Switchbacks in the Snow

During our vacation to Pucón Allegra and I climbed Volcán Villarrica.  She suggested the idea and I thought it would be great!  I envisioned a hike, a tough hike, but a hike.  I'm not sure why I underestimated it so much, but I literally thought we would be hiking for a few hours, and then head back down the "hill."  Even after seeing the volcano I had no idea how serious it was.  

We woke up at 6:00 am to head over to the tour company to get our gear.  I think it was at that point that I started to figure out what I was getting myself into.  We were fitted with climbing boots, crampons, and helmets.  We were given backpacks with a snow jacket and pants and an ice pick.  An ice pick!!!  At that point it all became very real.  Even then, I was very excited!

After getting our gear we rode in a van with 6 other people for about 40 minutes until we reached the base of the volcano.  We were paired with 3 guides, which is pretty standard.  One guide for every three people, just for safety.  

The first hour was extremely difficult.  It was really hot and there was no escape from the direct sunlight on the side of the mountain.  The terrain was really rough and uneven, and it was impossible to get into a rhythm.  When we weren't traversing rocks we were wading through volcanic sand.  It was like walking on a stairmaster for hours!  I'm not gonna lie, my glutes are looking pretty fly right now!  The higher we climbed the more beautiful the view got.  We could see Lago Villarrica, all of the surrounding hills and the other volcanoes in the distance.  It made the insane hike all worth it!  We took breaks about every half hour, but it seemed like hours!  I thought I was in decent shape...umm, total reality check!  

We took a short break as we reached the ice pack to put on our crampons.  I have never used them, and it definitely took some getting used to walking with them.  I didn't have much time to do that before we started up the mountain.  It was honestly a little scary for me at first.  We walked along a snowy ridge with the wind howling around us, and I looked down the snowy ice field and felt I could fall at any moment.  It was intense!  Once I got a feel for stepping in the snow, it was awesome.  Our guides gave a quick tutorial about how to use the ice pick, how to place your feet and how to walk so as to reduce the chance of tumbling down the mountain...

It was over five hours to the top of the volcano.  All along the way the view got better and better, and I was like a broken record the whole time.  "Wow, this is beautiful! It's incredible, I can't believe how beautiful this is!"  I'm sure everyone on the trip would have killed to get me a thesaurus.  It kept going all the way to the top.  But it seriously was one of the most breathtaking scenes I've encountered.  Or it could have been breathtaking because I literally couldn't breathe...Our last section was a 40 minute sprint to the top covering the steepest terrain of the day.  We crossed switchbacks every few meters up to the top.  But once we got there, it was a huge sense of relief and pride.  

We walked, or at that point maybe limped, over to the crest of the crater.  The wind was howling and whipping around us and the air stung with the gas from the volcano.  It appeared almost yellowish - green as it billowed up from the crater, and it was impossible to breathe anywhere near the edge.  Such a cool feeling!!

The decent was actually the hardest part for me.  The rest of the group seemed to almost ski down, but I was trudging along falling farther and farther behind.  It was difficult to lean back and step with my heels while at the same time bending my knees.  I ended up sliding down part of the hill on my butt, which I guess was fine because it cooled my burning glute muscles.  It was a lot more scary for me too because it was so much easier to completely lose control and roll down the mountain to my death.  My guide assured me that he would not let that happen, but really, what could he have done?  Gravity is a pretty powerful thing.  

After hiking up the mountain for over 5 hours, we spent only an hour and a half coming down. We hiked a total of 9,388.5 feet to the top.  It doesn't sound like all the high of altitude, but it sure felt like a lot!  Our tour guides treated us to a beer after the long hike and we all hung out and chatted about how they got to be guides and the like.  It was an incredible journey!