Profil of the crossing
Day 1: Departure from Salta
Small shops along the way up to Alto Abra Blanca.
Phew! We still have coke here...
Phew! We still have coke here...
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Cactus of the desert, erected to the sky.
Day 2: Alto Abra Bianca
With cactus, single vegetable ressource of the area, locals make ornemental objects, like lampshades and also park their lands.
Other people, finding that making parks is a too fastidious jog, prefers link together frontal paws of their donkeys in order that they don't leave too far!
After 130km of ascent, and 2900m of elevation, we finally reach the Alto Abra Bianca.
Happy to find the gravity as a driving power again.
Llamas, viewed from each angles.
day 3: On the way up, again... to the Alto Chorillo
After a huge refueling of food in San Antonio de Los Cobbres, for 4 autonomy days,
we continue our ride, going up,
we continue our ride, going up,
on a really dusty dirt road, specially when trucks pass us.
At the Alto Chorillo, 4560m, culminating point of the crossing, after 800m of elevation and 26km of dirt road.
Shadow from evening lights.
Bivouac at 4400m high.
Bivouac at 4400m high.
On the other side of shadows.
Day 4: Olacapato
Evening effort.
With the altitude, the oatmeal porridge is under-cooked, but futhermore, hard to sugar!
With cold (to very cold!) temperatures of the night, it became very viscous, and hardly goes out of the tube.
With the altitude, the oatmeal porridge is under-cooked, but futhermore, hard to sugar!
With cold (to very cold!) temperatures of the night, it became very viscous, and hardly goes out of the tube.
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Olacapato, small altitude village with clay houses.
When we arrive, chidrens run around our bikes, wondering who are these strange persons.
Their reddish-brown weeks had been underwent by the tanning of the sun.
When we arrive, chidrens run around our bikes, wondering who are these strange persons.
Their reddish-brown weeks had been underwent by the tanning of the sun.
Day 5: Paso Sico
Becoming acclimtazed to the altitude, the wind becomes higher and higher. And like every time in the Andes, going Est,... wind face! Impossible to go faster than 8 km/h, 47km in more than 5 hours of pedaling...
Nevertheless, the desert diversity: a huge palette of colors, rock sculptures made by the wind, little canyons,... keeps us in good spirits.
El Paso Sico, 7th and last border crossing for us between Argentina and Chile.
Day 6: Welcome to Chile
On the way up to the pass between Argentinian and Chilean customs.
Still a strong wind against us...
Still a strong wind against us...
At the pass, marked by a small cairn.
On the way down after the Chilian customs, Thomas catchs his breath.
Missing Propan for the following days, we ask customers for some gasoline for our stove.
Thomas sucks up in a pipe linked to a big baril of gas to beggin the way up of the fluid.
But,... a huge amount of gas arrive quickly in his mouth.
He can tell you: 'drinking gasoline at 4000m high is not a good deal!'
Missing Propan for the following days, we ask customers for some gasoline for our stove.
Thomas sucks up in a pipe linked to a big baril of gas to beggin the way up of the fluid.
But,... a huge amount of gas arrive quickly in his mouth.
He can tell you: 'drinking gasoline at 4000m high is not a good deal!'
10km below, Baptiste arrive in his element, finding himself nose to nose with a GPS station!
Technicians and researchers of the geophysical base camp are really welcoming, offering us coffee and meal, whereas we just asked them for a small shelter to take refuge from the wind.
At this place, they measure ground displacements with GPS, gravity and resistivity of the crust.
Technicians and researchers of the geophysical base camp are really welcoming, offering us coffee and meal, whereas we just asked them for a small shelter to take refuge from the wind.
At this place, they measure ground displacements with GPS, gravity and resistivity of the crust.
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After some good instants of comfort, we continue the road through the wonderful Chilean nature.
Brown sandstones sculptures and turquoise Laguna Tuyajita.
Jour 7 : On the way down to Socaire
Getting out of the sleeping bag, opening the tent, Wow! it is snowing.
The wind, still strong and against us is cold, freezing cold.
During the 3 first hours, on the way up, physically slew down by the wind, psychologically slew down by the coldness, at each ends of strait lines, we hope that the lanscape definitely opens and the slope becomes downward. After 2 hard pass, we finally saw the lights of the Atacama desert, relief.
We lost quickly after 1500m of elevation, keeping all our red ccells!
The wind, still strong and against us is cold, freezing cold.
During the 3 first hours, on the way up, physically slew down by the wind, psychologically slew down by the coldness, at each ends of strait lines, we hope that the lanscape definitely opens and the slope becomes downward. After 2 hard pass, we finally saw the lights of the Atacama desert, relief.
We lost quickly after 1500m of elevation, keeping all our red ccells!
Going around volcanos of the Puntas Negras Cordillera.
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Jour 8 : San Pedro Di Atacama
Finding flat roads, asphalt and low altitudes again,
this stage do not take us a lot of time.
this stage do not take us a lot of time.
Atacama desert, deep desiccation cracks.
