Huw and Allison together with Stephen and Katy were the riders on our "Colonostrail" ride that started on February 21. 2006.
Please note:The ride as we do it from 2007 on is one day shorte.r

As they are travelling around the world, they run a diary, Allison and Huw around the world  , were they publish their experiences.

A lot to read, but worth it: they have the most lively description of this ride I have read up untill now.
Thanks to Huw and Ally to letting me publish it, thanks to the four for the pics and for being such a great team and lovely guests.
Here's what they wrote about their 7 days in the Andes:

Up and finished packing up to meet the girl from the horse centre at the
camp site entrance at 8.30am. She arrived in a yellow van and was called
Ale (pronounced Ali, not like the beer!!) short for Alejandra (probably not
spelt right though!!) and was lovely right from the start. She helped load
up the bikes and off we went to Mathias´ farm, 12 km from Pucon. We arrived
and met his wife and family and then were introduced to the other two people
who were to share our week long adventure on horse back!! They were Steve,
from a town about 100 miles from Atlanta in the USA and Katy, a gap year
student from Newtown in Wales and who has been volunteering / teaching
English in the south of Chile. Our intial impressions were favourable -
your travelling companions can make a HUGE difference to a trip like this -
they both seemed like lovely people!!

Flippin´heck!! Did it rain in the night or what?!? Mathias made the
decision for us to cancel the ride today when it was still hurling it down
at 8am...good call. So. We then proceeded to do very little for the rest
of the day. There isn´t really a lot that you can do in the rain, on a farm
in the middle of no-where. Steve went fishing but Katy and us two just read
and slept. Until 6pm when we got a lift into town and then had a spending
spree. In half an hour we´d both bought jeans and leather hats, sweeties
and books. The jeans are because our lightweight cotton trousers are not up
to a weeks hard riding and the hats are because our baseball caps will not
be much use if it does continue to persist it down! Back to Antilco at 9pm.
Bed. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!!

Allison was up at 7am and it was a beautiful morning!! We hadn´t realised
but there is a great view of the volcano from the camp site. The pink light
on it this morning was gorgeous. Then packing and sorting and organising
horses and more packing. We had thought we might be taking a pack horse but
no, all the stuff came with us on our horses. We each had a set of saddle
bags and then one bedding roll that sits behind the saddle. The horses
didn´t appear to object though! We finally left the farm around 12pm and
then trundled along tracks and roads for a couple of hours. We got to a
lake called Carburga around 2pm and sat on the beach eating empanadas
(delicious Cornish pasty-type Chilean food) and feeling very content with
the world. Then after lunch we went along the black sand beach (from the
volcano) and then along a track by the side of the lake. And then. The real
stuff began. We rode up into a wooded valley. and when we say up, we mean
UP! Oh, my goodness......how steep!! The horses were fabulous and puffed
and panted but didn't falter (they did pause for breath quite frequently
though) and we gained a lot of height in a short space of time! We got to
our first camp site around 7pm - a delightful plateau - and we got off the
horses, unsaddled them and turned them loose!! What clever horses they are
to not run away (or is that thick?!?!?) A beautiful evening followed with a
great soup and pasta tea cooked on the open fire. We sat around the fire
and chatted and toasted marshmallows and looked at the stars....good, eh!

Up around 8am, to the sound of bellowing cows, and then breakfast by the
fire. Then to find the horses. We discovered they are NOT as good as we'd
thought last night.....we were actually camped in a huge enclosed
plain...and so they couldn't have gone home even if they'd wanted to!!
Saddled up and off around 11am - a lovely steady pace to this trip - another
fabulous day. We did lots more up and down, through ancient forest of huge,
tall, monkey puzzle trees. This whole area is famous for them and they are
magnificent. There are also huge areas with only low growth and that is as
a result of a very large fire over 50 years ago - it puts the age of the
other trees into perspective. Everything is very dry here - it is a totally
different climate - they do get rain and snow but then the rest of the time
is very dry so, where at home we would have damp and mossy woodland, here
the fallen trees end up bleached and brittle. Part of today was SO steep we
had to get off and let the horses go down alone. Ale and Luis stayed on
though - they must have glue on their bums! The Chilean saddle and stirrups
are very different to the English ones though and do make you feel much more
confident and secure in the down bits (well, it meant Allison didn't squeak
QUITE as much as she might have done otherwise!! - not a brave soldier going
down hill!!) The end of the ride today was at some hot springs. We
untacked and rode the horses to the field bareback...with cantering
too....and then back for a beer. Then, Huw went for a snooze and Allison
went with Steve and Katy to the springs. How good are these things? The
hot water flowed into the river and so there were some VERY hot parts, some
cooler bits and then the river was freezing. We were all brave enough to
get into the river but Katy got the highest score for braving the cold the
most. We were the objects of much amusement to a Chilean family...three
very white Gringo's squealing and exclaiming at the water temp.....what more
do you need for entertainment? Dinner tonight was a bar-b-que prepared by
Luis and Ale and was delicious and was washed down with red wine. Tops.

Up around 8am, to the sound of bellowing cows, and then breakfast by the
fire. Then to find the horses. We discovered they are NOT as good as we'd
thought last night.....we were actually camped in a huge enclosed
plain...and so they couldn't have gone home even if they'd wanted to!!
Saddled up and off around 11am - a lovely steady pace to this trip - another
fabulous day. We did lots more up and down, through ancient forest of huge,
tall, monkey puzzle trees. This whole area is famous for them and they are
magnificent. There are also huge areas with only low growth and that is as
a result of a very large fire over 50 years ago - it puts the age of the
other trees into perspective. Everything is very dry here - it is a totally
different climate - they do get rain and snow but then the rest of the time
is very dry so, where at home we would have damp and mossy woodland, here
the fallen trees end up bleached and brittle. Part of today was SO steep we
had to get off and let the horses go down alone. Ale and Luis stayed on
though - they must have glue on their bums! The Chilean saddle and stirrups
are very different to the English ones though and do make you feel much more
confident and secure in the down bits (well, it meant Allison didn't squeak
QUITE as much as she might have done otherwise!! - not a brave soldier going
down hill!!) The end of the ride today was at some hot springs. We
untacked and rode the horses to the field bareback...with cantering
too....and then back for a beer. Then, Huw went for a snooze and Allison
went with Steve and Katy to the springs. How good are these things? The
hot water flowed into the river and so there were some VERY hot parts, some
cooler bits and then the river was freezing. We were all brave enough to
get into the river but Katy got the highest score for braving the cold the
most. We were the objects of much amusement to a Chilean family...three
very white Gringo's squealing and exclaiming at the water temp.....what more
do you need for entertainment? Dinner tonight was a bar-b-que prepared by
Luis and Ale and was delicious and was washed down with red wine. Tops.

Allison woke up around 7am and got up and went for another hot springs
dip....pure bliss to lie in gorgeous hot water and watch the sun come up and
touch the mountains...ahhhh. Then had to sort out a chocolate / clothing
crisis. Huw had stashed two bars of chocolate (emergency rations) in his
bag. Unfortunately, they must have been near the outside of the saddle bag
and in with his clothes. Hot sun + chocolate = melted chocolate all over
trousers, underpants, socks and t-shirt. Tsk. Not only was it a
mess....there was no chocolate left!! Ale helped to sort the problem out by
showing Allison the "bath" rooms where you can use shampoo as the water goes
into the drains not back into the river. The bath are carved out of wood and
the water is pumped straight from the springs and it is great!! Then
breakfast and horses from the field - Huw was very brave and rode bareback
back down from the field. We finally got around to leaving around 12.30pm
and rode up a wide valley with a sandy track. We stopped for lunch at a
logging place and Huw provided the after lunch entertainment by performing a
perfect side-wards roll into a ditch....barely missing the stream! There
was a polite pause.....and then histerical laughter from the rest of us!
Bless him! The rest of the ride today was through a bamboo forest. Not
only did the horses want to eat like it was their last ever chance but there
were some HUGE steep bits - Allison squeaking again, but more quietly now!
It really feels like a HUGE adventure, proper exploration stuff - which in a
sense it is as with every rainfall there are landslides and trees fall and
we had to make detours off the path - although "the path" is an
overstatement really. Got to the camp site, another open space and let the
horses wander around with long ropes tied round their necks while we put the
tents up and got sorted. The fire was lit and vegatable rice was made for
tea. We had hoped to walk down to the Laguna after tea but Ale decided we
wouldn't get back before dark. Steve was disappointed as he has brought a
telescopic fishing rod with him and wanted to have a go. We built the fire
up to a roaring blaze with two massive logs though and spent the evening
with toasted marshmallows (on bamboo sticks) and little nips of whisky from
Huw's hip flask. The horses were put into a huge corral built of massive
tree trunks for the night. Nice.

Hmmm. Not the best of nights for Allison. A headache developed rapidly and
she spent a greater part of the night in and out of the tent being horribly
sick. Not nice. Woke this morning with a lingering headache and still
feeling decidedly odd. Added to which, it was raining. All she really
wanted to do was to go back to bed but, as this was not possible, she moped
around whilst Huw packed up. Ale and Luis decided that they would tack the
horses up one at a time and get us on as quickly as possible, which they did
very efficiently. The next 4 hours were pretty grim for Allison (who sat
under her poncho and just held on!!) but not brilliant for the others
either. The rain was quite heavy and we went through some very dense
forest. Not much chatting going on this morning, although Katy did some
singing which was nice. Steve got to see the lake but we hurried on by, no
fishing this morning mate! The end of the forest bit was down a couple of
extremely steep (and with the rainfall, slippy) muddy slopes. Katy's horse
went down virtually on its bum! We didn't stop for lunch but carried on the
track to the hot springs again - same ones, we'd done a loop from yesterday
morning. My goodness they were a welcome sight! The horses got a good feed
when we arrived too... they deserve it, they work so hard on this trip, but
they generally have their ears perked forwards so they must be enjoying it
too! The rain did stop when we got there and so we were able to put the
tents out to dry etc. Ale organised for us to use a big shed to cook and
sleep in tonight so it was all looking a bit brighter. Ale's mum and dad
were at the springs, having rented a cabin for the weekend. They were
having a family bar-b-que this afternoon and then heading back to Pucon
tonight. Ale could see Allison was drooping and so marched her over to the
cabin and said (in Spanish) "Mum, this is Allison, she is knackered, can she
sleep in your bed for a bit" Mum said "of course, no problem!!" What stars!
Allison inserted earplugs and was soon dead to the world. Marvellous.
During this time, Katy was also asleep in the next room and Huw and Steve
were enjoying the family bar-b-que. Everyone happy! When Ale woke Allison
around 7pm it was to tell her that the decision had been made to rent the
cabin for us for tonight. WHAT a great idea! So, feeling better, Allison
went off for a hot spring. She tried to par-boil herself and had a lovely
chat with a nice Frenchman at the same time. Then, her lovely husband
brought her a nice cup of tea....ah, bliss. To top it off she went for a
proper bath and hair wash in the wooden bath. Then back to the cabin and
more delicious food prepared by Luis and Ale, toasty warm with the stove
lit, silly games of 20 questions and then, for Allison at least, bed. The
others did not stay up too late either.

Well, we had a super toasty and comfy night last night. The others were in
a room with two bunk beds and so suffered slightly from others
coughing/rolling over/snoring etc. There are certain advantages to being
married....you get the double bed! A light drizzle this am but nothing like
yesterday. We had breakfast, packed and cleared up and then went for the
horses. They were almost dry and had another feed this morning but Huw and
Katy's horses both had mysterious small lumps on their head and neck. They
didn't appear to be annoying to them though. They were all well on their
toes today - maybe a combination between knowing they wereon the homeward
stretch and having SUCH good tucker!! Anyway, off on some tracks and then
back onto the paths alongside a river. Polka, Allisons horse, is not fond
of wasps and so when one arrived just as they were about to go down a
particularly tricky steep slide it got a bit exciting. It turned into more
of a leap and a quiver and a dance and a jog. Huw assures Allison that she
didn't disgrace herself though! We stopped for lunch just after that by a
lovely pool in the river. Steve went off with his fishing rod.....and
success!!! He caught a trout. He had tales of the one that got away but the
one he caught was much appreciated and delicious!! Cooked on a bamboo pole
over the fire. Huw took his rod and gave it a go too but only succeeded in
catching a leaf!! Then off again, with beautiful views of the lake and more
solo horses (this time it was an uphill path that it was safer that we got
off for) Katy had a bit of excitement when her saddle bags slipped and
caused Choco to do some downhill bucking and farting but she dealt with it
admirably. We camped not far from the first nights camp.......with loads of
pigs around! There was a big pink pig and a big, mummy, boar-type and lots
of little boar/piglets!! VERY cute and very interested in us!! We got the
tents up and then helped to erect a shelter... the clouds were heading
towards at high speed.. using our ponchos and.... yup, bamboo poles!! Katy
went off to have a little snooze....and didn't emerge from her tent again
that night!! The rest of us had tea under the extremely cosy shelter and
finished off the whisky. Ale fixed Allison's hat - she had threaded a neck
strap through the holes in the side but it did look a bit ridiculous
(Mathias even suggested it looked a bit like Shrek!!) and so she put the
strap inside the hat - much better! Then bed, our last night on the ride

Up, breakfast and packed and off to look for the horses. Luis set off but
we soon lost him. Happily, Steve found the horses for us this morning -
good man! We did the Day 1 ride today, but obviously in reverse, so the
steep uphill bits became DOWNHILL bits!! Eeeeekkk!!! However Allison is now
actually quite cool, calm and collected about the whole process.....she is
so happy she had a steady horse with Polka. We had a couple of exciting
incidents....including saddlebags..... both Huw's and Ale's bags slipped
during canters. Regalona was NOT a happy girl and bucked and bucked so much
the tail strap burst and the bags flew off!!! Huw was great and actually
enjoyed it!! Weird man!! Back to the beach were we had pizza brought to us
on horse back and then a trundle on the tracks back to the camp - with some
fantastic canters.....yeeeeeee, ha! We got back to Antilco with a bit of a
sad feeling...this week has been excellent and we have both got attached to
our horses. We sorted them out, a good feed, sorted the packs out and then
took them out to their field for a good, well earned rest. Then tents up
and time for a great bar-b-que (we are going to start looking like a piece
of beef before too long!!), good chat and bed.

Day 99 - 01/03/06 - Campo Antilco - Pucon

A lazy lie-in this morning. Then up and breakfast in the house. Mathias
really does have a super family, they are all so kind and welcoming to a
bunch of strangers. Then more lazing around, reading and slowly, slowly
packing up our stuff. We actually don't want to leave here it is SO
peaceful. Mathias came to see if we were ready to go to town at noon but we
decided to hang around there instead. More reading, snoozing, we went to
visit the horses in the field and then finally dragged ourselves away at
6pm. We got a lift into town and hurtled off to throw the tent up at the
camp site before meeting Steve and Katy for dinner. We met up and then went
to book ourselves onto the climb of the volcano tomorrow....got fitted out
with suits and big plastic boots and then, finally, food!! We had great
tucker but with a thoroughly miserable waiter and then off to bed, ready for
an early start in the morning.

Antilco - Horseback riding in Pucon , Chile
trail riding around NPs. Huerquehue and Villarrica