Villarrica Volcano, Pucon, Chile
My heart thumps. It feels like it’s trying to break out of my ribcage. My lungs heave. How can there be enough room for them to move in there with my overactive heart?
We haven’t been going for even an hour yet and my legs ache as well. There’s a burn in my thighs, a cramping in my calves and a general indescribable pain in my feet.
I’m on my way up the Villarrica Volcano near Pucon in Chile. Helmet affixed, warm clothes on and icepick in hand, this is going to be a challenge.
It’s a steep climb for anyone and I’ve already realised I’m going to suffer particularly.
It’s been a long time since I’ve done much exercise and many months of travelling have taken their toll on my general fitness.
Oh why did I have that extra bottle of beer last night?
Thankfully the views of the surrounding area are distracting in their beauty. Not quite distracting enough to forget the burn creeping through my body. But it’ll do for now.
The trek up the stones seems endless. One step after another, Michael. But with heavy boots on my feet and an even heavier pack on my back, each of those steps seems slightly harder than the last.
Then we hit the snow.
We’re at least 2,000 metres above sea level now and the floor of slippery rocks and tufts of durable plants has been replaced by a carpet of snow and ice. The trekking becomes slower as I struggle to keep my balance.
It’s slippery at times, precarious at others and just downright wet and mushy at occasionally. The icepick is coming in handy now for support.
I hope I don’t need to use it for its intended purpose, which is to stop myself from sliding all the way down the volcano if I fall over.
Climbing to the top of Villarrica Volcano
“Oi aya eh!”, someone ahead shouts as another person whistles.
All of us climbing stop and look up to see some rocks hurtling their way down from above. One narrowly missed a couple of trekkers who have to jump aside just in time. This is a good time to rest for a few minutes.
The occasional breaks my group of trekkers have are a welcome relief from the constant pain in my legs. Unfortunately it also gives the bitter cold its chance to strike.
Although the sun is out and it’s a beautiful day, as soon as we stop I start to feel the freezing temperatures.
I’ve forgotten to bring gloves and my hands start to lose feeling. I have to put them in my pockets until we start moving again.
However begrudging I am about climbing the volcano again, at least it will bring warmth.
The views have become even more striking since we’ve been on the snow. But there’s no need to turn around and look down to the valley because the real splendour is now the mountain itself.
The snow undulates ahead of us, casting light shadows on the white expanse.
Large outcrops of volcanic rock poke out occasionally from underneath the ice, giving everything a slightly mottled look.
At the very top of the climb there is only volcanic rock for the last hundred metres or so of altitude. The group and I have made it to this point and you can feel the excitement over how close we are.
Of course, I can still also feel my heart, my lungs, my legs and now my back. But the ache is forgotten in the rush to conquer this last bit and reach the summit.
Scramble. Some loose rocks give way at my feet and I slip slightly. I take a wrong turn and need to use my hands to pull myself up and back onto the rough path.
Another scramble. But it’s enough, enough to get me the last few steps and on to the very top of the Villarrica Volcano. All 2,847 metres of it.
The sense of satisfaction washes over me, replacing the soreness completely. The smoke coming out of the crater is obscuring the view of the land below but I know how high I am. I know what I have achieved.
It had been a five hour climb in total. Not the hardest thing I’ve ever done but, with my aforementioned lack of fitness, definitely a struggle.
But it had all been worth it for this moment and the amazing sights I had seen along the way. This is what adventure travel is all about.
“What was going down like?”, I hear you ask. Well, that’s a story I can hopefully tell you in person someday. Let’s just say it was much more fun and involved a lot of sliding!
THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN PUCON
Although the town isn’t large, there are lots of great places to stay in Pucon because it’s such a popular domestic tourist destination.
BACKPACKER
With a fun atmosphere and great facilities, Lucky’s Hostel has a great location right on the lakefront.
BUDGET
Clean and cozy, Hotel Küyen-Ko Pucón has great value and a beautiful city view.
BOUTIQUE
Along with a garden, rooftop yoga space and outdoor pool, Selina Plaza Pucón also has a wonderful design.
LUXURY
The bright spacious rooms at Hotel Casa Solaria have large comfortable beds and a balcony with lake views.
Wow, gorgeous pictures, what an adventure, judging from the landscape, definitely worth it!
It sure was an adventure. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. A very fast heartbeart followed very shortly afterwards by another fast heartbeat… 🙂
I decided to pass on Pucon due to the fact that I would have gotten there during the busiest time of year AND I still remembered the nightmare of hiking to Cabo Froward in Patagonia. Looks like a tough hike but well worth it for the views.
It’s a pity you didn’t get to do it but I completely understand why, after your five-day trekking ordeal! Maybe one day you’ll get another chance… it’s always nice to have something to come back for.
Haha, I was just thinking, oh I hope he talks about going down! This is just the type of thing we’d be game for. I can’t believe you did it without gloves! I would have died. Great post. Really enjoying your blog, and love the name 😉
Oh, if you’re game for it then you definitely have to give it a go! And the sliding down is the best (a little hint: they have made tracks out of the snow and you slide down on a piece of plastic. So fast!!).
i know exactly what you mean! Scaling a waterlogged extinct volcano in Rwanda was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. 8 hours of mud! And sliding 2 steps back for every 1 forward taken. So worth it, and a day that made me feel more alive than most.
Love reading your blogs.
Safe and fun travels xo
The good thing about climbing a volcano is that the smoke signal from the crater give you a constant reminder of where you’re heading to and you can see it getting closer and closer. When I’ve done treks on flat ground they seem to go forever because you never know where you are!
Amazing photographs! Good for you for climbing through the pain and reaching the top.
Thanks. It was probably a bit harder because I was lugging my camera with me… but it was worth it to get some of those shots.
Oh awesome! We loved this climb, though it was very tough. So exciting to reach the top and enjoy the views, isn’t it? Well-done =)
I’m so glad to hear you did it! Yeah, it was tough (but, in hindsight, maybe not quite as bad as I’ve been making out). Reaching the top was definitely fantastic, though!
That sounded like you were having a personal battle with yourself, what an accomplishment. You must still be in reasonable shape just to make it to the top, and what cracking photos, second one down is a classic.
Thanks. And yeah, I love that photo.
these pictures are amazing. looks so intimidating and would absolutely take my breath away!
It sure took my breath away… quite literally… 🙂
Inspiring thinking of what it must have taken to climb. Haven’t even come close to doing this in real life.
Once you started climbing there wasn’t really a choice but to keep going. Our guide hardly even let us rest, let alone turn around!!
What a picture-perfect volcano. Looks like a serious & awesome hike, I hope we have the chance to do it when we get down there.
Hopefully you can make it there. It’s a beautiful part of Chile. The volcano just makes it extra special!
Wow — to do that in one single day! Good job!
I know. I’m pretty much awesome!! 😉
What a great experience – and you tell it well.
You’ve got some stunning pics too. I love the 3rd one, a perfect cone!
Yeah, it was so photogenic. I wanted to take so many more photos but it was hard to do while carrying an icepick with two frozen hands 🙂
Thank you for sharing our info. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will bbe waiting for your next write ups thanks once again.