11-17 April...Rivers, volcanoes and hot pools

Lynne takes a stroll along Lake Villaricca at sunset


Lynne says....

Surrounded by mountains, ancient forests and dominated by the smouldering Volcano Villaricca, Pucon is a small, developing town in Chile's Lake District. Orderly streets with well-kept gardens and picket fences reveal the German influence of this area, a result of immigration in the late nineteenth century.

I'd never seen a live volcano before and was totally transfixed by it. During the day a thin wisp of sulphur rose from its peak. At night, its orange glow was visible for miles and to me it was completely magical.


The smoking Volcán Villaricca towering over Pucon

White water rafting was definitely on the agenda and we grouped together with six fellow travellers in our hostel. I was slightly concerned with the label of ´Mum´ I´d been given after just one day in their company. They might all be in their early twenties but there was something very wrong with being the mother figure. Were they trying to tell me something?

Three of the lads were on their way back to England after spending several months working in Antartica for the British Antartica Survey - they were actually commuting home from work. I couldn´t help thinking about all those poor sods in London jammed into tubes or waiting in the pouring rain for delayed trains. Give me Antartica to England via Chile any day.

The upper Rio Trancura was swollen due to recent heavy rainfall and the next three hours passed by in a haze of adreneline. As a complete novice, the Grade IV rapids were both extremely exhilarating and a tad frightening. It probably didn´t help when my raft capsized during the first major rapid and I was hauled from the raging torrent by our guide. Not the most ladylike of positions to find myself in.

The highlight of our stay was the ascent of Volcan Villaricca although it didn´t actually work out exactly as planned. I´d spent days gazing up at its peak, anticipating what it would be like to stare over the edge into the core of the earth. To make sure we avoided the crowds, we booked on to a 4am tour. Crampons and ice picks to the ready, we trudged upwards in pitch darkness and watched the sun rise over the low lying clouds.

Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and we soon found ourselves at the mercy of the elements. On the edge of the snowline, the wind was ferocious and our guides took the decision to abandon the climb because conditions were simply too dangerous. Despondently, everyone trudged back down.


Above the clouds on Volcán Villaricca

We consoled ourselves that evening by relaxing under the southern stars in thermal hot pools. In the distance we could see the tantalising glow of the volcano we didn´t quite manage to climb. Still, there are many more volcanos ahead of us and we will stare down into the core of the earth before we return home.


Cigars and hot pools - Matt slums it in Pucon with our new mates Adam, Geoff, Annabel and Ruth