18th October: Climbing volcano Villarrica

The strident alarm of John's watch shouted at 6 a.m., time to get up and finalize our bags before heading to the travel agency.  We picked up the bags prepared for us (with waterproof gear, crampons, and gas masks), put on rigid mountain boots, and hopped on the minibus. We had a clear view of the volcano, which confirmed the agency's prognostication that it was a good day to climb up. After a 30-minute ride, we arrived at the bottom of the volcano. The guides distributed ice picks that we tied to our backpacks, and we began our walk up to the first chairlift, 30 minutes away.

View from the bottom of the volcano

Smiling faces, this is only the start though

The guides advised us that taking the chairlift would save 1h30 and spare us a steep climb. The temptation was great... Nevertheless, we chose the more challenging option together with two Australian guys, a French girl, and a guide who was thus forced to walk with us.  The first 45 minutes went ok: we made it up the first half quite quickly, while we could see the rest of the group passing us above our heads.  Until then, I was confident that we had taken the right decision to walk, it was not that difficult after all.  And then began the "fun part". We took the ice picks from the bags, while our guide (Antoine) explained how to use it by planting the end in the mountain side (in contrast to the ski pole). Holding the ice pick in one's hand presents more of a challenge, but since it efficiently prevented us from slipping down, I gripped it as best as I could. Antoine also told us how to use the ice pick in case we fell, which was not that intuitive, so I repeated the procedure a couple of times in my head, just in case.  We also put on our fancy red helmets.

View of the chairlift

Other volcanoes in the distance

The second part was definitely harder (and I was then envious of those taking the chairlift), but the ice pick was a great help and another 45 minutes later, we arrived at the top of the chairlift.  By then the rest of the group had already gone, but another guide (Leo) was waiting for us.  This was an ideal set-up: we had two guides for 5 people.  After a quick break to reload on food and water, we resumed our ascent led by the other guide, Leo.  It was getting steeper and we nearly lost Caro, the French girl, who slipped down around 10 meters before managing to plant the pick properly and stop.  This was a good reminder on how to use the ice pick and of the need to stay focused.  Another 45 minutes later, we had another break at La Capilla.  There, we installed the crampons (for snow, not ice!) and were told to keep a certain distance between our feet (that makes sense, thank you for the tip!).

Crampons affixed

We kept on ascending the volcano, zig-zagging across the ever-steeper slope.  By that time, the fatigue had caught up with us and our pace was slightly slower.  Leo, who was taking the lead, was thankfully very helpful in showing us the way and making footprints where necessary.  On each side of the slope, we could see the solidified lava from the 1971 eruption, covered with snow.

We passed a couple of groups on the way (Leo was dictating the pace) and finally reached the summit after 4 to 5 hours. We had the crater to ourselves when we arrived and made the most of the opportunity to take photos before slower groups arrived.  We also admired the view over the surrounding area (we were very lucky to have such a clear day).  Other groups then joined and we all enjoyed the toxic gases coming from the crater.

We made it!

View into the crater

More of the crater

View of the Lanin volcano, the highest in the region

We stayed on top of the volcano for around 45 minutes, during which we took off the crampons and put on the waterproof gear: overtrousers, a jacket, gloves and some kind of extra protection for the bottom.  We walked down for about 20 minutes, to a place where there was less ice.  We then sat on our bottoms and began the descent, using the ice pick as a brake!  Although it was mildly unnerving to look down from the top of the slope, it turned out to be a very exhilarating experience. The only down side was the few patches of ice that did not make a welcoming reception.  For less steep slopes, we used a little plastic sledge, which increased the speed.  We did about 5 or 6 of those, enough to really enjoy it and get more comfortable with the use of the ice pick or with speed.

Bibendums ready for the slopes

Ca décoiffe!

We finished this amazing day with a 30-minute walk in the snow.  Back at the agency, we had a cold beer on the terrace with a view on the volcano.

In the evening, after enjoying a beautiful sunset on the lake, we had a well-deserved (or so we thought) grilled steak with a bottle of wine.

We were tucked up in bed, ready for a good night sleep, when a siren suddenly went off.  Knowing that there was a volcano warning siren, we jumped out of bed quickly and started to get dressed.  By this time, however, the siren had stopped, and I double-checked with reception who told me that it was not related to the volcano (there had been a big car crash outside of town).  That certainly got the adrenalin going though.