On Horseback Through Patagonia: Day 3 – Traffic Jam
Posted December 4, 2007 in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
(Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - 30 Kms. Cruce El Maitén –Cruce Los Leones)
Sunrise over Lago Negro was magical this morning. Fresh daybreak light glistened along the surface of the lake, which was already alive with action. Many of the gauchos had been up for some time- they were already dressed in their bombacha pants, their knives slipped into their fajas (girdle), a silk handkerchief around their necks and berets on their heads. By now they had shared a few rounds of mate and were bathing their horses at the water’s edge, preparing them for the day ahead. We left the campsite by 7 AM sharp and enjoyed a pleasant pace as we traveled through Patagonia’s most gorgeous scenery. After a few hours we came upon a bright orange, one-lane bridge. We had to organize ourselves and our horses into a single file to allow for cars to pass. As you can imagine, for any passerby seeing scores of horses and gauchos was an unusual site and we attracted a fair amount of attention. When it was our turn to pass, a few of the horses barged ahead only to find themselves slipping and sliding, some even falling.
The sound of the metal horseshoes making contact on the bridge was thunderous and when the horses fell this noise intensified ten-fold. After seeing the experience of the first few horses, none of the others would budge. They now feared crossing this bridge and we had to dismount and carefully lead them across, gaining their trust that they would be ok. The metal floor was slippery and it was difficult for the horses to maintain their balance. They would step up to the bridge, take a couple of steps and turn around. While I was feeling better today about riding and felt in good control of my horse, I was happy to dismount and walk for 100 meters. It took over twenty minutes for everyone to catch up; we created a small traffic jam on both ends of the bridge, however nobody seemed to mind the delay as they were provided with the entertainment of a lifetime, free of charge.
Upon reaching the other side, Doug Tompkins arrived overhead in a small plane and took pictures of this momentous event. The jinetes were excited to have their picture taken. The effort proved the importance of the cabalgata and everyone’s participation. It was an impressive view of so many horse riders on the ground, I can’t wait to see what it looks like from up above.
~~
As the sun set we arrived at our campsite at Pte. Leones. Over dinner, we had a group meeting to discuss a possible concern about our arrival in Coyhaique. Apparently, the city deputies were not supportive of the idea that the cabalgata arrive at the central Plaza via the main street, Calle Prat. This news incited excitement, anger and unity all at the same time. “How could it be that after nine days of trekking we are not permitted to make a grand entrance at our final destination?!” asked a number of participants. “Yo SI voy a llegar. Estoy disponible para sacrificar mi mismo a esta causa. No van a construir estas represas.”
Many people felt that the arrival in Coyhaique was synonymous with showing dedication and determination against the construction of the dams and were not going to let anything get in the way. Many were prepared to protest, even in the case that the situation turned violent. One of the “gringos” from Germany who now lives in Chile, was rightfully concerned about possible violent confrontation. Although she and the other gringos are 100% supportive of the campaign against the dams, by participating in a violent protest, all non-Chilean residents would be risking their right to live in Chile. Apparently, because of the tourist visa that most of us gringos have, if we protested and violence resulted, we could, at best, be fined, or at worst lose our right to be in Chile for a number of years. As there is still about a week left, time will tell.
