What do the trio of mines have in common? All require water. At Chuqui, vast amounts: In one day the sprawling copper mine uses as much as the six million residents of Santiago do in two weeks.
At trip's end, from atop Volcan Licancabur reached after a steep, seven-hour climb, we looked out over the sand-and-pastel-colored mountains that march for several thousand miles up the western coast of South America. We could see mineral-colored lakes in three countries we'd paddled on, as well as the tips of lakes we did not reach, as well as trickles of rivers we had only crossed. The view was stunning and left us with a lasting impression—even in the world's driest spot, if you look hard and long enough, you can always find more than a drop of the world's most precious resource, even in the driest place on Earth.
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