Both me and Sylvain were about 6 days out when we met. Me pushing my bike against a wall (wind!) and him having leisurly 2-3 hour days with the wind holding at his back (he was coming from Chile) and getting well fed by the tourists while he waited for me.
For me, the night at the dusty refugio was terrible, running nose and even worse cough and my eyes felt like they would explode. I spent most of the day squinting behind my sunglasses to avoid them tearing up too much.
I rode with Sylvain while in Peru last year and it was really great catching up, while yelling at eachother through the wind. He was also quite interested in my plan to try and traverse a roadless valley (80km?) and connect to a possible road from what I could see on a half loaded screen while struggling with the internet at the last town.
I also remembered how he would stop for a break and that I never do but I really should because it does make a difference! Just face our backs to the wind and yell at eachother!
I led the way, I am a strong pusher and the flat parts I can sometimes ride. Despite his 1 day of rest Sylvain could not keep up to me.
Due to the remote nature of this trip and the fairly unknown remaining distance we pool food sources together. It wasn’t something we discussed but it was really obvious that we’d need to anyway. Sylvain had some amazing collection of dehydrated meals from Canada, some extra bread from the tourists and I was lugging these onions and tomatoes still….
We split off from the Six Miles South route, even the route that Skyler and his friends took through the San Guillermo national park seems insufficient for me. If I will put myself through more wind, sand and rocks - I better go to somewhere no cyclist has ever been. We aim west to the continental divide and border of Chile. Zooming through my camera lenses looking for wind cover and knowing that this wind will NOT stop I tell Sylvain that we should set up camp now - barely 3pm and leave earlier tomorrow.
He is hesitant but he agrees. We split and follow the way each of us think is easier to a set of rocks.
We set up camp, Sylvain’s tent goes for a fly but mine doesnt. Good to take these shoes off and after my big push to meet him (eventhough a day late!)! I am glad to get some rest. We join efforts for making dinner and Sylvain blows my mind on how to cut onions!!!
We rest in the shade and windcover while the west wind tears the rest of this place apart. Venturing out of the safety of our rocks means getting blasted by the gale and although I know I can return anytime it just brings back memories and its very unsettling.
we set off early only to find that the wind never really stopped but we mange to ride out the rest of the flat section before the wind picks up again. No windcover nearby and I am glad that we stopped early for the day yesterday.
We find another refugio and I wonder for a moment if we could have made it here yesterday. It would have certainly be possible but a tough walk.
Then we meet the river. The route - a red dotted line on open street maps seems to cut at few places which was of concern. Sylvain tells me this is his first real river crossing and I somewhat admire his more confident crossing skills. I feel the fat tires definitely make river walks more difficult since there is less weight and much more pull down with the current.
Nothing too hard but not a walk in the park. The water is extremely cold. The sight of this hill was a relief, we are done, at least for few hours.
We take a lunch break at the ruins of another refugio. Really odd how all of these are all over the place! Then continue on SOUTH-ish. Meaning that the wind finally becomes sidewind and at times at our backs. We proceed to ride our bikes.
We push on, at times testing the river water if its still drinkable. I had some issues with that in the past and if we are to make this work we need water. Perhaps in retrospect we both ended up carrying more than we needed at times but better safe than sorry.
We find a semi-sheltered spot and for the first time in a very long time camp on grass and by a creek. Great views to the north.
We enjoy some calm and even tailwind morning and creep south along the big valley.
then we turn west and all our hopes and plans for the day dissappear into the wall of wind
At only 2pm we reach a refugio, having walked and granny-gear ridden our bikes on the nearly flat up-valley road (in great condition btw!).
I tell Sylvain we should stop for the day but at first he is a little hesitant. The whatever I managed to load of the topographic maps does not look great and we may end up without decent wind cover for the rest of the day and if its quiet in the morning… that means that we can do in two hours what we will now do in 6.
he caves in and we set up for the day.
We go over food supplies. I give an estimate of 6 to 8 days and we seem like we might just make it. Fuel is low though so we will need to cook with fire at some point.
I gather bravery to venture out into the wind and snap some photos of flamingoes and the shelter. Tonight is movie night! we watched First Man
Wind never stopped. Game face on…
it will be a tough day. might as well skip some rocks on ice…
We reach some sort of a small mining camp and I ask sylvain to lift the sign for a photo, he does it. looks like a heavy sign! Neither of us are feeling like walking our bikes over for a detour in this wind and decide to continue on.
“its um…. about 12km in a straight line” I yell to Sylvain. We proceed to walk our bikes for the next 3-4hours. We try walking behind one another which seems to help a little. Sylvain manages to hold both bikes for some photos here and there…
The vicunas are just chilling on a hillside, not bothering to run from us like they normally do.
We barely made it to the pass and its already 4pm. Sylvain tells me that he is pretty much done for the day and i can see that he is. We start looking for a decent place to camp.
We set up, eat and sleep.
in the morning sylvain breaks the ice and gets his feet wet, a good idea. I spend about 40minutes trying to keep them dry and then i am glad I dont need to hop around the river anymore.
we make decent progress down the roadless valley. Narrow and grassy is hard walking but when it opens up we can mostly ride it.
we find bits and pieces of car tracks but they go in and out.
then they stop and turn around.
one of my concerns is that somewhere in the narrower parts there may be an impassable canyon or waterfall and we may need to go back. If a car never made it, how could we?
Its not super late but we are both just about exhausted. We decide that we will camp at the next reasonable wind cover
even if…. we might get crushed by a rock.
the views. the feeling of being out here. the deliciousness of our remaining food was simply amazing.
what could be better than this?
when the sun goes down a big cat’s yowl echoes across the valley.
I stand in my tent trying to figure out what it is and what size of an animal can make this sound.
I envision a big cat standing under the fading light and the emerging stars, letting everybody here know who is the boss in this valley.
We are good to go. further along into the middle of nowhere.
amidst the stone castles, the valley of many rocks and colors ( or colours if you are British!)
When the valley narrows down we each follow different paths, what we think is best - eventhough any normal cyclist would be like “WHAT AM I DOING HERE?”
we were caught into the wild.
enchanted by the rock walls and the snowy peaks
all we could see is forward, even if yesterday was the point where we could have returned without rationing food.
the only way to go is down the river!
sylvain preferred to cross the river, while I chose to climb over hills and hop on rocks to avoid another crossing.
As for the big cat. I observer each Vicuna carcass with curiosity.
like… what are the chances that they got washed down the river? right into a shady spot and the bones were cleaned up so well?
The river roam continues. At times we both end up taking the high route, looking at ways around nasty corners of the now - significantly bigger river.
we find a tree.
a moon.
two ducks that seem to be in a fight.
but now what we really need…
what we need is a road!
Tired, we stumble on some space huts. Open and in quite reasonable condition. Its 3100m, the lowest we have been for a while.
dinner is a lot of pasta with little sauce but filling nontheless. no onions or tomatoes. or really anything else…
So we found the road….
An odd sight, complete with guardrails and road signs but completely abandoned. What happened to the glorious mining days?? Digging out the sign it read 169km.
The thing was, we were hanging by a string. One bad washout and it could be game over.
can you see Sylvain just under the sun??
amidst the looming possibility of a possible return trip, I couldnt help but be excited about the CAT!
its tracks
scanning the steep rocks to maybe, possibly get a glimpse of the queen of the Puna.
the one who outsmarts the vicunas and snacks on them
and lives in some of the most challenging landscapes on earth.
There was no way around the river. The road cut unfinished into the side of the valley and we had to drop down. It was big and green and sylvain went for a dip on the 2nd crossing.
Another decently sized river joined in, meaning that if we need to cross after this point it would be very challenging (likely lower in the morning though).
Sylvain dries out important things with the last remaining sun before we continue in the shade.
really a wonderful time to be walking your bike!
I search for car tracks. Any tracks. In hopes of promises that the road would be passable further on. I tell Sylvain that I saw tracks, he doesnt believe me. I didnt bother to show him the photo at the time.
we revise food supply. 2, maybe 3 days. But what if the road is gone? We sleep after a rather small pasta meal.
just as long as we dont have to cross that river.. we will be ok…
there is some evidence of road work and we finally begin the final climb out of the valley bottom
Condors and other big birds cruise above us and pass very, very close to have a second look. Maybe waiting for us…. we’d make a good snack.
The road keeps going and we climb some 600m. No big slides, not too many rocks. its all looking good.
coming around the corner we can see the road continue along the ridges
but we dont.
just joking! there was another road going over a ridge and that must have been the service road that construction vehicles took back in the day. We backtrack to the junction and spend a gruelling hour to the top.
I decided to go and help sylvain after i get there but i went to rest and fell asleep
after a steep downhill we scour the cliffside to figure out where the road ended. Its just not finished.
but you know what? THERE IS A RELATIVELY FRESH CAR TRACK HERE!!!
we spend some happy time riding down with the changing colors and the amazing rocks, no problem with camping here and cooking - lots of firewood.
counting on riding some 120ish kilometers tomorrow we demolish a good chunk of the remaining food supplies and in the first time in the Puna, it is not windy enough so that we can be out by the fire. Sylvain goes to sleep at 11pm but I stay out, feeding the beast until 1 or so.
we wake up, bike for few hours, eat breakfast. Its all road from here. easy and well, a road.
