Camping among volcanoes

About 32 kilometers from Pucón, up in the mountains, I joined a small group for a camping trip in the Villarica National Park. Here we get ready to leave Rancho de Caballos, a farm settled by Germans 22 years ago. I am the only English speaker in the group. Fortunately I could carry on conversation in Spanish with our local guide Armín.



Juta and Gaby rest their horses early in the trail.

Gaby and I contemplate the active Villarica Volcano. We are about to leave the tree zone, though the altitude is less than 6,000 feet.

Armín navigates the challenging steep trail. I am next.



There are numerous patches of snow above the tree line. We never know how deep it is until out guide tests it. Occasionally we must dismount and lead the horses. Below, Thomas skies down the slope as he leads two horses.



Here is our first view of Laguna Azul where we will set up our base camp for two nights.

Our camp at Laguna Azul. Lanín Volcano looms over the lake. This is the view from our water source. The water is trickling down the mountain, under a snow pack. Delicious!



On day 2, our guide Armín leads the way through huge lava fields and across more snow.

After three hours on the trail we arrive at this spectacular point for a lunch stop. We are at the top of a cliff that drops straight down about 1,000 feet. After lunch we head back to our base camp.



Sunset at Laguna Azul, Lanín Volcano.

Early morning view of Choshuenco Volcano. So begins day 3 and return to the ranch.

Armín and his Arabian mix horse. Mine is the black steed called Tornado, a great horse full of energy despite his 16 years of age. Happiness is enjoying wonderful views and listening to the sublime sounds of nature.

Short horse ride near Pucón

I joined three other tourists today for a visit to a Mapuche community near Pucón. Here is our guide, Grigorio, preparing the horses. This thatched ruka is where his mother prepares meals. She is cooking now for our lunch, with smoke from the open fire filtering through the thatch.

A typical bucolic scene as we begin the ride out.

My friend is named Bambi.

After about 90 minutes in the saddle we arrive at this lookout. This is looking west toward Pucón and Villarica Lake. The volcano is covered in clouds all day.

Grigorio, our Mapuche guide and host, explains about many of the medicinal plants here. He says the Bachelet government treated the Mapuche very well. We are an international group today. The others are solo travelers as I am, and are from Germany, Canada and Denmark.

One last snapshot of the panorama below before we head back down the mountain to a Mapuche lunch in the family ruka.

Pucón

This is one of the most popular destinations in the Lake District of Chile. The Villarica Volcano looms over the entire area. It remains active, with puffs of steam that resemble smoke signals in Hollywood movies. I ate lunch at a table on the lawn nearby. It's easy to stretch a midday meal to at least a couple of hours when you find such a lovely place to hang out. This next photo shows the volcano alert system at the city hall. If the mountain begins to belch and rumble, people will be directed to the evacuation routes. There have been serious lava flows in the past. I'm glad the green light is on today.



This area is probably comparable to Vail, Colorado. Excuse me if I don't add photos of the souvenir shops. In this town of about 16,000 people, there are probably almost as many tourists, although the tour operators tell me business is off by 70% compared to last season. Restaurants abound, but the servers are usually just standing around, hoping some tourists will enter. Dozens of arts and crafts stands are seeing little shopping activity. Villarica Lake attracts many people to the lava sand beaches and pleasure boats. Luxury condominiums are sprouting along the shore.

Morning clouds on the lake. Located 540 miles south of the capital of Santiago, the town was founded in 1883 as part of the “pacification” of the region’s indigenous Mapuche people. By 1904 the army had left and German families from Valdivia to the west began to settle the area. The first families were Holzapfel and Gudenschwager. The Mapuche moved to the marginal lands at the foot of the mountains.