planBE

« Thats fresh puma shit » 😳 On our last full day at the final outpost, we brought the horses to the edge of the mountain, untacked them,  tied them to some bushes and trekked down some slippery cliffs to hike to the foot of the hidden glaciers. I was careful to not grab any of the bushes on either side of the cliff when I would slip as rocks rolled under my feet … because all the bushes had 2 inch thorns. Yikes! We hiked to a hidden valley of natural grasses punctuated by a large rock where we had a lovely rest and lunch, listening to the glaciers go ka-boom as they break off in the bright summer sun. This valley is part of a protected reserve in the Los Glaciares National Park that only allows a few visitors a day. The nearest dirt road is 20 km away. Best noone gets injured, as we have no way to call for help. There is no cell phone service, no forest ranger. And there are pumas in those hills.  We crossed the Rios Frias, tossing our boots and crossing the glacial river ove...

« Lets bring her back. » We took off to herd the pregnant mare that had lost her herd on the wrong side of the fence line. Juan galloped off the long way to circle around her and push her back towards the fallen doorway she had sneaked into. I blocked her way as she tried to avoid the water. On the other side the herd with six foals and several mares were nervous and the black stallion was pacing the fence line eventually galloping alongside the mare as we chased her. She got to the stream crossings and balked in the mud. Juan and his horse cut her off a dozen times, yelling and whistling until she tentatively started to cross, then galloped through. Past the opening, the black horse ran to her and towards the lagoon where they stopped and he stayed with her. The herd was set back looking but on the other side of some more muddy streams. The black stallion pushed the mare towards the streams and the herd but she refused. They stood waiting, as the mare calmed down. I watched on as Juan...