Frutillar

hello there people!  The small town of Frutillar was built with a German influence. Lots of German style architecture and desserts in the area. It's right on the water and I had the perfect weather to see the volcanoes in the distance and relax with a good coffee.   This place is awesome. Super laid back and a place to enjoy doing nothing with the sun shining. As I am dealing with a toe injury, it is nice to have places like these to chill out in. Just a 30 min minibus ridea away. More relaxed here than in the busier Puerto Varas,  where I am staying at the moment. 

Click to view Valparaíso street art photos

Here's some of the best shots from Valparaiso. Loved that city and this is a.taste of what it's like to walk around. Enjoy!

More volcano videos

This video shows what it was like to hike through the snow. Crampons!

Reaching the summit

Just a snippet of the hike up the volcano. This is reaching the summit, wearing an awesome snowsuit and a gas mask. Perfect weather for an ascent of an epic volcano.  Spoiler alert : no lava in the video,  but you get a good idea of what the crater looks like on top. Saving you a 1400m climb to the top elevation of 2847m 

Fun on the river

After an awesome rafting trip a couple days ago, I decided to give hydrospeed a shot. People were talking it up and it was something I'd never tried before. Pretty much, you hold on to a plastic boogie board and go down rapids like that. There is a wetsuit, helmet and life jacket involved, but its pretty much just you and the rapids.

The rapids part was fun and didn't feel that fast or crazy. Steering was the main challenge as you use flippers to move around. With the current, and rocks, it made for a difficult trek. But it's one of those things I'll try once in my lifetime.   Not going to do it agsin, but I felt a little like Butch and Sundance going down the rapids.

Rafting in Pucon

Hiking Villarica Volcano (lava lava lava!!!!)

So, the life has been just as amazing as always the last few days. No internet for 3 days, just straight fun out and about in Chile.  First there was rafting, then there was kayaking and on the 3rd day, an epic hike up an active volcano to see lava erupting down below.  Ill write about that one for now.  At an internet cafe using a keyboard to type better than on the phone, so Ill be dealing with a Chilean keyboard, which shows all of these words as mispelled, and my punctuation shall be lacking.  Never fear, I still know how to type!

Im in Pucon now, an awesome town surrounded by lakes, volcanoes, forests, hot springs, rivers and pure amazingness.  Lots to do here, full of action sports and chill vibes.  The highlight is definitely the Volcan Villarica, high above the city, smoking all the time, quite active and the centerpiece of all the events.  Rafting happens every day by the numerous tour companies, but the accension of the volcano is only when the weather permits.  As I saw Wednesday to be the best weather day this week, it had to be then, and after being turned down by several tour companies who were full, I scored a spot with Sur Adventura.  Great tour company and they got me all sized up for my gear.

We met up at 6:30am, to gather gear and load up.  The van needed a jump start as the battery was dead, but that was really the only hiccup on the trip.  At the parking lot was a chair lift that people could take up to start an easier hike, but I went with 5 others and 2 guides by foot.  Cant pass up climbing by foot as much as possible.

The first 2 hours was through rock, with epic views above and below.  Then we hit the snow and put on the crampons and got out the ice axe.  Time to walk zig zag up the rest of the volcano.  Super icy and crunchy, and we walked pretty much sideways going upwards.  Lots of people were climbing through other tour companies, with around 200 total for the day, all hiking around the same time.

After another 2 hours or so of zig zagging, it was time to drop the backs, put on gas masks due to the amount of gas coming out of the volcano and head to the crater.  Before the gas mask was on, we were already coughing a bit, so the mask was definitely necessary.

We could hear the lava brewing and in the 15 minutes around the crater, it exploded 5 times, with teh highest being 15-20 feet high.  My guide, Grace, happened to capture the above shot with me and lava shooting up.  Just amazing.  Its the only photo that has lava actually flying up in the air, which makes it the best picture of the day.

To get down, we strapped on "ass protection", pretty much super thick canvas that allows you to slide down the mountain without ripping your pants.  A natural sled!  You sit down and slide down, using your ice axe to slow down, and can get pretty darn fast, sometimes with snow flying all around, and you not able to really see.  Crazy fun and we had 5 such slides, with the longest being at least 4 football fields long.  Epic!

Then it was sliding down loose stone to get back to the bottom.  The group of 4 of us, with Grace were the fastest out of our van, so we had time to wait for the others, have a celebratory beer and take a little nap.  Quite the day!  Heres a few more photots:

Styling suit!

Old ski station that an avalanche and rock slide took over

People sliding down the snow to the rocks

Pablo Neruda's house

One of the legends of Chile is the poet Pablo Neruda. The man has three houses in Chile  that all our amazing and one of a kind. We visited La Sabastiana  high in the hills overlooking the city. Such an impressive building with 5 levels all completely different shapes carving and winding upwards. Inside the house was full of interesting  collections from around the world such as old maps, a carousel horse and a stuffed flamingo.  Definitely one of the best views from inside a house, Neruda had views of the entire bay.

Valparaiso

From the city out to the coast, the adventure continues. I've been in Valparaiso and the small towns north for the last few days and it's amazing. So chill here, packed full of happy, vacationing prople, out playing in the sun and exploring the hills all around.

Valparaiso is made up of over 40 hills overlooking the ocean. Pure bliss. All over there are good views and the weather has been perfect. It's like goldilocks said, just right. We've had some beach days, a boat trip around the harbor (valparaiso used to be a major stopping off point for ships going around the southern tip of South America. So lots of history, sights and good vibes here. The streets are full of travelers, locals, sailors and dogs. Very electric around here.

We stayed the first 3 nights north in the small town of Concon.  Much quieter up there and will smaller beaches and great restaurants, it's been a good base. Now I'm staying 2 nights in the hills of Valparaiso with amazing street art all around. Pretty damn amazing.

The days are long, which means both the sun is out for a super long time, but also that which means that we also stay out for a very long time which can be quite entertaining.  Everything starts at a later time and if you missed the morning that's how it goes. Overall the days are pretty darn good here.

Santiago, Chile

Santiago is a city full of people, trees and good vibes. Laid back atmospheres abound as people sit around with coffees and later pisco spurs, conversing and enjoying the summer weather. It's been fun to explore a bit and get to hang out with good company. I'm visiting friends from the US who are down here visiting their family so it's a full mix of all ages with lots of Spanish being spoken. I'm doing my best to keep up with the conversation. That old adage of just smile and nod works out pretty good.

We all went up a funicular to the top of San Cristobal Hill which has amazing 360 degree views. We got lucky and had some blue skies in a city that often is full of smog. At the very top is a large statue of the Virgin Mary with the best views. Great to see those amazing Andes all around, some with snow despite it being high 80s Fahrenheit. 

Last hurrah in California

Right before leaving California, I had to go on a road trip to some of my favorite places.  You can't leave the Golden State without spending time outdoors in the sunshine, cruising down Highway 1, exploring the small towns, visiting epic scenery and having a couple amazing days in San Francisco.

One of my best friends from Germany, Stefan, was visiting me for a week, so we rocked Santa Cruz and then set out in a rental car to check out the California beauty.  First stop was Big Sur, a top 5 place for me in the world and just an hours drive south.  Passing Monterey and Carmel, the shops and houses are left behind for grand mountains rolling into the sea.  I love this place and it was awesome to road trip along the coast, popping off for vistas and coffees along the way. 

McWay Falls

Soaking up that sunshine

We hiked the Ewoldsen trail, a perfect example of a California hike as you start way underneath the redwoods along a stream with waterfalls and slowly hike your way up, above the redwoods and into open pastures with oak trees.   From there on, it was time to find a free camping spot and set up the tent.  Pretty damn amazing sunset over the Pacific Ocean, with a mad amount of stars afterwards made for another solid night over in Big Sur.  You just can't beat that place.

Driving back up Highway 1, we stopped off in El Pescadero, small town California, to meet up with a good friend Shannon for lunch.  So many great places to visit along the coast, and this one is a classic, from the hipster coffee shop that charges way too much for vintage items, to the goat farm serving banquet dinners.

San Francisco was next up, with the main tourist sights getting checked off, lots of hills to drive up and down. It always amazes me when you drive and can't see the road under your car right before you go down a hill.  Just no clue about what will come next.  The adventure!  And that is to say nothing of parking perpendicularly on a steep street, having to pull yourself out of the car to get out.

From SF, it was back to Santa Cruz for a few days and then with a different rental car, I packed up everything and drove north to Portland.  From the balmy 60 degree weather by the beach, I drove into freezing rain, and eventually snow in the City of Roses.  Safe and fun driving up there, and then we were snowed in Portland style at the family house.  Which means that 2 inches of snow back up all the streets and no one goes to work.  So we just had good times at the house.  The family reunited once again!

Headed to South America at the start of January!

More world adventures going to start real soon!  Goodbye amazing California, hola Sudamérica !

Skyline to the Sea Trail

We drove for about 1 hour up into the mountains, through windy roads, out of the beach fog and into the blue skies.  I got dropped off at Castle Rock State Park, and set out with my backpack back to the ocean, starting the 30 mile Skyline to the Sea Trail, passing through 3 state parks along the way.

The start had the best views, from the highest point of the trail at over 3000 feet.  I could see the whole Monterey Bay from up there.  Pretty damn epic, seeing the other side where Monterey and Carmel are, and then the ocean, and finally the end of the mountains so many miles away.  This picture gives a great image of where I was starting and where I was headed:

Most people think that it is all downhill from 3000 feet, but it is far from that, as any hiker of the trail would tell you.  Lots of ups and downs, going down to creek level, and then up on top of ridges seemingly every hour.  All those hills you see above, well, I walked around them all, weaving through past towering redwoods.  Here's a chart that shows the elevation change:

From the ocean views in the first few miles with peace and quiet, the trail descended to a heavily forested area, passing a couple creeks and then staying close to the country highway.  Not much car traffic, but not the best part of the hike.  The scenery was good, and it was nice to see some changing colors in the trees.  Mainly sycamore trees were changing colors down nearby the creeks, as the pines and redwoods were just as green as ever. 

I made it to the Waterman Gap Trail Camp in under 4 hours, cruising along with just a couple short breaks.  Not much of a camp there, with just flat area for campsites and a drop toilet.  Found a tree I could lean against, had lunch, read a bit and chilled.  About 1/3 of the way done, time to kick it for an hour.  Then back to the trail.  Which lead upwards almost 1000 feet to China Grade, upon which there was a noticeable change in tree variety on the other side of the hill with more sunlight coming through. Here are some pictures from before China Grade:

Cables!

Autumn starting to kick in

 Although there are mountain lions, rattlesnakes and potentially bears out there, the biggest threat seemed to be being hit by a falling branch or tree.  The park service takes care of them pretty quick, but there were trees down all along the way, that you had to climb over, under or through.  They've cut some sweet opens for the hikers, whether it's steps up a tree, or a 4 feet wide chunk gone so you can pass through.  Often you can see the full root system of the towering redwood on its side, looking like mini trees all sticking out with dirt still attached.

 

Towards the second half there was more water, which was great for my water filter I'd brought.  Only had to use it once, but it was great to have along for the first time.  Each trail camp, spaced out about every 10 miles, had potable water, so with 2 liters and a full belly, you could easily get by.  But the water that you passed along the way got better and better. Some serene scenes along the way:

I camped out in the redwoods a half hour short of Big Basin, settling in and stretching the legs.  Sun went down and I went down.  At 7pm.  I'd hiked pretty much from 9am and stopped around 5pm, with some breaks and the hour lunch, for a grand total of just over 6 hours of hiking.  From the trail markings along the way, I'd hiked about 17 miles, over halfway there.  Well deserving of sleeping under the towering trees, with just a couple squirrels nearby making noise.

The second day went pretty quick.  Legs felt strong and I cruised through, stocking up on water from Big Basin Headquarters and then passing Berry Creek Falls on the way out.  Around 5 hours after starting my hike, I saw the ocean after smelling it for the last mile.  Such a good sight to see!

All together, the hike took just under 12 hours and was epic.  Great scenery, elevation change and time to think and practice counting to 100 in Spanish.  I finished with a swim in the ocean, then read more and watched the surfers before my ride came.  I'd reached the beach 2 hours before the time I'd asked to be picked up at, as when you're moving, you're moving and can't stop.  Nice to just keep going and finish strong.  Great hike, and an even greater night when the Dodgers won game 4.

The 30 mile hike

Here's a little video from the start of hiking the Skyline to the Sea trail.  It spans 30 miles from way up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, through numerous ups and downs, peaks, valleys, creeks and camps, and ends at the beach.  As someone who loves hiking and loves the beach, this is a sweet hike to have the ocean as your end goal.  Hiking over 2 days, camping under the redwoods and knowing that the ocean is waiting for you to finish with a swim, well, you just can't beat that...