After hearing about all of the delicious seafood to be found in Coloso, a little town about 15 minutes down the coast from Antofagasta, we decided to take our faithful stead, Esteban, and our new canine companion, Kiara, on an adventure.
We cruised through the brightly colored town and quickly realized that the hike that we had in mind might be a little strenuous for our short legged friend. Mainly due to indecision, we kept driving south to see how far we could go. As we passed Minera Escondida (located on the south side of Coloso), the road quickly turned to dirt with a less than comfortable washboard texture. Not knowing how much of this abuse Esteban could take, we decided to pull over and continue on foot.
No more than 500 meters further we came across the most common Chilean sign that I have seen here: "Fin Camino." That's the end of the road Jack.
Undeterred by this subtle warning and entranced by the emerald waters glittering below, we ventured onward.
We were so surprised by the 40 k/h winds that hit us head-on as we rounded the first corner that we almost failed to notice the shelter, beautifully carved by time, to our side.
I can assure you that this photo probably captured the peak of Kiara's excitement when it came to the death march, but to be fair our German Shepherd/Corgi/Basset Hound quiltro was not built for endurance when you note her T-Rex arms.
As we continued south, the landscape did not cease to awe.
The other animal friends we had along our walk were Cormorant ducks. Having not received more than 1 mm/year of precipitation since the first settlers of the area arrived in 1868, the nesting spots of the birds are easily discernible.
"We're almost there! Casi!" - Fortunately we came to the end of the foot trail just as Kiara started to lose pace.
Based on the abundant warnings we saw along our route, I would not recommend diving for mussles in the area unless you are a part of the local Sindicato Independiente de Buzos Mariscadores, or Fisherman's Union. We saw their boats buzzing up and down the coast, intermittently stopping to drop anchor and collect their bounty.
The look out from the "end of the trail." I say that because the "trail" was no longer as evident as it had been and we had concerns that Kiara may not be able to navigate it without issues.
To see erosion in the absence of rainfall is always surprising. How did it come to be? Your local geologists await you patiently.
What good would a mountain be if there was no queen of it?
This is about the time when we ran out of cheese for coaxing Kiara along. I would be lying if I said that I didn't carry her some of the way. Fortunately for the view, my labor of love was not in vain.
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