Chile

First of all… DON’T!  These horses were well cared for and well fed.  It was an accident!  And, although I’m willing to shoulder most of the blame, I was an unwilling and unknowing pawn in a much larger scheme. 

Here is the mastermind behind the elaborate plan to free the horses:

This adorable mutt also had a Border Collie accomplice who refused to have her picture taken in fear her suspiciously cute face might be plastered on Chilean wanted posters throughout Patagonia.

So how did this potentially tragic event begin? 

After landing in Balmaceda from Punta Arenas, I headed toward the Simpson River.  I researched the area a few years prior, and the Rio Simpson was my original choice.  However, it was Spring in the southern hemisphere.  Spring is unpredictable in all mountainous regions feeding the rivers in the valleys below.  The Simpson, in my opinion, was too high and fast to fish: especially from the shoreline.  My best bet was to find a tributary river or stream.  After assessing the river on the drive, I pulled over to see if I had a better option. 

Private Land v. Public Access:

Much of the river access in Chile is privately owned.  I knew this before the start of my trip, so I wasn’t surprised upon my arrival.  I’ve read, you can ask a landowner’s permission to fish and possibly pay a nominal fee to access their property.  There is one major flaw with that theory: finding the owner to ask permission.  Your best option is to stay at a resort or hotel along the riverfront.  As long as you enter the river from their property, and the river depth and flow will allow, you can wade the entire river without consequence or concern.

After weighing my options, I chose the Cabanas Ecoturismo La Pancho Resort on the Rio Pangal: https://ecoturismolapancha.com.

I didn’t have a way to contact the resort from the road, so I took a chance they had a cabin available and headed that way. 

Upon my arrival, I was extremely relieved they did indeed have accommodations.  It was an incredible property with more river frontage than I had anticipated.

The cabins were handcrafted and immaculate. They also came with a wonderful dog or two to keep you company if you wished.  I missed my dog Trigger at home, so the company was more than welcome. 

The next morning, I headed to the river at first light.  There were two options to get there: either walk the entire length of the property from my cabin or open the gate to the road and drive.  I chose the lazy option which I’ll later regret.  Leaving my cabin, I stopped, closed the gate, and drove to their main entrance.  From there, it’s probably about a half a mile to the river.   The road leads to a large open area for activities including camping, kayaking, rafting and most importantly fishing.

I waded into the crystal-clear water and with my second cast, hooked up on a large Brown Trout.

I would have stayed and fished on this property for the remainder of the trip if possible.  I had one challenge: the river level due to the Spring runoff.  With high-water levels, I was limited to just a few good fishing holes.  As far as I could look upstream or down, the fishing looked incredible; I just couldn’t get there.  They told me as summer approaches and the water levels subside, you can easily wade the majority of the river system. 

After a successful first morning of fishing, I returned to the cabin for lunch.  I knew I needed to expand my wading options.  I thought I would ask if they knew of other access points or a neighbor’s property where I could enter the river.  I used Google Translate and walked a few hundred yards with my newly found canine companion to the main house.  I arrived with a screenshot of the question translated on my phone in case I lost internet access. 

There were several horses calmly standing next to the patio.  And for some reason unknown to me, the dogs who were calm upon my arrival, took issue with the horses.  And then, the horses took issue with the dogs.  All of a sudden, there was more commotion than my question was worth.  I decided heading back to my cabin was the best option.

And that’s when the jailbreak plan was set into motion…

I loaded up the truck with my gear prepared for the evening bite and opened the gate to leave.  I realized I had forgotten something and went back into the cabin.  Suddenly, I heard rumbling accompanied by a loud neigh.  It took a second, but I quickly realized it sounded like a stampede out of a Western movie.  A small stampede mind you, but I’m pretty sure it still counts.  I rushed out of the cabin immediately realizing my error in judgement.  They ran by at full speed with the dogs following close on their tail.  I was genuinely panicked knowing I was responsible for this catastrophe.  I managed to shut the gate, but at least seven were on the loose. 

Looking north, toward the main entrance to the property, I could see the lady who owns the resort running out to try and stop the escape.  But it was too late as they galloped toward the mountains.  I ran to the entrance where she stood watching the horses run away.  I asked if there was anything I could do while apologizing profusely.  She was very calm and knew I was truly sincere.  However, that didn’t change the situation or ease my guilt.  She simply stated, ‘I’ll get the truck and round them back up’.  I have to give her all the credit in the world.  Obviously, this isn’t the way she wanted to spend her evening.  I was an idiot for letting this happen and she didn’t imply or say that aloud in the least.  Now that’s professionalism.

The dog and I anxiously awaited inside the gate in front of my cabin, hoping for the horses’ safe return.  Thankfully, I suddenly heard the distant honking of a horn and horses trotting back up the road.

Later that evening towards dusk, the horse leader reappeared.  I could hear the exact same eerily loud neigh in front of the cabin as I heard during the escape. As I opened the door, the horse stared at me as if to say, ‘open the gate gringo’.

Fool me once I said… I finally put the pieces together realizing it was a staged coup.

And no, I’m not seriously suggesting two dogs and a horse masterminded this elaborate escape.  I’m merely suggesting that apparently, I was outsmarted by a couple of dogs and a horse.

In retrospect, had I just walked to the river, this whole fiasco and my feeble attempt at satire could have been avoided.  And that’s what I get for being lazy…