Villareca traverse

IWe hiked this section fairly quickly ... Long days on the trail. Truly for no other reason than just following the cues of our bodies. It is interesting out there.... If you listen intently you will know ... whether it is time to stop.. Or continue on... But I must say.... There are many times when the mind speaks louder and no matter what the body says ...you push onward!!

We hiked through many different Eco-systems on this hike .... many hours spent maneuvering our way through varying shades and sizes of lava rock...much of it looking like finely chiseled sculptures... Quite beautiful... We meandered into dry landscapes .. Which were very hot, dry and gusty.. Water was scarce and oftentimes filled with silt from the mountains from where they originated...the layers of mountains and skies brought delight to the senses.. shades and layers of life...the mountain ranges bringing thoughts of future treks and longings... but staying in the moment as there was so much to fill the present... Our campsites were quite different from all others as we were the only ones out there must of the trek.. We saw a handful of others .. mostly we shared the territory we trekked through with cattle!!! This wasn't really appreciated though it was accepted as they are quite large!! The droppings quite disgusting and many times maneuvering through their waste and the boggy sections got to be bothersome ...The petite flowers growing out of the starkest of places continue to fill me with sparks of delight and joy!!the extremely long downhills taking a toll on the body ... The slow pace because of the unstable terrains making for very long days...but ... The wonder of it all....we hiked across snow fields as the snow reflected the sun back onto our faces that were bronzing by the moments...we were a bit let down as we weren't able to swim in the lakes.... They looked somewhat dirtier than we felt and the surrounding campsites littered with trash ... Once off the traverse we found ourselves walking down the road.. Thumbs extended in hopes of a ride to the nearby town 20k away to catch a bus back to Pucon... We stopped in a small town and were so pleased to find a small kitchen offering original Mapuchi meals... It was fabulous... We got a ride after an hour or two of extremely hot road walking... And caught the bus back to our hostel.   We have only 8 days remaining ... Our bodies are a bit tired... We will see what tomorrow brings...