Chilean pesos
Pucón's attraction lies in its outdoor activities, so when the weather on Sunday and Monday was subpar, we had limited options for what to do. On Sunday, we spent the majority of our time at a local bar, where the owner was willing to tune the television into American football. That evening, we did some calculations about where we still wanted to travel and estimated how much time our itinerary required. Ultimately, we concluded we did not have enough time to get everywhere we wanted to go before our departure date. So we decided to call American Airlines and added three more weeks onto our trip; we were both well aware we had caught the travel bug, and did little to curb the hold it had on us. After all, we know that taking an extended trip like this is a rare opportunity, and it would feel foolish not to take advantage of it.
Anyway, the following day, it was once again cold and gray outside. As a result, we had another low-key day. We cooked up a large Mexican lunch in our hostel, and in the afternoon, went to get Dan's fifth and final! rabies shot. It was an exciting moment because it meant we would no longer have to hunt down hospitals throughout South America (he has gotten a shot in every single country we have traveled through thus far).
After returning from the hospital, we booked activities for that evening and the following day. We would be going to some hot springs that night, which we learned were created by the heat of Pucón's volcano. More about the volcano in a moment...
That evening, we took a van to the hot springs, a location with 6 pools that had water of varying temperatures. We spent the majority of our time sitting in the hottest pool, enjoying its naturally-produced warmth and the stars overhead. It was a relaxing activity, and after a few hours of lounging in the hot springs, it was time to return back to our hostel. We were due to leave Pucón the following evening, so we packed up our belongings and made sure to set out clothing for the next day.
Which brings me to our plans for the next day, and the real reason why Pucón was a stop on our journey: the Villarrica Volcano. At some point in our travels, we had heard that it was possible to hike up Pucón's volcano, which we both instantly found enticing. However, we also learned that it was only possible to make it to the peak if the weather was perfectly clear; hence, our inactivity during the days prior. Then, on Monday, one of the hostel worker's informed us that the following day looked like it finally be clear. We immediately signed up for the trek with only a loose understanding of what lay ahead.
At 6:30 on Tuesday morning, we went into the common area of our hostel, the designated meeting spot for our trekking group. Dan and I wore three top layers apiece and had our lunches and water stowed in backpacks. Dan had agreed to hold the majority of the supplies because I did not think it would do anyone any good to make this journey hard than it already promised to be. As the group gathered together, the leaders began to hand out some trekking backpacks...so much for my plan of not adding to my load. The bags were about 10 pounds apiece and contained ski pants and a ski jacket, a helmet, gloves and other gear. We put on the outer layer and added food and water to our bags.
As I looked around the room at our adventure group, I did some quick adding: 17 guys and 3 females. I won't pretend I didn't find this slightly unnerving and intimidating, but it also wasn't about to slow me down. Our crew divided into two vans and took a 30 minute ride to the base of the 2,800 meter volcano. There, we learned there was no guarantee we would get to the top because we were subject to the weather. Though the forecast looked promising, Thick clouds could cut our journey short and force us to climb back down without ever reaching the top. We later learned this was the first nice day in over two weeks, and some people had recently hung around Pucón for over a week without ever getting the chance to climb the volcano.
We got to the base around 9am and began our ascent. The volcano was completely covered in snow. That element, along with the fact that we would be lugging our large backpacks, did nothing to ease my anticipation about the climb. As we gathered together before the journey, the leaders gave us the choice to cut an hour off the trek by taking a chairlift up the first leg of the trip. A few people opted in, but Dan and I declined. The remaining 16 of us then took off on the most grueling hike of my life.
The beginning of the walk was flat, but after a half hour the uphill trek began. At that point, we we're instructed to walk in a single-file line, zig-zagging our way up the volcano to make the climb easier.
We had been given ice axes and as the hike got steeper, began using them as walking sticks, digging them into snow to help us maintain our balance. Throughout the hike, the weather and our body temperatures were continuously in flux, so we were constantly taking off and putting on layers. At times I donned a zip up and two jackets, and at other points I was hiking in only my tank top.
We stopped every hour to rest, refuel, and take in the views. It was a perfect day, and the few clouds that were present only enhanced the skyline. At one point, we took a break beside the mouth of a former ski lift, which was all that remained after the rest of the lift was swallowed by an eruption in the 70s. This only made me more eager to arrive at the mouth of the volcano; after all, at this point its smoke was in full view, a clear invitation to meet it at the top.
Halfway there and already above the clouds
Eventually, we were only 300 meters from the top! By this point, my legs were sufficiently burning and the volcano was almost entirely covered in ice. Our group paused on the slope of the volcano to take out helmets and crampons (ice shoes) from our backpack, which the guides helped us put on. By this time, a handful of our group members had fallen back to a slower pace with a few guides, and as I looked around at our shrunken group, I noticed it was just me and the boys.
At this point, the incline had steepened to a near vertical angle and I knew I would have to dig deep for the remainder of the hike. I forced myself to just think about one step at a time, and for some reason, had Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" on repeat in my head, which helped push me along. The last twenty minutes were by far the most strenuous part of the entire climb, and it took every last bit of energy to push myself forward. Then finally, after five long hours, we had made it to the top!
View from the top
It was such an incredibly rewarding feeling to get to the peak. The sensation was heightened by our ability to look into the volcano's mouth and see the smoke flowing out. We ate some food and rested with the volcano as our backdrop and a beautiful landscape ahead. Then, after walking halfway around the peak, it was time to head back down. The first 45 minutes of our descent passed in a similar fashion as the way up. This time, though, we had to dig our crampons in a little deeper to ensure we wouldn't fall forward on the frighteningly steep slope. A few people did fall down during this part of the journey, but the guides urgently instructed them to their feet so they would not slide farther down the ice.
Finally, when the icy parts were behind us, we got to put away our crampons and take out a "bum guard" and "bum sled." We clasped the guard around our waists and then tied the sled (which looked like an enlarged bendable pan) to our backpacks. At that point, we were able to slide our way down the remainder of the volcano, using the heels of our boots and our ice axes to steer us. At some points of the descent, our backsides were hurting quite a bit. But at the points where the surface was smoothest, it made for a very fun ride to the bottom.
By 6 o'clock, we were back in our hostel and pleasantly drained from the events of the day. We took much needed showers and then went into town for a well-deserved meal. Once we finished dinner, we went back to our hostel to get our belongings. Then, we headed to the bus terminal to get on a 10-hour night bus to Santiago. It may not have been that wise to take a long bus ride right after such a strenuous journey. However within minutes, exhaustion from they day's adventure took hold, and I was fast asleep.
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