Day 977
2 become 4
After a few days' rest in Huaraz we were ready to hit the road. Things were changing though, Helene was joining us, as was Jeff, an American cyclist who was back on the road after a 6-month break. Only problem was, he wasn't quite ready to start, so Helene opted to wait a day for him, and Tom and I set off. This suited us,as we decided to split the first day's riding into two. I felt rested after my attack of fatigue but previous experience has taught me that it likes to reappear and knock me back down, so steady away for us.
Day one and the riding wasn't too hard. I felt fine thank goodness. Day two it got tougher as we left asphalt and hit the dirt. We were on the AN-1251, Pastoruri Glacier Road. It was rough and rocky and as we climbed the air thinned and I started to struggle to breathe. The views gradually became more stunning, so as I struggled to pedal I just had more time to admire the views, stunning rainbow coloured mountains with snow capped peaks in the distance. At the entrance to the Huascaran National Park we set up camp for the night. The young guy working there happily let us pop up our tent in a sheltered covered area, we had the use of flushing toilets and even a sink to do the dishes, luxury! We had an anxious wait for Helene and Jeff,but just before 6pm they arrived, exhausted but exhilarated.
After a somewhat chilly night (did I mention I had downsized my sleeping bag just before the Andes - maybe not my wisest decision) we settled down to cook breakfast and hot drinks together and were soon ready to hit the road to the glacier itself. I was definitely struggling still, a lifetime living at sea-level is not the best preparation for riding at over 15,000 feet. Jeff was happy to stay with me when I walked so Tom could push on and take photos. Tom also ran back down and either pushed me up on my bike or if I didn't have the energy for that, would simply take my bike whilst I walked slowly behind. Jeff looked on with envy!
We lunched beside a rock face with ancient drawings painted into the rock, the few tourist buses simply driving on by, what a shame. We also stopped at natural hot springs with water bubbling away, and a highlight for Tom, saw hundreds of puya plants, or Queen of the Andes.
Hard to describe, these massive plants, found only around here and in Boliva, reach 15 metres in height, and a single plant can produce between 8,000 to 20,000 flowers when in bloom. It can live around 80 years, but dies after it flowers. Weird and wonderful!
Finally we reached the visitor centre for the Glacier, home for the night. There was no one around. Helene climbed through a broken window into a small empty building to see if the door would unlock from the inside, it wouldn't, so we set up camp on the small covered area in front of some locked shops. Again we had shelter, and a flushing toilet. What more does your average cycle tourer need? Though we had only ridden together for one full day, it felt natural to pool our food and cook a meal together.
Tom headed up to explore the glacier in the dusk, the rest of us relaxed and tried to keep warm, it was freezing. A family who had been at the glacier kindly gave us a tray of cakes, lovely people. Then we all snuggled down in our tents, wearing just about every item of clothing we had, well apart from Jeff, who seems to stay warm no matter how cold it is! Tomorrow, we head up to the Glacier.
