Our hike into Cochamó Valley was way different than our first time visiting the valley in 2012. No rain! Light packs!
We planned for roughly two weeks in the valley (that's a lot of food. and wine.) so we arranged for our gear to be transported in via horse. We worked with a gaucho named Fabian and his company Southern Adventures. As two horses carried in our 70 kilos of food and gear, we enjoyed the trail carved by horses and pioneers between Argentina and Chile.

Also different from our first visit to the valley was the amount of people. Since we came during the high season (January & February) there were 100's of people - trekkers, climbers - of all nationalities. We met some really great people who we hung out with, climbed with, shared food and stories with. The sharing culture is so strong in Cochamó! We took part in a few delicious asados - or BBQ - with our new friends.

Our weather window was so great for climbing, so we got after it! We met a Puerto Varas local, Juan Pablo, who became our climbing partner and professor of Spanish. He is a great photographer and sent us a few photos from the summit of Cerro Trinidad.

One cool aspect of camping in Cochamó Valley at La Junta is that you only pay for your tent site while you are in camp. We spent several nights bivying near the routes we intended to climb, like at the base of Cerro Trinidad, and another few nights at the "Boulder Bivy" in Anfiteatro. 

The climbing was spectacular! Aside from what we climbed together, Kirk was able to climb a few classic routes with Juan Pablo - and unfortunately lost his phone over the edge :( 

That wasn't the only accident: a climber was injured while rapelling a route in the dark. From what we know, the climber is stable, but the injury did require a helicopter evacuation. 

The last climb that we were hopeful to do was very auspicious: Todo Cambio - everything changes. The weather was starting to bring in clouds and mist and many folks had already left the valley. We ended up not completing the route; something to go back for when we have another great weather window.

In the spirit of the sharing culture, the last night we spent with our new friends making a huge meal together (less food for us to carry out!) and enjoyed one last night in the valley before a rainy and wet hike out.

Hasta pronto, Cochamó!

On the road after Chalten, we headed across the boarder (via Paso Raballos) back to Chile and the Carretera Austral. This part of our journey is one that we were both looking forward to: this infamous road in Chile spans from Villa O'Higgins winding through Patagonia ending in Puerto Montt. The road is filled with auto, bike, and foot travelers and changes from paved to gravel roads over its 1240 kilometers. Many times we felt like we were driving through a postcard! 

One of our first introductions to the Carretera was seeing the Rio Baker and its confluence with the Rio Neff. Kirk got out the fly rod and caught a beautiful trout for dinner!

We boated in the turquoise waters of South America's second largest lake, Lago General Carrera, to see the Marmol Caves.

A favorite side adventure was checking out Valle Exploradores outside of Rio Tranquillo. The road westward takes you towards one of Chile's ice caps (which you can't go on without a guide, apparently). We were able to get some great views though! 

After a brief stint in the town of Coyhaique, we headed back southwards, this time via ferry, to Chile Chico to check out a climbing area we had heard about. On the boat over (which we made by a margin since we didn't have reservations!) we met Russian-born Canadian Artem and invited him along for the adventure. And, adventure it was! La Pyramide is a basalt plug that has been compared to Devil's Tower. It was certainly worth hiking the unblazed trail but the winds were brutal on the last (sleepless) night.

Heading around the Lago General Carrera again (still beautiful!) we headed towards Futaleufu which is another step off the Carretera, and totally worth it. We did a full day raft trip down the "Futa" with a team of expert guides. Unfortunately we don't have any photos because the camera would've been ruined in the class V & IV rapids. 

Continuing north we took several ferries and drove through Parque Pumalin to arrive at Puerto Montt, where the Carretera ends. 

In one of the books we have in our "library," it talks of the true journey: not without challenge, risk, and a little bit of the uncomfortable alongside and intermingled with beauty and joy. On this stretch of our trip we definitely experienced a true journey and adventure.