The Lithuanian climbed 12 active Chilean volcanoes and told why he could not climb the thirteenth of the devil – the thirteenth

“Some volcanoes are easier to climb, others are very difficult, some distances are short but very steep hills, in others vice versa. In conclusion, I can say that climbing volcanoes is not easy, because everything is very difficult with loose soil. But I did it, I went up and stayed healthy and alive, ”says Aurimas Valujavičius.

After tense walks to the tops of the volcanoes and accepting the rules dictated by the pandemic, today Aurimas already rests safely in Lithuania and tells what he had to live during those three months and why he failed to climb the volcano marked by the dozen of the devil.

– Before leaving for Chile, you shared plans to climb 13 active volcanoes, but finally you climbed to 12. Why? Which volcano impressed you the most?

– It is difficult to point out, but one of the most memorable is Ochos del Saladas, the highest volcano on the planet, which I did not manage to climb due to acclimatization. I was at such an altitude for the first time, rising more than 6 kilometers above sea level. It was really hard to breathe. I managed to climb to 6460 m, and the height of the volcano reaches 6893 m, so I ran about 400 meters, which is a lot at that height. But I challenged myself to go back to Chile and make sure to climb to the end.

The second most memorable volcano is Sir Asulis, it is not large, it is about 3700m high, but the distance of ascent is very long, and in the end it was very steep to climb a hill of about 60 degrees. It took me 18 hours to climb and land. I left at 4 in the morning and returned before midnight. Without stopping, I went up at 12 noon and returned at 6 in the afternoon. As much as I was interested, people climbed that volcano for 2-3 days, and I did it in one day, so when I landed I was completely exhausted.

– You only climbed active Chilean volcanoes. Have you encountered a waking volcano that could have risen and erupted while climbing?

– The encounter with the awakened is lost, the activity is not as strong as now in Iceland, but here also the volcanoes do not use. When climbing Villarrica, which is the most active volcano in South America, it smokes very intensely and you never know when it could erupt. Climbing the last Antukas volcano, I saw a nearby volcano spewing ash.

– The entire route was created by browsing maps and information on the Internet. Did the volcanoes seen actually exceed your expectations? Did you lose regret that you added one to the route and not the other?

– It is better not to have expectations before traveling, so I was not disappointed in any of them. I climbed 12 volcanoes, they are all different and beautiful in their own way. The crater of some is very wide, some very deep, surrounded by glaciers, others are almost invisible, so different views are opened. Each volcano is impressive in its own way, so I am not inclined to write to someone and looking back it would not have changed a thing. My biggest expectation was that I could only fly to the country, and then things got easier.

– Your adventure, however, took place during a pandemic. How did the coronavirus adjust your trip? Have you encountered many obstacles while traveling across the country and trying to reach all the volcanoes?

– Everything works in the country, but working hours are very limited. The quarantine is especially strict on weekends, so while traveling through Chile, I got used to hating weekends during those three months. On weekends it is not possible to travel anywhere, it is easier to reach the police horizons, movement between municipalities is restricted, which makes it difficult to move from point A to point B, and usually requires a permit. Of course I filled out the documents to receive it online, but it was still a waste of time. Since my main objective was not to lie on the beach, but to climb volcanoes, controlling and closing the parks also created additional problems. I had to constantly explain the real situation, because, for example, the official websites say that the park is closed, but when you arrive in the area you realize that there is still the possibility to enter the park.

Several national parks that were home to my planned volcanoes were closed, so automatic climbing to the volcanoes was prohibited. Opening hours were limited in some parks, but I managed to climb during their opening hours.

Although there were movement restrictions and some volcanoes and national parks were closed, all the planned volcanoes were still climbed. I was just telling the rangers that I was walking because it was officially allowed and they let me in. It is not allowed to just climb to the top, because in that case, if you get injured or something happens, you will not get help, so it is forbidden to climb to the top of most volcanoes.

– You are not allowed to climb to the top, but you still ascended. Are you not afraid that despite the rules, you may be in serious danger without getting help?

– Of course, I can say that I have confidence and security in knowing what I am doing, but this saying does not really exist in the mountains – there are really situations that do not depend on you. You can slip, the stone can fall and hurt or even kill, you don’t feel safe all the time. Getting injured is very easy, so I always had to be careful no matter what volcano I climbed, because in the worst case, they would leave me somewhere injured and not much would save me. Therefore, climbing volcanoes during a pandemic when there are no workers in the park to get you out of a deadly situation is not safe.

My decision to go against the system and still climb the volcanoes was quite drastic, but I told myself: I came to the country not to look at the volcanoes, but to climb them. So some of those 12 volcanoes when they were officially closed. Of course, if it weren’t for the pandemic, I would climb a lot of volcanoes with other people, and that would give more security, and this time I overcame them alone, I didn’t meet other people at any of the volcanoes. The pandemic did its thing: people miss this pleasure, so I experienced a complete “solo” journey.

– No matter how dangerous this adventure sounds to you, everything went very well. What is your state of mind, how do you feel?

– Okay, but of course I feel tired. I tried to physically recover before each volcano, but in the end I failed. And those volcanoes one after another like a sponge drove me away. But when everything is interesting, everything is new, the motivation to see ever-changing images was the strongest driving force.

– Of course, your priority is the volcanoes, but have you managed to get to know the culture of the country, the people? What impression did they leave on you?

– Really so. Of course, not as much as I would have done before the pandemic, but even now I know the country quite well. At the end of the trip, I reached out to my fellow cyclists and travelers, whom I brought with me at the start of the trip, and they invited me as guests. After climbing the volcanoes, I had planned to see the penguins, they are close to his house, so I did not miss the invitation to visit my new friends. We had fun talking, I saw what Chilean life is like from the inside, what traditions, what communication. The people are really very warm and friendly.

– I saw your whole trip in the program “Ugnikalnių takai” „TV Delfi“ viewers and managed to love her. Do you feel the support of the audience, maybe you also get useful advice?

I really felt a lot of support, apparently people like both volcanoes and the Chilean landscape, that for us Lithuanians it seems like another world. I rarely got advice, but it was a lot of fun getting some: what to see in the country or in a particular city.

– One adventure has ended, another has just begun. What are your next plans?

February 16 I left Kaunas and on the night of May 15 I returned to Lithuania. I’ll be here for a couple of weeks and take a trip to Europe with my friends. These will already be my true vacations.

Watch Aurima’s entire trip on Volcanic Trails every day at 10:30 pm on Delfi TV.