A decadently late start today if you can call 7 a.m. late. Our routine is a group breakfast while also creating your own box lunch from a reasonably good buffet of sandwich and salad makings. Then it’s onto the mini bus for travel to a sector of the park where that day’s activity will occur. Even the lunch bag speaks to the eco mindset of the Camp.
Today we went to the north east quadrant which is the least used section. Hence the one hour gravel road experience was less of a Patagonia massage than previous days. We transferred to a high clearance, four wheel drive van for the last segment which unfortunately more than made up for the first road. The cart track we followed bounced us like corks on the ocean. Exhausting – and I wasn’t even driving. Along the way we stopped for photos.
Our guide for the day, Victor, fit the profile of everyone we’ve met thus far – passionate, knowledgeable and one with the land. We set off on a nature walk, cum cross country hike, slash treasure hunt. The nature walk component was through verdant meadows knee high in grasses. The combination of warm and wet weather along with the cancellation of cow grazing contracts has resulted in an explosive growth of plant life. We wore gaiters to stay dry in the deep grass which added to our eclectic appearance.
The hike took use through a series of meadows into numerous tree thickets. Along the way we learned about the history of the land. Numerous birds were present and Victor patiently explained different habitats and habits. The Puma is the top of the animal food chain in Chile and there are upwards of 65 in the park. Sightings are exceptionally rare but we saw much evidence of their presence including, sadly, a freshly killed wild foal.
We climbed ever higher and reveled in the silence. Our small group had exclusive use of more than 1,000 acres. The wind blew on the hilltop ridges and we could see lakes, mountains and the Paine peaks. Breathtaking.
Our ultimate goal was to stumble across the herd of wild horses that roams the area. Most of these trips don’t bear positive results but luck was with us and late in our hike we spotted the herd. We couldn’t get much closer than 500 metres but that was enough as we watched them graze. The slightest threat by our moving down the hill would have had them disappear in an instant. The photo was taken through a telescope.
We looped around the back of the Masle hills to get back to our vehicle rendezvous point. The first meadow was large. Approaching a small rise we expected to be done walking. However a second equally large meadow lay before us. Then a third and a fourth. It seemed we walked back twice as far as we had on the outbound leg.
We knew it was an extra special day when we found not only a four leaf clover but a five leaf one as well!
Celebratory beverages awaited our return and everyone happily found a comfortable seat after all the walking. Then it was back onto the bouncing cart track, then the bus. Will the vibration never end?
Tomorrow another section of the park and another adventure. Something about ‘bring your cycling shorts’. Hmmmm.
The Bennetts On Tour 