| start date | activity | country | place | from - to | days | km | km/ day | comment |
06.03.2013 |
walking |
Chile |
Patagonia |
Chochrane - Villa Cerro Castillo |
7 |
240 |
34 |
gravel road |
13.03.2013 |
walking |
Cerro Castillo National Park |
Villa Cerro Castillo - Coyhaique |
3 |
91 |
30 |
mountains - lost path |
|
16.03.2013 |
recovery |
Coyhaique |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|||
17.03.2013 |
pushing the shopping cart |
Coyhaique - Puyuguapi/Pto. Cisnes Junction |
4 |
180 |
45 |
downhill rides on the cart |
||
21.03.2013 |
walking with backpack |
Queulat National Park |
Puyuguapi/Pto. Cisnes Junction - Puyuguapi |
1.5 |
57 |
38 |
||
22.03.2013 |
pushing wheelbarrow |
Puyuguapi - Chaiten |
5.5 |
193 |
35 |
|||
Total
| 22 |
761 |
34 |
|||||
Carretera Austral is an extremely difficult and expensive road project which connect south and central Chile. I got to walk on this mostly gravel road. But this is not the usual way - situated in the beautiful mountain scenery with the frequency of small villages almost every hundred kilometers. In addition, it is almost traffic free - a dozen cars per hour at a peak time. It was nice. But how long you can enjoy the landscape? I had to add some spice up to it.
I practiced the smile. More often and without the reason. So, with banana smile glued to my face I walked cheerfully and greeted the passing drivers. Not everyone answered the same way, but then that's not my problem.
The second thing that I worked on was the positive thinking. In every situation I was looking for the only positive things. It's raining - I do not get dust from the passing cars, fewer brakes mean greater distance, sometimes it's the best chance for great camera shots; cold - no mosquitoes, no sweating, wearing more clothes mean lighter backpack; hot - I love it; cold, rain and wind - I wouldn't appreciate good weather if I had not experienced the poor one; lost trail - what an interesting thing I could see during it; and when I got sick (for the first time during this trip) I set up a camp pretty early - feet could rest. In this way the life has become a lot easier.
I made the trips through Queulat and Cerro Castillo national parks. Beautiful parks, but the mountains in March carries a different surprise.
I reached for the water bottle.
- I can't drink?! I switched on the headtorch. Oh, the ice. Well, I looked at the thermometer. 4 ° C below zero inside the tent.
And I'm with my light, summer gear, sleeping somewhere high in the mountains. The views, however, compensate the lack of comfort and a morning walk is fast enough (warming up), that I make up extra distance. Still, it is a sign that winter is coming - so I should quickly move closer to the equator.
Sometimes I think this trip is a reflection of everyday life. It seemed to me that I have everything under control, only to descend from the mountains on the official trail in Cerro Castillo park. And suddenly, just like in real life, things do not go according to the plan, meeting unexpected obstacle. My whole plan and the assumptions fails. I felt anger and helplessness. I needed a breath, brake. Time helps.
To think with clear mind, not to act rashly. Analyze the situation from the beginning. Can I fix my or someone else's mistake, or can I adapt to a new, challenging, unexpected circumstances? Let the changes to led you whenever they want to, or take control of them? And just as in life - you have to make a decision, because every decision is better than lack of it, and start the action.
There is no path - I found after 1.5 hours running in a narrow valley from one hill to another. I didn't intend to get back for half a day, but it didn't seem right to do bush bashing either. What to do?
Someone once said - "If you want to succeed, increase the number of your failures."
Well, we learn from the failures. I already lost the track not once, not the first and not the last time. Only this time I was prepared for it. I confirmed the information that passing through the mountains is possible. I had enough food and time. And most importantly - it was worth investing in a good topographic map.
I knew where I wanted to get, now I had to read carefully the map and the terrain. I was moving slowly, not as I would like to, but always forward. Despite it the encountered canyon terrified me - vertical rock walls. On the map it did not look so bad. In the end it seemed to me that I found a possible descent, but an additional problem was the loose rocks. Well, at least the roots of the bushes were strong enough. I probably never walked so carefully. But just as in life, in any situation we can find some positives - suddenly, just for me, two condors arrived. Flying very low above me that I could see the details of these powerful birds. I realized that if I'm somewhere near their nest, I'm in serious trouble. However, it appeared to me that this is reconnaissance flight. I knew it was worth to get lost.
When we go through the life on the easiest path, not many interesting things will happen. To make my walk more interesting, I came up with the entertainment idea.
I hate the shopping in big department stores. But this time I wanted to challenge women's champions of this discipline - who can make longer with the shopping cart.
After purchasing a few products I went outside, loaded my backpack on the bottom of the trolley, covered it carefully with commercial plastic bags and went to the taxi stand. When the security guards weren't paying attention to me anymore, I disappeared around the corner. I pushed the cart two blocks away. Later to the town center, and from there on the main road. I think no one was chasing me.
Trolley, however, was very loud, moving aside, I had to fight with every curb. I continued along a narrow busy road. Someone horned on me. I was tense, I did not feel comfortable. I pulled out my repaired duck for its bright yellow color, which I hoped falls into the eye of a raging drivers. I just slowly went out of the city. When a smile appeared on my face again, the paved road just ended. But if I start something, I'm not giving up so easily. Locals adviced that I can do 10 km detour, but it will be paved all the time. And that meant I pushed the shopping cart until the concrete road ended for good - that is, after 4 days/180 km.
I had a lot of fun. Mountain road, away from the towns, and the guy with the shopping cart and the inflatable duck. This time they thought I'm crazy. Especially downhill, when I hung my body over the trolley and madly descended. Boots were used as a steeringwheel and brakes, when I moved into the shoulder or ran too fast. And again I saw the positives - I do not have to carry a backpack, walking pace is very high, the drivers stop to talk. It also happened that one encountered driver invited me to his house. Well, first of all - I had a fun.
Due to the drastic change of the road surface, the time came to split with the trolley - and something was missing. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy walking with a backpack, but I wanted to use the time along the road a little differently.
In the first village I went to the store. After the grocery section I saw the nails, ladder, electric saw and ... blue flat piece of metal. It looked like a part of something bigger. Staff looked at me and the duck with the fear. When they confirmed that I was the one they had seen a few days ago with a supermarket trolley - no longer wondered and borrowed me the tools necessary to assemble the machine. After 30 minutes I proudly left the store.
After two days I realized that I'm an idiot with aching forearms. Even to look at the watch, I had to stop because my hands were busy all the time. However, humans adjust and get use to the new conditions. A little experimentation with the weight distribution and I could salute the drivers with one hand. Most of them avoids me anyway, but those who stopped to talk, farewell me with a smile. The blue wheelbarrow accompanied me for nearly a week/193 km.
Special thanks for warm hospitality for Victor and Filipe, Maria, Jorge.
| Country | Days | Food | (how many) paid accom. | Permits Entry fees |
Guide hire | Equipment purchase, hire |
Equipment or other freight fees | *Transport | Other | Total |
| Chile | 22 | $605 | (5) $91 | $0 | $0 | $96 | $0 | $0 | $42 | $834 |