Cerro Castillo
Chile
Distance: 13 km
Hiking Time: 5:19 hr
Ascent: 1,155 m
After a tumultuous 24 hours thanks to a delayed plane, a missed flight connection and an unexpected overnight stay in Puerto Montt, we finally arrived at Balmaceda airport. Here we picked up our hire car and set off along the Carretera Austral, a 1,200 km highway that is touted as being one of the premier drives in the country. We weren't going to traverse the entire length, but we would cover enough of it get the idea.
It rained for the entire hour to our destination, the 2-street town of Villa Cerro Castillo. Along the way we crisscrossed over shallow rivers and twisted around fog-covered rolling hills, but the gloomy conditions meant it wasn't as jaw-dropping as we had imagined. The further we drove, the larger and more imposing the mountains became, many covered with a blanket of snow. This was more like what we had in mind.
When we arrived in Villa Cerro Castillo, the rain had eased temporarily but the clouds hung low, completely obscuring the mountain we intended to trek. The plan was to undertake one hike today and another tomorrow in Cerro Castillo National Park, but there didn't seem much point heading out in these conditions (it was also only 8°C outside, despite being on the verge of summer). We later learnt the park was closed today anyway due to the poor weather, so we hadn’t missed out on much. We decided to scrap the trek to Laguna Duff and focus on hiking to Laguna Cerro Castillo tomorrow, when the weather was forecasted to be significantly better (15°C!).
Walking outside the next morning, we were met with partially blue skies and a full view of Cerro Castillo in all its snow-covered glory (covered in much more snow than we were expecting). We made the short drive to the entrance, where we disappointingly discovered that we were only allowed to hike up to the ranger station, at the 5 km mark, due to a fresh dumping of snow overnight. Our aim, the Mirador Laguna Cerro Castillo, was 6.5 km away. We decided anything was better than nothing, so we signed our names on the check-in sheet, paid the fee and set off with a handful of other people.
The first few kilometres were steep, leading in and out of a peaceful forest carpeted with vibrant green foliage that from afar looked like a movie set. Occasionally we would come across a soggy section of muddy puddles, but overall it was a pretty, straightforward hike.
At the 3 km mark we hit snow. Initially it was light, with small dustings over the trail and the trees around us. It looked like a winter wonderland, which was fitting because it was close to Christmas, but ironic because it was virtually summer. It was unbelievably beautiful. Gradually the snow levels increased, making the terrain more unstable. According to the check-in sheet only 3 people had started before us, so the snow was still powdery and provided some traction. Going up the incline was manageable, but we had no idea how we were going to get down again. Hiking poles or crampons would have been handy right now.
Out of the forest we steadily climbed up the side of a mountain, with snow visible in every direction. It wasn't hard to understand why this trek only reopened a week ago after being closed for winter. Finally we made it to the ranger station where the park ranger, emerging from his tent shelter, reiterated that this was as far as we were allowed to go. Beyond here, the trail wasn’t marked and the snow was much deeper. We sat on a log and absorbed the view, stretching out across the valley to a string of other snow-capped mountains in the distance. It was breathtaking.
While we rested, several other hikers entered the checkpoint. A few of them tried to persuade the ranger to let them continue on to the mirador, which he begrudgingly allowed if they signed a waiver. We debated whether to join them; I was definitely for, Danny was against. In the end, I convinced him to push on, just to see how far we could get.
Six others set out before us, doing the arduous but much appreciated job of creating a trail for us to follow. We mimicked their footsteps up the precipitous incline, which was dicey in parts but in general was achievable. A lush blanket of smooth snow surrounded us, and the rocky outcrops above guided our way. The sun was shining and, incredibly, there was not a breath of wind. I couldn’t begin to describe how incredible the scenery was.
It took almost an hour to cover the 1.4 km from the ranger station to Mirador Laguna Cerro Castillo, but it was time well spent. Below us was a deep, inky blue lake, with jagged, pointed mountains forming the backdrop. Clouds came and went, revealing different parts of the surrounding landscape. We stood transfixed, silently watching the spectacle.
The descent wasn't so fun. Hordes of people were now coming up, churning up the snow until it created a slip-and-slide. I lost count how many times I fell on my arse. Those with poles flew by us like we were standing still while we tiptoed our way down the slope. We thought it was a relief to make it to the ranger station, but it wasn't over yet. After here the snow had turned to slush, slowing our pace even further. Eventually the snow had melted enough for the earth to appear, giving us some traction. Then it was a simple hike back to the start point, where we changed out of our wet boots and commenced the drive to our next destination.
