Puerto Fuy to Curarrehue and spending time near Pucon

A footbridge along the trail leaving Puerto Fuy 

We were caught in town for a day of rain and made our way out of Puerto Fuy as the leafy trees were still dripping. We walked along Lago Pirihueico and worked our way up a steep trail that looked like an overgrown road. There were Sendero de Chile Markers along the trail the entire first day, so we were pleasantly surprised to be following a marked trail. Though it had stopped raining, the humidity was still oppressive. As the trail went up, so did the amount of sweat accumulating on my skin and soaking through my shirt. We went up and down, and up and down, along the valleys we followed for two days before dropping elevation into the deep valley that held multiple small towns.

Fidgit looks out on some destroyed  forest road

Two days of walking and we get this view before descending

Having planned for 3 days of food, we just had to resupply with snacks in the small shops of Luiquine. We then walked 5 km along the main road through the valley before turning off and finding camp. Hot road walking had really sapped my energy that day, and I fell into a exhausted sleep in the tent after dinner. I woke up the next morning rested, only to find a critter had snacked on my breakfast bag during the night. Somewhat frustrated, I relocated my breakfast into a new bag and packed up. We walked down the road northward, unsure of how long the road walk would be that day. Thankfully it wasn't long before the dirt road turned into 2 track which then crossed a stream and became more and more of a footpath. We were appreciative of the shade as we climbed up and up that day- from about 200 meters in elevation to where we made camp at about 1500 meters. As we moved up, thick forest thinned and we saw less underbrush. The birds were ever present, though it seemed as though different species had different areas they occupied. We hit treeline near the end of our day, came up over a pass to Lago Los Patos and set up camp. We then promptly got into the water. It was so lovely to rinse the salt off my face after such a sweaty day. I can tell I've been living in the desert most recently.

When road walking, feet elevation at breaks is crucial

The road turns back to trail- Neon crossing a makeshift bridge

After our high mountain lake rinse, we assessed our timing. We had entered Parque Nacional Villarica and discovered it would only be another day and a half of walking until we got into Curarrehue. To give context, we had planned on 6 days to get there, and we were currently a day and a half into those 6 days.We had also let some friends in Pucon know what our timeline was looking like. We were able to send those friends a message with our DeLorme Tracker so we didn't surprise them by being over a week early! And of course, we were now carrying way more food than we needed. Walking (as well as life) always has lessons for you, and you may learn something if you're willing to see them.

Walking towards Laguna los Patos and a lava flow

Breakfast is not a time to get out of your sleeping bag

Fidgit walking among the lava flow

So, we camped out at Laguna los Patos, and the next day the route took us into a couple of older lava flows. They were cool to walk through, with 'young' rock poking out all around us. We then traversed a pass and down along Lago Blanco, a whitish colored lake with many different streams flowing into it. After crossing such an exposed area, it was nice to get back down to treeline and have some shade from the glaring sun. We spent the afternoon going down and down a trail/old road from treeline to a locked gate. From what we understood, the northern side of the trail/old road we were following was privately owned, and the gate was there to keep out dirt bikers who would come onto the land and leave a mess of trash.

Walking across the valley next to Lago Blanco

Yerba Mate breaks and cookies!

We came back into actual drive-able road near the end of the day and were able to find a tucked away spot near a stream to camp for the night. The next morning, we packed up and went up and down and up and down for about 15 kilometers to get into Curarrehue. We got some snacks and supplies then found internet connection to contact our friends Greta and Ale (pronounced Ah-ley) and get directions to their property. After a couple hours, we then found our way by bus, hitch-hiking, and walking to them. It was so nice to lay my head down in the house of friends that night, as navigating town is harder than navigating trail for me.

Walking into Curarrehue

We woke up the next morning to REAL coffee (most down here is instant) and good conversation while bacon and eggs cooked on the stove. Ale's cousins had arrived in the night, so it was a full house, and we were able to all get together and enjoy each other's company. Spanglish became the main conversation language, and we were all enjoying the many stories that were swapped throughout the next couple of days.

Walking around the property with Greta and part of
her herd on a rainy day.