The weather finally cleared and the ferries ran today. The ferries were not large enough to carry all of us and our bikes so we took the first ferry in shifts starting at 5am. The logistics for the day were very complex. First I should explain that Villa O’Higgins is literally at the end of the road. The Caretera Austral ends just a few km past the village at the edge of a very large lake or Lago. The only way to leave and continue southward in Patagonia ( Chile or Argentina) is to backtrack >1000 km and head south or take the crossing that I will describe. The crossing that we took can only be done by trekkers or cyclists. Our support vehicles had to do the long way around which took 2 days.

The crossing involved a quick ride to the ferry, a 2-4 hr ferry ride across the Lago (depending on which ferry you were on), then going through a remote Chilean border crossing on a strip of land that we need to cross to exit Chile. This was quite a slow process. Once through each rider had to go 20 km on stèep, rough gravel, gravel road and then very tough single track full of tree roots, downed trees, and streams to ford. Challenging for experienced mountain bikers, only walkable by me. It involved countless times of getting on and off the bike and lifting it over impassable obstacles.

This process took me nearly five hours! When we finally reached the next Lago or lake to be crossed we went through the Argentine border crossing and waited for another ferry. This ferry took us to a gravel road and a ride to El Chalten, our destination that we have been trying to reach for days. When I realized that my derailleur wasn’t working, I took a lift to town, the only reason that I have time to write tonight. Many of the riders from the later morning ferries didn’t even make it in until 10pm. Whew! What a challenge! Exhausting! At least we were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day with spectacular views of Mt Fitz Roy.

An incredible day to remember. Thanks for coming along