The person who said yesterday that this spaceship cloud formation meant a change in the weather was right!
The wind was blowing even harder and th rain swirling around in gusts when we caught the 3pm bus out to Lago Desierto to catch the boat at 5.30pm to the other end of the lake where we were hoping that Ricardo would be to meet us with horses. We did feel a little apprehensive that all would work out.
From now on there are many photos taken through the windows of buses! So, regretfully the quality won't be as good as one would like. However its better than nothing!
Through the mist we just see the outline of Mt McKinley and its huge glacier, one of the biggest in the Southern ice field, which is places is 500km wide!
We are about to pick up the Carreterra Austral that will run right up to Puerto Montt, some 3,000km north. Some people get great pleasure out of cycling it!! Quite mad! This couple were Swiss and we met them several times on the way to Villa O'Higgins
We ran along this river for many miles,
as we neared the lake we stopped at this terrific waterfall.
The bus dropped us at the camp site at the southern end of the lake.
Where we managed to get a cup of Nescafe and saw that they were roasting something in an oven.
We had four hours to wait for the boat so we went for a walk,
the lake is very beautiful, even in the rain.
If you look very hard, you can see a white spot at the end of the lake - that is 7ms away, and is the landing stage where we hoped Ricardo would be with the horses.
We were able to sit in the bus that brought us to the lake for a couple of hours before it returned to Chalten and we were surprised to see this huge thing turn up!
We have seen this German tour company before behind the bus they tow the sleeping van! The people all sleep in individual coffin type holes! We ca't think of anything worse - there are about 36 people on the bus!
Eventually it was time to get on the boat!
The weather was bad!
The bags stored inside the boat.
And the rain obscuring the view!
as we arrived at the other end of the lake we got quite anxious.
But joy, oh joy, the smiling face of Ricardo was there to meet us with several horses.
No time was wasted, he had us packed up in no time.
The rain was stopping and Ricardo told us that we would divide the journey in two. It was too far to ride to Candalerio, and as he owned a Refugio about 2 and a half hours ride away, we would stay there and ride the other two hours the following morning, in time to catch the 4.00pm boat to Villa O'Higgins. This was perfect. The boat actually called into Candelario at 11.00 to drop off people travelling to Chalten and those who wanted to visit the O'Higgins glacier. One of the widest in South America.
We had plenty of time to make the two hour ride, before it got dark.
So off we set, I was mounted onto a very calm brown horse and Tony was on a black horse called Oscuro.
Ricardo said to Tony - off you go - and off his horse went! We didn't see him for another half hour! I was quite worried, but Ricardo said not to worry the horse knew the way!
It is very difficult to take photos on horseback! Hence there is a singular lack of action photos! To describe the first part of the track is to say one had to hang on for dear life! The track is very narrow and very deep. The horses had quite a bit of difficulty walking through them in places. There were rivers, roots, squelchy mud and low hanging branches to add to the thrills off one in nine gradients both up and down! Thank heavens one can hang onto the saddle.
Cyclists have to take off their panniers carry them to the top and then go down again and bring up the bicycles. How far is this little trip - 7kms! The horses did it with little effort! However where was Tony? No where to be seen - Ricardo laughed and said 'very fast that horse!' Tony is not very happy on the back of a horse, but always manages to cling on!
As we came out of the forest I saw Tony in the distance jogging along and managed to get his photo!
The red spot is Tony. My horse who didn't have a name just looked on!
WE passed through woodland with an amazing number of fallen trees - all blown down by the violent wind in these mountains. After leaving Argentina behind we traveled on a rough road put through by the Chileans. There are constant border disputes in this area and the Chileans want to appear to occupy the land. Ricardo's estancia (farm) is 3,700 hectares, on which he farms 150 head of cattle - that tells you how poor the land is - so goodness knows why they want to argue about the land!
Tony arrived at the refugio a good ten minutes before we did!
While Ricardo unsaddled he explained that the horses were always in a hurry to get to the refugio because they know that they will be let free to graze for the night. In the winter the horses shoes are taken off and they are left to wander in the woods!
The wooden Refugio was very basic, but as soon as the fires were lit we were warm within minutes.
The kitchen
the lounge and dining room.
The fireplace was hand made, but very efficient.
We presume this was the hide of one of their cattle!
Sheep skin - waiting for what?
The saddle room!
And another storeroom!
The next morning the dog couldn't wait to get going - three dogs had come with us,
we worked out they had walked 40 kms by the time they returned home!
We presumed this was the original refugio!
The weather was terrible!
But off we went!
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