My winter plans here in Chile haven’t been very successfull. Snow, wet snow and rain had made progress not only slow but particularly dangerous, already doubling my 2 days in south america of early camping due to being too cold/wet to continue.

Then there was Shadow the dog. Although he ran 55km last day, I dont think this can be good for him in the long run and keeping him would be quite complicated, from finding a comfortable trailer to the adapter for a fatbike to microchips, vaccinations and taking him to europe after. I decided it would be best to have a vet checkup and return to Hugo who took the other dog in hopes he’d adopt him, working out there with the livestock would be the best for Shadow and he can run off again if he wants to.

but first, this is the story of the great Shadow dog and how he (and me) survived the white wind of the wet chilean winter.

plus he will hang out with his friend Flaco

The route was the exact one i had noted and planned to take by bike, but i will do it the easy way and leave the bike behind. I borrowed a pair of snowshoes and bought winter gloves and started hitchhiking to the trailhead. and if you thought hitchhiking might be hard, hitchhiking with a wet dog… well that complicates things

just from few short rides and literally spending all my time waiting at these nice bus stops, my feet were already wet and i was beginning to shake (rain jacket is about 4months old so thats no good). A forester stopped to talk to me and he said he’ll bring me coffee, this was very interesting flavoured coffee and shortly after a pickup stopped.

”you will have a hard time getting a ride here, the road goes to Argentina and people will think you are bringing drugs there”, said the driver. I wasn’t going to argentina but on the way. I waited for an hour and then just started walking at the very least i will keep warm.

i was shooting to at least get to the trailhead tonight but a pickup pulled over, i had to argue a bit but i told them we both will ride in the back because i was so wet.

i knock on the window at the spot, we stop. Dog jumps out and starts rolling in the snow, the other passenger gets out too to watch Shadow. He sure loves the snow!

soaking wet already i start hiking up, rain finally goes down to a drizzle and then off but i still have a long way to go.

i finally set up camp and am a bit jealous of dog who just rolls and lies down. Squeezing cold, dirty water from my socks and then sticking them inside my sleeping bag is one of the most unpleasant things about the rain season here.

the morning started out great, almost sunny and i could almost see the awesome mountains hiding behind the clouds

i had about 7 days of food and the backpack was quite heavy, i continued on foot for a good chunk of the morning

then the drizzle/rain started, not very strong but just strong enough to keep you wet and make you sweating with all the rain gear on. The snow was soft but the snowshoes were a must. The trail was tough to find and easy to lose in places and wandering off can end up being quite ridiculous by sinking hip-deep in snow-over bushes and having to remove the backpack to get out.

this is what much of my route looked like, my blue track trying to find the barely visible trail and constantly wandering off of it and getting stuck at vegetation or deep snow bushes

it was ok while moving but any stop over few minutes quickly turned into getting too cold. I kept on pushing thinking the alpine would be colder and better but how could i possibly dry everything?

near the end of the day the rain broke and i even got some sun rays

then as I started setting up the camp there was a big surprise… my tent body must have fallen off in the morning when I was drying it.

i set up as best as i can with the poles and the fly only

dog was pretty happy to be inside and me too as he helped warm me up as I delayed getting the sleeping bad as much as i could so that i can partly dry what i have on me. Dog got a generous dog food portion and over half of my food since i was too tired to eat anyway.

As i was punching the boots with frozen hands trying to get my feet in I thought how turning back is the only way. Who would go up in the alpine with mostly wet gear and no tent body…. of a 3 season ultralight tent…
maybe finally i had met my match and will need to respect the weather.

but the sun almost came out and the clouds looked thin. Maybe i can make it after all?

after getting miserably stuck trying to follow the trail gps, i continued up following the easiest way that i can see.

getting into the open and having the sun come out was a big morale boost.

and i could see the way ahead

i kept looking at that hillside and how the trail made a big U around it, much seemed impassable but with care i made a great shortcut

dog was always behind me and like a shadow - impossible to photograph.

the scenery was amazing but yet looking out i knew i can’t get stuck somewhere along these passes with half a tent

cresting one of the passes and staring at the argentinian less-snowy lands made me wonder if biking there would be easier…. and then looking back at the monster clouds gethering in the distance on the chilean side

Shadow was running around, peeing on any exposed rocks, sniffing and rolling in the snow. I was just trying not to get frostbite on my face.

my great shortcut ended up a little cliff side that i kind of didnt have loaded on the topo map. It was only 1km turnaround to somewhere safe to go down and still saved at least 2 hours of hiking. I set up camp as best as i could, cold but happy. Today was a blast.

and the night, i will shortly describe as the most miserable since i started of the journey in Canada.
snow blew in the tent and if not, moisture froze on the fly and fell down as snow.
i was desperately trying to keep warm and just barely it was ok. avoiding going into the emergency blanket but getting the sleeping bag quite wet in the process.
shadow had my rain jacket over him but ended up under him in the morning and i’m pretty sure he also peed on it.

i need rest but i cant stay here. i spent a great time trying to find everything under the snow and rip off parts of the tent that were frozen stuck.. Interestingly i didnt hate being here, down to the basics of staying kind of alive. Frozen boots, fought with dog to try and put my tshirt on him but he didnt want it, putting on dog-piss frozen jacket and wondering if yesterday’s sunshine was all worth it. i think it was.

for some reason i hadnt taken ski goggles, leaving me with two options: sunglasses or no sunglasses. I couldnt see anything with sunglasses and without the snow was blowing into my eyes too much. Any attempt to look forward was quite difficult. I used the navigation app on my phone to try and find the right way and checking every minute or so to make sure i was going straight.

Dog did not look super happy but he was not cold. Still rolling in the snow every chance he gets…

visibility was zero, zero. few times i reached out with my poles to feel a vertical wall infront and taking a chance on either side hoping i can pass it. snow was deep enough to keep me working hard and warm.

after the 1800m or so pass it got much worse, with zero visibility it was absolutely terrifying feeling with the hiking poles for a cliff or snow drift infront of you and one times i stopped few steps short of one then had to return and go around.

the snow let down for a bit and i found decent wind cover and dug a hole for what was left of my tent and another for the dog. it was 3pm and i was just too tired to keep going. I gave him all the dog food (2days worth) followed with rice packets, pasta and melted snow water. I was able to eat more than before and that is good as you really lose your apetite on hard days.

when it got dark it started snowing and i panicked a little when he wasnt in his hole but had found a better place and he did not complain getting carried inside the tent. in the morning his spot was under a lot of snow… and today was a complete cakewalk with the winds considerably lower

it was a relief to get out of the alpine and into the forest. A little deeper snow and some bushes in the way but it was easier and safer and wetter…

nontheless, we made it. all fingers and toes and paws intact. I could barely feel my feet but that was actually quite good because they also didnt hurt.

trail was easier to follow and all downhill

this particular section deserves a mention as it was nearly impossible to cross the gulley, luckily dog was able to follow and i didnt need to go back and carry him.

few hours later there was some sun and some road

and yeah well… this sign should have also been on the other side……. “

once on the road Richardo came to pick us up and i had a hot shower and great food. Dog enjoyed big meal and lots of pets on the next day when he was dry

we went out looking for wild boars and rabbits but few days later the dog left. And when a stray dog leaves you, you may need to re-consider your route options…
this area is much better for him in terms of people and before a neighbour had asked who was the black dog stealing his dog’s food. The only regret is not taking the pooch to the vet to make sure all is good with him.

and that is the story of the great shadow dog and how he survived the white wind of the wet chilean winter.

so next time you see one of those chilean strays around pucon it could be him, unless he is off following another crazy gringo.

update, August 2019: Shadow has been back for a while but on and off. Taking my friend’s 3 dogs for 2-5+ hour runs. He’s much fatter now and doing good but will not be coming with me… for now.