Over the two days I spent here, I managed to accumulate quite the food collection during various visits to the small stores. Instant noodles were nowhere to be found but for my first easy days and even beyond I can have good pastas with tomatoes and onion. The tuna was a bit odd, the orange cans were $6(CAD) a pop!!! Argentina may be in a bit of a crisis with their money but the tuna business is blooming. Nontheless, I used my advantage of still not being too familiar with the currency conversion to stock up well and with literally nowhere to spend money during the last 22 days and the next 15days, it would all buff out.
Marilie and Rafael were planing on climbing one of the big mountains around here and managed to find us a ride. It would have been nice to ride some easy pavement but being dropped at 3200ish meters (save about 2000 climb!) sounded better. Right back into the cooler weather which would be a big bonus for the food and with an extra day I can maybe climb a mountain myself - as I will surely reach Laguna Brava, where I am meeting my canadian friend.
interestingly there was some human life here, before the endless winds above 4000m. A fluffy cow and a pitbull that came out to sniff me and play.
A condor flew overhead and a second round to have a better look. There were some weird vicunas with black heads and I think a little bigger, they seem to make weird sounds - perhaps more like horses and not the high pitch rubber duckie sound their little brothers make. That must be a GUANACO!
Coming over the pass I hit the wall of wind. I pedaled my way downhill until I saw a refugio and decided this would be a good place to stop.
The wind blew full force but I knew that an early start will save me hours of walking my bike in the afternoon. However… it just didn’t stop.
6am, wind, snooze alarm until 6:30, still wind, set alarm for 7.
7am, wind, snooze again. Set alarm for 8am.
by 8:30 I was out and pedaling downhill, fists inside my gloves and trying to keep my fingers warm.
The flat section on the bottom was just ridiculous. No riding this, just walking. Animals seemed to have gotten the hang of this, just chill in their holes until weather gets better.
By 2pm, I had made a shameful distance of about 11 kilometers in a straight line while gaining about 200m vertical on an otherwise perfectly rideable road.
I saw a big box and I thought this may need to be it for the day. Maybe the wind will be down tomorrow?
The box rocked all night, it was like sleeping on a ship. The force of that wind is just disturbing and unsettling.
I set 8am for a start time, even with the wind. The first few hours would be cold but starting earlier than that without pogies or something warm over your hands is not a good idea.
the highlight of the day was a downhill section where I only had crosswind, with few switchbacks where I actually was going with the wind
Have I not had a plan to meet a friend, I could have seriously re-considered the direction I was going.
entering a large valley turned out to be even worse. I had the wind coming from different directions in the open but in the valley it was always funneled against me. Interesting day, mostly walking and my down jacket never came off as it was always so cold.
I set up around the corner of a little stream, some ok wind protection. 8am again. Wind is at it - full blast. Motivation level is quite low. 4th day of this wind and its truly bad. Riding - just barely possible on flat ground is not good because you are fighting too much to keep your balance on the gusts, walking 3-4km/h is quite slow. I put some music and press my headphones under my headband and just turn off for the rest of the day.
camp at 4pm, completely exhausted
8am start. By 1pm and at 5000m I finish the last bit of my west-ward progress. From here I only go south for a bit, hence the winds would be at worst sidewinds. This valley provides decent cover. I am supposed to meet Sylvain today - some 120km south in a straight line and a 5600m pass in the way but no roads for a while.
I crack open one of these $6 cans of tuna, with onion and tomato for a salad and coffee. Superb water from snow melt streams and no funny taste.
The funny part is that going up this valley was a significant improvement both easier and really felt that i was finally making progress. Or maybe it was the coffee/sugar rush
Without getting your face blown in by the wind (is that an expression?) I could even sit down and feel warm
I even got tailwind and was able to ride some parts.
It started howling again at some point but only from the side. I looked up and around at camping options, i was at 5300m and still 15km from the 5600m pass. Temperatures plummet really quickly here and it was already 5pm. I’d be crossing over right where that sharper little hump is in the middle of the photo.
But I might just be able to squeeze into the corner of this penitente field, it offered superb wind protection
while the last few days have been quite traumatic with the wind and evenings were not for exploration or walking around, today was different. I can see the colors change from my tent and go out in bursts of looking around, “wow”-ing and taking photos. It’s really cold here.
I thought I was seeing things but I knew there was a mountain behind that mountain!
Where was I? what is this place???
I slept quite well, considering my sleeping mat needs to be re-inflated every 3-4 hours and the sleeping bag, which is rated at -7C(20F) has actually a comfort rating of -2C, so more like a summer sleeping bag. I had my extra shorts and rainpants around my feet with two sets of socks and my rain jacket over the bag. I still got all my toes though so nothing to complain about!
oh yeah and this is the highest crater lake in the world. Corona del Inca and I zip by its western rim at 5600m
so today was mostly riding. For some reason I did not feel like taking too many photos. I dropped the gopro camera while crossing a penitente field and the walk back + search mission was about 30minutes total. I then saw a human
She is from england and moved to mendoza. I asked her about Brexit and she laughed! She met sylvain yesterday at a refugio and I am about 80/20% that he would wait for me at least one extra day (today)
The ride down the valley was absolutely spectacular, cross or tailwind but I have never moved this fast since I left Fiambala.
I topped it off with a 10km paved ride with absolutely mosntrous tailwind
I made it to the refugio by dark and Sylvain was there. He was well fed by the passing tourists and had extra oranges, apricots, bread and had I been on time, wine!
I was too exhausted to sleep outside of the dusty refugio so I set up in there. We go over my new idea for a route. If we are to do the six miles south it will not be that much interesting and very easy from here. I show Sylvain half-loaded maps from the slow internet in Fiambala and he nods. There will be river crossings. Questionable roads. Climbing and WEST-BOUND progress. A 80+km valley has no road at all. He still nods, I wonder if some things are getting lost in the translation. We go over food and figure we can last a good 10 days.