We set out early the next morning for a long day of riding west into the Ventisquiero Valley, passing through Primer Corral. Sra. Cuco called ahead on the radio to tell the next farm when to expect us. We met some folks on the trail who assured us we were expected around 5pm. The small wooden structure ahead marks the spot where a man was murdered by another over a woman.
We passed through few farms, including Rincón Bonito, owned by Douglas Tompkins of Pumalin Park. His park administrator lives there with a landing strip, water generated turbine for electricity and a satellite receiver dish. Here is a photo from the Pumalin website that first got me interested in this area.
We made good time and arrived early to the next farm west, after six hours in the saddle. This is as far into the valley as one can expect lodging and meals. The farm beyond this one does not receive visitors and has been known to refuse to let people pass through.
Señora Bernadita gave us a warm welcome with coffee and kuchen. The farm is called Vertiente (Spring Farm) and it is a spring in the mountain which provides water for the house. It is delicious. We are surrounded by steep mountains. The nearby glacier is rapidly diminishing. Two rivers fall down the mountain.
We are now two days by horse from the nearest gravel road. The Pacific Ocean is not much farther to the west, but the mountains are not passable by ordinary humans and horses. The valley ends up high in a glacier with icebergs in a lake. Few have been there. We are also not far from the Argentine border. Here is a functional horse cart with rubber tires.
Señora Bernardita was widowed two years ago and her seven children all live away from the farm. She has adapted to a solitary life here and says she is content. She has neighbors and occasionally enjoys working for Mr. Tompkins in the garden. She also sells her fruit preserves to the farm there. Everyone here speaks well of Tompkins, a controversial figure in Chile these days.
Here she poses with visiting son Omar, his wife and daughter, all lovely people who smile and laugh often. They enjoy each other. The young family lives not far away in Cochamó, but they can visit only once each year in the summer.
It's almost time to say farewell to my companion of the last four days. I really bond with such an animal after it has taken me up and down steep trails and across long valleys.
This is the end of another adventure in Chile, a great place to visit. I will return to Puerto Montt for a few days to do laundry and rest up for the trip home. After visiting most of Chilean Patagonia over the past few years, the Río Puelo and Llanada Grande area remains my favorite. There are still remote valleys to explore here. I will return.
