Stuck in Coyhaique

Well, we are still in Coyhaique for a reason that you will discover later (can`t announce the news to the world quite yet, but soon...). It´s nothing bad though, we promise.

Anyway, since the last post, we discovered that receiving mail while travelling is incredibly difficult, so we`ve basically given up hope of getting a new phone from my folks along with the music and potential cookies that were going to come. However, I managed to get a Chilean identification number which allowed me to purchase a pay as you go phone sim card and stick it in a full priced Samsung Galaxy S3 that I bought at a phone store (Sierra and I can now do that bluetooth bump and share pictures thing that everybody probably saw commercials for. Stoked!) So we have a foreign phone number and a phone that is capable of downloading music and surfing the internet, etc.

Also, we`ve discovered Cafe Ricer which is a pretty good restaurant that sources all of its ingredients from local producers, has a mean vegetarian sandwich, amazing bread, and a hearty meal of the day that`s pretty delicious. We have eaten lunch and gotten coffee there several times now, and it also has internet so you might call us regulars there. While we were walking back to our hostal about a week ago now, we ran into a couple of Israelis who we met along the trail while we were hiking Paso del Viento, and a guy travelling from Wyoming who was hanging out with them. They had just hitched from El Chalten and around Lake General Carrera through Chile Chico about a day behind us. We got a couple of drinks with them at Mamma Gaucho`s, a local craft brewery, and chatted for a bit about their plans and where the guy from Wyoming was going to grad school. They told us about a hike in the Cerro Castillo park, and we came up with some trekking plans because it sounded like a pretty amazing trip (one of the top 5 in Patagonia according to some guidebook).

The following day we attempted to get to the park, but due to some complications ended up just camping out of town. Bummer.

One of the cars everyone was gathered to see

The next day we came back into town and discovered there was a rally car race that was going on the following 2 days in Coyhaique, which sounded pretty fun, but would require us to stay in town even longer. But, there were lots of vendors and a huge stage set up in the middle of the town square, so we hung around town and met a brewer from about 65km out of town who was selling his beer at the event. We had lots to talk about, tried some of his beer (word of the day lúpulo), and hung around the square most of the day. I found a place selling Cuban Cohibas and bought a couple as we watched this event where rally cars basically just drove in circles around the square and we saw many young boys literally being dragged away by their parents as the night got later, crying to stay and watch. Fortunately, as the event was winding down, we found ourselves in front of Mamma Gaucho`s, so we popped inside to end the night.

Bravo Beer, with a cute little toque!

We went to the upstairs bar, which had only been open for a couple of weeks and ended up meeting a couple old Chilean dudes who were in the energy business. Most of the people around here have bumper stickers and signs on their businesses supporting `Sin Represas`, the organization that is fighting the installation of dams around the Patagonia region of Chile. Being in the energy business, these two had an interesting (albeit pro-dam) perspective. One of them owned a cattle ranch in the area with a lot of untouched forest where he hunts and enjoys the native Lenga trees. This guy was clearly very wealthy as he was leaving to cruise on his second yacht in Fiji around the world until October when his cows give birth. He told us about how huge fires raged through the region in the 1930`s, which is why there are so many non-native ponderosa pines planted in the area in order to grow quick and re-forest the land (Acacia does not buy it, though. Historically, perhaps, but now a lot of the pine plantations are being pruned, a huge investment to grow clear wood). He seemed pretty against logging in the area. The other guy, however, was the minister of energy (or something) for Coyhaique. He had a lot to say about how the dams would be the only totally clean form of energy that Patagonia could produce (although wind seems pretty available down here?), and that most of the people against the dams don`t want the `progress' associated with the large construction projects and increased industry that the dams will generate. Another component, though, which I was unaware of, is that in a decade or so other parts of Chile will start demanding water from the region which will require dams anyway, so he seemed to think the dams were pretty inevitable. He did have an interesting perspective on local populations causing protests and blocking projects from happening, and felt that the real way to deal with projects in the area is to talk directly with the local populations and get them on board rather than deal higher up politically, because Chileans have less respect for government than in the U.S. and will block projects they don`t like . He seemed to think the local action was generally a good thing because its a true representation of how the people feel, which seems like a fairly unique position for someone in his position. In other news, he is trying to go to Toronto to pitch an investment opportunity for producing rain in a giant blimp type thing with an electrically charged steel mesh that would attract water and could produce precipitation over any area in the world. Interesting fellows. They also bought us pizza and beer, so at least I dug them.

The following day we caught an 8am bus going south past the Cerro Castillo park. We got dropped off on the side of the freeway where the trailhead was. We immediately cooked some oatmeal for breakfast and admired the pretty epic view out into the valley.

Looking toward the park from the trailhead

A bridge on a bridge

Enough for 4 days? Imagine if John had gone shopping by himself. Yes, there are two bottles of hot sauce, 6 heads of garlic, and two kilos of flour.

While we were cooking breakfast a gaucho riding his horse along with 3 sheep dogs and a greyhound rode by us and went and moved some cattle around. We followed behind him about 30 minutes later. The first part of the trek wandered gradually up along a gravel road that crossed many property lines through gaucho territory. There were lots of cattle, which we had to scare off the trail several times by clapping loudly and hoping they didn`t charge us. Also, fall colors were out! The valleys and mountainsides were covered in amazing reds, oranges, and yellows. After a few miles we came to a set of steps that walked up over a fence and back down into the national park where there was a ranger station, a really crummy map, and a sign saying we had to pay 10 bucks to enter the park. Pshh! Well, nobody was there to collect, so we continued within the national park to the first campground that was at another ranger station which was definitely closed for the season. We had pushed on through lunch, so devoured some pretty crappy mac n cheese and then hung out in the campground and drank a beer from the brewer we had met the day before. After looking at the map and determining that this entire trek was 4 days, but only like 3 hours of hiking each day, we decided it didn´t make sense to press on and set up our tent and had the campground all to ourselves. It was pretty nice. We played some backgammon, and I fell asleep suuuuper early because it was rainy, cold, and dark outside.

Our campsite in the morning

The next morning I woke up kind of early, made some pancake batter and set that out to let it rise a bit while I made cowboy coffee. After hanging out in the sun and making a bunch of pancakes, I lit my second cigar of the trip and wrote a letter. After finishing my cigar and cleaning up breakfast I shaved. Then Acacia woke up. We hung out in the sun a bit longer and kind of just lounged around for another hour or so. By the time we started our hike it was around 2 in the afternoon, and we were embarking on our super easy hike through the valley, áll downhill´ according to the guy from the Northface shop.  After about half a kilometer we got to a super nice view, confirmed with a sign that just had an image of a camera on it, in a glacial river surrounded by mountains. So we hung out there some more, watched a couple of condors flying around, and then began walking again.

Except our super easy downhill hike was having a lot of uphill. And then only uphill. I´ve never done so much uphill for a ´downhill´ hike in my entire life. We were not mentally prepared for this. Anyway, we kept going up, following the river up a valley for some super nice views of fall colored, glacier capped mountains.

Rock throwing

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John trying to blend in

After a few hours we reached the top of a pass that had a decent amount of snow on it. It was also kind of steep at some parts, and we weren´t really sure the best way to cross the snow. Acacia tried sliding down on a rock (like in Ice Age) and I tried using a couple sharp rocks as ice picks.

John WAAAAY up on the mountain

We ended up just walking carefully. Not too long after the pass was a sign that indicated we had reached the campground. So, even though I was really hot wearing my sweater, I decided to keep it on since we were almost at camp. But then we had to cross some streams along log bridges. And then there was another picture spot with a nice view. Then we had to cross a big river with an actual bridge. Then I decided to take my sweater off because the campground was clearly not close. 50 feet later, around the next bend, I found Acacia unpacking on the table at camp. Such a deceptive day. We made our classic mango rice dish for dinner and some hot-honey-rum beverage and played some backgammon. Acacia gave me a pretty hard time about how we were going to manage the bagged honey that I had bought, which, admittedly, was not one of my better decisions. It was a clear night and so we could see some solid stars, and it didn´t even get that cold.

I woke up pretty early again the next day and made pancakes and coffee again.

Breakfast on a rock in the river in the sun. Some of Acacia's favorite things.

Although Acacia was up a bit earlier and we left the campground around noon. Today was supposed to be pretty short, around 8 km, but over a pass. As we were going up the mountain we stopped at a stream fed from a glacial lake that had a waterfall down at least a hundred meters to the trail. We decided it was a pretty good spot to do some off trail trekking.

Across the valley at the hill we would climb later

We climbed up the scree along the side of the waterfall and up to the lake where we sat in the sun for a bit, Acacia mountain babed, and we had some amazing views over the valley. But, it got windy and cold, so we headed back down. About 20 minutes later we got to another lake, and decided it was a good lunch spot. Our first lunch in 3 days...weird!?

Anyway, we ate lunch and then continued up the side of the lake towards where we thought the pass was, and dropped our packs to climb up one of the peaks next to the pass. It was an amazingly good idea, because from the peak you could see the entire valley we had been hiking through, both lakes we had seen, and the other side of the park out into the valley where the town Villa Cerro Castillo was, the spot where our trek would end, and the huge Rio Simpson that feeds into Lake General Carrera. It was one of the most epic views of the trip.

Our lunch lake 

We took a bunch of pictures, but when it was time for a timed camera shot of the both of us, our camera died :( Sad day. As we were headed up to where we thought the pass was, we realized that we were actually going to a much higher pass. Plus it got much higher than the peak we had just climbed, so turns out our map was pretty inaccurate. By the time we had gotten over the real pass, it was around 6, and the sun was on the other side of the mountain on its way down. Acacia, with her low battery headlamp, was booking it down the mountain so as to avoid being caught in the dark. It was steep! And it was large loose boulders. And it was like 1250 meters down to the campground. After about an hour and a half of pounding our knees flying down this mountain, we lost the trail and were definitely on a deer trail of some sort. We got back to the trail, and then followed it for another 30 minutes or so when we both had the feeling that we must have missed the campground. But how could that be? All the other ones had hugs signs and warnings like a quarter mile before getting to them. Noo, we couldn´t have missed it. Then it got dark enough to require headlamps, so we got those out and peered at the map, which certainly indicated we had gone passed the campground. New plan! Hike down to where the trail gets flat enough to camp and reaches the river in the valley we were in, pitch a tent, cook dinner, and crash! As soon as dinner was eaten, Acacia was out. Before me? First time this trip maybe?

Today was supposed to be a day hike up a side trail from the campground we were supposed to be at. Since we didn´t want to backtrack, and since that trail wasn´t that good anyway, we decided we would hang out by the river all day. It was pretty fun. I got up for the sunrise, then made my morning coffee and pancakes. I smoked another cigar by the river, and wrote a couple more letters. We spent the whole day juggling, lounging, practicing headstands, eating food, and stretching our sore muscles. It was pretty fun.

The next day we walked the 8km or so to Villa Cerro Castillo. It had rained literally the entire night, but stopped as soon as we started walking. So that was pretty nice. We had a pretty late start, as usual, but it was a short distance along a flat gravel road most of the way. Fairly uneventful except for the dead rotting cow carcas along the road. Gross. We got to town at the exact time the bus we were trying to catch into Coyhaique was going by, which was pretty miraculous considering my watch, phone, and camera (everything to tell time) had died. We caught it and headed back.

We`ve spent the last couple days here showering, doing laundry, uploading pictures, and writing blogs. Hopefully we´ll head north tonight