July 7, 2019 (this post is actually from last March, shortly after our return from Chile. I forgot to publish it)

March 15, 2019

When I first mentioned to Nancy that I wanted to go to Chile to raft the Futaleufu river and see a little bit of Patagonia, she responded with a very puzzled look…….as if to say “why would anybody want to travel for almost a full day(each way) to a very remote area with spotty communication, limited grocery supplies, very limited gasoline supply, and no visible law enforcement” (at this point, her voice goes up at least one octave) “to raft down a raging whitewater river that could kill us?”

But of course, there really was little chance of serious injury. Earth River has been running this trip for 15+ years and has a strong safety record. I just needed to give her more information and answer her questions. Nancy is reasonable and after a few discussions, she began to get excited about it as long as she knew she could portage around the Class 5 rapids. Earth River typically has people on each trip that want to do the same thing, so the portaging process is well coordinated and a part of their normal trip process. She also felt like she would enjoy the hiking, biking, and rafting in such a spectacular setting. She continued to be a little nervous about the rapids but she knew there was absolutely no problem letting her walk around the Class 5 rapids, or any other rapids she and the guides felt might be too rough. At the end of the trip, Nancy and Ralph had been in the raft with the rest of us for all but 2-3 of the most powerful and difficult to maneuver rapids.

We spent very little time in Santiago but the people we met in Puerto Varas and throughout Patagonia were extremely kind and hospitable. They are a kind, sharing, faith based, family oriented, community that still does a lot of things the old fashioned way. Generally, that means lots of hard labor. Their life seems simple and complex at the same time. They also seemed very happy.

There was a pretty significant language barrier….very few people spoke any English, and we don’t speak Spanish. But they tried…….and with online translators, sign language and gestures, etc., we found a way to get by on the few occasions when a guide wasn’t around.

Chile was perhaps the most pristine natural environment we have ever visited.  The water and air was so clean and pure…..I suspect because of the relatively sparse population, the lack of any sizable animal population (other than dogs), and the lack of any industry/factories. It was the first time I felt completely safe drinking water from a stream. The little town of Futaleufu has implemented a very good recycling program to help protect the natural beauty and cleanliness of the area for future generations. Our local guide, Humberto, is one of the organizers. He primarily works with schools/kids to educate them on the importance of recycling and protecting the natural resources that make the area so fun for the local population, and attractive to tourists.

There are very few wild animals in Southern Chile/Patagonia. On our trip, we saw virtually no wildlife except a few birds. This was a little surprising in such a clean and heavily wooded environment. The only predator is the puma, which is now a rare, protected species. There are also pudu, which are the world’s smallest deer (also a rare, protected species).  Some of the houses and ranches had a few domesticated animals like cows, horses, chickens, ducks and/or llamas. Dogs are very popular…..we saw a lot of dogs that looked like border collies roaming around….and most were either all black, or black and white. There was not much variety in the types of dogs we saw.

We saw a lot of hitchhikers in very remote areas.  It’s a very common way to get around especially outside the big cities. In some places in Patagonia, hitchhikers would be lined up down the road, sometimes 6-10 individual groups or people deep, each person or group 10-20 yards from the next. It is still very safe to hitchhike in Chile. People with room in their car or truck routinely stop to give other people a ride.

We also saw a lot of backpackers with BIG packs walking along the roads in remote areas. And we saw a fair number of long-distance bikers and motorcyclists carrying lots of equipment/luggage. I guess this is what we call “adventure travelers”. Obviously, there are a lot of people very comfortable traveling in a very remote areas with few services/supplies. For cars or motorcycles, you really have to plan for gas. Gas stations are rare in Patagonia (generally 50 miles are more apart).  For example, Futaleufu, the administrative capital of Palena Province in northern Patagonia with approx. 2000 full time residents, just got their first gas station about 3 years ago!  If you have a vehicle, getting gas requires a little more planning!

Patagonia is one of the top trout fishing destinations in the world. In Patagonia, the trout grow to “monster size”. It’s easy to see why – lots of rivers and streams with crystal clear, clean, cold water and rocky bottoms. There are also no significant natural predators (except fisherman!). The amazing thing is, trout are not native to Chile. Yet today, it is easily considered one of the top trout fishing destinations in the world. Following is a copy of a brief article that explains how trout fishing became so popular Chile.

“The first stocking of Chilean waters with trout took place in 1865. After further unsuccessful attempts a hatchery – the first in Chile – was built at Rio Blanco in 1905. Rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon were shipped in from Germany. In 1907 the first catches from Chilean rivers were reported. In the same year several rivers were stocked with fish from the Rio Blanco hatchery. Shortly afterwards the Maullin and Lautaro hatcheries were set up.

Different projects – many of them ventures of private enterprise were carried out in the following decades. The result was trout in virtually all the waters on the Chilean mainland from streams up in the altiplano in the region of Arica and Parinacota to the secluded fiords in the southernmost tip of South America

In the first half of the 20th century several types of salmonidae were by then established in Chile, chief amongst them rainbow trout and brown trout

Written accounts mention groups of British anglers fly fishing in Chile.

The first hotels catering for anglers from Europe and the United States were built in the 1930s. At the same time oarsmen called “boteros” were hiring their services – rowing to inaccessible parts of a river – to visiting anglers from abroad.

The 1940s saw Chile´s first foreign fly fishing guide – Alfred Heusser. In 1963 the first fishing lodge was opened – Cumilahue Fly Fishing Lodge – still operated by founder Adrian Dufflocq.

All these years later, it is clear the stocking program worked extremely well. Brown trout and Rainbow trout grow up to 22 lbs. in the rivers and streams of Patagonia. Another fish that is popular in Chilean waters is salmon, especially during spawning season. I hope we get the chance to return to Patagonia some day (maybe the Yelcho Lodge) just to go fly fishing. I expect it would be a lot more relaxing trip!

There were a lot of summer flowers blooming in Chile/Patagonia…

With regard to Chile, “that’s all folks”……