Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. --- Mark Twain

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Carretera Austral, Day 7, Ventisquero Colgante


Day 788, 16.04.2013,
88 008 km since the beginning of the journey,
Route: Ventisquero Colgante – Puyuhuapi - La Junta - Rio Frio (121 km)

One will not come over of a waterfall of 549 m high every day, even not every week. And especially in such a combination as a glacier-waterfalls-rain forest.

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The Ventisquero Colgante waterfall and glacier were discovered only in 1875. Without special equipment the waterfall and glacier are not accessible, but for the usual visitors there is a three-kilometre path that takes a little bit closer.

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The pathway leads first across the river and then through the forest upwards along the mountain side.

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The roofed viewing platform is three kilometres away.

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The sight is powerful in spite of the weather.

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For a moment even a bit of pale blue sky and mountain peaks are peeking from behind the clouds.

Getting back is easier - more familiar path and downhill.
The expenses. The price of the visit of the park is 4000 pesos and staying for overnight – 6000 pesos per night, the price level is slightly above average, but the park itself is above average as well . I will drive back to Carretera Austral and turn upwards.
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Then it starts raining again, no wonder as it is said that the annual rain fall is four meters.

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Road repair works cover tens of kilometres. In the meantime you must stop and wait and then from the opposite direction a couple of vehicles arrive, and then you can move on again. If the weather were nicer the views would be wonderful but now it is as it is. Nothing to do. In a year there was supposed to be 10 months of rain.
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Here the road is considerably wider.

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A narrower part of the road through the rainforest.

In the evening the average gray sky is turning into dark gray, and I'm going to look for an overnight place by the road. In a few kilometres a trail turns to the left, and after fifty meters I reach a riverbank and the place is perfectly ok
So during the seventh day of Carretera Australi I covered 121 km.

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The picture was taken the next morning. Rio Frio.

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