June 16, 2017
After a short punchy difficult climb up 10K we were treated with the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life! Well for Amanda anyway.
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Wild camp just below Portachuelo Pass, Ancash, Peru, Ancash, Peru
Destination: Laguna 69 Trail Entrance, Ancash, Peru
25.5 km trip, 4:10 time, 24.7 km/h maximum speed, 9.5 km/h average speed
478 meters climbed, 875 meters descended, highest elevation 4679 meters
Route Description:
We began this day on the same gravel road. Almost no traffic and amazing views. The road is bumpy and barely rideable as you get higher up. Some of the corners are pretty tight with larger rocks; we didn’t find it easy. After 10K you reach the peak and it is incredible! The descent is just as advertised, very rocky and difficult. It takes a couple of hours to descend the 15K to the Laguna 69 entrance.
Accommodations:
There are no hostels or restaurants in this section. On the descent just past the 37+550 road marker I saw a flat spot for camping with flowing water. We camped at a flat spot where the Laguna 69 entrance sign is. We convince the lady there to make us a meal for 10 soles each for a typical Peruvian meal and there is a small store there to buy junk food. We camped there and then tipped the crew for watching our bikes and belongings while we did the hike the next day.
What happened…
Andrew writes: No way would we have made the top yesterday. That 10km further we had to go was going to take us about 3 hours, especially since we would’ve been tired from climbing all morning. Ok, technically we could have dug deep and gutted it out, but we don’t need to. So we don’t. I’m glad that we made the decision to camp when we did.
Everything was frozen again this morning. Brrrr….Amanda made a point this morning to tell me that she wanted to ride with me, and that I shouldn’t just take off. So together we went riding, pushing our bikes up some of the steeper, crappier spots. It was a bit of a catch-22 today because I wanted to be able to enjoy the improving scenery all around me, but I also had to keep my eye glued to the patch of road right ahead of me to avoid a rock, or pothole. Finally we reached the top and the payoff was unbelievable. Maybe it was so amazing because we had worked so hard for the past few days to get here, or maybe it’s just truly a breath-taking spot on Earth. In any event, it’s definitely a trip highlight for me. Right up there with the Columbia Icefields in BC, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and Yellowstone Park in Wyoming.
The downhill was a different matter; what a dog’s breakfast. I really want to earn my turns, and just propel myself on the descent with wild abandon. When the road forces a downhill speed similar to that of the uphill it just turns my stomach. The glorious scenery all around me made it palpable but I’m going to see about taking a bus out of here tomorrow morning. No way do I want to spend another 30km bumping and grinding my way back to civilization.
Amanda writes: The climb was pretty shitty. The higher we got, the worse the road got. Andrew was patient and rode with me so we could reach the top together. I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Andrew was incredibly patient with photography and I’ll leave the pictures to tell the story.
The aerial view of our ride: