Chile Day 16 - Smell of Fear

The Everest IMAX film says that you don't conquer big mountains - you sneak up on them, leave, and hope they don't kill you. The same advice applies to the big-water sections of the Fu when they're at the commercial flood stage limit.

Oh baby.

We started early in order to give Mike and Marcelo time to make their bus for Argentina, hitting water at about 7. The sun rested well below the ridgeline and mist floated up from the water. Even james the guide wore thermals. Shivering, we climbed into the raft and could hear the roar of the first rapid around the bend. James told us to dispense with some usual bits of rafting advice - there was to be No Defensive Swimming. Pointing your feet downriver and waiting for rescue would mean pick-up somewhere in the Pacific ocean. In case of disaster, we'd have to swim for the rescue catamaran, and hard. Chastended, we began.

And it never really stopped until the very end. Even under low-water conditions, the bridge-to-bridge section of the Fu is a sustained battle through big water. In flood, you're lucky to have time to breathe. We had 90 minutes of continuous class-V big water, with monster hydraulics, boat-eating standing waves, and whirlpools to the center of the earth. When I had time to look up, I saw slopes undercut and worn smooth by angry water. I can see why people fly from the other side of the world to run this river. It's simply incredible.

With our experienced crew (half pro river guides again), we were able to cut some hard lines through the water and hit them pretty well. We also had no swimmers, no capsizes, and no flying paddles. Almost a miracle.

With the early start, we were done at 8:30, just as the sun peeked over the mountains. In my only (and I mean only) stroke of transportation luck this entire vacation, the Chaiten express bus rolled over the take-out bridge just was I got myself packed and ready. I had expected to be hitching and was smiling at my good fortune. Maybe this vacation could be redeemed after all!

Not really. I arrived at the Chaiten airpot and waited several hours for the extremely overdue flight. When it arrived, I was informed that the plane was full and I'd have to wait for tomorrow. Worse, I had seen 3 nearly-empty flights from other operators take off for PMC while I waited. Ugh. I had hoped to at least make Puerto Montt tonight so I could do some souvenir shopping, if not all the way to Santiago. Instead, I'm stranded for yet another 24 hours in Chaiten.

Compared to last weekend, it's a transformed city. I think all the big outfitters cancelled their trips for last week and there was nobody here. Now the same restaurant where I watched Gilmore Girls alone with the owner's daughter is packed with Germans about to begin their package tours. Packs of feral Americans in baseball caps stalk the streets, calling each other "dude" from behind their $200 sunglasses. But there's still nothing to do here.

I think it's telling that the restaurant's menu lists pollo under pescado. If it's not mammal, it's fish.

To wrap up: 90 minutes of heaven today. Otherwise, yet more transportation limbo. And more ahead. The sad thing is that it's the best deal I've had for the entire trip.