Hidalgo: The Desert Diaries 100 Days Across The Atacama

Blurb

If you were intrigued by the movie Hidalgo, you will want to read THE DESERT DIARIES. This remarkable journal, enriched by 50 quality photos in living color, was brought out in answer to everyone's question: Could anyone actually ride a mustang across such a lifeless, burning inferno?

Nathan and Elly did. They spent 100 days in the longest, driest desert on earth, The Atacama of Chile, during their equestrian odyssey from The Patagonia to Canada(1969-73).

Theirs was not a race. There was no competition, no audience, no prize money. They had not set out to prove anything, except to themselves. More than a test of survival, the challenge was to keep their troupe in optimal condition under extremely adverse circumstances. The well being of their animals always came first. If it was too hot for their dog, Chaco, they travelled by night. The day-to-day logistics were faithfully recorded in these diary pages, so the reader will come away with a sense for the audacious strategy that changed continually in the face of unexpected events.

They arrived in Arica, Chile's northernmost city, with four Argentine Criollo horses(cousins of the American mustang)and a dog named Chaco, in tiptop shape and high spirits! Dr. Emilio Solanet, the savior of the Criollo breed, sent a telegram:"You have conquered The Atacama! A feat considered impossible on horseback!"

As you travel with this couple across the unforgiving vastness, you will be impressed by how effortless they make it seem. But then, you stop and think: they are out there all alone, with no support, no back-up, no master plan, and certainly with no GPS, cell phone, or internet connection!

After you read this, you will want to get ahold of their full length book: Riding Into The Wind:On Horseback Out of Patagonia. It is so real, you will feel like you have been riding into the wind too!