Fjords/Pumalin Park October 19th - 26th

Hola everyone! We are back in the real world... So, here is the story of our adventures sea kayaking this past week! Keep an eye out because pictures will be soon to follow!

Friday October 19th:
Today the group packed all their things to get ready to leave Pucon. They took a JAC bus to Puerto Varas, where they would start their next adventure through the fjords. JAC bus is kind of like the Greyhound of Chile and so far it has done the group well! One thing that the group would get used to is the rain, although they left Pucon, they would not be leaving behind the rain. They arrived at their hostel where they were warmly greeted by L.B. and Walker, as well as their guide, Heralgdo. (The spelling on this is definitely not right… we had enough trouble just saying his name. So, for the rest of the time I will call him Guide H.) They also had a guide named Pepe who stayed with them throughout the rafting and fjord trip and was a huge help and a lot of fun during the trip. Soon after they arrived at the hostel they loaded into vans and took off towards the river. They were off to have their first river experience in Chile, rafting the Petroquehue. They put on wetsuites, gloves, splash tops, and lifejackets and jumped into the rafts! The river was crazy with a high water level and the water was incredible clear and blue, it almost looked frosty. The whole group had a great time!

Saturday October 20th:
Today the group awoke to prepare themselves for their first week of real camping. They went to the grocery store to buy a week worth of food for each cook group, then they were off the fjords. They drove for about three hours then stopped in a small fishing town to wait for a ferry to take them closer to their destination. In the town they experienced one of Chile’s delicacies… delicious empanadas. After the ferry ride they drove a little further until they reached their put-in spot. They fitted their kayaks and jumped in the water. They paddled for about three hours until they reached their hostel for the night. During the paddle, actually within the first ten minutes, they discovered one of the animals that they would become very accustomed to, the sea lion. One came to greet them in the form of popping up 5 feet behind Tommy and Jen’s boat and then staring them down. During a small break in the rain they also got to experience an incredible sunset. They arrived at they hostel to find a delicious meal of meat and mussels waiting for them. After dinner the group went outside to enjoy one of many hot springs that would grace their presence during their trip.

Sunday October 21st:
This morning they group boarded their support vessel and took a nice, relaxing, and very rainy boat ride to their next destination. Today would be the first day that they would really learn how crazy the tides inside the fjords are. When they arrived at their destination it was not high tide so they had to walk about a half mile through leech infested slippery grass and rocks, as well as cross some knee high rivers, to get to where we needed to be. But if they had waited for about five hours, until high tide, they would have been about 500 yards from their boat. They set up camp and once again enjoyed the hot springs in the continuous, pouring rain.

Monday October 22nd:
This morning the group awoke to an incredible site, SUN! They sky way actually blue and there was sunshine. Since the group was going to spend another night at the same campsite they had the option of either fishing or kayaking. So, Tommy, Drew, Josh, Esther, and Jen went fishing while the rest went kayaking. The group who went kayaking visited some magnificent waterfalls. As for the group that went fishing, Tommy was the only one who caught a fish, the first one in Chile! Josh collected some mussels for dinner and learned that, if you make the hot springs hot enough, you can actually cook the mussels in the hot springs.

Tuesday October 23rd:
They left camp this morning in the kayaks and really had a chance to appreciate the sunshine. They saw some amazing waterfalls along the way. They paddled for about two hours to a small rock beach where they stopped to eat lunch. After lunch they witnessed a once in a life time experience… They noticed that it was really starting to smell fishy in the air and as they paddled around a corner they saw around 500 sea lions sitting on the rocks. It was incredible! Soon after they saw the sea lions they arrived at the Fundacion Huinay which is a facility for studying the marine and terrestrial areas surrounding the fjords. After, they jumped on the boat and road to their next destination, which is a campground owned by a local lady. When they arrived they went on a hike to the hot springs there. It was a really neat hike through the forest, and the hot springs were really cool too. It was like a river of hot springs, with dams in it to make the pools, on one side and then on the other side was a regular river. After the hike they set up camp and cooked dinner, relaxing around the fire after a long day of ocean travel.

Wednesday October 24th:
Today the group got packed up to get to their next destination. They rode the boat for about 30 minutes and then loaded all of their things onto a trailer pulled by a John Deere tractor. There they said goodbye to the boat and the captain and crew, Rudy and Victor, who were born and raised in the fjord area. They jumped in the tractor and rode for one hour to a farm. They got to tour this farm; they produced organic honey, jam and wool. It was really cool to see how they produce they honey, recycling the wax and how they were able to sustain a large scale production of honey in such a remote area, planes are very important! Once their tour was over the tractor took them to their ferry where they loaded their things and prepared themselves for a storm on the way to their next destination. When they arrived they unloaded all of their belongings in the rain and went to their campsite. On the way to their campsite they crossed a really neat swinging bridge. For dinner that night the group was treated to a traditional lamb roast and it was delicious.

Thursday October 25th:
Today the group packed their things and jumped in the vans. On the way to their next campsite they stopped to take a 20 minute hike through the sacred Alerce trees. The Alerce is like the redwood of Chile, they have some documented as being 4,000 years old. After the hike they went to their campground and spent the day waiting out the rain that never stopped…

Friday October 26th:
Today the group prepared themselves for a wet, cold jungle hike. This hike would take them to some really amazing waterfalls and through some incredible Alerce trees. It was crazy how wet it was in the forest, it was kind of like the Olympic National Park in Washington but still original to Chile. Guide H was able to point out many endemic plants and trees and the group visited one of the most photographed places in Parque Pumalin. By the time they finished the hike everyone was soaked to the bone. They drove to their next campground where they were once again graced with hot springs. Unfortunately, the group mourned the loss of a very important member, Manwell. They forgot him on one of the sea kayaks… God bless Manwell and may your adventures through Chile be fabulous! Today would end their adventure through the fjords.