"I saved the Mist", I thought when I came to Chaitén, a town in southern recesses Chile. The long line of cars told me that had not yet begun to embark the ferry, sure everything was late in the thick fog that covered the city and its port. That same morning, when the truck carrying the cabin 50 kilometers from the port, I found that one of the front wheels was no air. These covers usually tubeless lose it very slowly, so without wasting a second I put my little air foot pump. He had just time to get to the ferry.
With the inflated tire we left swiftly. While touring the fabulous way through forests and mountains, the sun illuminated the snow from the hills. We stopped to photograph. One, shortly after, would become infamous. Later I had to stop again to re-inflate the wheel. We almost lost the boat so.
Once on board and after the stress of thinking we did not reach in time, began to enjoy a fantastic trip. The barge Alexandrina, that's the name of the ferry, Chaiten sailed without anyone imagine what few days later would happen to this nice village. At first the white mist enveloped us without our being able to see anything, but soon began to see navigate the peaks of the hills protruding from between the low coastal clouds.
As the fog dissipated to starboard we could admire the snowy mountains of the Andes and, including, volcanoes which dominated the skyline silhouettes
I took to review my notes on former area travelers. They all agreed that navigating the area allows for a spectacular view of the volcanoes. Specifically Darwin write: "We enjoyed a great view of snow cones in the Cordillera". Looking towards the stern of the barge stood one: the Hunchback, which gives the name to the place where we sailed, the Gulf of Corcovado.
As the fog dissipated to starboard we could admire the snowy mountains of the Andes and, including, volcanoes which dominated the skyline silhouettes. In addition to the Corcovado sticking the Yates and Osorno. Across, a babor, saw the Isla de Chilo, protecting us from the strong Pacific Sea, and closer to us a series of strangely shaped islands. One, known as Devil's Chair, caught my attention and I took several photos.
Back, threatening, appeared a brown cloud. Volcanic ash. "The Llaima", mysteriously said a passenger next to me
On the way we passed some boats, not many. The strange geography of the area meant that the region would be outside the advance of progress. There are very few people and almost any economic activity that fishing and salmon farming. Thanks to this dense jungle remained intact Valdivian, regrettably, to the north of Chile was eliminated.
After a few hours, and and completely disappeared in the fog, we could see in all its majesty to the snow-capped Osorno and. Behind him, threatening, appeared a brown cloud. Volcanic ash. "The Llaima", mysteriously said a passenger next to me. For the past few days the Llaima volcano had erupted spewing its ash into the air to the winds the desparramaran. We were surprised, How could they have traveled more than 100 km?
Returning to watch and see those beautiful mountains cones could not stop thinking about how, behind the beauty, hiding an enormous destructive potential
Among my notes I had a picture and a quote from another traveler. The Captain Robert Fitz Roy wrote it 180 years: "At night the Osorno in eruption was seen throwing brilliant jets of flame in the dark". This, and other travel accounts hint at the intense volcanic activity that dominates the area. Returning to watch and see those beautiful mountains cones could not stop thinking about how, behind the beauty, hiding an enormous destructive potential. It is logical that those mountains grew from a succession of disasters. But one tends to believe that they belong to the past and that this all is peace pastoral. Every so, Earth shows us how wrong we are.
By tying in northern Chiloé Island ended a journey through the exquisite views of sea and mountains, but the huge brown cloud reminded us, as a sword of Damocles amenazanta, these volcanoes are alive and, relentlessly, be released causing potential destruction.
A few days after our trip another volcano exploded. His ashes dammed and the White River overflowed, whose waters flooded the nearby town of Chaitén
A few days after our trip on the barge another volcano exploded Alexandrina: the Chaitén. It was one of those peaks were photographed from the truck route to ferry. His ashes embalsaron and overflowed the White River. The water flooded the nearby town of Chaiten, which was completely evacuated. Of overnight, residents lost their homes.
As if that was not enough, three years later another very close volcano entered a devastating eruption of ash, the Puyehue volcano. We continue our journey without knowing what fate might bring to the places we were visiting.
