Wilderness Horsemanship and Life Skills in the Cordillera

  Argentina

• All Other Regions of Argentina: 
El Huecu (Neuquen)

Dates: Jan. 3-16 2009 and Feb. 10- 23 2009

Description: Each place has it's story- its light at each phase of the day, its sounds, unique scents, the cadence of language, particular tastes, and how the elements of the landscape contour the hearts of its people. And each landscape also holds its secrets, its mysteries and music, and its challenges for the human body, mind, and spirit. The Patagonian cordillera is as unique a place as any to be encountered. It is a place of enormous distances, ancient mountains, surprisingly abundant water, fierce winds, stark shadows, and strong, large hearted people. By bringing together horsemanship, primitive-living skills, and an excursion into a cultural landscape, this course offers a window into oneself and the fundamentals of life, in its most profound and most basic.

On this course you will learn to travel through rugged country on horseback, and how to saddle and care for your horse. You will also learn how to load and lead a packhorse. In the mountains, you will learn some of the basic skills intrinsic to human life; navigation through a landscape, friction fire making, shelter, finding water, and survival priorities. The landscape and culture we will be immersed in coupled with the human-horse relationship offer the perfect backdrop for these skills.

This trip is of moderate difficulty. The weather in the mountains is highly changeable, from warm sunny days to rain and hail and often strong winds. Although no previous horse experience is necessary, I would recommend spending at least a little bit of time on a horse before taking this trip. We'll be traversing mountain trails that are sometimes narrow, steep, and rocky. Our horses are strong, sturdy, calm and surefooted, and are very familiar with these trails, but from a novice rider's perspective, some of the places we'll go might be daunting. Getting off and walking on these spots is always an option.

Highlights: Highlights of Days 5-11:

We then head off into the cordillera for a grand tour of the peaks and high valleys that make up the spine of the Andes range. This is the longest mountain range in the world, and our trip will take us right into the heart of it. We'll visit some of its most remote valleys and ridges. We'll camp on the shores of a pristine lake, on mountainside terraces, and on the edges of alpine meadows. Our route will take us right up to the continental divide with sweeping views to the west into Chile. We'll intersperse long days of riding with base camp days for primitive skills lessons, swimming, day-hikes, fishing, and lounging around. We may even climb a high ridge one evening to watch the full moon rise over the steppes of Argentina while the sun sets behind a Chilean volcano. The only other people we'll see are the gauchos that follow their goat-herds into the mountains for summer. One of the highlights of a trip out there is to stop at a twig hut and sip mate'(tea)with these wonderful people.

Cost in US$: 2800

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Argentina Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 8-10

Year Founded: 1972