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Patagonia Road Trip
  • Sarah Stiles
  • Paul Stiles
  • Sarah Stiles
  • Paul Stiles

Patagonia Road Trip

Paul and Stephen’s hiking adventures in Chile Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 3, 2024
    Patagonia Road Trip
    View from our room
    And i thought my spanish was badA land of volcanoes

    Day 1 -Sunday 3/3

    March 3, 2024 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    The adventure begins! Picked up our car, an MG crossover, and met Stephen in Puerto Varas. You can barely make out the dramatic outline of the Osorno volcano on the lake. Then it was off to the start of the legendary Carretera Austral, a.k.a Ruta 7, South America’s best road trip. We drove to Hornopiren via a local ferry—beautiful spot. We spent the night in a ramshackle wooden lodge from the 1940s. But the view from our room!

    In front was a lovely tidal river which we walked along for an hour or so. Had not seen scenery like this since Norway. We were also blessed by spectacular weather which managed to last a few days in this rainy part of the world. Hornopiren felt like a frontier town. Wooden buildings on a grid.

    The funny thing about Patagonia is that I was constantly being reminded of other places—Alaska, Iceland, Norway, New England, Pacific Northwest—but never South America.    Read more

  • Patagonia Road Trip
    Our perch
    The clarinetist was a nice benefit!We chose short hikes off our main route (under 3 hrs) like this waterfall hikeThe ferries are shallow draft catamarans that can land on a beachWaiting for ferryCraft beer is everywhere!2This crab dish was amazing. The food in Patagonia was excellent everywhere.

    Day 2-Monday 3/4

    March 4, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Today we had a long 6hr road trip including two more ferries to Chaiten where there is a great volcano to hike. The weather was perfect, the water was like a lake and there were very few signs of people except fish farms.

    We found an ideal outdoor seat on the ferry as you can see — that is Stephen sitting on our perch, where we spent three hours.
    We ended up in Chaiten, a town destroyed by a volcano in 2008. Smoke is still coming out the top but it is just snoozing…    Read more

  • Patagonia Road Trip
    These plants line trails and roads everywhere
    As we went further south it felt more and more primevalOdd sun rainbowThe retreating glaciers of the ice age carved many teeth in the peaks of PatagoniaLooking out our room at the hostel with the owners cabin in foreground

    Day 3-Tuesday 3/5

    March 5, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    So we began by climbing Chaiten Volcano today. Three fairly steep hours. The crater has two huge domes in the middle. The views were great. Weird circle around the sun when we got back down.
    Then we drove four hours to Futaleufu, which is the whitewater rafting capital of South America. More on that tomorrow! We are staying two nights at a very cool backpackers lodge.Read more

  • Patagonia Road Trip
    Stephen and i are in the middle "seats"Futa is a typical Patagonian town, a grid of wooden houses in spectacular surroundings.

    Day 4-Wednesday 3/6

    March 6, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Today we ran the rapids on the Rio Futaleufu! The guides were real pros and the trip was a blast. The scenery was spectacular en route.

  • Patagonia Road Trip
    View from opposite ridge after hike up.View from boatThe glacier 30 years ago.

    Day 5-Thursday 3/7

    March 7, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Today we drove to the famous Ventisquero Colgante (hanging glacier) which really is an amazing sight. First we hiked to the summit opposite and then we also took a boat close to the base. I have included a picture of a photograph on the wall of a restaurant showing the glacier about 30 years ago. Climate change!

    We stayed the night in the small and remote coastal village of Puyuhuapi, in a hostel that was built after ww2 by German immigrants. The food has been great and craft beer is everywhere.    Read more

  • Patagonia Road Trip
    The sign was prescient!I couldn't get enough of this peak...

    Day 7-Saturday 3/9

    March 9, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F

    Went to the amazing Cerro Castillo National Park. Had a walk along the river surrounded by amazing scenery. Hardly anyone there. This was one of the highlights of the trip. The peaks are unforgettable.Read more

  • Patagonia Road Trip
    We are very far from anywhere at this point!1This hanging glacier was not in any guidebook!

    Day 8- Sunday 3/10

    March 10, 2024 in Chile ⋅ 🌫 32 °F

    All of these pics are from a trip into Laguna San Raphael National Park. Temperate rain forest like the rest. Another and even more dramatic hanging glacier.

  • Patagonia Road Trip
    1A plate of curanto, a local dish cooked underground with huge bits of seafood and meat

    Days 10 -12

    March 12, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Last pics of Patagonia. We drove from one end of Chiloé island to another stopping in a few key towns and finally taking a boat out to a penguin colony on a small rocky islet. Then it was back to the airport after a great Patagonian adventure.Read more

    Trip end
    March 15, 2024
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