Erupted volcanoes and extracted teeth

 

From the moisture filled forests of Puyuihapi there was another section of wonderful scenery alongside the tarmac'd road as I rode into Chaiten, the end of the carretera for us.

The view on the way into Chaiten

 

Chaiten allowed a visit to it's eponymously named volcano. One that erupted in 2008 destroying large swathes of the forest, blocking the river and burying much of the town in ash. The town was evacuated and abandoned by the government, causing some political tension for the surviving inhabitants. It now lives on as a kind of ghost town, half of it rebuilt, half of it preserved under meters if ash.

 

The path of pyro clastic flow

 

Houses left buried in some kind of ash museum

 

The volcano still smokes away, one of the two overlooking the town and providing a constant reminder of former destruction.

The caldera's edge with the uprooted trees

 

Puerto Montt was where Dave and I reconvened following a week out with injury. A fishing port city and the current home of my sister Katharine. It provided a comfortable, if not a little bleak, place to rest the joints, eat seafood and get a tooth removed. Faced with the prospect of some maxillo-facial surgery with mixed chances of success, Dave chose extraction of his much maligned tooth. Yet another interesting story to tell the locals.

 

A two day trip to Puerto varas and its surroundings took us within reaching distance of the spectacular conical shaped volcano of Osorno, an imposing figure on a number of towns around its lake.

 

Volcano Osorno

 

Some hiking a welcome break from the repetitive cycling motion and glorious sunshine to light our way.

 

The pensive Bailey

 

We headed back to Puerto Montt in anticipation of the ride across to Argentina.

 

Kyle

 

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The weeks inbetween and the dog

Time passed since the roller coaster days of the carretera.

After the last post we encountered knee pain, many many dogs, rain, artesenal beer, rain, enchanted forests, rain, volcanoes, ghost towns and more rain.

The Cerro Castillo view

 

The Cerro Castillo view

Leaving the beautiful campsite we rested in Cerro Castillo, we soaked up the stunning mountain views and absorbed heat from the wood burner like gremlins.

The next few days included lots of climbing and a delightful reaquaintence with tarmac. Unfortunately along with the road change came rain. We had to take stock in Coyhaique, the main town along the carretera, during a 4 day downpour. Who knew a place could rain so much. We imbibed all the micro brewery beer we could get our hands on, replaced lost items and continued our search for a cup of real coffee in vain.

Artesenal beer at its best

 

From there terrain turned subtropical in Puyuihapi with the landscape totally green as moisture hung on the air, creating 'enchanted' forests.

 

Enchanted forest

 

The most heart warming moment was dog related. Chile has a dog problem and they are everywhere, Villa Mañihuales was no exception. We met a well behaved puppy who followed us from our lodging until the shop. She was quiet and almost polite, not vying for our attention or jumping up, a welcome turn of events. I thought she was nice so I gave her tummy a stroke. It was as if I was the first person to show her any attention in time and so she just kept following us. First out of town and then up the first hill. We assumed that she just wanted a little bit of exercise before she went home, but, she didn't leave. She just kept running next to us, never leaving the second cyclist behind. We hit about 20km and I tried to shoe her away, concerned she was leaving a comfortable and safe return. It didn't work. She firmly planted herself next to Dave and followed him for the next 30km, sometimes running in between us but always stopping and checking Dave was coming. It was amazing to see such loyalty had been attained with just one belly stroke. Even Dave was impressed.

We rolled into town 55km from where we left and there she was with us, still full of beans, a bread roll sustaining her. We checked into a hostel and she slept outside waiting for us for when we went to the shop.

The time came to leave in the morning and I cycled on, knowing she would stay and wait with Dave. He got a lift and as the car sped off, she realised the game was up and hopefully settled into her new home.

Or maybe she just ran back.

 

 

Kyle

 

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The Rollercoaster

We camp in the most beautiful setting yet.

36 hrs earlier we leave Rio Tranquilo late at 3.30. A mixture of sightseeing and restocking keeps us late but we are eager to move on. Clouds linger overhead, the air temperature doing little to warm our knees and only four hours of sunlight left. We are quiet as we finish preparations but anxiety bubbles through me. The last two weeks of cold nights, colder mornings, stiff joints, wet stuff and repetitive meals have taught a few lessons. I'm sure that one of them is, 'don't leave late.' At this point an internal dialogue begins.

"Why are we leaving so late? It's nice here, why don't we just wait until tomorrow?"

"But I'm itching to make progress and if we get In a good couple of hours then we could make it a two day trip rather than a three day trip."

"But it's 3.30!"

"But we need to get North because of the weather."

Indecision clouds logic and we set off. Dave, Katie and myself, lunch already leaving my system and Katie's broken rear pannier rack precariously holding her bags.

Anxiety.

Some light sight seeing with Katie

Fast forward 40 mins: mud, uphill, rain. Barely any distance covered but too far to turn back. Without music to listen to it's easy to get trapped in repetitive trains of thought, the previous conversation now churns over and over as steam bellows from my legs.

We battle on for 2.5 hrs then darkness forces us to camp in a poorly covered forest. Our new stove fails to work and we once more find ourselves huddled round Katie's stove, sheltering from the continuous rain. The staccato pattern of drops on the tarp and the fear of our tents' waterproofing integrity ensures a poor nights sleep. Dave resorting to medicinal support at 3am.

We wake with almost everything wet and condensation on our breath. Dave slices his hand attempted to fashion a dressing for his foot and damp cycling gear does little to enthuse our tired bodies. We set off into the mist.

Lunch is a new low. Hungry but a bit too cold to enjoy it, unable to feel my feet and concerned that the cold rain may have permeated my bones. I try to be jovial but I look at Dave's face and all I see is, "Why did you bring me here Kyle?" The first time a lunch of pate and cheese has tasted bland.

Melancholy.

Dave is keen to push on to try and make a warm bed. 70km seems like a lot to ride in an afternoon, but I do little dampen Dave's desire because of my concern that he currently dislikes me. Giving it a go seems the least I could do so we ride hard after lunch. The road improving slightly, allowing us to stretch our legs and hammer our discomfort through the pedals. It's almost cathartic.

Anger.

We make good time and as we drop into a new valley the......sun comes out! The beauty of the world rushes back in a we fly down the hill, the sun eviscerating our bad moods within seconds. Our eyes are opened and we see this savannah next to a range of snow covered mountains. We pull over for a snack and all the quiet moments of the last 24hrs are lost, the familiar jokes resurface and the pate tastes amazing again. "Well that was s*** and this is a amazing", I smirk. "Agreed."

Snack time

We decide to stop riding and camp for the evening, reflecting on another topsy turvy day in the saddle.

Making porridge in the morning

Joy.

Kyle

 

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The bumpy and beautiful Carretera

A week of wind, mud, freezing temperatures and we were finally on the Carretera Austral. The reason we came so far south http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carretera_Austral. The bikes in one piece, the speed with which we were losing items decreasing, and knee pain easing, we set off.

Immediately we were repaid with lakes, snow capped mountains and beautiful undulating hills. Borrowing sections of Scotland, Colorado and California the road snaked its way through the different countries, subtle but noticeably changes in the scenery as valleys were climbed out of and lakes circumvented.

Almost just as immediately is Dave's exasperated announcement, "I've er, lost my hoodie on the road somewhere." Not blessed with an enormity of clothes let alone warm ones, self loathing etches across his face and he cracks open a beer. With that familiar hiss his internal chasticement ebbs away. Optomisism shall prevail. We ride on and a familiar site of a 'refugio' pops up. We rest.

A refugio for travellers

What was so remarkable was the extremes in conditions. Night temperatures dropping below freezing with frost in the morning and highs hitting 25degrees around 2pm. Somewhere along the line life becomes very simple and it begins to revolve around the sun, water, food and the bike.

Unfortunately in sections the road takes centre stage and 40km of wrist punishing washboard road takes its toll on the spirits and ability to enjoy the scenery. 50km travelled in a day becomes a good achievement and the desire for a comfy bed starts to scream from the depths of your weary legs.

4 days of punishment, kilograms of carbohydrate eaten and we rest in Cochrane.

Kyle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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