March 9, 2018
Villa La Angostura: Wet and cold (very cold), but over the Andes
Conditions can change so quickly in the mountains. While yesterday was mostly hot, this morning was freezing and would remain so the whole day. The rain that started yesterday evening carried on through the night and didn't stop until after we got to Villa La Angostura. Packing up was based on a hope that the rain would stop. It didn't but we were prepared for a lull and made use of a period of lighter rain at about ten thirty to get the tent packed without getting the inner particularly wet. Our cheap K-Way Nerolite tent has done yeoman service so far but is starting to feel the strain of heavy use. Both zips on the vestibule are starting to separate when put under too much pressure and all we hope for it that it lasts out until May. It isn't light but is quite spacious and pretty damn waterproof and we have no right to complain given that it cost less than $200.
About two kilometers from the campsite at the laguna we passed a large shelter for road maintenance crews. There was a tent inside and the cyclist camping there gave us a friendly wave as we struggled past him up the hill and into the rain. It was the perfect place to camp given the weather conditions.
I have seldom been as cold as this in my life. While working our way up to the summit we generated heat that buffered us a bit but the descent to the border post was agony. Our gloves are not waterproof so once wet they simply got colder and colder. We wore a shirt, fleecy top, down jacket and Gortex jackets and were still cold. The Argentinian border post couldn't come soon enough. We took as much time as possible to get our passports processed while we warmed ourselves at the heaters in the immigration control office. The young cyclist who had camped in the shelter had joined us by this stage. He was on a loop down to Bariloche and back into Chile and was as ill prepared for the cold as us. He was going to camp at a formal campsite a kilometer or so away from the border post while we carried on to Villa La Angostura. At least he didn't have a wet tent that needed drying.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Once in Villa La Angostura we looked around for an affordable hosteria, eventually settling on Haus Verena. At 900 pesos a night it is not too bad in a notoriously expensive holiday town. We were both pretty knackered and headed out for an expensive burger before heading back to bed.
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 2,136 km (1,326 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |