Cambios

*2024 Feb 19 to Feb 26 / 8 days / Hiking / SOBO / Opt 5A, Opt 5B, Opt 5, detour to Laguna Blanca / Michael and KaisaKasia

We got an early start going around the volcano. In a few places we went cross country. It shaved off some distance, but the volcanic rock was challenging to walk on so I think there wasn't much of a time savings. We walked out of the reserva after closing time so we did not have any interactions with CONAF on that end. There was one hostal on the way down the hill, 10.000 pp with a kitchen. It is above a ski gear shop shortly after leaving the reserva. We hitched a ride with a very nice Mapuche couple all the way to Lonquimay. If walking, there was camping around (-38.44185, -71.51361) next to the river. The road up had some beautiful views and I was glad to have seen it, but also grateful to not have to walk it as it was very dusty. There were several people selling tortillas, sopaipillas and cooked piñones along the way. In Lonquimay we stayed at Hostal Rusitko Lonquimay a half block from the square, 35.000 for a private room with private bathroom and hot water. The owner, Hector, was very friendly and helpful. If looking for something cheaper there was another Hostería Follil Pewenche next to the AhorraMás grocery store, 10.000 pp for a bed in a dorm, shared bathroom.