You all have no idea but you are in for an insane blogpost today. Why? Well, yesterday definitely made the top 10 list of craziest days of my life. Yes, I climbed Volcán Villarrica and lived to tell about it. Maybe that doesn´t seem like a big deal to you but perhaps a little background information might change your mind...
First of all, this volcano is one of Chile´s most active volcanoes and has an active lava lake within its crater. Furthermore, this bad boy rises 2840ish meters about sea level. It´s high and steeeeeeep. And from the get-go of my planing this trip down to the south, I have had it in my mind to climb it. It just sounded like a cool thing to do, you know, climb a volcano and all. Well, I really had NO idea what I was getting myself into, which was probably a good thing, otherwise I might have chickened out. Anyways, costing about $70 US dollars, climbing Volcán Villarrica is no walk in the park. In fact, you have to get suited up for this journey. What does suited up mean? Well, suited up includes boots with cramp-ons, snow pants, windbreaker, two pairs of gloves, helmet, AND an ice pick. And that´s just what´s provided in the $70... The fact that cramp-ons and an ice pick were included in this trek should have been the red flags that this is like nothing I have ever done.
Anyways, let´s get to the details. A group of us from the hostel in Pucón decided to take the first hike of the day, which leaves at 4am. With this trek you don´t have to worry about a TON of people climbing up and down the mountain AND you get the see the sunrise. So why not? Well, the only downside is not being able to take the chairlift which cuts about about an hour of the hike and might I add it is one of the hardest hours. But in our minds, climbing up the ENTIRE thing sounded the most hardcore. We didn´t want to wimp out and take the chairlift. Haha. Well, the ENTIRE thing includes 1400 meters of steep rock, ice, and snow.
Starting off at 4am, we drive to the base of the volcano and immediately begin to climb. It is cold and dark and I couldn´t see a thing. A few of the people in our group had headlamps, which helped, but it was still almost pitch black minus the extraordinary twinkle of the stars. However, even the stars couldn´t numb the pain of climbing up that first hour in the dark. Luckily, there was the nicest guy from Israel who had my back and kept encouraging me through the first hour or I might not have made it past the end of the chairlift!
Okay, so we get up to where the chairlift ends, take a quick break, and then are back at it. The second and third hour we mostly walked on volcanic rock. It wasn´t until the fourth hour or so that we made a pit-stop to put on our cramp-ons and grab our ice picks. Then the real fun began. Steep. Steep. Steep. Pure sheets of snow and ice. Honestly, I was horrified that I was going to slip, even with the cramp-ons and slide to my death! It was insane. I cannot even begin to explain how hardcore this was, especially for me who is not a big-time hiker and have definitely never worn cramp-ons or wielded an ice pick before. If it wasn´t for our amazing guides (shout out to Richard!!) I probably would not have made it up or down that volcano.
Five to six hours, that´s how long it took us to get up to the top. And when I did, I was so overjoyed I wanted to cry. And I´m not exaggerating. I was SO happy to be at the top. To have made it. To have achieved it. There were points on that volcano where I wanted to scream, give up, or be anywhere but on the side of that volcano. But when we got to the top... Well, I´d like to say that at that point I thought to myself how worth it that painful five hour hike was... but I can´t. My first thought was no one could EVER pay me enough money to do that again... EVER. (And just think about our guides who do it everday. Richard alone has climbed it over 450 times.) Then my second thought was how the heck am I going to get down without breaking my neck?!
About the whole getting down part, we were told that once we climb to the top we will be sliding-sledding down the volcano. Well as we are climbing up snow and ice, steep snow and ice, I am thinking to myself if they think I am going to slide down this steep volcano on my butt they have another thing coming! if i don´t die getting to the top, I will surely die on the way down! However, to my joyful surprise, there are canals, or little paths on the way down this volcano for us to slide in! So we get out our mini-sled-thingy, using our ice pick as our break we start sliding down the volcano. And what took us five to six hours to climb took us an hour, hour and a half, to slid down. It was amazing. I really got some speed! (And yes, I definitely was making some car noises vroom vroom on the way down!) By the time we are at the bottom I have never been happier or full of joy or just plain ecstatic! Thus, perhaps I can compare this volcano-climbing experience a little bit to childbirth (yes, I know, I haven´t actually experienced that yet but hear me out). So I have heard that childbirth can be one of the most painful experiences ever (I can´t even begin to imagine). However, after birth, I´ve heard that a woman´s body releases a hormone or something that helps her forget the pain of childbirth so she will want to have another baby, biologically-speaking. So when she is holding this little life in her arms afterwards, she forgets about the pain and might, just maybe, do it again someday. Well, that´s how I felt about the volcano. While in the midst of climbing this thing, I just want to scream it hurts so terribly. And the whole time I am thinking I will NEVER do this again. However, then I have done it and then I am sliding down this amazingly steep volcano (best sledding of my life) and I am completely overjoyed and proud and I feel so achieved and tough! And just for a second, I think perhaps I would do this again... if only to experience the joy of sliding down this volcano after having done one of the most physically challenging things of my life.
However, after waking up today with weak and sore muscles beyond belief... someone would really have to talk me into climbing that thing again! Luckily, yesterday after the climb, the group of us hit the hot springs just outside of Pucón in hopes of soothing our muscles a bit. And as relaxing as it was, I am still sore as ever this morning. Even still, I am so happy I climbed the volcano..
Yes, I climbed Volcán Villarrica... and lived to tell about it. :)
Until next time... (Valdivia is next!)
¡Ciao!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Pucón: ¿Para siempre?
Hi everyone!
I feel like I really don´t have that much to update you all on yet but at the same time, I have so much to update you all on!
Okay, so Thursday night as I was getting ready to leave Santiago, I was getting pretty nervous and anxious. My mind was being flooded with thoughts of bus trips gone bad, horrible weather, stolen luggage etc. It was ridiculous how nervous I was... God has always taken care of me in my travels, why would this trip be any different? But still I couldn´t rid myself of horrible images of me stranded on a glacier somewhere... Silly me, silly, silly me. Once I got on the overnight bus to Pucón, my first stop, I popped in a sleeping pill and my earplugs and was out like a light. And when I awoke, the bus was arriving in Pucón... Finding my hostel was as easy as 1, 2, 3. I exited the bus station and there it was, all cute and happy. Being as early as it was, my room wasn´t ready but the nice chica at the desk, Nea, offered me some coffee (what a saint!) and we got to talking and within 10 minutes, Hostel Refugio felt like home. Home it was indeed, especially with Negra, the black lab, that inhabits the place as well. Perhaps I´ll stay in Pucón forever? I mean, there is a dog...
Okay, but maybe I´ll stay in Pucón forever because it is absolutely breathtaking. It is a cute little town, very vacation-y. All the buildings around the center look like cabins and little resorts... lots of wood and trees. So quaint! And don´t even get me started with the beautiful lake! Oh my goodness... it is a little bit of paradise here. My host family wasn´t joking when they told me Pucón is where all the rich from Santiago go to vacation. I can definitely tell from the restaurants and stores and cabins that most of the vacationers here have some moo-lah. As I was walking the streets of Pucón on the first day, I couldn´t help but miss my family. I keep thinking how much they would LOVE it here. Maybe if I´m lucky, I´ll be able to take them here one day. It is amazing.
Anyways, on my first day here, I already made a TON of friends at the hostel, you know, fellow backpackers like me. A German fellow and I even went ziplining, or canopying as it is called in Pucón, Friday afternoon. Beautiful views and a little bit of thrill. Also, a big group of us from the hostel signed up for the volcano trek tomorrow (Sunday) starting at 4 AM. Yes, 4 AM!!! I may be a little bit crazy... we will see after tomorrow... Yikes! So that is kinda the big to-do here in Pucón. (Yes, I did fail to mention that opposite the beautiful lake is the beautiful Volcano Villarica... paradise absolutely!) Okay, so today being Saturday I had plans to go canyoning, which is repeling down waterfalls. However, the weather was crappy in the morning so they canceled the first trek and then there wasn´t enough people to do the second... I was a little bummed out but everything happens for a reason. Plus I saved fifty bucks! AND it was probably a good thing I had the afternoon free otherwise I wouldn´t have had the chance to go get my haircut, which was wayyyyy overdue. I walked into one peluqueria but wasn´t impressed by the way the lady greeted me, probably because I was gringa. She just wasn´t very nice... So I kept walking around and it´s a good thing because I met Jorge, the owner of a cute little hair salon near my hostel. He was so friendly and cheerful and even gave me the name and number of his friend who lives in Punta Arenas, my final stop in my journey. People in the south really are friendly!! Also, he did a stand-up job on just trimming my ends (I had heard from people in Santiago that sometimes hairstylists just go their own way and end up taking off INCHES!) But Jorge did a wonderful job and now I feel so much better. I know it´s silly that a haircut can do that but it can!
Okay, I´m rambling now but I just wanted to give ya´ll a quick update on Pucón. The real update will come in a few days after I have recovered from hiking up a volcano. I won´t lie, I´m a little nervous. I hear it is super tiring and tough but totally worth it. Tonight I go get fitted for my special shoes with the clamp-thingys on the end. They definitely suit you up for this thing with a helmet, snowpants, snowjacket, special shoes etc. Oh, the plus-side of hiking up this volcano is that on the way down (after 5 hours of hiking) we get to SLED down it!!! Whoa!!! Yes, there is snow... It´s pretty high up there. Anyways, wish me luck!
¡Ciao!
Sarah
PS Maybe instead of wishing me luck, say a little prayer... I mean, they did afterall make me sign a waver including my insurance information as well as my blood type (I´m O+ btw)... Oh yeah, the volcano is active too so pray that it doesn´t decide to explode tomorrow!! :)
I feel like I really don´t have that much to update you all on yet but at the same time, I have so much to update you all on!
Okay, so Thursday night as I was getting ready to leave Santiago, I was getting pretty nervous and anxious. My mind was being flooded with thoughts of bus trips gone bad, horrible weather, stolen luggage etc. It was ridiculous how nervous I was... God has always taken care of me in my travels, why would this trip be any different? But still I couldn´t rid myself of horrible images of me stranded on a glacier somewhere... Silly me, silly, silly me. Once I got on the overnight bus to Pucón, my first stop, I popped in a sleeping pill and my earplugs and was out like a light. And when I awoke, the bus was arriving in Pucón... Finding my hostel was as easy as 1, 2, 3. I exited the bus station and there it was, all cute and happy. Being as early as it was, my room wasn´t ready but the nice chica at the desk, Nea, offered me some coffee (what a saint!) and we got to talking and within 10 minutes, Hostel Refugio felt like home. Home it was indeed, especially with Negra, the black lab, that inhabits the place as well. Perhaps I´ll stay in Pucón forever? I mean, there is a dog...
Okay, but maybe I´ll stay in Pucón forever because it is absolutely breathtaking. It is a cute little town, very vacation-y. All the buildings around the center look like cabins and little resorts... lots of wood and trees. So quaint! And don´t even get me started with the beautiful lake! Oh my goodness... it is a little bit of paradise here. My host family wasn´t joking when they told me Pucón is where all the rich from Santiago go to vacation. I can definitely tell from the restaurants and stores and cabins that most of the vacationers here have some moo-lah. As I was walking the streets of Pucón on the first day, I couldn´t help but miss my family. I keep thinking how much they would LOVE it here. Maybe if I´m lucky, I´ll be able to take them here one day. It is amazing.
Anyways, on my first day here, I already made a TON of friends at the hostel, you know, fellow backpackers like me. A German fellow and I even went ziplining, or canopying as it is called in Pucón, Friday afternoon. Beautiful views and a little bit of thrill. Also, a big group of us from the hostel signed up for the volcano trek tomorrow (Sunday) starting at 4 AM. Yes, 4 AM!!! I may be a little bit crazy... we will see after tomorrow... Yikes! So that is kinda the big to-do here in Pucón. (Yes, I did fail to mention that opposite the beautiful lake is the beautiful Volcano Villarica... paradise absolutely!) Okay, so today being Saturday I had plans to go canyoning, which is repeling down waterfalls. However, the weather was crappy in the morning so they canceled the first trek and then there wasn´t enough people to do the second... I was a little bummed out but everything happens for a reason. Plus I saved fifty bucks! AND it was probably a good thing I had the afternoon free otherwise I wouldn´t have had the chance to go get my haircut, which was wayyyyy overdue. I walked into one peluqueria but wasn´t impressed by the way the lady greeted me, probably because I was gringa. She just wasn´t very nice... So I kept walking around and it´s a good thing because I met Jorge, the owner of a cute little hair salon near my hostel. He was so friendly and cheerful and even gave me the name and number of his friend who lives in Punta Arenas, my final stop in my journey. People in the south really are friendly!! Also, he did a stand-up job on just trimming my ends (I had heard from people in Santiago that sometimes hairstylists just go their own way and end up taking off INCHES!) But Jorge did a wonderful job and now I feel so much better. I know it´s silly that a haircut can do that but it can!
Okay, I´m rambling now but I just wanted to give ya´ll a quick update on Pucón. The real update will come in a few days after I have recovered from hiking up a volcano. I won´t lie, I´m a little nervous. I hear it is super tiring and tough but totally worth it. Tonight I go get fitted for my special shoes with the clamp-thingys on the end. They definitely suit you up for this thing with a helmet, snowpants, snowjacket, special shoes etc. Oh, the plus-side of hiking up this volcano is that on the way down (after 5 hours of hiking) we get to SLED down it!!! Whoa!!! Yes, there is snow... It´s pretty high up there. Anyways, wish me luck!
¡Ciao!
Sarah
PS Maybe instead of wishing me luck, say a little prayer... I mean, they did afterall make me sign a waver including my insurance information as well as my blood type (I´m O+ btw)... Oh yeah, the volcano is active too so pray that it doesn´t decide to explode tomorrow!! :)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hangin´ Ten in piCHILEmu
Hi everyone!
I promised I would keep ya´ll updated after every place I visit during my trek down to Patagonia. Well, here goes post number one since I just returned from Pichilemu, Chile where I tried my best to learn how to surf. Yes, surf. And let me tell you, surfing is NOT easy. All in all, I think I stood up maybe three times and not for very long, that´s for sure! However, even though I was horrible (can you blame me? it was, afterall, my first lesson), I can see why people easily become addicted to the extreme sport. It was incredibly fun and relaxing. Just being out there in the water was great. A few times after I fell off I would just chill on my board, riding the waves in... It was great!
Pichilemu as a whole was a fun time too. There was plenty of beach-side shops and food stands. I bought fresh ceviche for less than two US dollars. Fantastic! After my first (and last) surf lesson, Gaby and I laid on the beach. Then we switched beaches and laid on the beach some more. Both of us got a little too much sun but it was more than relaxing. One afternoon we took a collectivo out to Punta de Lobos, which is where all the insane surfing and surf competitions happen. Out at Punta de Lobos is also where all the crazy waves are too. I think if I would have tried to learn how to surf out there I might not have made it back... But definitely worth a trip out there to check it out and to sit on the beach and watch all these awesome surfers do their thing. Very impressive.
Anyways, not too much to say about Pichilemu other than it was fun and relaxing... Now I have about six hours or so before I hop on my overnight bus to Pucón, my first stop on my trek down to the ¨End of the World¨ (i.e. Patagonia). I am nervous and excited! It will definitely be twenty-three days of pure adventure! I packed as light as I could - only seven shirts, one pair of shorts, yoga pants, leggings, jeans, and two pairs of shoes. If any of you all know me, you´ll know that that is some light packing for me... :)
Anyways I better get going! Until Pucón...
¡Ciao!
I promised I would keep ya´ll updated after every place I visit during my trek down to Patagonia. Well, here goes post number one since I just returned from Pichilemu, Chile where I tried my best to learn how to surf. Yes, surf. And let me tell you, surfing is NOT easy. All in all, I think I stood up maybe three times and not for very long, that´s for sure! However, even though I was horrible (can you blame me? it was, afterall, my first lesson), I can see why people easily become addicted to the extreme sport. It was incredibly fun and relaxing. Just being out there in the water was great. A few times after I fell off I would just chill on my board, riding the waves in... It was great!
Pichilemu as a whole was a fun time too. There was plenty of beach-side shops and food stands. I bought fresh ceviche for less than two US dollars. Fantastic! After my first (and last) surf lesson, Gaby and I laid on the beach. Then we switched beaches and laid on the beach some more. Both of us got a little too much sun but it was more than relaxing. One afternoon we took a collectivo out to Punta de Lobos, which is where all the insane surfing and surf competitions happen. Out at Punta de Lobos is also where all the crazy waves are too. I think if I would have tried to learn how to surf out there I might not have made it back... But definitely worth a trip out there to check it out and to sit on the beach and watch all these awesome surfers do their thing. Very impressive.
Anyways, not too much to say about Pichilemu other than it was fun and relaxing... Now I have about six hours or so before I hop on my overnight bus to Pucón, my first stop on my trek down to the ¨End of the World¨ (i.e. Patagonia). I am nervous and excited! It will definitely be twenty-three days of pure adventure! I packed as light as I could - only seven shirts, one pair of shorts, yoga pants, leggings, jeans, and two pairs of shoes. If any of you all know me, you´ll know that that is some light packing for me... :)
Anyways I better get going! Until Pucón...
¡Ciao!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)