Pucón and Santiago
In Pucón, our group shared a house, giving us the comfort of a home away from home, bringing us together like family as we gathered around the wood burning stove to roast marshmallows. Following a night of homemade chili, our first full day in Pucón, part of our group set out to clime the active Volcan Villarrica—a highlight of our trip and an experience I will never forget. The stormy weather that hit earlier that week created a nice blanket of powder over the face of the volcano.
Cramp-os, ice pick and all, we set foot to a arduous 6 hour trek to the cumbre. Along the way, we lost a few who turned back, 7 of us remaining. Conditions were fortunately very good, which I was grateful for, because the times when wind did pick up, it was difficult to breathe. Slowly and steadily, we followed the footprints of our guide, zig-zagging over powder, ice and steep drops. The last hour up the volcano was when the exhaustion really hit me. Every step seemed like a huge hair step into fresh powder. Never before had I better understood the concept of backsliding so clearly! Pastor Richard alwas says tat you can ener be stationary in your walk with God: you are either pursuing closer, or backsliding. There is no stagnant. This proved true in the pursuit to the cumbre. The wear of the cramp-ons of those in the line before me created a narrow pathin which ensured a sound step, but not necessarily an easy one. Often times when I would stop and feel a sort of security in the comfort of pausing, the snow beneath me would crumble and cause me to slide backwards. The last wind was painfully frustrating…or frustratingly painful, but the proverb
“Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you”
constanly ran through my head. All steps are ordered! Finally, in unbelief, we reached the top and were rewarded with a spectacular view and a rush of excitement! We practically inhaled the food in our backpacks (salami sandwiches and terrible Chilean chocolate never tasted so good) and awed over the fuming sulfur bellowing from the volcano. We rejoiced in our summit down the volcano, 2/3 of which we got to slide down on our butts (talk about the best slide ever)! Though it took us about 6 hours to climb UP the volcano, we made it down to the parking lot in about 1 1/2 hours, ready to go back to the house for a hot cup of mold wine and toasty marshmallows!
Another first I experienced in Pucón was horseback riding! We saddled up and walked, trotted and cantered down dirt paths, into thick vegetation and river rocks and galloped over black sand alongside the white water rapids. I have always been somewhat hesitant and skeptical about horses in general previously, but I genuinely enjoyed the thrill and the beautiful view.
Pucón, for us, was also characterized by one HUGE, continuous dance party. For some reason, we heard the same songs everywhere we went! Lead by Claire’s unparalleled energy, we shared many good memories, belting out old time favorites and making up silly dance moves :)
Oh yeah…Mr. Hanky and grandbabies, not to be forgotten Erin.
Santiago: not really caring about site seeing, but spending as much time with each other as possible before we had to leave!
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