HIking Volcan Villarica by Achilles

Volcan Villarica is a force, a presence and a natural marvel.  This massive, perfectly formed volcano dominates the surrounding landscape and the azure skies for miles around.  It registers at an imposing height of 9,341 feet.  The terrain is rock, metal and ice.  Now I am a man of altitude, so I immediately was drawn to its aura and power.  I had heard that a person could hike to the top of the crater within a day by going with a tour company.  So Chris and I asked around and found an outfit called Politur.  For roughly $100 USD you can give it a go.  So I signed up.  The plan was to be at the tour company office by 7:00am on a Monday morning; and with a little good weather, good luck, some determination and God’s blessing a brother was going to see the top of the mountain.  I arrived on time at the office and found myself teamed up with 3 Canadians, 2 Brazilians and 2 Chileans.  Everyone was excited.  The guide explained that the weather was a bit sketchy but we would give it a try.  There was no guarantee that we would make it to the top.  After getting all geared up (crampons, ice picks, helmet) we drove up to the base of the volcano in a bus.  We saw the sunrise with a sea of clouds below us.  We started the ascent.  The first part of the hike was done by ski-lift.  It took an hour off the entire hike (5.5 hours up / 3 hours down).  It was worth the extra $7000 pesos.  When we were about an hour from the summit, a wind and sleet storm erupted.  The visibility went from being to see for miles below us to about 10ft in front of you.  We had to turn around and call it a day.  We were all a bit disappointed but actually glad that the guides were more interested in our safety than trying to make sure their clients reached the top.  When we got back I told the tour manager that I needed to reach the peak so would she give me a discount for a second go on another day?  She agreed. 

A week or so later on March 12^th I tried to summit for the second time.  This time there were 2 Russians, 2 Germans and 1 Chilean.  I made friends with the Chilean.  The day was gorgeous.  We made it to the top.  The view from the top and the sensation of being at the top of an active volcano are difficult to explain.  There is a great quote by Walt Whitman that says, “I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world.”  My original plan was to YAWP from the top of the volcano once I reached the crater.  However, I decided not to YAWP out of respect for the volcano once I was there.  Why? The winds were coming in 30 mph gusts, the volcano was smoking and belching brimstone, the ice was slippery and I remembered that Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes. The volcano is also known as Rucapillán, a Mapuche word meaning "House of the Pillán".  Now I don’t know who this Pillán fellow is or was but he must be no joke to live there.  And the more I started to think about it I began to understand where the legends of dragons came from.  You see and smell the smoke and feel the gusty wind.  I would not have been surprised if a dragon came rising out of the crater all green, yellow and angry! 

So I humbly said a prayer, hugged the guide and my newly made friend and thanked the volcano for being hospitable enough to let us ascend without incident.   The trip down was a lot of sliding on the ice (on purpose) and then there was a nice cerveza waiting for us at the tourist office.  Climbing this beautiful volcano was one of the many amazing highlights of my life.  I really feel as if I am connected with Pucon.  Thank you Chris for letting a brother guest Blog!  Gracias.



A brother at the top of Volcan Villarica




Casa del Diablo - Looking into the crater



A 7ft deep Crevasse

Flying

It has always been a dream of mine to fly.  I tried bungee jumping once, but immediately realized that bungee jumping was actually falling and had nothing to do with flying.  I knew there was a bettter way, but I had yet to try it. Sometime during the summer as Elijah and Achilles played in the water I lay on the beach and looking into the sky saw someone paragliding.  Wow!  They were sooooooooo high.  It was so awesome with the mountains of Pucon in the background, the lake below.  I just had to do it. 

A few days later I found a flyer for the crew that offered parapenting on Lake Villarica.  It wasn't paragliding only, it was actually parapenting.  You start on the beach, hooked into your parachute (with a guide behind you) and a rope in front of you which is hooked to a motor boat.  You begin to run, the boat takes off from the shore and propels you up into the air.  Once you reach a certain height, the boat releases you from the line and away you go. 

I evetually got around to calling and fortunately just in time as that exact next day was their last day of the season.  If the weather holds, he told me, we will fly.  When I told Achilles and Elijah about it they wanted to go too.  I got to go first, since it was my dream, Elijah went second and Achilles followed.  It is the best thing I have ever done.  I LOVED IT!  I felt so free, so light, so happy.  It wasn't falling at all, it was really flying.  And it was wonderful!  The view was spectacular.  We went up 500 meters (more than 1500 feet) and stayed up somewhere around 10 minutes. The lake below was deep green.  As soon as I came down I wanted to go again.  Once I was up it wasn't at all scary, but I still can't believe that Elijah did it too.  He amazed me.  And not surprisingly my hawk boy loved it as well.  He told his grandma that for their special 10 trip together he wants to do it with her.  (Ready Grandma?) 

I can close my eyes right now and still feel the ecstasy of it. It is something I will never forget. We all agreed it was a good thing it was the last day of the season because I would have gone back time and time again and spent all our money on parapenting! 





Geting ready to fly















That's my boy up there! Can you believe how high he is?



Sunny Days

The weather in Pucon is similar to what I imagine it to be like in parts of Washington State.  The summer, which here is January and February, is lovely; warm sunny days, sometimes even hot.  But everyone here will warn you that come winter, which in Pucon begins on March 1 (corresponding to the end of the tourist season) it rains A LOT.  Day after day it rains. And not just drizzle.  Big rain.  For days on end.   And cold.  Oh so cold they tell us. 
So, all through March we keep thinking that any day now the weather is going to change and the rain is going to start.  So each day when we wake up and the weather is lovely, we feel compelled to go out into the world and have an adventure.  Because somehow in the back of our minds we know the sunny days are numbered.  We must take advantage we think to ourselves.  Hence, today I will share some of our sunny day adventures. 



Achilles and Elijah playing on the big blow up toys at the beach





The water is cold!  But no crowds today!




Looking down on Pucon from above the city at the monastery




Picnic with our friend Jose Antonio before hiking to Salto Claro





This is just the bottom half of this amazing waterfall!

It's not that I don't believe them.  I know it is someday going to rain, but so far we adore the winter. It is nearly the end of March and the days have all been gorgeous. 

Smaller waterfall at El Cerduo



All the crowds are gone.  There are no parking fees to pay, the beach is ours alone, the town melllow and lovely.  And so many many adventures to be had!

Chilean hospitality

Rosita is a friend of a lovely Chilean woman that we met once while at our favorite get-a-way in the desert.  She lives in Pucon and last year when we considered coming here I contacted her and through email she helped me with many questions I had.  She was so helpful and I looked forward to meeting her once we eventually got settled.  Tonight we finally met.  Coincidentally she lives off the same street, El Camino al Volcan, as we do.  We shared a meal at her home where she lives with her husband Willie.  It turns out that Willie is a world class musician.  He has won numerous awards both for folkloric music as well as modern.  He even wrote the anthem for the Chilean army which they use to this day.  At the end of the evening Achilles asked if he wouldn’t mind playing us a song on his guitar.  What ensued was enchanting.  He played several instrumental songs which were hauntingly beautiful.  He then sang an original composition about Pucon which left me with tears in my eyes. 

Again we can barely believe what extraordinary people and events have come our way in this short month.   I believe that we have met so many amazing people here because they are people who have chosen to make Pucon their home.  They have a connection to this special place and have chosen to make their lives here on purpose.  There is a reciprocity.  The volcano, the lake, the stunning natural beauty, the tranquility make for an exceptional place and the place in turn truly draws exceptional people.  How lucky are we to get to be part of that!



Sharing a meal with Willie and Rosita at their home




On the roof right outside our bedroom window!  What a view!



Blueberry Farm

I bet you have seen the pictures in Sunset magazine of a dinner party at a farm.  You know the ones, usually it looks like Napa Valley.  The big wooden table, beautifully laid with fresh delicious food in the middle of the fields. It is always just about sunset, the last rays of sun creating that perfect atmosphere, just making you wish you were there.  Well, today, we were there!  It wasn’t Napa, but it could have been. We got invited, by our neighbors, Judyth and Bob to a farm dinner on a real blueberry farm.  The farm is near Villarica about 45 minutes from Pucon, 10 km down a dirt road.  After wondering several times if we had missed a turn, we finally came to the sign that announced Fondo Tres V.  We parked our little Hyundai near the other cars and walked into Sunset magazine.  We passed row after row of blueberry bushes, lavender finishing off each line.  Up in the distance were the long wooden tables.  A lavish potluck and many interesting guests rounded out the evening.  After several desserts, Elijah and I politely excused ourselves and went, you guessed it, blueberry picking.  It is much easier than blackberry picking!  No thorns, you actually “milk” the blueberry bushes and the berries just come off easily and fall into the waiting tray.  We got a huge tray of sweet fat blueberries and a nice big bag of tart blueberries.  Now we get to make… blueberry kuchen, blueberry jam, smoothies, cobbler, juice, well, the possibilities are endless!

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