2024 11 Locura Chile 3 a cold night
It I a cold night with minus 10 °c or about 14 f and a strong wind whistling across the mountain. Up here at 3200 m. 10000 f. At 6 am I am glad to climb out of my sleeping bag and light a fire to boil some water for coffee. There is ice on the water through that is filled by hose from the spring. We feed the horses with alfalfa and oats that our packhorse is carrying. The sun extends its beams to our camp and the horses enjoy the warmth. Negro is still skeptical about me putting on the halter and reins, but he is getting better.
We follow the road down and up the mountain again to a summit at close to 3000 m and leading them down into a Travers valley behind. There is a small shelter, and water and grass that the horses enjoy. We want to give them a small quantity of oats on a plastic bag, but they fear the plastic moving by the wind. We follow a trail along the creek that leads up the mountain, getting real steep at the summit at 3900 m. 11700 f. Leading up we pass a small lake in this rocky dessert, and we can see the Argentinian border from here. We have reached the central Cordilleras. There is no more trail, just a rugged creek bed we are leading the horses down on and they are proofing they're sure footing and abilities in this difficult terrain. Later the creek starts flooding the grassy slope and you must watch out for deep swampy areas. After two more hours we reach a lower valley at 2660 m 8000 f where we camp at a Majadra, one of those stone shelters the Huaso build here.
Another wonderful day comes to an end.
It I a cold night with minus 10 °c or about 14 f and a strong wind whistling across the mountain. Up here at 3200 m. 10000 f. At 6 am I am glad to climb out of my sleeping bag and light a fire to boil some water for coffee. There is ice on the water through that is filled by hose from the spring. We feed the horses with alfalfa and oats that our packhorse is carrying. The sun extends its beams to our camp and the horses enjoy the warmth. Negro is still skeptical about me putting on the halter and reins, but he is getting better.
We follow the road down and up the mountain again to a summit at close to 3000 m and leading them down into a Travers valley behind. There is a small shelter, and water and grass that the horses enjoy. We want to give them a small quantity of oats on a plastic bag, but they fear the plastic moving by the wind. We follow a trail along the creek that leads up the mountain, getting real steep at the summit at 3900 m. 11700 f. Leading up we pass a small lake in this rocky dessert, and we can see the Argentinian border from here. We have reached the central Cordilleras. There is no more trail, just a rugged creek bed we are leading the horses down on and they are proofing they're sure footing and abilities in this difficult terrain. Later the creek starts flooding the grassy slope and you must watch out for deep swampy areas. After two more hours we reach a lower valley at 2660 m 8000 f where we camp at a Majadra, one of those stone shelters the Huaso build here.
Another wonderful day comes to an end.