Our bank cards finally arrived in Pichelemu, so we fast-tracked it to Puerto Varas at the northern tip of Patagonia. After an overnight stop in German-influenced Puerto Varas, we caught the bus to Cochamo which circled Llanquihue Lake and Osorno Volcano en route. Five hours later we camped next to Rio Cochamo at US Mike´s Riverside Lodge. Had a short walk to the ice blue river, ate blackberries, picked leaves that smelt like both lime and cumin, saw matching trees and cows. Drank rum for warmth and met Canadian JP, chopped firewood in the dark and heard galloping horses in the night.
La Junta Valley was spectacular. We set off early the next morning and befriended older American, Kevin, at the beginning of the trailhead. He was a really nice guy who we hung with our whole time in the valley. Including breaks we hiked with all our gear/possessions for five hours to the campspot deep in the valley. We trekked the Circa de Cascadas and Amphitheatre routes, saw red Mars-like blooms in the trees, stopped for tea in the forest with German Karen who we found reading next to a waterfall. When we first arrived, the campground was practically empty but we did meet some Americans, mostly climbers like charismatic and funny Cooper, and then some Germans and a couple of Chilenos.
After three days we left La Junta on a day which was meant to be dry (at least according to the lady at the refugio who fed us the best pizza I´ve ever had) but luckily for us the heavens opened just as we reached the beginning (or the end, for us) of the trailhead and it did not stop during the night nor the following day. Poor Cooper had just returned one huge bag of climbing gear to the ´registrarse´and had to make the several hours back to camp wearing only flimsy but clingy long johns and a pair of wellies. Unable to hitch in the downpour, we spent the night in our first cabana (a very rudimentary self-contained bungalow held together with plyboard) with a woodstove already burning when we moved in. Perfect.
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| South American raw fish dish, my first home made ceviche! |
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Osorno Volcano, Puerto Varas
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| Matching trees and cows! |
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| Rio Cochamo |
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| Working the pulley over the Rio Cochamo! |
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| Working the pulley over the Rio Cochamo! |
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| View from the refugio, La Junta valley |
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| View form the refugio, La Junta valley |
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| Hiking in the La Junta valley |
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| Hiking in the La Junta valley |
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| Matt and Kevin in the La Junta valley |
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| Hiking in the La Junta valley |
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| Hiking in the La Junta valley |
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| Hiking in the La Junta valley |
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| Hiking in the La Junta valley |
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| The Amphitheatre, La Junta valley |
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| Holly but with flowers instead of berries, La Junta valley |
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| The Amphitheatre, La Junta valley |
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| The Amphitheatre, La Junta valley |
