Gautin Gatchi. Atacama. Day 2, Part 2.

The first half of Day 2 can be found here...OK, now that you are all caught up we can continue...

We got back to the hotel in time to eat lunch and still have a few minutes for a dip in the pool before nap time (no nap for the big kid this time though, he had other plans).

So we tried out the outdoor pool.  Or should I say, the two crazy people in our family, who don't seem to feel cold, tried to get in the outdoor pool.

Their intentions were to get in and play for a minute...

Intentions be damned.  This is as far as they got and MadHatter is seen here pulling her dad back out of the pool.  She said it was just toooo cold.  Smart girl.

This is the two of them, smiling and warm, in the Hot Tub.   
Still outside so they got half of their wish.

We saw some fabulous scenery.  Really, it was once in a lifetime and mind blowing.  And yet, this picture that captures the smiling faces of the people I love most in life is, by far, my favorite of the entire trip.  Look at those faces - how could it not be?

But it was quickly approaching time for Stinkerbell's nap.  Not one I was going to budge on since she couldn't even keep her eyes open long enough to see the wonder that was Valle de la Luna.  Back to our room we went and Stinkerbell was out like a light, MadHatter had her drawing book and B and I got ready for the afternoon hike.

You see, our hotel has a babysitter.  She is a grandmother that lives in town and is on call for the hotel for when she is needed.  We needed.  She came.  MadHatter waited patiently on our lounger out front.  She loves babysitters (does this say something about me as a mother - that she would rather have a stranger play with her??  Maybe a post for another day).  She was very excited when just before 4 pm Alejandrina showed up and she shooed us away (MadHatter, not Alejandrina).  All we could hear as we sauntered down the walk towards the lobby was MadHatter jabbering, a mile a minute, in Spanish.  Music to my ears.

As for the adults, we were headed our for a 3 hour hike in a place called Gautin/Gatchi.  It was approximately a half an hour drive to the starting location and we were going to start at an elevation of just over 9,000 feet (2,800 m).  I was suddenly very thankful for the 12 years I had spent visiting my parents at their house in the Rockies.

We were accompanied on our hike by another couple from England (whom we would get to know very well by the time we left on Saturday as they seemed to have the same sense of adventure that we did) and of course, our guide Marcela (the same one from that morning).  Thank goodness for our guide!  Back in my wild and crazy youth, I was one of those people that would have headed out into the wilderness without a guide (and many people do).  I would have loved the adventure, the not knowing what was coming up around the next bend, the freedom of being out there on my own.  I now have kids and can't afford to be lost and left in the desert for the birds to find me.  No, literally.  I asked.  I asked them what happens when someone gets lost or hurt out here in the unforgiving Atacama.  The response...well, let's just say I was very glad that my guide had powerful walkie talkies and people who knew where we were.  Here in the wild wild North, they will search for you for 24 hours.  Yep, one whole day.  And then they will stumble upon you when they stumble upon you.   But I digress...

We arrived in the Gautin Valley and for the first time since landing saw greenery.  Real live greenery.

It may not look very green but for this part of the desert, this is an abundance of vegetation.

We started our hike here and I was thinking, "I hope this gets a bit more challenging" since there was nothing but flat land as far as we could see.  Little did I know...

The first thing we encountered was the waters coming down from Puritama.



Puritama is a hot springs haven and even down stream the water was warm to the touch.   But that is what Gautin Gatchi is all about.  It is the meeting of two rivers - the Puritama (warm) and the Purifica (cold).  The unique mix creates a new river which supports the ecosystem found in the canyon we were hiking through.  It also creates the perfect atmosphere for the Candelaria (and many other) cacti to grow.

This one seems to have an opinion...

And there were actual flowers!  

And it did get a bit more challenging...

But oh so beautiful!

There were rivers we had to cross, and re-cross.

And rocky areas we had to climb...

Cacti patches to avoid (this is call Mother-in-Laws pin cushion...)

And so much beauty to wonder at...

We hiked for hours.  And we watched the sun set.  B even found a place to rest - in an abandoned village along the trail.  It has been there for thousands of years.  And we were there for only a few minutes.  But it is definitely something we will both remember for a lifetime.