Eruption in the Andes: Veil of Ash

Summary

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Real Survival Stories – "Eruption in the Andes: Veil of Ash"

Podcast: Real Survival Stories (Noiser)
Host: John Hopkins
Date: April 1, 2026
Episode Theme:
A gripping first-person account of two backpackers trapped in the Chilean Andes during a catastrophic volcanic eruption. The episode delves into their fight to survive an ash-choked wilderness, exploring themes of decision-making under pressure, risk, resilience, and the unpredictability of nature.

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Episode Overview

This episode recounts the harrowing true story of Jeff Brighton, a 25-year-old Californian, and Aviv Bromberg, a 24-year-old Israeli, who were overtaken by the 2015 Calbuco volcanic eruption while crossing the remote Villarrica National Park in Chile. As ash blots out the sun and the landscape is transformed into a monochrome wasteland, the pair must use all their resourcefulness and calm to find their way to safety.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Arrival and Decision to Hike Despite Risks

• Setup:
  • Jeff, on a six-month solo backpacking trip through South America, reaches Pucon—Chile's adventure capital—keen to tackle the famed 32-mile Villarrica Traverse (07:16-08:17).
  • He meets Aviv on a bus; they bond over travel stories and impulsively decide to hike the trail together, despite warnings and the park being officially closed due to recent high-altitude snowfall (08:52-09:37).
• Quote:
  • "We had this epic weather window that we didn't want to miss out on, and so even though they had told us the whole park was closed, we decided to go for it anyways. ... We had this confidence that only young men have that we could handle whatever came up. Probably a little too much confidence." – Jeff (10:39)

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Early Trekking Experience and Volcanic Context

• Setting the Scene:
  • Spectacular, varied terrain from forests to lava fields, perfect weather, near-total solitude except for each other (16:48-20:43).
  • Dose of brash youthful confidence fuels their disregard for park warnings.
• Volcano’s Recent Activity:
  • The Villarrica volcano had erupted the month before; locals and rangers caution visitors about the risks, but Jeff and Aviv are undeterred.
  • “It was still smoking and there had been a huge eruption like hundreds of feet high, lava shooting into the sky. ... What are the odds that it'll go again?” – Jeff (04:28 / 16:48)

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The Night Before the Disaster

• Camp by the Lake:
  • After a very successful two days, they camp by a lake under La Nin volcano, swimming and celebrating their luck.
  • They hear a faint boom but dismiss it as rockfall (21:36).
  • "We were just feeling good and glad we had ignored the Park Service and gone for it and went to bed thinking, wow, we're so lucky." – Jeff (22:21)

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Awakening to Disaster: The Ash Blizzard

• Discovery:
  • Jeff wakes at 8am to pitch-black darkness in the tent. They open the flap to find an ash blizzard, landscape buried and visibility reduced to mere feet (22:47-25:05).
  • "I wake up to complete darkness. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. It was like being blind." – Jeff (22:47)
  • “It just looked like a heavy snowfall of ash, and ... my headlamp is really only able to cut through about 5ft of this blizzard. Horrible visibility.” – Jeff (25:05)
• Dangers Identified:
  • Jeff recalls his training: the danger isn’t just lava, but pyroclastic flows and lahars—avalanches of hot ash, rocks, and water (26:21).

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Decision Point: Stay or Evacuate?

• Weighing Options:
  • Supplies are low, and staying feels risky due to possible deluges; hiking out risks disorientation and injury (27:55).
  • Their status is precarious: "Nobody knows they're here. Two choices. It's a coin flip with no good outcomes." – Narrator (27:55)
• Taking Action:
  • They opt to evacuate, fashioning masks from shirts and relying on a single strong headlamp to see (29:07).
  • "It felt good to be able to take action and not just sit there." – Jeff (29:07)

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Navigating the Ash Blizzard: Science, Strategy, and Setbacks

• Disorientation:
  • They immediately lose their way, going in circles in total darkness, hitting dead ends, and encountering obstacles (30:24-32:26).
  • “We just found ourselves starting to go in circles ... I had no idea.” – Jeff (31:46)
• Crisis Management:
  • Aviv realizes he has a compass app on his phone; combined with their map, it transforms their escape, allowing them to get back on the right path (32:42-33:28).
  • Finding the first trail marker after using the compass is described as a "huge morale boost" (33:28).

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Continuing Dangers and Surreal Encounters

• Still at Risk:
  • Ash remains thick, compounds the challenge of staying on the fading trail even with a compass (34:10-35:31).
• Memorable Animal Encounter:
  • In the monotone world, ominous shapes dart at the edge of their vision. Jeff is struck in the head—by birds disoriented by the darkness who are drawn to their headlamps (39:20-40:28).
  • "They decided to fly at my head. And so we kept having these little demon birds popping out of the bushes and kind of attacking us. Turned out to be not as much of a horror movie and more of a comedy." – Jeff (40:28)

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Emerging from the Ash and Reaching Safety

• Ash Cloud Lifts:
  • Four hours in, the light returns as the ash cloud thins, making travel much easier (41:08-42:13).
  • “We saw this extremely faint light start to appear. ... This was like the moment of,...wow, okay, this is going to be a lot easier now that we can actually see.” – Jeff (41:37)
• Escape:
  • With nearly all supplies exhausted, they emerge onto a tarmac road, physically spent but euphoric (43:15).
  • “Huge relief. We kind of cheered and high fived each other and we could finally look at each other and realize we looked like total apocalypse survivors, just absolutely covered in ash.” – Jeff (43:15)
• Aftermath:
  • They flag down a bus, return to their hostel, and only then discover from the news that the distant “boom” was the Calbuco volcano, erupting dozens of miles to the north, and showering them in ash (44:25-44:36).

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Epilogue and Reflection

• Loss and Reflection:
  • Months later, Jeff learns Aviv died of high-altitude sickness during further travels in Peru—a poignant reminder of the unpredictability of adventuring and life itself (45:06).
  • "It kind of feels like a movie or something. It's a little odd looking back on that time of my life. It was such a wild adventure ... it feels oddly unreal." – Jeff (45:46)
• Changed Attitude Toward Risk:
  • Jeff reflects on having moderated his appetite for risk, learning to stay calm and methodical in crises—skills honed through extreme sports and now applied to life (46:17).
  • "Doing those kinds of sports ... gives you a dose of fear, but in a manageable environment ... probably good practice for when you end up in a more gnarly situation." – Jeff (46:17)
• Closure:
  • Now settled with his wife in Washington, Jeff continues to seek adventure, but with greater appreciation for caution and partnership (47:52).
  • “So rather than having to travel solo, now I’m with her. ... We’re constantly getting outdoors, just in search of even more mountains and more adventures.” – Jeff (47:52)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “It was almost like a submarine in the blackest depths of the ocean. There’s just this little bubble of light with nothing beyond.” – Jeff (02:09)
• “We just found ourselves starting to go in circles ... Are we getting more and more lost? Are we getting closer to the trail or further? And I had no idea.” – Jeff (31:46)
• “It felt good to be able to take action and not just sit there.” – Jeff (29:07)
• “Huge relief. We kind of cheered and high fived each other and ... realized we looked like total apocalypse survivors.” – Jeff (43:15)
• “[Aviv] had continued his adventure north up to Peru ... He died due to high altitude sickness.” – Jeff (45:06)
• “I think over the years in terms of risk mitigation, I’ve learned to not be as dumb ... it's not worth it.” – Jeff (46:17)
• “We kept having these little demon birds popping out of the bushes and kind of attacking us. Turned out to be not as much of a horror movie and more of a comedy.” – Jeff (40:28)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:19-02:48 – Introduction and first moments after the eruption
• 07:16-09:37 – Introducing Jeff and Aviv, decision to take on the hike
• 13:32-14:41 – Jeff's background with risk and previous natural disasters
• 16:11-20:43 – Early hiking experiences, beauty and joy of the trek
• 21:36-22:47 – Hearing the eruption (unbeknownst to them) while swimming
• 22:47-25:05 – Waking to find the world buried in ash
• 26:21-29:07 – Decision-making: stay put or try to escape
• 30:24-32:26 – Struggling through the ash, growing panic
• 32:42-33:28 – The compass app epiphany
• 35:31-37:01 – Crossing a dangerous clearing, applying wilderness survival logic
• 39:20-40:28 – The “demon birds” episode
• 41:08-43:28 – Emergence from the ash, arrival at the road
• 44:25-45:06 – Aftermath, learning the eruption’s true distance
• 45:06-46:17 – The loss of Aviv and the impact on Jeff’s worldview
• 47:52-end – Life after disaster; embracing adventure with caution

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Conclusion

This episode is a vivid, suspenseful recounting of a near-miss with disaster in the Chilean Andes, filled with honest reflections on facing fear, improvising in crises, and the ambiguity of risk. Jeff’s story is equal parts inspiring and sobering, capped by a bittersweet reminder of life’s unpredictability through Aviv’s fate. The narrative offers not just a survival tale, but a meditation on how adventure shapes our judgment, humility, and gratitude.

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Transcript

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's the morning of Wednesday, April 22, 2015, deep in the Villarica national park in central Chile. Nestled against the Argentine border in the foothills of the Andes, the Park sprawls across 630 square kilometers of rugged wilderness and encompasses a dazzling variety of scenery. Verdant forests carpet the lower slopes, while the high inclines are home to dramatic stretches of rocky plains, meadowland and a trio of spectacular snow capped volcanoes. Normally this place has a striking otherworldly beauty, but not today. A thick gray veil of ash has shrouded the landscape, leaching it of color and obscuring any distinction between the earth and the sky. This is the lifeless aftermath of an explosive volcanic eruption. It is totally silent. Nothing moves within the dead, drab expanse until something breaks the stillness. The distant sound of footsteps. A moment later, a weak beam of light pierces the darkness, illuminating the powdery ash that falls from the heavens like dirty snow. Two men stumble out of the monochrome haze, following the weak shaft of light cast by their headlamps. With their shirts tied tightly around their faces, all that's visible are their eyes. Encumbered by their bulky rucksacks, 25 year old Jeff Brighton and 24 year old Aviv Bromberg pick their way over the uneven alien terrain. Jeff squints through the gloom, trying to spot any indication of the hiking trail, but it's near impossible.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It was almost like a submarine in the blackest depths of the ocean. There's just this little bubble of light with nothing beyond.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Only able to see a few feet ahead of them, the two men scan the dense, dull miasma for clues. But uncertain of their direction, they can't tell if they're getting closer to the path or further away. It's all too easy to become disorientated.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We just found ourselves starting to go in circles, immediately starting to feel like, okay, are we getting more and more lost? Are we getting closer to the trail or further? And I had no idea.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

With dwindling food and water supplies and no cell phone signal, Jeff and Aviv are ill equipped to deal with this apocalyptic landscape. Unsure which of the region's many volcanoes has erupted or how close it is to them, it's imperative they get out of the area as soon as possible. But if they can't pick up the trail, there is every chance they will simply wander deeper into the harsh, unforgiving wilderness. And if that happens, there is no telling where or how their adventure will end.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We're just kind of stumbling around in this hellscape and getting more and more lost. And so this point I'm getting really worried and thinking this is not going to work. We're going to be completely lost in this blackness.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories.

[Podcast Host / Sponsor Announcer]

These are the astonishing tales of ordinary

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode we meet Jeff Bryden in 2015. The 25 year old has embarked on a six month backpacking trip through South America when he decides to hike the Villa rica Traverse, a 32 mile, three day trek across some of Chile's most awe inspiring scenery. The hike will take Jeff and his new travel companion Aviv, within sight of several of the country's magnificent volcanoes, one of which has recently erupted.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It was still smoking and there had been a huge eruption like hundreds of feet high lava shooting into the sky. I could see the smoke was lit up orange and kind of got this ominous feeling like, okay, hopefully it's done erupting. What are the odds that it'll go again?

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

But when Jeff and Aviv wake up on the final morning of their trek to find the world smothered by a dense gray haze, it reaffirms just how active the region's volcanoes remain. What follows is a scramble to evacuate the area as quickly as possible. But with all indications of the trail subsumed beneath a thick blanket of ash, their journey back to safety will become near impossible. Toxic fumes, zero visibility and the threat of further eruptions all hang heavy in the eerie, ash filled air.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

In the back of my mind I'm picturing red hot molten rock just zipping out of the sky and landing on us. There was just this feeling of we should get the hell out of here.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival Stories. It's Sunday, April 19, 2015 in the small city of Pucon, Central Chile. Tourists touting heavy packs and hiking poles weave their way along the sun dappled streets past the bar's blaring Latin music. There's a plethora of signs and shop fronts advertising extreme sports, adventure experiences and guided tours. Situated on the eastern shores of Lake Villarrica and within striking distance of a number of national parks and nature reserves, it's no surprise Pukon has gained a Reputation for being the sports adventure capital of the country. But the real draw is the Villarrica Volcano. Located just a handful of miles to the south of the city, this huge glacier clad beast presides majestically over the surrounding landscape, emitting the occasional cloud of dirty gray smoke. It's considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world and attracts thrill seekers from across the globe. One of Those is a 25 year old Californian man who zigzags through the crowded streets, his well traveled backpack digging into his shoulders. This is Jeff Brighton.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I was on a six month backpacking adventure across South America. I had started in Colombia and I had a vague goal to make it all the way down to Patagonia on the southernmost end of South America. And I had already completed that and now winter was coming and I was kind of making my way back north.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

In Chile, autumn falls between March and May with winter beginning in June. With the seasons and the weather soon to turn, Jeff is determined to make the most of his travels before the colder months set in.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

My destination near the Villarica volcano is known as the adventure capital of Chile, Yukon. So decided to make my way over there and I had seen some pretty awesome stuff you can do there. There's rafting and I had read about this really epic hike, the Villarrica Traverse.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Beginning near the volcano it's named after, the Villarrica Traverse can be trekked in either three or five days. Jeff has chosen to attempt the three day route. The 32 mile trail will take him through a staggering array of different scenery from luscious rainforests to desolate lava fields. And most thrillingly of all, he will be blessed with spectacular views of the various volcanoes which define the national park. Jeff doesn't intend to hike the trail alone. With him is 24 year old Aviv Bromberg, a new travel companion he met by chance on the way to Bukon.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

The winter was coming on and so I hadn't been able to do a lot of the backpacking and adventures that I wanted to within that last month. And then I saw this epic weather window coming in of sun and so I hopped on the bus to Pakon and on the bus I met Aviv and just really friendly Israeli guy. He was on a similar journey as me going across South America. I kind of gave him the rundown of this hike I had read about and he immediately agreed to do it. So we didn't really know each other and but he was friendly and cool and he signed up for this crazy three day trek into the wilderness.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

But before Jeff and Aviv can set off on their adventure. They need to secure permits to enter the park. Excitedly talking about their upcoming trip, the two men make their way to the ranger's office and step inside, blinking hard as their eyes adjust to the dim electric lighting. In a mixture of English and broken Spanish, they greet the park officials and explain their intention to hike the Villarica Traverse. But their plans are quickly shot down. With apologetic shrugs, the rangers tell them the park is closed until further notice. Recent snowfall at high altitude has made sections of the trail too dangerous to hike. There is nothing to be done. Slumped with disappointment, Jeff and Aviv walk back out into the bright Chilean sunshine, the wonderful weather almost taunting them. As they meander back to their hostel, they glance up at the Villarrica volcano towering above them. They may never be this close to it again.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We had this epic weather window that we didn't want to miss out on, and so even though they had told us the whole park was closed, we decided to go for it anyways. It was kind of our last chance before winter. And it was this legendary hike. And I kind of had also figured, you know, we're going into the wilderness, human rules don't apply. As long as you're confident and you have everything you need, and that's what backpacking is all about, you're completely self sufficient. And so we had this confidence that only young men have that we could handle whatever came up. Probably a little too much confidence.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Decision made, the two men return to their hostel, their hopes buoyed, and begin making preparations to set out early the next day. Though going against the ranger's instructions obviously carries hazards, for Jeff and Aviv, the chance of hiking the renowned trail is too good to pass up. Besides, Jeff isn't exactly averse to taking risks. Originally from a much more urban environment, he developed an interest in nature from a young age and has come to enjoy extreme sports and outdoor pursuits.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I grew up in San Francisco near a famous street, the Haight Ashbury area, known for hippies. And so I guess I was kind of living this city life. And yet I was lucky enough that my parents would take me out to Yosemite. And I started from a young age to gain an appreciation for nature. I think it's something you appreciate more when you don't have a lot of it around you in a big city. I've always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so part of it is the adventure. And a lot of times when I'm outside, I'm either climbing up the side of a cliff or on a mountain. So, yeah, I more calm things like just backpacking and hiking and it's very meditative. But some of the. Some of my draw is, I guess, this adrenaline and adventure.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

These personality traits have taken Jeff across the globe and into some intense situations. In 2011, he was on a study abroad program in Christchurch, New Zealand, when he was caught up in an extreme natural disaster.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I was sitting down in my first class of the semester, and literally before the class was out, the entire room lurched sideways by several feet and just started swinging wildly back and forth for about 30 seconds, and everyone dove under the desks and the lights were swinging like crazy back and forth. The city ended up getting pretty wrecked and some people were freaking out and making strange decisions. And I remember during that experience realizing that I was able to keep calm under pressure.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a major tragedy, killing 185 people, injuring thousands, and causing billions of dollars worth of damage. Jeff was among the lucky ones. But despite his near miss, the experience didn't put him off traveling or seeking adventure. Four years later, he finds himself in South America, preparing to attempt the Villa Rica traverse despite the recent heavy snowfall. For a young man like Jeff, it's what life is all about, I guess.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It just makes you feel alive. You're kind of playing with fear, pushing your limits, and, yeah, it just feels great in the moment when you're, you know, soaring down the side of a mountain on a snowboard or launching off a cliff, I guess it shuts your brain up as well. So you're just completely kind of in the moment. You're in a flow state, if you will.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff doesn't know it yet, but the Villarrica traverse will prove to be his most memorable adventure to date, just not in the way that he is expecting.

[Podcast Host / Sponsor Announcer]

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After making the last of their preparations for the upcoming hike and eating a hearty dinner, Jeff and Aviv settle down to get a decent night's rest. They have an early start tomorrow. The following morning, the two men wake before sunrise. They quietly lace up their boots and grab their rucksacks, trying not to disturb any of the hostel's other guests. Then they climb into a battered taxi that will take them to the trailhead at the base of the Villarika volcano. With an elevation of over 9,000ft, it's an impressive sight, particularly because of its recent activity.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It turned out that the volcano had actually erupted a month before and it was still smoking and it had been a huge eruption, like hundreds of feet high, lava shooting into the sky. And so I remember we're cruising out in the taxi in the pre dawn darkness and I could see the smoke was lit up orange and kind of got this ominous feeling like okay, hopefully it's done erupting. What are the odds that it'll go again?

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

After parking up in the foothills of the volcano, Jeff and Aviv pay their driver and swing their packs onto their shoulders. Then they start their hike. The initial ascent follows a demanding incline through a dense, moss covered forest. As Jeff and Aviv walk, the sun starts to creep above the horizon, bathing their surroundings in a warm, soft light. The trees are ablaze with a riot of red and gold, sure signs of the changing seasons. Every so often they'd pause to admire the view. The scenery is breathtaking.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It was a really cool hike. You could see different snow capped peaks in different directions and I remember there was these really weird alien looking trees. Overall it just felt like this really wild wilderness that kind of blew our mind.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The two men weave their way along the path, following the red poles that act as trail markers. They discuss how pleased they are that they've gone ahead with this hike despite

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

the warnings we were being Dumb as only young adventurers can be. But we were confident we could handle ourselves and make it through the snow and this park. We had everything we needed to survive and we had some backpacking experience, so we just figured go for it.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff and Aviv emerge from the treeline and the landscape rapidly alters. They step into a series of black lava fields strewn with volcanic rocks. The exposed, rugged landscape is like something from another world. They pause to admire the views of the Villarrica volcano behind them and the Quetupian volcano up ahead. Above, a few wispy clouds saunter through the brilliant blue sky. The sun is warm and bright. It's perfect hiking weather. Jeff and Aviv don't see another soul as they continue on their journey. The silence and isolation leave a lot of room for them to talk and get to know each other better.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

He was just such a great hiking companion. He was always super upbeat. He was very awed by this, this beautiful wild landscape and I remember he had this super old uncomfortable looking backpack and yet he was just absolutely tireless. He could have kept going each day well beyond where I got tired, but he was always waiting up for me and super, super great guy.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Eventually the new friends hit the snow they'd been warned about. The smooth white surface glitters in the sunshine, pristine and untrodden.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We finally reached some snow and this was why they had closed the park and it turned out to be fine. We could see these red trail markers every few hundred feet and so that's what you could use to follow the trail. And we also could see no other footprints in the snow, so we knew we were totally alone out there. But it had just gone super well. We were having a great time, feeling super lucky to have this awesome weather and just feeling alive.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

In such good conditions, they make excellent progress. By the end of the second day, they've covered about 25 miles. Tomorrow they should reach their destination in just a few hours. Pleased, they stopped for the night within sight of the magnificent snow covered La Nin volcano, which stands guard on the border of Chile and Argentina. The exact date of its last eruption is uncertain. All in all, it's an imposing presence. Jeff and Aviv set up camp near a beautiful blue lake, its smooth, glassy surface reflecting the setting sun. After two long days of hiking, the chance to enjoy a refreshing dip is too tempting to resist. But as they glide through the cool, clear water, an odd noise suddenly makes Jeff look up.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We're swimming in this lake near our campsite and I did hear this distant boom. It wasn't like super earth shaking. It was kind of just a very subtle boom. And yeah, I just wrote it off as Rockfall. Didn't really think much of it.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The enigmatic distant rumble dies away and is replaced by silence once more. Putting the strange noise to one side, the two men relax and enjoy the rest of their evening. After drying off and having dinner, they crawl into the shelter of their tent and slide into their sleeping bags. So far, this trip couldn't have gone any better.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We were just feeling good and glad we had ignored the Park Service and gone for it and went to bed thinking, wow, we're so lucky.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

When Jeff's alarm wakes him at 8am he groggily reaches out to quiet. But when he opens his eyes, he sees only blackness. He blinks. Nothing.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I wake up to complete darkness. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. It was like being blind.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Uncertainly, Jeff gropes for his headlamp and switches it on. The beam carves a path through the darkness of the tent but reveals nothing out of the ordinary. He checks the time again. It definitely 8am morning. Confused, he crawls towards the canvas door and unzips it. What he sees outside makes his breath catch in his throat.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

As soon as I open the door to the tent, I just see this blizzard of ash.

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It is the morning of Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The skies above Chile's Villarica National park are ominously dark, the sun swallowed up by a thick cloud of volcanic ash. The fine gray flakes fall silently onto the rocky terrain, draining the world of color and making it impossible to see. More than a few inches ahead. From the shelter of his tent, 25 year old Jeff Bryden gazes out at the shrouded landscape in disbelief. It's virtually unrecognizable from the vibrant, varied terrain. He's been trekking with his friend Aviv for the last couple of days.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It just looked like a heavy snowfall of ash, and the ground is already covered with about an inch or maybe two of ash, and it's just completely silent. And my headlamp is really only able to cut through about 5ft of this blizzard. Horrible visibility. Aviz wakes up as well, and we're both like, oh, this could be bad.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's immediately clear what's happened. One of the many volcanoes which pepper this region must have erupted in the last two days of hiking. Jeff and Aviv have already passed Quetripian and Vierica, which has erupted only a month before. But last night they camped within sight of La Nin, an ice covered stratovolcano with an elevation of over 12,000ft, which hasn't erupted in years. Surrounded by the dense cloud of ash with terrible visibility, it's impossible for Jeff and Aviv to tell which volcano has erupted and therefore how close they are to extreme danger. Jeff has recently completed a natural disasters course. He's been taught that in this situation, there are many dangers to be aware of.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I had learned that it's not actually lava you should be worried about with these eruptions. It's called a pyroclastic flow. This basically landslide of scorching hot ash and rock can come blasting down the side of the mountain at over 100 miles an hour. And so I was thinking about, are you in the path of what's basically an avalanche? It could also melt a lot of the glaciers on the volcano, so that can create what's called a lahar, and that's also a similarly deadly phenomenon.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff narrows his eyes, trying to make out the topography of their immediate surroundings. But everything is swallowed by the toxic

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

fog in my head. I'm going through, okay, what is the terrain like? Are we actually right next to the base, or do we have maybe a valley or a ridge between us and the volcano? But we also were kind of wondering, could there be molten rock falling from the sky any second? So we're just in this complete blackness and big unknown of how much danger we were really in.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The ash falls relentlessly from the leaden sky. They'd been warned about snowfall in the region, but this is far worse.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

Definitely started to get worried. I tried to keep it under control. I remember turning to Aviv and saying, what a beautiful day for a hike. Kind of making light of this situation. That could be really bad.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The men are left with a hugely difficult decision to make. They can either remain in their tent and try to wait out the ash blizzard, or they can make a run for it. Both options are fraught with pitfalls. If they stay, they will at least have some level of protection from the ash. But they have no idea how long it will take to clear. And since this was supposed to be the last day of their hike, their supplies are dwindling. They have less than a day's worth of water, and most pressingly, a volcanic deluge could hit them at any moment. But walking out is just as perilous. They can barely see a few feet ahead of them, so how will they find the trail again? Added to that are all the other potential dangers that come with such poor visibility. The increased chance of an accident, for instance. Plus, in a wild place like this, what might be lurking out there in the ash clouds? They have no cell phone coverage, and having entered the closed park, secretly, nobody knows they're here. Two choices. It's a coin flip with no good outcomes. But eventually, Jeff and Aviv reach a decision.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We decided to go for the evacuation. And so we packed up our stuff, we stuffed the tent kind of willy nilly into our bags, already completely covered with ash. We also made these ninja masks out of shirts that we were trying to protect our eyes and our mouths from breathing the ash. So we just had these little slits from these makeshift ninja masks that we could see through, and my one headlamp giving us about five feet of visibility and headed out. I think in the decision whether we should hunker down or try to evacuate, it felt good to be able to take action and not just sit there. Sitting there would have been tough if we thought we were in a potential danger zone for rockfall or pyroclastic flows. So it definitely spurred us to want to act.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Weighed down by their large packs, the men survey the wasteland before them and orientate themselves in what they think is the right direction. Aviv's torch is much less powerful than Jeff's, barely cutting through the gloom at all. As a result, Jeff leads his own small headlamp, illuminating a narrow swathe of rocky ash encrusted terrain.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I have a pretty good sense of direction, and I kind of just figured, okay, we, we know the direction we came from to get to this campsite vaguely which direction the trail was. But again, our vision was it was almost like a submarine and the blackest depths of the ocean. There's just this little bubble of light with nothing beyond.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Wrapped in a tiny pocket of light, they stumble through the gray. The trail should only be around 200ft from their campsite. But everything now seems strange and alien, totally different from what they experienced yesterday. They scan the ash swirled darkness, looking for any sign of the path or the red trail mark. After a minute or two, they still haven't found anything. And then with a crunch, they stumble straight into a wall of bushes. Confused, the two men double back. They must have somehow wandered past the trail. But as they try to retrace their steps, nothing familiar emerges. With such limited visibility, it's impossible to get their bearings. They soon run into another dead end, forcing them to turn around once more. As the minutes pass, it happens again, and then again.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We just found ourselves starting to go in circles, so starting to feel like, okay, are we getting more and more lost? Are we getting closer to the trail or further? And I had no idea.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

With each new dead end, panic rises. They ping pong back and forth from impenetrable walls of trees and bushes back to the lake they swam in the previous evening. The ash has made the water so turbid and sludgy, it's hardly recognizable. Breathing is difficult. Their energy is depleted and they're making no progress at all.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We're just kind of stumbling around in this hellscape and getting more and more lost probably. And so at this point I'm getting really worried and thinking, this is not going to work. We're going to be completely lost in the wilderness in this blackness.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

But then Aviv suddenly stops dead. He's had an idea. They may not have any cell service, but that doesn't mean their phones are totally useless.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

Luckily, Aviv had this awesome realization. He realized he had a compass app on his phone.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

They pull out their crumpled map and ascertain their very rough location. Then Aviv uses his phone compass to help orientate them. With renewed energy, they set off once again in what is hopefully the right direction. There's a lot of guesswork involved, but at least it's something.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

After a bit more stumbling around, I don't know how long it was, maybe 30 minutes, maybe more. My sense of time was probably thrown off. But after a while of stumbling around, we finally reached a red trail marker. It was a huge morale boost to find that we we had found at least one of the trail markers. So we were on the trail again. And now, since we had the compass, we could point in the direction of the next trail marker.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's a start. Now all they have to do is stay on the path. In theory anyway. They quicken their pace as the trail leads them into a dense forest. But there's no let up from the ash. It's as thick and intense as ever.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

In the back of my mind, I'm picturing red hot molten rock just zipping out of the sky and landing on us. There was just this feeling of we should get the hell out of here.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

But even with the compass, it's still hard to stay on track. The path is vague, sometimes zigzagging unexpectedly or seeming to disappear altogether. Jeff and Aviv stumble into rocks, roots or trees which loom out of the darkness like sinister hands and disgorge thick clouds of ash on top of the two men, temporarily blinding them. The darkness presses in all around, broken only by the faint beam of the two headlamps.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We definitely lost the trail time and time again because we had kind of run into a wall of bushes or something like that. But there were faint signs of the trail indentations in the ground, although it was covered with ash, so it was very hard to follow.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff keeps his head down, scanning the ground for any clues. Each new trail marker they spot is a small victory. And although they're making painfully slow progress, they're at least moving forwards in the right direction. But then everything changes.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We had been going through a forest, which gave us more indications of the trail because there would be walls and bushes and thickets of trees and it helped to keep us on trail. So we started to make progress, but then we hit this open clearing.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Emerging from the trees, the beam of Jeff's headlamp fans out, illuminating a a flat, gray expanse of open ground. They turn to look at each other, their faces etched with concern. There is absolutely no sign of where to go next. The trail has disappeared again.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It's just our little bubble of light and this flat, ash covered ground and no indication whatsoever where the next trail marker is going to be. And so all of a sudden we're back into, oh crap, we could end up getting lost here.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff and Aviv pause, staring out into the dark, depthless void of the clearing as the volcanic ash continues to settle around them. Stumbling in blindly would almost certainly be a bad move. They could end up retracing their steps or wandering away from the trail and going in circles, undoing all of their progress so far. But Jeff has a trick up his sleeve.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I had recently done a wilderness first responder training. It wasn't exactly about dealing with volcanoes, but it was about keeping calm and in emergency situations and approaching things methodically. And so I was able to just take a few breaths and think, what's the best way to get through this clearing and not get lost. And then I realized, okay, this is sort of like being lost in a cave system. And what you can do in a cave system is follow a wall.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

By keeping one hand against the wall of a cave and never breaking contact, the exit will eventually be reached. Realizing they can apply the same logic to getting across the clearing, Jeff and Aviv set out, keeping the forest close on their left and scanning for any breaks in the tree line.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

Instead of trying to head out straight into the blackness, I stuck to the edge of the forest. We went left and went along the edge of this clearing, ruling out all the gaps in the trees and places where we thought the trail might continue. And eventually it brought us all the way around this wide area and there, right at the edge of the forest, there's a trail marker. So boom.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Their tense shoulders slump in relief. It's another little win. Jeff and Aviv press onwards, squinting into the gloom for the next red marker. Skeletal trees loom out of the ground all around them, the branches snagging on their clothes and rucksacks. And still the ash rains down, smothering the landscape in a dull gray blanket. And that's not all. Deep in this wild, remote part of the world, there is an abundance of animal life, including the native big cat, the puma. Now and then there are rustles in the half glimpsed vegetation all around, a reminder to Jeff and Aviv that they are not alone here. And then something in the darkness moves.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I see this dark shape just shoot through the edge of my vision. Cuz we just had this small pocket of light and I just thought, what the hell was that?

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff pauses, his pulse hammering. But there's nothing. Everything is still. Once again, perhaps he imagined it. Trying to shake it off. The two men press deeper into the unknown. But then, a few minutes later, another shape darts out of the blackness, swooping past the edge of his vision.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It was like something out of a horror movie. It moved so fast I wasn't exactly sure if it was real. Then finally, a third shape explodes out of the bushes near me and it swoops past my head and then it flies back and actually clips me in the head.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Reeling from the impact, Jeff raises his eyes, scanning the sinister overhanging trees and the somber sky. As another shape darts from the darkness towards his head, it suddenly becomes clear what is happening.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

There's these tiny birds that are shooting towards my headlamp like moths to a light and they had been sitting in complete darkness, so they hadn't been able to move or fly all day, basically. They had been blind, so this was the first thing they had seen all day is my headlamp. And they decided to fly at my head. And so we kept having these little demon birds popping out of the bushes and kind of attacking us. Turned out to be not as much of a horror movie and more of a comedy. And I joked with Avid that, you know, soon there would be pumas and deer and all kinds of animals just coming out of the forest with us.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff and Aviv continue on their long dark path, trying to ignore the birds which occasionally dart towards them like tiny missiles. They plod wearily through the gloom, losing and finding the path more times than they can count. Around midday, about four hours after leaving their tent that morning, Jeff looks up. Is it wishful thinking or does the sky seem lighter than before?

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

We saw this extremely faint light start to appear. And so over the course of about 30 minutes, maybe we just see more and more light start to creep back into the world. Everything is still completely gray, but apparently the ash cloud that had been totally blocking out the sun had dissipated or the wind had changed direction. And so we were not saved. But this was like the moment of, wow, okay, this is going to be a lot easier now that we can actually see.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

As the world around the men gradually brightens, they're able to increase their speed. They tramp across the dreamscape of sullen, ash covered terrain.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It kind of just turned into this world that was completely still, completely silent and everything was gray. But now we can see enough. That kind of felt like we were just hiking through this apocalyptic dream of sorts.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Beginning to feel faint from lack of food, the two men paused to eat some uncooked oatmeal and take a few sips from their canisters of water. It's not much, but it'll have to keep them going. They've almost exhausted their meager supplies. On they go through the thinning ash along the rocky trail. Closer, closer, muscles aching, until the pair suddenly emerge onto a tarmac road. It marks the end of the trail. After five grueling hours, they've made it.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

Huge relief. We kind of cheered and high fived each other and we could finally look at each other and realize we looked like total apocalypse survivors, just absolutely covered in ash.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Jeff and Aviv's good fortune continues. About an hour after stumbling across the road, a bus rumbles past. They're able to flag it down and head back to Pocon. After arriving in the city, they return to their hostel, still covered in volcanic ash. They find everyone watching the news of the eruption on TV and are finally able to discover the events that led up to their narrow escape. It turns out that the distant boom they heard on their second night was the sudden and unexpected explosion of the Calbuco volcano, which last erupted in 1972. Thankfully for Jeff and Aviv, it was miles away from them. But the violent eruption emitted a vast plume of ash. Had the two men been any closer, they may not have made it out.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It was just so much ash that it had completely blocked out the sun and dumped ash across the landscape. We were just directly dominated it.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

After recovering from their ordeal, Jeff and Aviv split, going their separate ways to continue their adventures. Jeff carries on with his trip through South America and makes it to the coast of Chile before heading home to San Francisco. A few weeks later, back in the us Life for Jeff resumes as normal and he begins saving up money for his next expedition. But then he receives some shocking news. It's about Aviv.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I hadn't really kept in touch with him, but it was just a few months later I heard that he had passed. Not long after our little adventure, he had continued his adventure north up to Peru, which I had already come through. He died due to high altitude sickness,

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

having successfully survived the aftermath of the Calbuco eruption. It is a cruel twist of fate that Aviv's young life should be cut so short. As for Jeff, he says his recollections of the experience are vivid but surreal.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

It kind of feels like a movie or something. It's a little odd looking back on that time of my life. It was such a wild adventure, the whole backpacking trip across South America and that towards the end of it. So it feels oddly unreal.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Although he made it out safely, Jeff acknowledges that his adventure in the Villarrica national park could have ended very differently. In the intervening decade, his attitude towards risk taking has changed.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

I think over the years in terms of risk mitigation. I've learned to not be as dumb and like, I used to kind of take it for granted that I would injure myself at least once a season snowboarding, because I was doing big jumps and stuff. And I've learned that it's not worth it. So I dialed back the risk. I would say being able to stay calm and approach the situation as methodically as possible, just being able to kind of take one step after another and figure it out as we went. Maybe it has to do with all my adventure activities, extreme sports over the years, because that's just like a little taste of fear and danger, but it's manageable. Let's say you're on the side of a cliff, rock climbing, you have this innate fear, but you have to kind of push through it and work methodically and know how to stay calm. But I think doing those kinds of sports, that gives you a dose of fear, but in a manageable environment is probably good practice for when you end up in a more gnarly situation.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

After returning to San Francisco, Jeff also meets his wife, who shares his love of nature. Their passion for outdoor pursuits leads them to move to Washington State, and together they have built a life that revolves around the exploration of stunning scenery and landscapes both across the US and further afield. In short, Jeff's search for excitement and discovery lives on.

[Jeff Brighton (Survivor)]

Well, I've been lucky enough to continue all the same adventures. Meet my beautiful wife who loves to do all these kinds of things with me. So rather than having to travel solo, now I'm with her. And we love going abroad and doing big hikes and also just we're constantly getting outdoors in the mountains around us here in Washington, just in search of even more mountains and more adventures.

[Podcast Host / Sponsor Announcer]

In the next episode, we meet Johan Otter. In 2005, the 43 year old physiotherapist and his daughter Jenna are enjoying an ambitious hike in Glacier national park to celebrate her graduation from high school. But when they accidentally stumble upon a wild, dangerous beast determined to protect its young, everything changes in an instant. Desperate to save his daughter from a hideous death, Johan confronts the vicious animal, hoping he might buy Jenna enough time to escape. Locked in a brutal battle, Johan and the beast go head to head, each willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to protect their offspring. That's next time on Real Survival Stories. Listen today without waiting and ad free by joining Noiserplus.

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