Huerquehue National Park
Chile
Cerro San Sebastian
Distance: 13.7 km
Hiking Time: 4:20 hr
Ascent: 1,217 m
Danny was keen for a rest day, so I drove myself to Huerquehue National Park with the aim of hiking up Cerro San Sebastian. It ended up being one of the more dangerous hikes I had undertaken in Chile. Probably not the best trek to be tackling alone.
The uphill commenced immediately through a dark, dense forest on a stable dirt floor. Monkey puzzle trees were present here too, but much taller and older than those we saw in Villarrica. The sun was trying to poke through the leaves, but I was glad the rays were blocked out with the weather forecast to be 32°C. There was nothing inspiring to look at so I just slogged it out, thinking about how coming back down was going to be a breeze.
Close to the halfway point, the trees suddenly stopped and I found myself on a grassy plain. This was my first sighting of San Sebastian, speckled with snow and seeming impossibly tall from here. Not long later I re-entered the forest, the trail becoming progressively steeper and the path more overgrown. Repeatedly, I tripped over tree roots and slipped on the smooth dirt. I was very thankful there were branches overhead to help pull me up.
Eventually the trees and dirt were replaced with boulders on top of a narrow ridgeline, where the sun blazed down on the exposed trail. More upper body work was required to haul myself up the vertical rocks. With sharp drop-offs on either side of me and no safety barriers, one misstep meant I would be sliding all the way down to my death. Despite the occasional pale green arrows spray painted on the rocks, there wasn't much guidance on the best way to scale the mountain. In contast to earlier, now I was thinking that going down was going to be a nightmare. It felt extremely dangerous, but I was determined to conquer it.
I hit false summit after false summit, there always being another pile of rocks to scramble over. For the last few hundred metres the rocks mercifully gave way to an easy sandy path leading up to the highest point. Back at the entrance, the park ranger had told me I would see 9 volcanoes from the viewpoint. I wasn't entirely sure what was volcano and what was regular mountain, but the number of snowy peaks around me was incredible. Below were lakes dotted around the valleys, with streaks of snow lining the slopes. Clear blue skies overhead meant there were no obstructions, which well and truly made up for the cloud-filled landscape I witnessed on the Mirador Los Volcanes trek in Villarrica. I sat and absorbed the scenery for half an hour, relishing the serenity of having the place to myself.
As I was descending the rocks, I quickly realised I may not have taken the simplest and safest path on the way up - it was a lot easier to see the correct trail from above (a few more green arrows would have been handy). Apart from a couple of bum slides, I made it through the boulders unscathed. After this, I underwent yet another arm workout when I needed to use branches to lower myself down the slippery dirt. Once this section was finally over, the trek was relatively straightforward (i.e. non-life threatening). Somehow, I reached the start point without one single fall or sign of blood, a rarity for me. I think Danny was glad he didn't join me on this hike.
El Cañi Sanctuary
Distance: 19 km
Hiking Time: 5:00 hr
Ascent: 1,226 m
El Cañi is a private reserve that sits just outside of Huerquehue National Park. It is geared towards people who enjoy birdwatching or identifying local flora, but the promise of a viewpoint of the surrounding volcanoes was enough to entice me.
From the car park it was a 20-minute walk along a local, unpaved road to the control gate, where there was no one to collect the entrance fee. The road then continued directly up a mountain at an acute angle, but at least now there were no cars or trucks flying past. As it was predicted to be another scorcher today, I was glad the route was almost entirely in the shade. It was fairly monotonous, with nothing to look at except my feet, although the sounds of birds, insects and flowing water provided a tranquil soundtrack.
About the halfway mark I turned onto a dirt track, which was shadier but no less steep. It only flattened out once I reached the start of the lakes section, where a variety of birds congregated around small pools of calm water that reflected the surrounding trees.
The last push to the summit was a short but sharp quad killer. At the top I had to clamour over a pile of rocks to reach the unmarked lookout, but it wasn’t anywhere near as perilous as San Sebastian. From here I could see 3 volcanoes and several of the lakes I had passed earlier, plus monkey puzzle trees that dominated the foreground. It was an impressive sight, but I couldn’t say it was the most spectacular viewpoint I had visited in this area.
Back down at the base of the mirador, I followed a marked loop around the lakes. It was a nice enough stroll but didn't offer anything different to what I had already seen. Then all that was left to do was make the lengthy walk back downhill to the car.
Sendero Los Lagos
Distance: 14 km
Hiking Time: 4:03 hr
Ascent: 850 m
The Los Lagos trek loops around a trio of mountain lakes within Huerquehue National Park. I saw these lakes from the top of San Sebastian, but now I was hoping for a close-up view. The beginning of the trail followed the border of Lake Tinquilco (not one of the 3 lagos), although I only caught glimpses of the water through the closely packed tree trunks. At the end of the lake we hit the base of a mountain, and up we went.
Tall, mossy trees filled a thick forest, filtering the sunlight and keeping us cool. Natural steps, made of tree roots and logs, had formed in the earth, making for a strenuous but sturdy ascent. On the way were 2 detours leading out to waterfalls. The first was fantastic, with a powerful stream of water crashing down the bare rock face. If the sun had been shining directly on the cascade, it would have been amazing. Waterfall number 2 was less impressive, the viewpoint offering a side view instead of front on, but it was just as forceful.
Lago Chico was the first lake we arrived at, its calm, blue-green water displaying crystal clear reflections of the adjacent mountains. Although there weren't many angles from which to view the lake, it ended up being the most scenic of the 3. Lake number 2, Lago Verde, was ironically the least verde (verde meaning ‘green’). It wasn't as picturesque as Chico and we didn't spend long here.
Lago Toro held our attention the longest. Again the blue-green surface perfectly recreated the backdrop, which included the imposing peak of San Sebastian (how did I ever get up there??). Fish regularly jumped up out of the water, and we almost came face to face with a small mink, an animal we had never laid eyes on before (we actually thought it was an otter; a signboard later corrected us). It leaped out of the water and onto a rock only a couple of metres from us before noticing our presence, then quickly scurried/swam around the edge of the lake to escape. This experience alone made the hike worthwhile.
On the drive back to Pucon, we stopped by the Ojos del Caburgua. A triplet of short cascades spilled into a vivid blue pool, with numerous viewpoints from which to observe the sight. Walking upriver from the pool we discovered another lagoon, the water dazzling a vibrant azure. Given the warm weather it would have been nice to jump in to cool off, but swimming was prohibited. It was a pleasant change to visit a site without having to walk for hours to see it, although I think I appreciate sites more when I have to put in an effort to see them.
