Goat cheese, wild horses and one hell of a view

Posted to the bulletin board at school we signed up for a semi-mystery trip to Termas del Plomo, for our first Saturday in Chile. It was a semi-mystery in that we could only understand bits and pieces of the Spanish flier and we had only caught fragments of our guide, Jorge’s speedy spanish sputter of an explanation of the trip but we thought from what we understood it would be a strenuous hike in the Andes to some incredible views at the top. We’re in! We were told it was about a 2 hour and 45 minute drive to the east and that we could bring our swimsuits because there was a place to swim at “las pies de la montanas” (the feet of the mountains.) either before or after the hike.

Just an hour and half out, after a quick stop in the small town of San Jose, the road ahead turned into gravel and our van was engulfed in a swirl of dust. The windows on the van were open and swallowed in brown clouds each time another vehicle passed by. It was only 10:00a.m., we hadn’t been anywhere close to hiking yet and I had already felt like Pig Pen from Peanuts.  An hour further into the journey we abruptly pulled off an even bumpier side road up to a grouping of three small shacks. Everyone piled out of the van and we immediately filled our lungs with fresh,  smog free air of the mountains as we tried to comprehend the vastness of the views – as well as the immediate site in front of us.

We had arrive at the home of some of Jorge’s friends in the dry rocky terrain of the mountains watched over by their menagerie of dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, and goats. Jorge wandered inside the ‘abode’ while we tourists snaped away photos of the scenery and animals. He returned with a large plate of fresh made goat cheese- Wow! How cool right? Well the notion was more idyllic than the taste. The look on Henry’s face after his first bite was “I’m afraid for my stomach.” Nevertheless we tried it – I think it may have been a tad more enjoyable if it were not in the baking sun, and maybe if it were a little cooler than just below room temperature. So the dogs and puppies quickly became our friends as they finished off our samples.

We piled back into the van and off we went down the road. We stopped yet once more before our final destination at an artificial dammed lake for more touristy shots looking out over the bright blue water.

An hour or so further along in our journey we finally arrived at Termas Del Plomo in Parque Valle del Yeso.  This was not only the headway to the main hiking trail but also a vacation destination for some Chileans. Small waterfalls and streams trickle down the mountains and create swimming holes amongst the rocks. The thought of a quick dip after the hike seemed like a nice idea at first but it was a tad crowded when we finished and not quite as warm out in the mountains as it was back in Santiago.

We commenced the hike and within the first five minutes our heads were pounding from altitude headaches. Though we had no advil the immense views distracted us nicely from the pain which quickly dispersed. Cows wandered the mountainsides and graze all summer long. Once fall arrives the owners will venture out for five to six days to gather up their cattle and return them to their farms.

I couldn't begin to explain how they manage to gather up a whole herd or how someone gets their cow down from there.

 Can you see the tiny cows on the ridge??

El Lago del Pato

It was a tad windy.

Every time I put my camera away in my bag or turned it off I had to take it back out yet again to snap shots of the views, Henry, the vegetation and the utter vastness of the landscape. At the highest point of our hike we stopped to eat our lunch at El Lago del Pato (which translates to duck lake given the name for its shape- that of a duck.. and coincidentally some ducks live there.) After lunch our hike looped back around the backside of one of the steep mountain sides where we encountered a herd of wild horses who stopped abruptly in their tracks upon seeing us. They then galloped down the mountain to graze at the bottom where they wouldn't be bothered.

Heres a map of the days hike as documented by Henry's GPS watch.

Overall we only ended up hiking about 3 miles.. and rode in the van for a total of approximately 8 hours... so it was a little less hiking and a little more driving than we had imagined but I'd say for our first Andes hiking expedition we got to see quite the incredible landscape.