The First Trip...

Two years ago, with a three month break from college classes, I  found work in Pucon, a town in southern Chile, on a ranch called Campo Antilco. Antilco is owned by a German man named Mathias Boss, his Chilean wife Karin, and their children Remo and Mara. At Antilco I helped care for the twenty-two horses and acted as a guide for half-day horserides and longer, multi-day treks. The chileans ride horses called criollos, which are shorter, stockier and stronger than the average horse. They are bred to climb mountains, and what they're capable of has to be seen to be believed. They agiley climb the Andes, covering steep, rocky ground; ford deep rivers while hauling tents, food and cooking supplies for the riders; and weave through the dense bamboo thickets in the great Araucarian rainforests. As a guide it was thrilling, and often terrifying, to lead riders into the mountains, navigate the trails, set up camp for the night in forest clearings and cook a rich meal of local foods including a generous asado (roast meat).


Pucon is a  resort town that sits in the shadow of the volcano Villarica and on the shore of Lake Villarica. In the summer the beaches fill with vacationers; the winter brings skiers to the volcano's slopes; and year round international travelers come to raft, trek on horseback, hike the volcano and explore the National Parks. Over the three months, I met dozens of fascinating backpackers for whom Pucon was just one stop on their larger world tours. Between the many travelers and the challenging, raw, and sometimes uncooperative landscape, I was thoroughly engaged and thrilled. I found that my age, blonde hair and nationality unsettled many travelers: most foreigners weren't used to putting their safety in the hands of a twenty year-old, blonde, American girl. I was an atypical guide, put I found ways to communicate with every rider who came through and I learned much from their stories and travels.

I grew close with the Boss family, and having maintained contact over the years, and being again faced with some free time, I decided to return. This time I will experience the summer season, from January to May, and look forward to leading more extended treks.
My first trip yielded many incredible adventures and I'm hoping this blog will be an easy way to document my experiences this second time around...
After a full 24 hours of air travel, and a nine hour bus ride, I will arrive to Pucon the morning of January 8, 2011 and from there the adventures will begin!
Luego...