January 9, 2023
Wildcamp at Lago del Desierto
We slept well last night and dragged ourselves away from our lovely campsite at about nine thirty. The route to the physical border has changed slightly with a new road built further away from the river. Being partly up the hillsides it meant it was steeply undulating and hard work on soft and loose gravel but it meant that the first section of single track was avoided.
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The five and a half kilometers of single track to Lago del Desierto is hard work with a loaded bicycle. There are lots of streams and muddy patches to cross and even more tree trunks over which one bicycle needs to be lifted. It remains one of the classic border crossing for a cycle tourist but twice is enough. We managed to lose the trail twice, once because a tree had fallen over the new path around it wasn't particularly clear and the other time because we followed the path that walkers take but which soon became impossible with the bicycles. Nonetheless we enjoyed it because it is still beautiful despite being so tough.
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We arrived at the Argentinian border post just before two in the afternoon feeling pleased we had split the journey over two days because we were able to enjoy the second half far more than we could when we had done it in one day five years ago. We were, as expected, the first people to set up camp next to the lake but from about four o'clock onwards many other cyclists and walkers arrived from the Chilean side.
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The next ferry to the southern end of Lago del Desierto is at eleven o'clock tomorrow so we will end up spending tomorrow night in El Chalten.
Today's ride: 8 km (5 miles)
Total: 5,210 km (3,235 miles)
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