GPT07 | Laguna del Maule option on horseback
Swapping my backpack for a horseback
27 January 2024 | 26°C
I am fascinated by the cowboy life of the arrieros in the Andes! After reading about a “cowboy experience ride” in the Greater Patagonian Trail hikers manual, I decide to reach out and learn more. While in Molina, I call to inquire, and to my surprise, they tell me a tour is starting in just a few days. “Can you be here tomorrow?” they ask.
The next morning, I catch the first bus from Molina to Curicó, then on to Linares, where Alejandra picks me up in a 4WD pickup and drives me to a small lodge. There, I meet Danilo, the arriero and tour guide, who will be taking me up to Carizales.
“Ah, so you’re the solo female hiker my friend mentioned recently,” he says with a smile before we head out on another dusty, hour-long jeep ride up the mountain—funny, as I passed this spot on foot just two weeks earlier.
When we arrive, we sit down for a tasty soup with a few of the local arrieros. Coincidentally, one of them had helped me with river crossing tips not long ago.
I also meet Claudia, another traveler from Germany who is joining me on the ride. We seem like a good team: my Spanish is fluent, but my horse-riding skills haven’t been tested in 20 years, while Claudia is an experienced horsewoman with only basic Spanish.
Before I know it, I’m up on a horse, with two mules carrying our sleeping bags and supplies for the coming days. The terrain is easy, giving me a chance to shake off the rust from my riding skills. After about three hours, we stop at a river where the horses and mules drink. Danilo decides to make camp for the night. With practiced hands, he gathers firewood and starts a campfire, where we cook a simple but delicious pasta dish from our provisions.
Sleeping out in the open, under the stars, feels different this time. In thru-hiker slang, it’s called “cowboy camping,” but tonight it feels truly authentic—an experience straight out of the arriero way of life.
Chasing horses
28 January 2024 | 22°C
One of the perks of riding a horse instead of lugging a backpack: steep ascents are faster and far less exhausting. It feels strange letting the horse do all the hard work though, and I almost feel guilty as we climb several hundred meters up a mountain range. I can feel my horse panting and sweating beneath me. The terrain is rocky and dusty in parts, and I wonder why the dogs trailing behind us aren’t coughing, but they seem completely unfazed.
Today’s mission: Find some of Danilo’s horses and lead them to another valley with more food. On the way up, we meet another arriero and help him gather some of his cows—or rather, Claudia and Danilo do, while I try my best to keep up.
After a break sipping mate at the arriero’s hut, we head out to where Danilo’s friend last saw the horses. Thankfully, we find them not too far away—12 in total, including a few foals. Danilo mentions we’re lucky they’re still here; sometimes the puma gets them. Looks like the big cat wasn’t so lucky this year.
We herd the horses up and over another mountain range. Though I struggle a bit to keep pace, I’m blown away by the breathtaking views.
Finally, we descend to a spot with water, where we’d left the mules earlier. It’s time to cook dinner and set up camp. The ground isn’t entirely flat, but I’m so tired, I struggle to keep my eyes open to admire the millions of stars overhead.
A long day for a novice cowgirl!
Laguna del Maule
30 January 2024 | 22°C
Last night was chilly but cozy, though the slight slope of our camp made for a few wake-ups. Yet, the view of millions of stars and the Milky Way right above us more than made up for it. There’s a magic to sleeping under the stars, like a true cowgirl, that leaves me refreshed and happy every morning. And today, there's cake for breakfast!
Danilo assures us that today will be more relaxing, less long and exhausting than yesterday. We’ll ride down the mountain, along a valley, and enjoy a siesta below a giant rock with a little cave.
Claudia and I take a refreshing swim in the river before returning to our siesta spot, where a big plate of pasta with tuna sauce awaits us. Delicious!
Our ride continues up a beautiful valley, past cows, horses, and a waterfall. This variant of the GPT trail is more stunning than the one I chose for my hike, and experiencing it on horseback is even better.
We cross a pass to a small but gorgeous lagoon surrounded by lush greenery. Galloping along the beach fills me with a pure sense of happiness. Yihah!
As we make our way to Laguna del Maule, the breathtakingly blue waters leave us in awe. We set up our cowboy camp by a small river, grateful for the flat ground this time.
“It’s gonna be colder than last night,” Danilo warns, so I add an extra cover to my sleeping bag. Despite my tiredness, I can’t help but gaze at the millions of stars above us once more.
The sound of our horses grazing nearby is calming and soothing, a perfect end to a magical day.
Laguna Nieblas
30 January 2024 | 22°C
“It’s gonna be a relaxed day,” Danilo announces in the morning. By midday, we arrive at another fabulous lagoon and set up our camp on a peninsula, with water surrounding us on both sides.
Danilo works his magic, creating a makeshift roof with an old sail, two pieces of wood, four stones, and the boxes our mules carry. I take a nap in the shade before we go swimming in the lagoon, first on our own and then with the horses.
The horses are accustomed to the water and enter without hesitation. Once the sun's intensity lessens around 4 p.m., we set off for another ride, leaving the mules to chill by the lagoon, and capture some cool videos.
No wood at the lagoon? No problem! We make a fire for our dinner using dry cow poop. 😂
Galloping Highways, Wild Horses, and Sopaipillas
31 January 2024
It’s tough to leave this beautiful, peaceful place, but with snow reported at one of the passes, Danilo decides we’ll retrace our steps.
Claudia and I seize the chance to gallop ahead along the first stretch, where the ground is slightly sandy and flat. It feels like racing down a galloping highway until we spot "oncoming traffic"—a group of wild horses heading our way. What a breathtaking, serene moment in cowboy country.
For lunch, we stop at the hut of another arriero we met on the way up. With plenty of provisions left, we cook a hearty soup in his outdoor kitchen for all of us.
As we enjoy our post-lunch coffee, we hear footsteps outside. A GPT hiker! We invite him for a plate of soup, and he doesn’t need to be asked twice. He turns out to be German like me. After a quick meal, he’s off again, and we all take a well-earned nap. He must have been moving fast—we don’t see him again.
Our final camp is near a river, perfect for washing off the dust and sweat of the day in a small pool away from the current. I take the opportunity to clean my sticky socks and underwear too. Throughout the journey, I’d been wondering about the bags of flour the mules were hauling. Tonight, I find out—Sopaipillas con queso, a traditional Chilean dish, is on the menu. Delicious!
