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ediciones
Cambios
→Season 2024/25: Added an entry
==Season 2024/25==
* ''' 2025-02-05 to 2025-02-10 / 5.5 days / Hiking /SOBO / RR/ Emilie '''
Day 1: departed from Molina at 9:30 with the bus. Arrived at the trail (parque ingles) and had purchased a day pass for the park. Seeing my big backpack the guards asked me where I was planning to sleep, I said laguna the las animas and they said I couldn’t go there without proper authorization. I then asked if I could simply change my plans and sleep at el bolson (campsite inside the park) and they said it was full for the next 2 days. I was really disappointed and asked where I could find some wifi to look at other passes/trails I could do, they sent me 3kms down at the Conaf office of Radal Sieste Tazas. I walked about 300m and saw the gate and decided to try my luck and jump it to bypass them. It worked although I was really stressed and surely enough I ran into a guard on a motorcycle checking the entry permits. I showed him the day pass but Conaf is supposed to give a registration card which I did not have. He asked me how I came in and I had to explain that I jumped the gate. He was ready to send me back (VHF radio in hand and all) but I asked him if I could try to explain myself which I did, showed him my planned route, explained that I knew abt don victor etc, I told him I would be out of the park by nightfall. He agreed to let me pass but it was a close one. You should definitely buy a pass for el bolson campsite, even if you don’t camp there, you look suspicious with your backpack. Went all the way to laguna las animas and camped there.
Day 2: started my day with an encounter with wild horses! They ran towards me, there were about 15 of them! Saw them running down a hill up until 2m of me, they were curious and friendly. It’s was surreal. Camped at S (35.508517° O 70.751605°) on an empty pasture that was not wet.
Day 3: woke up to that empty pasture being filled with cows! One was trying to snatch my bag which woke me up. They were curious and friendly aswell. Hiked until the Refugio camped right next to it (S 35.594815° O 70.825999°) there were other Chileans aswell. All super friendly!
Day 4: my feet were extremely blistered after day 3. I initially wanted to hike up the volcano but decided for an afternoon at the beach instead to rest my feet; hiked about 8km until Laguna del Caracol where I spent the afternoon, reading swimming and cooking, it was great.
Day 5: it was a big day, I hiked all the way to water at [73.5/1014] camped right next to it on the shore of the river (S 35.775444° O 70.802768°). Initially wanted to camp at Laguna de los Hornos but the lake seemed pretty eutrophized (? Not sure if it’s the right word) and I did not want to drink it, even filtered. Since it’s downhill from there, it wasn’t too too long.
Day 6: hiked the remaining few Kms and hitchhiked to Talca. If ever you need accomodation here Hostel 1760 is like a peaceful haven; 30 000cpl and there’s a pool and the rooms are around an interior garden with a fountain. Exactly what I needed.
The takeaway is to definitely not underestimate the terrain, it is rough on your feet, the sand and dust will stick to your face and lips which made me feel thirsty all the way, I always started the day with 2,5L of water which isn’t necessary since there are a lot of streams but I was still always glad to not have to ration my drinking. The river crossing for me was knee high, not sure if I crossed at the wrong place, the water was lower or if I’m especially tall;) did not meet don victor.
* ''' 2024-01-20 to 2024-01-22 / 2.5 days / Hiking /SOBO / RR, option 2 & 2H, option 3 & 3A (Ascended Descabezado), Variants G / Elijah & Michael '''
