In Patagonia, He Who Rushes, Loses Time.

In the town of Cochrane we attended the local festival Los Pioneros del Rio Baker.  The festival included copious amounts of meat and a jineteada (similar to the American bucking bronco) contest.  The festival was held on a family's estancia outside of Cochrane.  The family provided all people who came with free mutton done in the traditional Patagonian way. 

Cordero al Palo.

Finally we left Cochrane and took the weekly bus to the last city on the Carretera Austral, Villa O'Higgins. 

Crossing the fjord at Puerto Yungay to continue to Villa O'Higgins

A flock of ducks following their chicken mother.

Boardwalk Empire

Further down the road we passed through the town of Cochrane and then continued to Caleta Tortel.  Caleta Toratel is a town with no roads.  Built on a hillside comprised mainly of peat bog, Tortel has 21 kilometers of boardwalk connecting the town along the coves to the mouth of Rio Baker.  The town was originally found during an attempt to find an easier way to cross the Andes by utilizing the river, but after the river was found to be unnavigable the new residents of Tortel turned their focus to the lumber and the harvesting of Patagonian Cypress.  Tortel used to be only reachable by boat or plane until a road was built and it was finally connected to the Carretera Austral in 2003.

 

Looking into the first cove of Caleta Tortel.

There are no streets, but each boardwalk has a name.

Marble Chapels

After Villa Cerro Castillo, we hitched a ride to Puerto Rio Tranquilo.  Puerto Rio Tranquilo is located on Lago General Carrera, Chile's largest lake.  The lake itself crosses the international border between Argentina and Chile.  The Argentine side is referred to as Lago Buenos Aires. 

 

Lago General Carrera

La Cerveceria Rio Tranquilo.

Puerto Rio Tranquilo is a tiny town.  It is now booming as tourists come from all over the world for a chance to see the Capillas de Mármol (Marble Chapels).  Along with the Catedral de Mármol (Marble Cathedral) there are marble caves carved out by ancient glaciers.  You can only access the caves by boat or kayak.  If you go by kayak it is possible to pass through the caves and see the beautiful texture of the years of ice and water have carved out on the walls.

The Patagonian Castle

After leaving Puyuhuapi we continued south to the capital of the Aysen Region of Chile and the biggest town on the Carretera Austral.  Coyhaique is the only Chilean city located east of the Andes in a region where the Andes start to merge closer to the sea. 

 

Over looking Coyhaique from La Reserva Nacional Coyhaique

After spending my birthday in Coyhaique we continued south to Villa Cerro Castillo.  We met our friend from Santiago, Cristobal who nicely offered us a ride to Villa Cerro Castillo.  We crossed back over the Andes going back west and further south.

A road side cafe made from a colorfully painted old bus.  Cerro Castillo looms in the background.

 

The next day we climbed up to the base of Cerro Castillo.  

At Laguna Verde at the base of the Castillo

Looking down at Villa Cerro Castillo.

Enjoying a well earned sandwich after the tedious hike up and down Cerro Castillo.

Cerro Castillo became infamous on our trip because a little over a week before we climbed two girls got stranded on the trail.  One girl broke her leg on the windy top part of the pass and was unable to continue.  The other girl continued down the hill in order to get help but ended up getting lost.  The police went up near sunset in order to find the girls.  They encountered the body of the girl with the broken leg at 4:00 am.  She had passed away from hypothermia during the night.  The other girl was found lost at 6:00 am near the bottom of the trail.  When we climbed the hill we had not heard anything about this, it was not until almost a week and a half that we heard the story.