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The Glacier Ride
the last ride |
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The last ride was upon us, we were to ride back to Laguna Azul for the final night of our adventure. Waiting for the boat to re-cross the river, 4 horses were sent ahead, the water completely covering them, just the tops of their faces visible, their nostrils snorting in the icy water which was coming straight off the glacier. We were accompanied part of the way by the owner of the refugio who was to meet a van with supplies of food. The Refugio was completely inaccessible by road, so the only way to replenish stocks was by pack horse. We rode less quickly today, not wanting the trip to end, we were all noticeably quieter than usual. When the Towers of Paine came into view we knew we were nearly back at the camp and that we would shortly say goodbye to our horses. We rode quietly into camp and dismounted at the lake side. Sadly we unsaddled and removed our saddle bags, patted our horses necks, each of us speaking quietly to our own mount, a private moment between horse and rider.
We watched as Chechin drove the horses back to the estancia, following their progress up the barren hillside until they were little more than ants on the horizon. |
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