Tag: ruta 7
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Day 25-27: Tortel

Thursday 27th – Sunday 30th, Oct I had a good feeling about Tortel, it was a uniquely beautiful and quiet place to slow down after a month of movement. It was a shame to miss the border crossing at Villa O’Higgins and the national park at El Chaltén beyond but thinking ahead I could always…
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Day 24: Aruacaria Camp to Tortel

Wednesday, 26th Oct. That morning the first thoughts through my mind as I woke up were of how stupid it was to lose my phone like that. I beat myself up about it until I got out the tent in time to see the sun hit the tops of the back row of mountains. “If…
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Day 21: Puerto Río Tranquilo to Puerto Bertrand

Monday, 23rd Oct I left late out of Puerto Río Tranquilo, the rest day had done me good but some dark beers in the pub had not. I packed up slowly, enjoying the morning sun, aware that rain that was meant to be coming in from the south-west. By the time I got going the…
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Day 20: Puerto Río Tranquilo

Saturday, 22nd Oct. A bright sunny morning with the prevailing wind already rolling down from the mountains in the west unhindered over the surface of Lake General Carrera. By the time I was down by the waterfront shacks, pulling on a poncho and life-jacket, white-topped waves were bouncing any boats already out in the open.…
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Day 19: Icy Shack Camp to Puerto Río Tranquilo

Friday, 21st Oct I woke up surprised to find myself not aching. I’d had a great sleep and had energy to pack up and leave quickly. The bushes around the stream were white with frost and there was a thin layer of ice on the inside of the tent fly. I shook it off, got…
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Day 18: Laguna Chiguay to Icy Shack Camp

Thursday, 20th Oct. I was up once in the night and stepped outside into the forest. Straight out of a horror film the spindly trees shrank back into the darkness. It was a completely clear night and the southern stars were out in full, a shooting star sailed past as I looked up. I went…
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Day 17: Coyhaique to Laguna Chiguay

Wednesday, 19th Oct. It was time to get out of Coyhaique, it had been three nights and I was itching to get going. My travel partners and I pulled the bikes out of the shed they’d been stashed in and got out on the main road. Heavy traffic and a narrow lane for the first…
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Day 15 & 16: Two days in Coyhaique

Monday 17th & Tuesday 18th, Oct. The most populous town for a long while with 50,000 inhabitants, Coyhaique is a hub for the Aysén region and the adventure tourism it hosts. Surrounded by hills and with quiet side streets, small businesses and a thriving centre full of outdoor shops, it reminded me of the mountain…
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Day 14: Estero Azul Quarry to Coyhaique

Monday, 16th Oct An early start straight into a long climb that was to take up the whole morning. With a head slightly fuzzy from the red wine the evening before we took to the the dirt road that cut its way through the haze, passing farmhouses shaded by tall poplars and roaming horses that…
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Day 13: Laguna las Torres to Estero Azul Quarry

Saturday 15th, Oct. Saying that the ride this morning was much of the same belittles the immense scenery, but it was much of the same. The same silent highway through thick forest and corridors of grey cliffs so vast as to mess with my depth perception. I’m now convinced that the reason we as humans…