Summer Trip South: Futaleufu

After leaving Chaiten, we drove south along Highway 7 which was paved. We saw our first real glacier of the trip, which totally blew us away. It was stunning. 

We then headed west on our way to the adventure town of Futaleufu on highway 235, which was 75% gravel, and 25% paved. We had to go very slow along the gravel, as most of it was washboard, and our heavy vans don't handle the bumps well. We saw lots of people fly past us in their SUVs, but it was a long trip for us. Needless to say, it was totally worth it. You pass by Lake Yelcho, which is crystal clear blue and lots of snow topped peaks surrounding it.

We were staying a full 5 nights in Futaleufu, so we chose to stay at a campground. This one was perfect for us. It was a 15 minute walk into town, and the River Espolón skirted the campground. One section in particular was nice and calm, so the boys had a great time playing in it, and Brian enjoyed some fishing.

On Monday, we went for a Family Float trip on the upper section of the River Futaleufu. This section of river is very calm and flat, so it was perfect to the whole family. This was Nana's Christmas present to the boys, and they had a great time. The whole adventure was an hour rafting, then an hour hike to a lookout over the river we were just on, then back in the boats for 30 more min of rafting, then we got out and had snacks. All in all a lovely adventure. 

Tuesday was Drew and my 14th wedding anniversary. Grandma, Grandpa, and the boys treated us to steak and potatoes with a full waitstaff. The boys were at our beck and call, and they took their roles very seriously. It was great.  

After our dinner, Drew and I stayed the night at the Uman Lodge, actually just across the valley from our campground! But it was a bit higher up, so it had gorgeous views. It was a beautiful lodge, a very luxurious reprieve from our camper. We also had the place to ourselves for most of the evening, which was a nice surprise. 

The view from our room.

View from the upper deck after some relaxation in the hot tub.

Our final anniversary treat was a rafting adventure, this time just for Drew and I. The boys were not allowed on this one, as the rapids were too big. We had a great time. Futaleufu is known for its rafting, and if you are in the area, definitely do it. So fun, and well worth the money. We paid $90/person for 6 hours (that time includes transportation, snack, etc.) with a company called Patagonia Elements, which was very professional and safe. The company gave us both wetsuits and splash guards, which I was all about, I didn't feel cold at all, even though the water was very chilly. 

After rafting on Wednesday, we met the boys and G&G in town at a pizza place called La Fábrica. As soon as we walk in, we see a Kiwi couple that we met at the campsite we stayed at just off the Ferry by Lago Rio Negro. We only hung out with them for maybe an hour before dinner, just talking because it was raining and there wasn't much else to do. So very small world to see them again here at this restaurant. But then, when we were almost done with dinner, in walks the British couple with the Land Rover that we met in Chaiten! I couldn't believe we saw both of these couples in the same restaurant on the same night (What are the odds, what are the odds!), but apparently this happens all the time on the Carretera Austral. But I thought it was hilarious. 

After Drew and my backpacking stint in Cochamo, Avery wanted to experience his own backpacking adventure 1-1 with Dada. So on Thursday evening, they went for a wee hike to a nice meadow and camped out for the night. Needless to say, Avery was super thrilled. Emerson will get a chance to do the same later on in the trip. 

Futaleufu really is a beautiful place. If you can make your way here, visit! So worth it!

Summer Trip South: Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park and Chaiten

After we got off the ferry, we drove a ways down Highway 7, the Carretera Austral until we got to a small campground called Lago Rio Negro. It had a nice 30 min walk through the woods down to a lovely lake, which we did before our dinner of Choripan and BLTs. It was still a rainy evening, but luckily we had a little covered pavilion at this campsite. 

The next morning, we drove on to reach our activity for the day, hiking up to see the Chaiten Volcano. On the way, we passed lots of pretty river crossings. 

While the morning was overcast, in the afternoon it cleared up, and the hike turned out to be a major success. We had a great view back across the valley we just drove down. 

The boys made it all the way to the top, which included 2,000 ft of elevation gain in about 2 miles, mostly through through these giant steps that the boys had to scramble up. They did so well; I was really proud of them. Behind us, you can see the side of the volcano cone. The crater itself is on the other side of that cone. 

This is an arial view of the volcano and the town itself alongside the inlet. This volcano erupted in 2008, after being dormant for more than 9,000 years. This lead to the town of Chaiten being completely destroyed. 

It actually wasn't destroyed because of lava, but from ash blocking the following rainfall from seeping into the ground, and instead immediately overwhelming the Chaiten River which then flooded the town. Before the eruption, the river flowed along the backside of town and then flowed into the inlet on the southern edge. But after, the river even changed its course and flowed right through the middle of town, cutting it in half. This is a picture of the town of Chaiten after the eruption, flooded, with the water a grey color from all of the ash. We actually camped a night in Chaiten alongside a park next to the inlet, and it was really nice. The entire town has been rebuilt at this point, so you'd never know what happened. We met some fellow travelers camping there as well, a lovely British couple with a sweet Land Rover named Gwenda. Hopefully we'll run into them again on our journeys!

Summer Trip South: Hornopiren and Ferry

After the Termas del Sol, we drove another two hours to the town of Hornopirén. To get to the rest of Highway 7, which is the famous Carretera Austral, you have to take a ferry from here; there is no way to get to Patagonia beyond due to the mountains and the inlets. So we made our way here and then stayed the 23rd-26th, to give us a nice treat for Christmas: a real kitchen to cook in, separate bedrooms, and a hot shower. Merry Christmas to us!

The drive in to Hornopirén was beautiful, if not a little dark and moody due to some rain. We drove alongside the Estero Reloncavi, which is a long, skinny inlet filled with brackish water that apparently makes it good for mussel farming. All of the buoys in the water below is a mussel farm. We were inspired by all the mussel farming and decided we wanted some sort of seafood for Christmas dinner.  

Actually in the little town of Hornopiren, they were holding a Fair for Christmas, basically selling last minute Christmas presents. I found a sweet pair of slippers for $6 and a cute Carretera Austral painted mug for $5. Merry Christmas to me! 

In the city square, they had little activities for the kids to do, including a painting station and jumpy houses. I think Santa was going to make an appearance later on, but we left, as he had already visited us in Santiago before we left.

Hornopiren seems like a blue collar town, where most people work for the seafood industry. Wasn't as cute as Frutillar, but we had a nice Christmas there. 

Christmas dinner was mussels that we found frozen, $1.50 for a bag of 22. So we got 5 bags, totaling 110 mussels and proceeded to house them all. We wanted fresh ones but struck out multiple times trying to find them. I'm sure you can buy fresh mussels somewhere, but we didn't have the connections. The frozen ones tasted just the same, and you can't beat a white wine broth! Roasted squash, potatoes, and purple cauliflower completed our feast. So yummy.  

Another plus to our little Airbnb was the neighborhood animals. Our puppy, who we named Rosie of course, hung out on our porch pretty much the entire time. Granted we were feeding her scraps, but she was so kind and gentle. If we didn't have border crossings and National Parks ahead of us (they don't allow pets to enter), I would have scooped her up and taken her home in a second. We also had a dozen different cats loitering about, but none were super friendly. 

On the 26th, we got on the ferry at Hornopirén, bound for Caleta Gonzalo. This ferry trip is interesting because you actually have to disembark after 3.5 hours, drive across this peninsula on a road that only exists for this exact purpose, and then get on another smaller ferry on the other side for a final 20 min ride. The red lines on the map below show you exactly where we went. Why do this weird on again off again route? Because the waves in the Gulf of Ancud can be very rough. We experienced a few in one tiny little section in the strait just north of Poyo, and you could immediately feel a difference. So much rougher. Emerson started to feel sea sick there, so we went to the front of the boat to orientate ourselves, and I swear we saw the dorsal fin of an orca dive right below the boat, and then we heard a thunk on the ship's bottom as it bumped into us. Both boys were with me, so I have witnesses. 

Getting on the first ferry! 

Saying the boys were excited about this leg of our journey is an understatement.