The Cerro Castillo Trail

Many trips include some sort of near death experience story similar to armed robbery, crazy taxi drivers or catching some parasite that immobilizes you for days or weeks. For me, it was the trail in Cerro Castillo.

Looking back on it now, I may have been in danger of losing my life but it is really something we brought upon ourselves. Ourselves being Ricardo, another solo traveler I met on the trail and myself.

The stroy starts at Las Horquetas, one of the many entrances to the trail and involves several small river crossings which require you to take off your shoes (Ford the river). The first kilometer was uneventful and took me along an old jeep trail up the hills until the land flattened out. At this point I really thought I had entered the Shire. Seriously, even places I have been to in England and Wales don't fit the description as well as this place. I really half expected some sort of animatronic Gandalf to come around the corner and greet me with fireworks, ale and pipeweed. This stretch continued for the rest of the first day with the rivers gradually becoming larger (Caulk the wagon and float across) and an increase in the density of the surrounding forest. I made camp that night at on of the larger, designated camping grounds next to the river and this is where I met Ricardo.

Day 2 proved to be entirely different than the first. I didnt bring any trekking poles with me and I can say they would have made the hike up the mountain much, much easier. I started early and from what I know, I was the first person to leave the camp. Three quarters of the second day was spent climbing uphill and was somewhat challenging but nothing I felt I couldnt handle. Even without trekking poles, I had been covering some ground up until the trees broke away and the terrain turned to scree. One of the major downsides of this trail is that it is poorly marked throughout and I came to a point where I could either go left or right across very steep and dangerous scree slopes, or continue straight and cross n ice field. Ive never crossed an icefield before and I really thought it was something too dangerous to attempt. After an hour spent deliberating I finally decided take off my pack, carry it on a length of 550 cord behind me and cross the ice. The rest of the afternoon was spent mostly on the ice without trekking polls as the descent became steeper and more dangerous. This is the point, right before the final, near vertical, downward scree slope where I encountered Ricardo again and at first, I really thought he was some kind of figment of my imagination or guardian spirit come to carry me off the mountain. Together we made it down the rocky slope and finished the day by crossing several more kilometers of rock and forest.

The night before day three, Ricardo and I agreed to continue together but to take the direct route south back to town since we were both pressed for time. This is where we made our first mistake. Even after talking to several of the other groups, we came to the conclusion that the path was real but it was also extremely difficult to find.

Again, we started early and followed the map up until we found a place to leave the trail and cross the rapids as safely as possible (Take a ferry across). Amazingly enough, after crossing the river we came out directly on top of the hard to find, southward trail. We also had no problem of following it for a good 45 minutes. Here is where we made our second mistake; leaving the trail and heading downward towards the river. Even though the lonely planet guide showed the trail to be just alongside the river, it wasnt there. We spent the next 7 hours covering a distance of maybe 3 kilometers by crawling uphill or half scrambling half falling downhill in the humid forests on the western side of the river. All while in a constant search for water. After coming to the conclusion that we could no longer follow alongside the river, we made the first good decision of the day by heading straight up to the top of the mountain. I really dont know how to describe the amount of effort it took us but at one point we had to take our pack off and shimmy them up via 550 cord over a vertical ledge. Throughout the entire third day we contemplated turning back or even camping on the mountainside for the night. Really, the lack of water was our biggest concern. Eventually we made it to the top and the trees gave way to grasslands where we heard the sound of cows and eventually we found the path back down to the city. The walk back seemed like some kind of victory hike with a beautiful view of the town surrounded by mountains with a sunset to tie it all together. Reassured that we were going to live, we found a hostel and finished the night at a local restaurant that had been fashioned out of an old bus. The food was good and the sleep was even better.

All in all, we most likely would have made it out of there alive but with the unbelievably slow progress and being pushed for time without water for parts of the trip really put things into perspective. The terrain out here is deceiving to say the least.

Tortel

Im going to let a little bit of my nerd side out in this post because the description of this small town somewhat requires it. Tortel is a coastal village in Chile that is made entirely of wood and connected by wooden boardwalks and staircases. The perfect description of this place would be; a less primitive and more professionally built Ewok city on Endor except it's built along the hillside rather than in the treetops. The smell of burning cedar seems to permeate the air throughout the entire city while the grey clouds keep the rain at a seemingly endless gentle trickle. The truth of the matter is that the only things missing were Ewoks. Why cant there be Ewoks? WHY!?

The Chacabuco Valley

What was originally supposed to be a one and a half day drive to the digsite location in Chacabuco turned out to be almost three with a stop in Cerro Castillo for lunch and an extra night stay at Puerto Tranquilo, one of the smaller towns on our route. The second night was spent at the Conservacion Patagonica which is currently still under development.

Now the digsite is lcated in the no-mans-land area between the Chile-Argentina border and so the trip included a passage through the border police station where we had to leave our passports, and a stop at the military outpost located just several kilometers away from where we would be staying. I say military outpost but realistically it is more of a small livestock ranch with a few additional cabins. The inhabitants included Jose Bustamante, a soldier in the army of Chile and Alvaro, a gaucho. Just to clear things up, Alvaro is basically the iconic gaucho; chiseled, dark skinned, and with a weathered appearance. We had some local music playing on the radio one night and he actually came by on his horse, chatted for a bit and then rode off into the sunset like he had rehearsed it or something. He drives women crazy.

Anyway, setting up camp wasn't too difficult except some sheep shit and corpses had to be cleared in order to make room for the tents. I ca say that without much hesitation now because the first day also included digging through 13 inches of the same substance in order to get to the first ''historic'' layer. I wanted to complain so much at first but after seeing Pancho putting his effort into it, I realized it wasn't as bad as it seemed. A simple test for hoof-and-mouth disease is all I'll need when I get back.

The following days were far more exciting as we uncovered numerous artifacts by reaching both the historic and prehistoric layers. Some items from the historic layer included horseshoe nails, glass and thousands of rat, guanaco and sheep bones. Arrowheads, obsidian shards, and some bone tools turned out to be the majority of results from the prehistoric layer. Over the course of two weeks we managed to recover and catalogue some 300 separate artifacts.

Altogether, the dig was highly enjoyable and I was able to reassure myself that archaeology is something I have a passion for and will consider majoring in. The only downside is that I wish there had been enough funding to continue the dig for an extra couple of weeks. Pancho had mentioned that the site could easily continue to provide results for years.

Patagonia

Im a little late in writing this post mostly because I find it hard to describe not only the Chacabuco Valley, but Patagonia in general. I know my words and pictures only scratch the surface on what this place has to offer in terms of aesthetics and the magnitude of the forces of nature that are present every day.

Basically this is a place where you can see the elements at work and get a true understanding of how the planet is shaped along the course of thousands and millions of years. In a single day you can witness radiant sunshine, rain that seems entirely foreboding as it comes at you while dwarfing the mountainside, hail and wind so strong that if it were to be on the east coast of the States, they would give it a name and make you evacuate. Here the sky is oftentimes more chiseled, shaped and inspiring than the land beneath it. I have never seen skies like these here in Patagonia and it will be the thing I miss most when I leave. The repetition of greens, yellows, browns and black gives this place a contrast that is altogether natural and welcoming at times. There are no creatures here that can harm you which is good because the landscape can be challenging enough as it is. Being able to pass through a half-dozen different ecosystems within the span of a day is remarkable to say the least. Glaciers provide the land with streams, lakes and fresh water for its wildlife and weary travelers. Its simply a place everyone should visit.

More on the 2 weeks spent in Chacabuco coming tonight (hopefully)

The A-rchaeology team

It was pointed out to me that I should make a post introducing everyone who came and participated in the Archaeology project out in the Chacabuco Valley. Initially we were supposed to be split into two groups but due to numbers we stayed in one group and put all our effort into one of the the two proposed sites. This is something that turned out to be for the best.

I think first and foremost, Francisco Mena or "Pancho", who was the leading archaeologist for the duration of the dig, deserves a tremendous amount of both respect as well as recognition for his work and knowledge in all things archaic. This man is in line to be one of the most humble, inspiring and determined individuals I have ever had the privilege of meeting. If you see any photos of the dig, he is the guy who is working the hardest and without complaining.

Another figure who deserves recognition is Anna Prentiss, a professor at the University of Montana who, unfortunately, only stayed with us for a short duration. Both Pancho and Anna share a contagious passion for their profession and shared their wealth of knowledge with the rest of us which made them irresistible to work with. Archaeology is now a definite possibility for me as far as a career path.

The other four archaeologists, who were all amazing to work with, include; Felipe Fuentes who was Panchos right hand and can identify bones pretty much instantly. Maria Pas Retamales who worked day and night despite a broken finger and who was a pleasure to work with and talk to. Elisa Calas and Maria Luisa Gomez Lira were two integral members of the dig who spent many hours reassuring me that all the things I kept pulling out of the pit were just rocks and not ancient arrowheads or tools. Thanks to you two for putting up with my very poor Spanish and making it easier to dig through 13 inches of sheep crap.

Next up are the guides Christian Solis and Don Juan "johnney" (sorry Juan, I'll need to get ahold of your last name and update this post later). These guys really made the trip enjoyable especially the long roadtrips between Coyhaique, Chacabuco and Tortel. These two made sure there was always something to eat and drink including real coffee. Their knowledge of the outdoors is extensive and they kept a professional yet friendly attitude throughout the trip. Some of the most enjoyable moments from the last two weeks have been conversing with the guides in broken Spanish and English alike. Ahh Sipo...

The 2 logistic powerhouses behind the whole expedition include Trace Gale and Christine Sbolgi. These are two highly motivated individuals who made this whole thing possible down to the very first email. Both are employed by CIEP and both own and operate other businesses. Thanks to both of you for finding the time to make sure everything went according to plan (as much as possible) and talking to us on the friendliest of levels.

Special guests include:

Jamie Fields, who came out for a few days and brought the party to the asado. Thanks for the vino and the great conversations!

Jose Bustamonte, a soldier in the army of Chile who was very grateful for our presence and made us feel welcome with many cups of mate.

Alvaro, The gaucho and the manliest man alive. That is all.

Finally, Thuy and Jennifer, two people who I consider to be good friends. This trip would not have been the same without either of you and thank you for sharing the past two amazing weeks. The fun has been endless and I seriously hope we can have a reunion next year. Jennifer, Im sure I'll see you in Orlando and Thuy you are welcome anytime. New York is covered in snow right now anyway!

Thanks to everyone for making Chacabuco 2011 as memorable as it was and please let me know if I have misspelled anyones name or made any other errors.

Photography

After spending the majority of yesterday sifting trough some 600ish photographs, I've begun uploading about 40 of them 5 at a time as it takes about an hour to do so. One important thing I want to note is that I haven't been able to do any post production to the photos yet so don't judge me!

Another important lesson I learned over the last two weeks is that when coming to a place like this, it is imperative to bring a smaller camera even if you insist on bringing a digital SLR. I may have taken some nice shots but there are many that I missed due to weather or size restrictions. Not to mention that some video would have added a nice touch. Leaving my macro lens at home was a mistake as well. It would have been handy for the artifacts.

Many, many, many photographs incoming...

Also, some of these photographs, particularly the ones featuring the dig site and artifacts, will make their way into the hands of Douglas Tompkins who is the owner of the land that makes up the future national park of Patagonia. Outside of Chile he is more famously known for being the founder of The North Face. Some of theses photographs will POSSIBLY be framed and shown in the welcome center.

Coyhaique and northern Patagonia

Ive been here in Coyhaique for two full days now and Ive been so busy preparing for the next two weeks that I haven't had much time to enjoy the local area as I would have liked. The city is nothing fancy but the surrounding area makes up for it by leaps and bounds. Surrounded by mountains and clouds on all sides, Northern Patagonia is one of the most verdant places Ive ever had the privilege of visiting. The wind has held up to the name it has made for itself and proved to be a challenge for both the pilot of the jet as we landed in Balmaceda as well as the mini-bus driver who ferried us into Coyhaique. About halfway there we had to pull over for one of the other passengers, a local, to be sick. I felt bad for the guy but as the only foreigner on the bus, I was glad that it wasn't me.

Tonight, myself and two others met with the archaeologists who we will be working with and prepared to head out tomorrow morning for southern Patagonia near the Chile-Argentina border. I'll post pictures when I can but there wont be any internet while out in the field.

Also, the D'olbek brewery is a fine establishment that produces a very delicious beer made from the water in Patagonia. I'll see if I can bring some home!