Everyone loves a bridge over pristine, crystal-clear water, eh? All the more fun to walk across while on a carefree jaunt up a mountainside. Needless to say, judging by our first hike in the mountains flanking El Bolson, Argentina, my conception of “happy-go-lucky bridge-trammeling” was a wee bit off the mark. Just a wee.
We began our hike mid-morning with two fellow travelers from Spain, Iratxe from the Basque Country and Jorge from Madrid. We chose—and expected—a mellow hike along a canyon with plenty of time to talk, eat snacks, and smell the flowers, as they say. What we encountered was something quite different.
Hills. Lots of steep, steep hills.
And bridges of the not-so-stable type, like this one:
Erm.
. . . and this one:
eek.
. . . and this one:
After a while, Iratxe and Jorge went ahead as they were doing a day hike. Also because Mark and I were carrying our heavy overnight packs on our backs (again). It took us forever. We whined. We complained. We snacked on conveniently packaged cheesy cracker snacks. We stopped many times to enjoy the fairly awesome scenery, sweat dripping from our faces. But yes, my dear compatriots . . . we made it, yessiree!
And what, you ask awaited us? A treasure trove!
This nifty refugio:
This sandwich we made (that’s veggie pate spread, not pulled pork!):
And this super duper delicious bottle of home-brewed beer, a specialty of the guy who ran the place:
Sure, the hike ruined us physically. Sleeping on a mattress on a hardwood floor lined with other mattresses (read: other bodies. many of them.) was a little . . . odd. And Foghorn Harry two mattresses away kept everyone up at night with his snoring (OK, OK. The truth comes out. Snoring Sally, that being the ever-sheepish me, also chimed in a note or two, according to Mark this morning . . . ). But hiking up all those steep hills—and crossing those crazy bridges—was well worth it.
. . . that is, until we wake up tomorrow with major aches and pains. Huzzah!
Andes Not The Mint dot com 
OMG I am still shaking looking at those bridges.
You two have guts………..I would have freaked out
and turned back.
You re-define………….walking on the cutting edge.
xxx mom w.
I never would have done this in a million years. You two are way braver people than I am!! Glad you had the experience and the picnic on the other side looked amazing!
Wow! Have you read “The Bridge at San Luis Rey?” Those rickety plank bridges make San Luis Rey look like GWB! Must have been an adventure! Re previous blogs, the landscape is beyond spectacular! The pix take your breath away, can imagine how much more powerful the impact in person!
Love, Dad
I take it there were snapping crocodiles in the river below just waiting for you to make one wrong step? I second the animated Indiana Jones like travel map; would be awesome.