Lucky day! Alberto happened upon a TV crew in the lodge from a Chilean show called Adventure Sports (Deportes Adventura, I think). Because Bailey and I are both gringas (white foreigners), the film crew asked if they could film us, which means that we got to go around with them and get filmed doing all of the activities at Huilo Huilo! For free! What good fortune!
So Bailey and I ran back to the staff housing to grab warm clothes and pack our bags because we are climbing the volcano! Snow-capped Volcan El Mocho! To summit the volcano, we needed lots of gear that I had never used before- cramp-ons, an ice axe, and lots of rope. Alberto was our guide during the trip, and he tied the three of us together in a line and taught us how to use the gear to climb.
I enjoyed learning the technique of using the ice axe, as well as learning how to walk and climb in cramp-ons. The cramp-ons were tricky at first, but we eventually got the hang of it. The ice axe was fun, and both Bailey and I had the chance to use it for real when we both slipped on separate occasions and started sliding down the face of the volcano. It was like we were in the movies when the actor is falling and drives the ice axe into the snow to stop. Crazy!
Unfortunately we did not end up summiting the volcano. The warm weather has been melting the glacier at the top and causing it to split apart, forming large and deep crevasses. We still got close to the crevasses though and got to lay on the snow and peer down inside them. The light blue ice was beautiful, but it was kind of scary looking into the crevasse and not being able to see the bottom because it was so deep!
We spent the rest of the afternoon trekking across the glacier in between both volcanos and climbing on some of the exposed rock. My favorite part was that the weather and the view were absolutely perfect! There was not a cloud in the sky, hardly any wind, and bright strong sun that kept us warm on the snow. And it was so quiet up on the glacier! In fact, it was so quiet that my ears hurt from straining to hear something! Because the sky was clear, we got to see the most incredible view of the Andes Mountains. You could literally see the folds and folds of earth that formed with the tectonic plates crashed into one another to formed the Andes Mountain Range. We could see clear across to Argentina, which is marked by several magnificent snow-capped volcanoes! Ah it was INCREDIBLE!
After spending six hours hiking along the volcano's glacier for the filming crew, we went on a night hike to the Huilo Huilo waterfall. We carried torches, I almost set the trees and then my hair on fire, drank Pisco Sours, and watched the waterfall lit up by lights.
We were asked to spend the next day and a half with this film crew and do more activities. They want us to go mountain biking with them, horseback riding, and do the Canopy XL, the longest and highest canopy zip-line in Chile. Bailey and I were considering staying to do the activities with them, especially since they would all be free for us, but the weather is now awful and raining. Since the crew doesn't want to do the activities and get the cameras wet in the rain, Bailey and I will be leaving Huilo Huilo with Alberto and heading off to meet up with Byron in Villarrica. Adelante!
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