Climbing an active volcano - Villarica

Climbing an active volcano is an experience on a number of levels:

1. It is unforgiving - you spend hours walking up (about 4) without ever really having any flat bits to get your breath back...and it's 3 km high
2. The views are amazing all the way up - Villarica stands out as it is so much higher than anything else nearby. We were also lucky as the weather was clear (obstructed only by the sulfurous smoke from the volcano itself) which meant that we could see for miles and miles
3. The closer you get to the top the more difficult it gets - it gets steeper, the sulphur gets stronger and you get tired-er
4. The fear of falling into a bottomless, smoking pit at the top means that everyone walks funny
5. The thick powdery snow made it easy to pick up speed on the way down using the medium of the arse