El Melocoton to Coya
Section miles: 70 miles
Total miles: 94.5
Elevation gain: 17,660 ft.
Days taken: 3
Total hiking hours: 33.5
SECTION SUMMARY:
The beginning and end of this section are unattractive, strenuous, and difficult to navigate, but the middle makes it all worth it. The vistas atop the main mountain pass at 10,600 ft. are some of the best I’ve ever seen. The bizarre rock formations and striated colors give it an off planet feel.
DAY 1:
Miles hiked: 14.4
Hiking time: 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Bypassing the town stop at El Melocoton, I followed the route on a trail down into a canyon where I joined a dirt road before crossing a janky bridge that said “solo residentes”. I’m pretty bad at Spanish, but I could read that.
From there the route quickly left the dirt road for a cattle trail that led up the canyon along a river. The trail climbed up through exposed desert terrain. It was very hot out, fortunately there was ample water along the way.
At times the trail was hard to follow, often vanishing, but so long as I stayed true to my GPS route it was manageable.
The route becomes extremely confusing about halfway through track RR-TL-V@2-7.8. The GPS route has you leave a well defined trail to hike cross country and bush whack for about half a mile. This track was classified as a verified trail, so I spent about 2 hours walking in circles looking for a trail before just following the track through the brush.
About half a mile into bashing my way through dense waist high shrubbery, I found the trail. That’s the trouble with these cattle paths, they often disappear only to reappear in seemingly random places. I’d been too frustrated to stop and put on pants, so my legs were absolutely thrashed. It seems like every plant in this desert has thorns.
From there the trail began a steep ascent up the mountains. The trek consisted of about half trail and half cross country until I reached the top where it leveled out to follow the ridge line.
The route continued on cattle trails along the side of mountains until entering a canyon where it dipped down to cross a river twice. The rivers level was low enough for dry fords.
At the second river ford I made camp on it’s sandy bank. I’d had a frustrating day, so stopped early to take the time to clean myself up in the river and reflect on the mistakes I’d made.
My legs were in bad shape from the bush whacking. Pants are needed for this section, which I had but was too flustered to put on in the moment. Also, I found it best to trust the GPS route and not be misguided by easier looking trails.
DAY 2:
Miles hiked: 20.8
Hiking time: 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM
The day started with about a dozen river fords as the trail snaked it’s way up the canyon. Most of them were dry fords, so no complains here.
Eventually the trail left the canyon to begin its climb up the mountain. The cattle trails up were easy to follow, but incredibly steep at times.
About one third of the way up I found a neat cave to bunker down in for a break. I found old rusted pots and pans, no doubt the Arrieros had made use of this as a shelter in the past.
Continuing on, the route heading straight up until reaching around 9000 ft. The terrain had changed from desert shrubbery to fantastically colored exposed rock and grasses.
From there the route continued on mostly cattle trails, with a handful of short cross country treks connecting them.
As the trail continued to climb I found incredible terrain, lingering snow packs and all types of fascinating birds. Water was plentiful in this area.
The route leading up to the pass was cross country straight up loose gravel for about 1000 ft. It was not an easy ascent.
When I reached the top at 10,700 ft., I was treated to incredible vistas of the Andes and the sweeping valleys below me.
The route continued down the other side into Minas Los Condor, a large copper mine. From there it begins it’s descent using a mixture of dirt roads and cattle trails.
While walking down the dirt road a large tracker approached and stopped beside me. The driver got out and introduced himself as Sergio. He was friendly and interested in what I was doing. Despite our language barrier, we were able to communicate using my phone for translation. He shared mate with me and gave me a few snacks before moving on. Apparently the mine doesn’t mind hikers passing through so long as we stay out of their way.
From there the route took a direct path down the mountain for about 3 miles before rejoining the dirt road which led the remaining way down.
About halfway from the bottom I stopped for the night on a grassy field adjacent the road. Shortly after setting up camp two trucks pulled up and five men approached me. Turns out Sergio had brought his friends to meet me!
They gave me more food and we chatted for a bit before they left. They were convinced I’d be eaten by a puma during the night, but I assured them I’d be alright.
DAY 3:
Miles hiked: 34.8
Hiking time: 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM
As I continued my way down the mountain in the morning I saw two foxes and flocks of green parrots with yellow bellies called Burrowing parrots. The colorful birds were everywhere, making for a fascinating descent.
The dirt road led down to a bridge crossing a creek where I stopped to get water.
From there the route continued winding its way along the dirt road down the mountains for about 12 miles.
It wasn’t a very interesting hike, but I did pass a puesto where I saw Arrieros saddling up for the day.
I stopped at a slow moving stream to collect some water. That would be the last water source for the next 15 miles.
Eventually the trail led down to El Teniente mine, the largest underground copper mine in the world.
From here I left the dirt road for a cross country trek back up into the foothills. It was a grueling exposed climb in loose rock and extreme heat.
Once I reached the top the cattle trails appeared again and I followed them up and down a handful of hills.
Navigation was very hard at times, with multiple cross country treks connecting various trails.
I opted to take an investigatory track (OH-CC-I@02-G-87.2) straight up and down a mountain rather than deal with the cross country roundabout main route. I can verify that this track is valid, and in my opinion more attractive than the main route.
From there the route continued on cattle trails until reaching a dirt road atop another mountain. I opted to take an optional route (OH-MR-V@02-F-90.2) down the mountain to a paved mine access road (Carretera del Cobre) because I was low on water.
This 15 mile section is slow moving, exposed, involves steep grades, harsh temperatures and is tough to navigate. The 1.5 liters I carried wasn’t nearly enough.
I found a creek shortly after joining the access road where I filled up before continuing up the road towards the town of Coya. While I was walking along the road a guard truck from the mine pulled up beside me. The driver insisted that I get into his vehicle, which I wasn’t very enthusiastic about, but he had a gun so I did as he said.
He drove me about 4 miles to the road’s access checkpoint where he inspected my passport. He couldn’t believe what I was doing and that I was alone, but ultimately it was a friendly experience and he let me continue on my way towards Coya.
About 3 miles later I reached the town, just before 8:00 PM. I followed road signs to the town center where I found a shop to buy a Coke. While inside I asked if there were accommodation in the area using one of the handful of Spanish phrases I’d spent the day memorizing. The cashier pointed me across the street to the Casa de Roja.
Sure enough I was able to score a room with a shower and laundry for 10,000 pesos, that’s about $15.
Having secured a place to stay, I headed next door to Bar Catalan Coya to track down some dinner. I ordered the carne con derretido queso, cebolla frita y huevo frito sandwich, it was incredible.
After dinner I spotted a marijuana plant from my bathroom window. From what I’ve learned marijuana is illegal in Chile, but there are shops all over from which you can buy seeds.
P.s. This adventure continues to surprise, challenge and amaze me. I’ve had to realign my expectations to the reality that this network of routes is less of a trail and more of a adventure.
Cheers!