Una caminata en La Campana (a hike in La Campana)

July 26, 2009 Sunday 9:00pm

As I began to write this exciting post about my hike in La Campana, my host mum Pili came in with an after dinner treat, a glass of mango sour. She told me it would help me sleep really really well tonight. She is such a sweet person. :)

So last night I had the most brilliant idea I think I have had since arriving here. I decided that Erin and I needed to go find a place and hike! I have been missing my lovely spring/summer hikes in Boise with Miss Hannah and the pack of dogs. And Pili told me that there were areas close to Viña, but that they weren't safe to go alone. So off we went back to Olmué and the big reserve/national park called "La Campana" to go hiking. The plan was to get up early, but of course that didn't actually happen. We eventually made it out of the house today a little before 11am, then took an hour long metro ride to a town called Limache. Then a 45 min bus ride to Olmué and the gates of La Campana. We had packed a lunch, so after paying to get into the reserve area, we found a cute little bench and ate our yummy lunch that I packed for us. And then off we went. We had a map, because the very nice man when we paid to get into the park helped us figure out the best trail to take and how long it would take, since the park closes at 5:30pm. So we set off on our hike, and we took the easy trail, and it was quite a trek! More difficult than some of the trails in the Boise foothills. But I felt right at home, I didn't realize just how much I had missed hiking! The whole time, I was determined to find a hiking stick, and it wasn't until we started the trek down the mountain that I found one, and I named him Edmund. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture with me and Edmund, but he was a wonderful hiking partner, and I left him by a sign at the end of the trail before you leave the reserve for another person to enjoy his company. By the time we left though, we had been hiking for a good 3-4 hours, I was absolutely exhausted and so not looking forward to the long bus/metro/and trek up my hill back to the house. But we made it safe and sound, and once/dinner tonight was EXTRA good after such a wonderful day. Oh and I forgot to mention, fate was on our side today because it was THE most beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky, and perfect for hiking. :)

This is a photo of the inside of the micro's (the buses) - yeah its hard to tell, but they can be pretty nasty. And the drivers drive so crazy, yep I'm not a fan. It's my last resort for transportation here.

This is the entrance to one of the many mines in the La Campana area...all old and shut down of course. Well at least I think so.

Perfect day for a hike!

It's amazing how many types of plant-life are here. They have palm trees, pines, cactus, and a lot of eucalyptus and those types of trees. Very very bakan (cool)! ;)

This trail totally reminded me of home and the lovely foothills. Right Miss Hannah? :)

These two photos were after we trekked through the covered forest for what felt like forever, and it was all uphill. I definitely got my exercise today! :) But the view here was amazing, beyond words.

I just thought the few photos of trees below were so neat. I love how some of the trees can bend and twist and coil into one another. Muy muy bakan!

What the trails looked like in the shaded/trees covered part of the forest and hike...this was the majority of the trail. And I loved it because it was nice and cool, and I was so hot from hiking that it was a nice feeling on my skin. :)

Erin was forcing me to get my picture taken, telling me I would regret it later. And I'm sure WAY later I might, but at the moment it was like pulling my teeth to get me to do it.

This was our lunch spot...a perfect stone bunch built for two. And right next to it was a pretty stream, so I listened to the water as I lunched and took in the peaceful moment with Er.

If you can't tell, the day starts from the bottom in the pictures and then the photos on the top are the last from the day. It's too hard for me to do it opposite. So just always start from the bottom and work your way up if you need sequential order *cough cough*my dad*cough cough* ;)

P.s. Just a little side note for everyone that knows the Harry Potter movies. You know the "womping willow" tree in those movies, well Chile has those types of trees! I never believed that a tree like that existed until I got here. They aren't as big, but they look exactly the same! I need to get a photo, but every time I have seen them its been in a moving vehicle and no time to take a photo. But I had to share my little Harry Potter moment with everyone. Haha :)