Short stopover in Pucón and up to the volcano

Our journey north takes us back to Pucón. Since the ascent of Villarica Volcano didn't work out last week, we decided to make an extra stop for it. So we went back the same way from Chiloé and checked in again for one night at the hostel where we already spent our first two nights in Pucón. In preparation for the tour, the guides specifically recommended carboloading. Of course, we didn't need to be told twice, so we had our own little pasta party in the evening and enjoyed a good amount of noodles. Afterwards, we quickly went to bed, as the alarm clock was already set to ring at 5:30 am the next morning.

The next morning, we got up early, put on the clothes that were laid out for us, and headed to our tour provider. The guides, the other participants (in total we were 7 "mountaineers"), and our clothing for the day were already waiting for us. Each person received waterproof hiking boots, jacket, pants, and the necessary equipment such as backpack, crampons, gas mask, etc. After a short bus ride, we arrived at the first waypoint of the day, the ski lift 😁 Since the volcano is also used as a ski resort during the Chilean winter (although it rather resembles Czech ski resorts from the 90s and probably nothing has been done to the lifts since then), we didn't have to climb the first 400 meters in the snow. We could comfortably admire the scenery from the lift. But then the actual ascent began, with a total of about 1,000 meters of rocks, snow, and ice. Our guides picked up the pace until the first break, so that we could overtake the group ahead (in general, we took a short break for eating and drinking every 30-60 minutes). Then we put on the crampons, as we continued mostly on snow and ice, and slowly climbed up the mountain. From time to time, we could take a look into the valley and enjoy the stunning view for a short moment. The last 100 meters were free of ice again, so we could take off the crampons and even our backpacks. However, this is where the gas masks came into play. Arriving at the plateau of the volcano, we were greeted by the pungent smell of sulfur and we were glad that we had the gas masks. Unfortunately, we couldn't look directly into the abyss of the volcano, the activity could only be guessed from the smoke. Otherwise, it felt like being on the moon up there, as there was nothing except the black volcanic rock. The view into the valley compensated for the strenuous climb. The high pace of our guides paid off, as we were the first ones to arrive and could enjoy the view in peace. Due to the clear sky, the view in all directions was completely unobstructed. Only a slight gray haze was visible from above. However, this is probably not fog, but the ash cloud blown over from Australia. This was somewhat frightening for us and once again shows that everything on our planet is interconnected and actions can have consequences everywhere else in the world.

On the way down, luckily we didn't have to walk, but could mostly slide down on small plastic seats in an ice gutter. This was not only much faster than going up, but also a lot of fun. In the end, we were also glad to be back in the valley and able to take off the wet clothes. Once back in Pucón, we could rest in the hostel garden, have something to eat, and in the same evening we took the bus to continue our journey to Valparaíso. But more on that next time...