La Campana

So, I did in fact go hiking on Saturday, to Cerro La Campana (excuse my anglophone keyboard). The weather looked threatening, but luckily there was no rain. Having not been outside the city in ages, the trip was a very welcome change from my slowly emerging routine.

It should be noted that a car is not necessary for this trip. It's actually quite simple by public transit, although, of course, longer than your own transport would take. However, for those of us without the option, you can still be on the trail within 2 hours. To get there, take the metro to the last stop, Limache (a pleasant excursion in and of itself). At the station, go outside and wait for a #1 bus. Double check that it is going all the way to the park. Assuming it is, hop on, and the last stop before it turns around is the park. Walk up the trail, where you pay a small entrance fee (a couple luca, I don't recall exactly because in Chile, the invited party pays for nothing---something which is rather uncomfortable for a gringa, but rather nice once I started ignoring it and just enjoyed the free ride). And you're off.

My co-hiker, who was a student of mine this past semester, wanted to walk up the dirt road used for cars. I vetoed this on the grounds that walking on a road is not a hike. So we took the trail proper. It was a good work-out--a steady incline of a not-negligible grade. Due to this, I was obliged to strike a deal that we would take the road down.

Unfortunately, the ranger was not allowing hikers to go to the summit due to the possibility of rain and fog. The views from the top are apparently very nice. I will be heading back on a nicer day to see for myself. Nonetheless, despite the clouds and the fact that we had to stop about two thirds of the way up, the views were calming and beautiful.

The coastal cordillera:

Atmospheric, eh?

I may have missed out on the summit, but I did get to do quite a bit of "flora and fauna contemplation." I couldn't practice Spanish with these friends, but I appreciated their company. They, in turn, enjoyed the idea that they might get some of my peanuts (they were not successful).

The walk down on the road was much less intense, as well as being much longer, but was more condusive to conversation. I finally learned the details of about a million things which have been confusing me, such as the exact controversy over the public education system, and the business structure of the city's micros (buses). Information which I shall share when I am not tired and looking forward to turning off my computer.

The fog closed in, and we walked down into it; by the end I was essentially walking through a cloud. It was incredibly peaceful, after the detail-crammed landscape of Valparaiso, to spend some time in a white-out. And when I got off of the train back in the city, I loved the complications even more.

Overall, a very successful day. I have, in fact, been very well occupied lately, and have quite a few things to write about. So keep checking in for more of la vida Valparaiso.