They are mother and daughter and they lived the experience of being foster parents for two days

“We were always passionate about it, as if it were a massive migratory movement of animals, visually it is more than attractive to see so many goats and sheep in a unique place of mountains and ravines, and there is always that special relationship between horses, dogs and livestock,” he explained in dialogue with LMNeuquén.

After contacting the Turismo Rumbo Norte agency, Alex decided to live the experience with his daughter Kenya, 24 years old. “Actually it was a five-day trip but we had to shorten it because my daughter couldn’t take so many days off at university,” he said about the program, which allowed them to spend two and a half days in the vicinity of Huinganco, as the protagonists of transhumance

“We were able to experience the herding itself for many hours and that continuous work that they do with the animals,” he said, adding that the highlight of the trip was the exchange of experiences with the muleteers and the possibility of chatting with them next to the stove. . “We were able to learn from ancestral tradition, but also from moments of silence,” she explained.

Even when the herding is done with shouts and whistles, with so many hours on horseback, these spontaneous breeders also faced moments crossed by an overwhelming silence. And there, the roar of the wind became the only possible sound. That was when it happened: her eyes captured that complicity in the gazes of the nomadic people and a synchronicity between the piños and the muleteers that no one else could explain.

“Sometimes we think that work only consists of that visible herding between winter and summer, But as their name says, they are dedicated to raising animals full time,” summarized the woman, who is originally from the United States but has been living in La Angostura for years. “They are with their animals all the time, they wait for the season. of reproduction, they attend the births, they take them back for the summer, it is a continuous work of their entire life,” he explained.

Although the two had seen documentaries, photos and stories about transhumance, Alex considered that only the first-hand experience It allows us to gauge how hard the routine of the crianceros is. Therefore, even several weeks after her return, she is still shocked by having witnessed that reality: “It is very hard to live four months isolated from everything in the summer, absolutely alone with your animals, without even a roof or a material stand. “This loneliness that they live for four months and the endless work they have with their animals,” he clarified.

For both of them, being crianceras for a few days was a mobilizing experience. As the end approached, they arrived at the town of Huinganco, coinciding with the celebrations for the anniversary of the founding of the town. As if someone had orchestrated it beforehand, they arrived on their horses when the Neuquén anthem was playing. and the governor of the province, Rolando Figueroa, greeted the neighbors.

“We had woken up at 6 in the morning and we were exhausted from pulling up all day,” Alex said but noted that it was then that she looked over her shoulder and saw her daughter, born in Villa La Angostura, as a synthesis of the Neuquén identity. “I saw her with the poncho and the boots, shouting like a muleteer and with the anthem playing in the background, and I felt very proud. I saw the people who came up and greeted her, the girls were excited because it is rare to see women from Crianceras, especially everything if they are so young,” he said.

Although Alex recognizes that transhumance is not an activity to be taken lightly, recommends the tourist outing to all those who want to understand a little more about this ancient tradition. You have to tolerate the cold and toughen your skin against the harshness of the terrain, but the gain is always noticeable.

“It’s like traveling in a time warp that takes you back so many years, and it is wonderful to see that it continues to be done to this day despite so much technology and modernity,” he detailed about his experience, which allowed him to strengthen ties with his daughter and be surprised by the realities of the crianceros, who maintain a curious practice for the eyes that are not Neuquén.

“I would recommend it to all people who are attracted to transhumance, but it is important that they feel comfortable with the horse and know how to ride,” he mentioned about the activity, which requires long days on the saddle. “It’s not suitable for vegans because you have to eat what they eat,” he smiled.

And he added that the experience is nothing like traditional tourism of resting or taking photographs. “You have to be willing to work, it is a unique experience but it requires being active participants, we are not observers,” he clarified.

A day in the life of crianceros

The tourists’ routine was somewhat different from what the locals usually have, but even so it required the spirit of Alex and Kenya.. “We woke up at 6 and we heard that they were working, but the cold and fatigue invited us to take advantage of sleeping as much as we could,” she said.

At 4:30, the ranchers woke up to look for the goats that were moving away from the pine tree. When they left the tent, in the middle of the darkness, the animals were already ready to leave. Next to the fire, they took down the tent, prepared their horse and warmed their stomachs with hot mate, bread and cheese.

At 7:15 in the morning, when day broke, they already had the horse ready and began the herding, with the intention of moving the goats from the summer to the wintering area just when the first snow fell on their steps. Leading the horses at the slow trot, they watched the sunrise in the immensity of the Neuquén sky, which colored the undulations of the terrain with a wide palette of colors.

“That was at 12:30, we arrived at a fixed place that was comfortable, where the animals had pasture and water,” said Alex and added: “There the goat was prepared and we stayed until 4, the time of rest for all the animals, even though we had a quick lunch. We continued with rounds of mate even two hours after eating.

After that period, they began the herding again, which continued until after 7 in the afternoon. “When we arrived at the next place, the tent was set up and the fire was set up again. Between rounds of mate, it was time to prepare dinner, which was stew or goat, and At 9:30 one was already asking for a bed because the cold was hitting and we had to rest,” he clarified.

As the possibility of experiencing transhumance as tourists is still not widespread, Alex and Kenya rescued the opportunity to experience it with total authenticity. Thus, they were the only foreigners in the group and that allowed them to forge links with the locals and see them in their daily routine, far from the massiveness of other tourist proposals.