night but upon arrival quickly decided to camp a few kilometers outside of town) we found a horse trail and followed it up and over a pass where it vanished into a pasture and hidden-mud-filled bowl. We meandered through the desert marshes, past tierra built puestos (huts) and down into appropriately named Valle Aurora (Sunset Valley). While hiking on a dirt road through the expansive and stunning valley, a man in a Jeep Wrangler stopped and chatted us up for a bit. It turned out that his name was Don Carlos (or Nuno), and he was the "owner of all this land" - needless to say, it was a LOT of land. He set us up for the night in a partially constructed house further down the road. We were greeted at the site by three generous workers who immediately offered us mate, torta frita, and dinner, which was greatly appreciated after a long day of sloshing-esque bushwhacking.

Shelley figuring out the best spot to cross the mallin 

pasture land leading down into Valle Aurora 

Our next stop along the way was Estancia Ranquilco. It is a 100,000 acre ranch owned by an American, Ashley Carrithers. We had prearranged this stop while in Junin de los Andes through our scientist, Peter, as he and Ashley are acquaintances who met here in Argentina about 30 years ago. Everyone at Ranquilco was extremely generous and welcoming to "the walkers", as we were known as there. We ate mouth-watering meals, swam in the cliff-graced swimming hole, enjoyed the company of wonderful people, drank superb wine, and generally had a relaxing and hospitable stay. We enjoyed our time so much that on our departure day we lingered until 6:30pm when we decided we should finally get back on the trail.

relaxing on the porch of the "Casa Grande" at Ranquilco while
visiting with new friends

the view of Ranquilco as we were leaving 

From Ranquilco we trekked through the cliffed-out Rio Trocoman and onto the vast, desolate, windy desert mountains, eventually making our way to the town of El Cholar. We stopped in at the Gendarmeria (ranger/sheriff/border patrol of Argentina) to inquire about camping and to see if a seed/nut we had picked from one of the poky bushes was edible (it was). While sharing mate and watching a storm brew outside, we were invited to sleep in the extra guest dorm room for the evening. The next morning, due to timing and reappearing colds, we accepted a ride with one of the Gendarms for half the distance to Chos Malal, our destination.  As the car was hugging the curvy and plunging canyon walls, we couldn't help but be incredibly thankful that we were not hiking through this seemingly forbidding and austere landscape. Once the valley opened up and leveled out we started making our way along the deep, muddy river leading to Chos Malal. We trudged through thorns and stickers, climbed up and down rocks, and snaked through five-foot-tall grasses only to realize that we were stuck on the wrong side of the looming, impassible river (deep, wide, muddy, and strong). Damn. Practicing flexibility as usual, we camped on the river bank and hiked 12 very hot and dry kilometers over, down and around to the road (and bridge) the next day.

stunning desert landscapes - makes it look not quite as barren as it can feel 

the sheer canyon walls and muddy river we decided not walk through -
we are so high up that  this photo does not even do the extremeness of it justice 

Entering Chos Malal, we were greeted with another surge of graciousness. Upon recommendation from an employee at Ranquilco, we tracked down the local honey business. Mr. Honey Man, Mirko, gave us the full honey process tour complete with our own huge jar of honey (which we have long devoured). We also were able to stay the night in the washing machine repair shop adjacent to the honey shop (it's a side biz). Mirko and friends didn't stop there - they had a goat asado for us the day we left and sent us off with three massive jars of rich, amber honey. In continuation of the theme of Trinity's previous post, the hospitality we received throughout this leg has been of the utmost generosity and kindness. As much as this trip is about hiking, it is turning more and more into an appreciation and grateful understanding for the people and cultures we encounter along the way.

with Mirko, the honey man! 

After a 13 hour bus ride (made tolerable by sporadic spoonfuls of honey throughout the trip) we have arrived in Mendoza, land of wine. Tomorrow morning, Trinity's sisters, Electra and Sonnet, will be meeting us! We are so looking forward to fresh converstaion, new gear, and good ol' American food - like peanut butter and Clif Builder Bars!!

Highs:

• Continued outstanding hospitality 
• Sleeping inside when it's storming outside 
• Trinity getting her entire lower leg sucked into a mud hole (this may be a lowlight for her, but it was quite entertaining for Shelley and me)
• Goats! They are super cute when they run...and quite delicious to eat
• Playing a lively game of soccer at Ranquilco - it felt SO good to run!!!
• Eating the best honey ever by the spoonfuls - it's like liquid crack 
• Shelley's booty is getting bigger!!! (this is a good thing)  
• Grasshoppers - Shelley thinks they look magical 
• Some people we hitch hiked with gave us two bags of large, juicy, sweet apples!
• Getting the full tour of Ranquilco from Ashley's brilliant 30-year-old-stuck-in-a-9-year-olds-body grandson, Kindcaid. Our tour ended up being the "food" tour as we were shown all the best bushes and trees from which to pick fruit 
• Having hot tea, mate, or coffee in the morning - such a treat!
• The resplendent desert in the late afternoon sunlight - 
• Painting our fingernails - we look so feminine (and it hides the dirt so well)
• Being handed mate first thing in the morning and immediately post-hiking. We need to figure out a way to make the happen more often...
• Seeing chunky little guinea pigs scampering through the desert

Lows:

• Poky, thorny EVERYTHING
•  Mallins (marshes) in the middle of the desert - it's like the muddy water appears out of thin air and laughs as you slosh through it
• Finding out that there are poisonous transparent scorpions in the area. Um, no thank you.
• Creepy, gigantic, yellow and black spiders 
•  Realizing that although we are in great hiking shape, our running shape may have dwindled slightly in the last 5 months
• Copahue - it smelled like sulfur and made you feel oddly uncomfortable
• Not capturing the ultra-splendid sunset in Valle Aurora because the camera battery was dead and the spare was deep in Trinity's backpack
• While in Caviahue, Trinity waited 20 minutes outside in the freezing rain in just her dress and rain coat (laundry day) for the Internet cafe to open up. Note: the hours posted said it would reopen at 4:00pm and she was told by the owner that he would be there at 4 to open it up. Also, the Internet cafe consisted of ONE computer 
• As we were sitting in the Internet cafe calmly writing about our travels, we were sharply brought back to reality as a tag-team attempted to rob me. One guy asked me a question while the other grabbed my purse/bag thing. Shelley was up and after him so quickly, as she recognized the voice from a potentinal try on her. We aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto. 

Volcan Copahue - there is an ultra hot termas
towards the top that creates a massive steam plume

scouting for a campsite outside of Copahue

hiking into Ranquilco 

Rio Trocoman, one of the five times we crossed it 

walking with that desert solemnity

the crew at the Gendarmeria 

small obstacles 

Trinity made a quite successful wind-block for our stove out of petrified cow pies 

almost to Chos Malal...

Southern (Hemisphere) Hospitality

Over the past two weeks we've hiked from jungles practically dripping in green to the erosion-cut landscape of the desert. I'll cover our first green week from lush Huerquehue National Park to Flor del Valle, Chile (sadly our last time in Chile) and Sarah will write in our next blog post about our second dusty week in from volcanic Caviahue, Argentina to Chos Malal, Argentina.

Hiking through Huerquehue (pronounced "where-kay-way") National Park, we found the hiking trails that Los Alerces National Park didn't provide. We were happy to be protected by the cool shade of the tall forest dotted with the exotic-looking araucaria tree. We patiently waited for a fairy to fly by while the park's well-maintained trails led us to white cascades falling down luges of black rock, tranquil lagoons flanked by moss-covered granite cliffs, a peaceful river valley, and ultimately to the relaxing Termas Rio Blanco (hot springs). However, the only thing that ended up flying was the mysterious tailed creature (monito del monte?) that fell onto our tent in the middle of the night - Sarah, in her sleepy semi-conscious state, wound up and THWACK! sent the little guy flying into the night's abyss before snuggling back into her sleeping bag unperturbed.

Looking down on Lago Huerquehue

Araucaria trees

We felt like we were in the congo with bamboo along the trail and rocks jutting up across the valley with araucarias perched along the ridgline.

Sarah hiking through bamboo

From the north end of Huerquehue National Park, we hitched to the tiny town of Reigolil, Chile- although not too small to not have public wifi! Shelley and Sarah were able to briefly check e-mail via their kindles (mine broke) and find out Whitney Houston had died, which led to our repeat renditions of "I Will Always Love You" and "Queen of the Night" the rest of the leg.

Shelley finding the spot with the best wifi signal on her kindle outside the public school in Reigolil, Chile (note herd of sheep).

Since the new year, we've been mostly hiking through the well-trailed and also well-traveled "Lakes District" of Chile and Argentina marked with several beautiful National Parks. As we left Reigolil, we found ourselves back on the road less traveled and couldn't help but feel more at home. Our route unfolded in front of us, each day a new adventure formed by chatting with locals and by sketching trails, dirt roads and landmarks onto our basic, undetailed map. The tiny towns and posts we came across on the rest of this leg do not show up on maps (not even google maps!).

Walking out of town and along the Chile/ Argentina border, we came upon a Carabineros station (ranger/sheriff/border patrol of Chile) where we were invited to camp for the night despite the sign indicating otherwise out front. We joined the five hospitable Carabineros while we cooked our late dinner of Mexican-flavored rice (for the second time this trip, Sarah had to excuse herself to puke from eating rice too fast - it causes a severe esophageal spasm) and they shared several glasses of wine and pisco sour with us- alternating cheers or "salud" to Valentine's Day and Whitney Houston. In the morning, we woke up to a breakfast of eggs, warm homemade bread, tea, and coffee - we didn't hit the trail until 1pm and not without a hefty roll of homemade bread for the road.

Breakfast with the Carabineros

Araucarias up on the hillside

Shelley going under a massive road block

Looking back on the forested mountain we hiked over

After a long day of hiking, we came to a fork in what had turned from a trail and split into two roads - not knowing which road would eventually lead us in the correct direction or dead-end, we found a nearby house and asked directions. The caretaker ended up inviting us into the property- a New Zealander's vacation home- and insisted we stay the night in actual beds with down comforters. Sarah woke up early the following morning (Shelley and I stayed in bed nursing colds) to join the caretaker in milking the cows and cheese-making. We all joined up for a late breakfast of fresh cows milk, made-last-week cheese, hot-off-the-griddle torta frita (like an unsugared donut shaped in a square), preserves, hot tea, and of course mate (a traditional tea drink).

The cheese-making room

Mario milking a cow

We continued on the unimproved dirt road occupied by several large mountain properties of wealthy foreigners. As we lowered into the "town" of Caren, we were unexpectedly delayed by one hour- picking ripe BLACKBERRIES.

Reaching high for the ripe ones!

Our cups overfloweth

So happy for a delicious snack!

With happy bellies and stained fingers, we lowered into the picturesque Flor del Valle (Flower of the Valley). The valley we merely stumbled upon begins with an approximately 200ft free-falling waterfall dropping into the river that calmly meanders through this fertile valley boasting healthy herds of sheep and cows, more blackberries, and fruit-bearing orchards. That day the sun pierced through the sky's multiple shades of blues and grays to set aglow the tall grasses swaying in the breeze. We played tag with a gigantic hawk coasting from fence post to fence post as we walked along the valley's single pewter gray road (volcanic soil). We walked silently deep in thought and happiness for the gifts this day and this journey had bestowed upon us.

Walking through Flor del Valle inadvertently herding sheep

Flor del Valle

Lowlights

• Saw a tarantula relative on the trail. We prefer to ignore the fact that spiders of that size coexist with us while we sleep in our open-floored tarp tent.
• All three of us have been fighting colds on and off for the past two weeks. Not fun far from home and away from a cozy bed and hot cup of tea. Out of Nyquil and we were unable to resupply in the small town of Caviahue.

Feeling under the weather. One tablespoon of "Propoleo" a day keeps the doctor away! Fortuitously stumbled  upon a kiosk, where we first heard of its healing properties, selling it the day my throat started to hurt walking into the park. 

• Shelley has had a rough streak of losing/breaking stuff- left a pair of socks in Pucon, her puffy at the New Zealander's vacation home, broke her Kindle, and snapped her second pair of Smith sunglasses.
• Sarah left one pair of underwear in a shack (this means she only has one pair left).
• I have gaping holes in the armpits of my t-shirt and inch-wide cracks that run the entire width of my shoe. Ready for the Mendoza gear resupply!
• Shelley pointed out, "You know when you wash your car and it rains? It's kinda like taking a shower and then getting caught in a dust storm." We find this occurs frequently when we're able to take advantage of a rare shower along the trail (we created a rule that every time a shower is available we have to take one) - should we simply not shower?

Highlights

• We were made Gossamer Gear's customer of the week! Thank you for your interest in our adventure! 
• Our last night in Pucon we didn't have a place to stay (our hostel was full)... in search for beds in the over-booked spring break destination (late at night after we decided to ignore the problem), I was directed to a hole-in-the-wall empanada vendor who called his friend. The friend came and picked me up to show me his accommodations- the local high school! Yes, we stayed in the high school dorms- with a formal breakfast included served by students! After checking out and subsequently approving our stay on the premises, he drove me to fetch Sarah and Shelley from the old hostel where I called them out to the street from the truck's loudspeaker in English.
• The Carabineros insisted Sarah eat the leftovers from their dinner because she was still hungry, probably because she puked her first dinner up. Later that night, as usual, Sarah talked about food a lot. The following morning in broad sunlight when bodily curves could be seen, the chief told her, "You are not fat like I thought you would be talking about food so much."

• Shelley and I both have difficult names to pronounce in Spanish. We have taken on the pseudonyms "Maria" and "Julia" (pronounced "Hulia"), respectively.
• Nearly five months into our trip, we have been given roofs over our heads and sent off with gifts more times than we can count. When we return to the USA, we hope to bring Southern hospitality into our homes and communities.

Sunset in Huerquehue National Park

I might be becoming a cat lady...... this one inched its way from my leg to on top of my face.

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.