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Iain´s view of Ruta 40 for about nine hours

Our morning view of Mount Fitz Roy during our ride along Lago Viedma

A hungry, happy Dan.

Iain and Tim at our lovely Chalten campsite

The cyclists with Fitz Roy in the background

February 12

At the glacier Perito Moreno, we met an English guy named Tim who was also travelling north on a bike. We ran into him again in Calafate and spent an evening chatting with him and four other cyclists that were heading south. An American from Illinois was completing a 32,000 km. trip from Alaska. Wow! They had all come down through the Chalten crossing and we learned a lot of useful information from them about ferry crossings, road conditions, and logistics. We decided that we would meet Tim again in Chalten and do the crossing with him.
The next day we went to use the internet and bumped into Tim on his way out of town. We stayed in Calafate until 7:30 and then started our trek to El Chalten, the "Trekking Capital of Argentina".

The first 33 km. of the 212 km. trip was straight east out of Calafate on Ruta 23. As we had hoped, the wind pushed us along nicely and we had a beautiful evening. At 9:00 p.m., we turned north on to the gravel surface of Ruta 40, and pedalled six kilometres to a construction camp. There, we pitched our tent on the banks of the Santa Cruz river and started in on the dinner preparations. We had kept pedalling until fairly late in the evening, and by the time the tent was set up and the cooking finished, it was dark. A stray dog took advantage of bread left in an open pannier and relieved us of a half a loaf. We are slow learners when it comes to keeping an eye on the food!

Intentions of an early start were dampened by a morning drizzle and we dozed until 6:00 a.m. Under a light rain, we packed up our wet tent and bags and started north again on Ruta 40. The rain had turned the road to a sticky clay soup and our bikes and panniers were quickly covered in muck, slowing us down considerably. We had the good fortune to come across a road construction in-progress and used a partially paved track to make good time. Iain had a flat tire that morning (his third), and we met a cyclist from Belgium coming down from Chalten. He was able to confirm a lot of the information we had learned from the group in Calafate, and also told us that our English buddy, Tim, was about 15 km ahead.

Soon after parting ways with the Belgian, Dan broke his chain grinding up a hill (his second). A quick fix and we were back on the road and after seven hours of pedalling, ready for a rest and some lunch. We pulled into a roadside hotel and imposed ourselves on their patio. Tent, sleeping bags, and other pieces of gear were spread around to dry from the previous nights rain, and sandwiches were assembled and consumed. After lying down for a bit, we cleaned and oiled the bikes and started off again to knock down a few more kilometres before nightfall. We reached the crossroads where Ruta 40 continues northward and Ruta 23 turns west toward Chalten and Mount Fitz Roy. We turned to the west and had a beautiful view of Fitz Roy across Lago Viedma, 98 km in the distance. As we turned off of the Ruta 40, we noted the fact that we would not see it again until we crossed back to Argentina near Bariloche, 1,600 km north. That night we camped by the road and slept tent-less under the stars. As we were heading west now, we planned on an early start in the morning to beat the wind.

At 4:00 a.m. we were up and pedalling into a beautifully dark and cold morning. The road was asphalt at this point, and we cruised along nicely through the dawn hours. We saw the sunrise on Mount Fitz Roy in the distance and enjoyed our ride along the shores of Lago Viedma. At the end of the lake, in the southeast corner, the Viedma Glacier falls into the lake, and we were able to watch icebergs drift away from the glacier and pass by us as we road.

Thirteen kilometres out of Chalten, the road turned back to gravel. By 11:00, after 94 km, we were at the visitors center at the entrance to the town. We took out our wet gear and dozed in the lawn until about 2:00 p.m. under a hot sun. While we were there, our English buddy Tim rode in and found us. That morning we had passed him on the way. He had stayed in an estancia and is not as keen on the dawn riding as we are.
After gathering information about the hikes near Fitz Roy, the three of us rode to a campground on the other side of town.

It was Wednesday, February 8th the day we arrived in Chalten, and we had four days before we would bike again. Our next big step was the border crossing from Chalten, Argentina to Villa O'Higgins, Chile where the famous Carretera Austral begins. This road is know for its gorgeous views of Patagonian forests, mountains, and glaciers, and has been argued as one of the most beautiful roads in the world. The crossing involves two ferries and 27 km of intense road conditions. Details of the crossing, ferry schedules, and conditions of the roads and trails were very difficult for us to find, and different sources gave conflicting information. We will give a detailed description of the crossing in a later travelogue.

Our four days in Chalten were spent relaxing, eating good camp food, drinking mate, talking with our new English friend, and meeting other travellers. We met an Argentine biker, Juan, from La Plata near Buenas Aires. He had come south on Ruta 40 alone and would be finishing his trip in Rio Gallegos. We tried to convince him to go north with us through Chile and nearly succeeded. Unfortunately, he had responsibilities attend in La Plata and couldn't put them off. A really nice guy, and we are hoping to meet up with him for a stretch in northern Argentina.

Our campsite in Chalten was spectacular. It sits right at the trailhead that leads to Mount Fitz Roy. A river cuts alongside and there is a beautiful view of the valley we would bike up to reach the beginning of the border crossing.

We took a day and hiked into the park with Tim. Packed a lunch and mate equipment and had a nice day of walking. As we arrived at the base of Fitz Roy, the wind picked up considerably. There is a small trail that climbs a hill to a lookout point, and as we went up, the wind continued to gain strength. It was the strongest breeze we have ever encountered. We saw several people get blown completely off of their feet, and we were forced to hug the ground several times to keep from being toppled. One man told us it was blowing over 200 km per hour, and we believe it.

Sunday, February 12th was our last day in Chalten, and we spent the day organizing, buying food supplies, and cleaning the bikes. That night we loaded the bikes and prepared for a 4:00 a.m. start to Lago del Desierto 37 km north and the launching point for the first leg of the crossing.