Well… I think it must be my subconscious goal to get to know all the park rangers in Chile. Sunday I went with group of girlfriends (Jessica, Laurel - gringa from CA, and Ana - Chilean) to the parque nacional de la Campana which is a part of the cordillera de la costa (costal mtns). It’s just about an hour away from Vina and has a beatiful mountain named “La Campana” because it has the shape of a bell - even though as someone noted that most mountains tend to be shaped like bells more or less! So, we went to hike around in the hills around la Campana or at least that was the plan! The trail we were going on was supposed to be basically 3 hours up to the vista and then about 3 hours down the backside of the hill. Ana has done these trails several times before and so there was no need to worry! It was a perfect day full of sun and clear skies. We headed up at 11am and got up to the vista at around 2pm and had lunch with spectaular views of the Andes and Aconcagua. At around 3 we started our hike down but hadn’t gotten too far before we lost the trail. The area is really dry and so the dirt is rather soft and full of rocks and brambles. Probably because of some rain last week the trails weren’t very clear and several of the signs with arrows had been stolen. So, we kept trying to chose directions that seemed more clear than the others, but we always ended up having to climb precariously through some sticker bushes or over giant boulders that we were sure weren’t a part of the path. But at least we were heading down toward the valley, and Ana was pretty sure that once we got down we could easily find the trail. So, we kept chomping and stomping through the dry briars and kept sliding down the slopes because of the softness of the soil. It was actually really fun - and we all were laughing at each other so hard! I honestly think we had some of the funniest moments of my trip! : ) But after an hour and a half of descending and not coming across anything remotely like a trail, we all agreed that we were lost and we should contact the ranger station. So, with cell phones (which I hold in highest regard now) we called the park ranger and told them we were lost and were worried of getting stuck in the dark since it was already 4:30 (since it’s winter here the sun sets at 6pm). They were super nice and told us to try and climb back up to the viewpoint and they would send out some rangers to come meet us. This was not exciting news because we had already wandered and wriggled through so much in getting down - going back up would be quite a challenge! But still in high spirits, us girls decided to retrace our steps. It really amazed me how many landmarks I could recognize without having put much effort into remembering them on the way down. However, we there was a lot more to it than just knowing where - we had to get back up all those hills we had slid down and climb all those rocks we had jumped! This was the crazy part - but we did it - with lots of teamwork! Gracias a Dios no one got hurt at all except for lots of scratches and bruised bottoms! I think Jessica won the award for falling the most - or at least with the most style (see photo)! But we kept ourselves entertained by more than just falling, we wrote songs that really I think captured the beauty of the landscape, for example “We’ve sticks, we’ve got rocks, we’ve got cow poop - who could ask for anything more!” Perhaps it was funnier on the trail! : ) Yet, in just another hour and a half we had made it back up to the vista and celebrated with a nice swig of water and photo! By now the sunset had turned the mountains purple and pink - just glorious! I would really recommend taking a hike at dusk because it such nice light to walk with - everything turns golden! Except try to be sure that you don’t still have to hike back down 3 hours like we did - or so we thought! We started heading back, expecting to meet the rangers at any point. But the night came on fast and before I knew it I looked up into the sky and saw more stars than I’d ever seen before in my life! It was absolutely incredible! I felt like I was looking at an entire galaxy! And the cherry on top was when I saw a bright shooting star fly across the sky and fall behind the mountain! But because of the lack of light our weary group of four missed our turn and kept going straight on a path that led to the top of another hill! About an hour later we realized that we were surrounded by some fierce looking cactus that we hadn’t met on the way up. Ahh, lost again! So we turned called the rangers again to tell them that we weren’t on the mail trail anymore and they told us to just stay put since we probably would get lost trying to go back. And they wanted us to start yelling and making noise so that they could track us down. This was great news! Finally we could sit down and rest and also it gave us an excuse to make up more silly songs and sing them really loud! We each did our part in making noise - Ana had the really loud whistle (the ones where you put your really dirty fingers in your mouth - gosh, I’ve always wanted to be able to whistle like that!), I was proudly echoing “Ri-co-la” through the mountains, and Jessica and Laurel were inspired and started singing songs from “The Sound of Music.” And so it was that the 2 brave park rangers found us! But that’s not all - (I know your probably exhausted just reading it all)! They found us at about 8 o’clock and we started hiking back by candlelight and dim flashlight! And let me just say that I have nothing against Chilean park rangers, but I don’t know how these guys could have been any more unprepared! They didn’t have a map, as mentioned the lights were obviously not enough, and I don’t think they had very much gear in the one small backpack between the two of them. So, we walked, and walked and walked for what seemed like an absolute eternity - carefully, single file, eyes glued to the narrow trail filled with rocks. We walked for another good while and then the rangers realized that they had taken a wrong turn and so once again - we were LOST! All six of us trudged back and probably were saying prayers under our breath - not because of being scared, (at least for me) I just really had to use the bathroom! : ) Well, as you guessed the one candle burned it’s course and the flashlight also met its end - so now it was up to modern technology to lead the way! All of us girls got out our cell phones and digital cameras and used the display lights to see the pathway. It was really amazing how much light they give when it’s completely dark! But in finally getting on the right trail and stumbling still every now and then - we made it down to where the rangers had driven their pickup truck, which was such a pleasant surprise! It was by now a little after 10pm and we all piled in, or rather squeezed in! From here the road back down to the station was paved with boulders! It was like being on an amusement park ride for a half an hour (however not so fun with a full bladder)! But not one of us complained - in fact we were cracking the jokes with the rangers in Spanish! “Espero que por lo menos, pierdamos uno kilo!” “O, me olvido algo arriba de la montana!” : ) So, at the station finally we ran to the toilets and then they drove us into town to catch the bus home! We just crashed and our eyes slammed shut as soon as we got on the bus! I was dreaming about what I would do once I got home - eat, take a hot shower, get into my slippers - hmm, but in what order! Well… in didn’t matter - at least I would be safe and sound and at my Chilean home sweet home! And that’s just what happened - we all slept happily ever after!