Climbing Volcano in Pucon, Chile
Pucón’s fame can be boiled down to three things: the lake, the volcano and its easy access to every kind of outdoor sport imaginable. How often do you come across a small town smack in between a divinely blue lake and a perfectly conical volcano? Just to add to this its possible to even climb the Villicira volcano. I signed up with one of the plethora of tour agencies in Pucón and spent the evening gazing from the front window of my hostel at the white slopes as they altered their shade in response to the setting sun, with a lasting image of pastel pink snow lingering in my mind as I tucked in for an early night.
6:00am – alarm. 6:30am – hungover at the tour agency with bleary eyes, pulling on my hiking boots. 7:00am – crammed into a minibus, awaiting the four late-comers to be handed their equipment and fitted out. 7:15am – dozing with my head banging against the window of the minibus
7:30am – everyone is asked to alight from the minibus, as we had sustained a puncture in the middle of the national park. Problematic. A few other minibuses drove past, with their passengers looking on with sleepy smiles at our misfortune.
The climb itself is a must do, but not easy. Before our ascent we were warned to take the ski lift up part of the way with another 4 hour climb up the remaining way to the summit. After weeks of treking I consider it a good idea. After the lift we don our ice picks, snow gear and layers upon layers of suncream. The ascent up isn’t overly difficult, as I ditch one slow moving group to another super trekkers group. Three of them Irish from Kerry (the kingdom, the place of kings) and a small wolf pack of complaining Israeli. Great fun was had trying to teach the Israelis some Irish or Gaelish as they called it. Póg mó hon, ‘Hows yer mother for spuds?’ and the like.
The top of the volcano is a narrow rim of about 300 metres diameter. Looking down into the crater one can see lots of smoke belching upward so its hard to spot the bottom. The smell of sulphur dioxide gas catches me unexpectedly making me feel like someone has their fingers around my throat and filling my lungs with diseases. I gasp involuntarily, both from the shock of the bone-snappingly cold wind of these high Andean plains and the sight of the volcanic crater that drops dramatically away beneath my feet.
Loud hissing and roaring noises are a reminder that volcano is very much still alive and puffing. The lava rocks are coloured ochre, red, yellow and green making it a colourful place. At the top, piles of snow and the warm rocks are surprisingly close together as they battle for thermal supremacy.
So after a half an hour at the summit it’s time to go back down. But hey. Why walk when you can slide? In our backpacks we have a little ass sled, ass protection nappies and an ice pick to control yourself from sliding straight into lava rocks.
Another day I make a first attempt at horse riding. The trails lead through the Mapuche Indian community of Quelhue along the Trancurra river with my horse Hidalgo. He’s the boss of the ranch and won’t let anyone stand in his way. My time is spent preventing him from biting the other horses, or galloping too fast and wandering away from the group. But we were getting along most of the day just fine. We manage some steep ascents and descents over huge rocks and even through rapid rivers. After a lunch break his temperament changes dramatically. Perhaps he sees me try to get on top of a different horse by mistake. Its now when he really starts acting up, refusing to do what I need, and being a real pain in the ass (LITERALLY I have bruises to prove it)
Who knew sittin on your ass all day could hurt so much? At one point he drives me into a fence, cutting open a gash on my knee, and then continues to race fast through the forest where the trees branches repeatedly smack my face…
Perhaps I’ll have more luck mountainbiking to the Ojos de Caburga (a set of out of this world waterfalls that meet in a cool blue lagoon). Myself and a super fit Dutch girl take to the dirt tracks to discover these hidden gems. We arrive at a small village and park up our bikes at a nearby farm. Upon discovering these awesome falls, we immediatly strip off and jump into the lagoon (its 30 degrees outside with no clouds or wind). But after an ice ice cold swim (you can feel your heart defrosting when you get out) its time to keep moving. I return to my bike to find its got a flat tyre! Hurrah. Just my luck.
We´re 20km from the nearest town and we try going to the secluded farm to ask for a bike pump (using our best charades skills for a bicycle pump). I flag down a truck with an open back and we drift off to the main road where we manage to catch a bus back to the town.
Pucon is an amazing place, its just unfortunate that the everlasting threat of being burnt alive in lava with the volcano lurking over the town. (every day at 12 a huge alarm bell rings in the town to test it for evacuations! Quite terrifying the first time you hear it, and start to dart towards the nearest exit.)
