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South American Explorers |
Written by: -
James Wilson
105144.1045@compuserve.com
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I’m going to Peru !”
Who knows what makes ideas become realities ? I know that about 5 or 6 years ago while
working at the Bike Cellar in Vancouver that I got it into my head that a mountain bike
descent existed somewhere in the world that would be over 12,500 verticle feet - sustained
. Never one to run off to the library I guessed that this dream descent must be in the
Andes and probably Peru would be the place. Well life threw me this and that and years
later I find myself talking to Jeff Boeda ,
”Hey Jeff want to go mountain bike touring in Peru ?”
“ Hmmm, sure but why Peru ?”
“ 12,000 verticle - sustained. “ The answer came pretty easy for Jeff and that
was it , off to get plane tickets , shots and a guide book to Peru .
We read the book and I must say were scared of what would happen if we tried to go to
Peru . It was suggested that we : Wear our backpacks backwards ,distribute our money in
various stashes , never talk to people and above all else dress like a geek. To add to our
problems everyone we spoke with said the same thing: “ Peru , are you CRAZY ?! “
I heard it often enough that I actually started to believe it .
Well, Jeff and I are back and would like to report that Peru is righteous ! ! So dialed for mountain biking its just sick!
The trip required flying into Lima ( $ 600.00 Canadian from Seattle ) We spent a day and night in Lima loaded our bikes and gear onto a bus and headed north to a town called Chimbote , The ride began with a day of desert touring followed by 3 days of climbing the Cordilleras Negra a 14,400 ft pass .
We descended into the Rio Santa valley and the city of Huarez (10,138 ft.) in the heart of the Andes . We set out on unloaded daytrips from this community of 60,000 . It wasn’t long before we were befriended by the local bike community. A mountain bike tour operator by the name of Julio ( ph. 724259 ) saw us in a grocery and promptly invited us out on some local rides . We stayed for a week of rides before blasting out on another tour.
This trip went over the Andes south of Huarez through some absolutely remarkable country. The first pass was over 14,900 ft. The second was up over 13,600 ft. and the third was at 15,632 ft. We returned to Huarez ,this time fit, and raged in the sweet Andean single track. Trails literally hundreds if not thousands of years old were shown to us by our new found buddies . After over a week of this we packed up again and toured south, crossed another pass (13,448 ft.). We descended on road fully loaded for a full day . This ended at the Pacific ocean north of Lima . One bus ride later and we were in Lima . We met our friend Julio and prepared for the next day - the ultimate descent but I’ll get into that later.
Each day was a complete adventure and each a story in itself . The town with no electricity, the Jesus guy, the endless passes, the ruins at Chavin, the three day climb, trying to breathe at 15,000, riding the base of Huascaran, a 22,200 ft. mountain, the 11 hour day! We would stop to eat stop to sleep but otherwise it was one big bike ride.
The real bonus was the people, where they lived, how they lived, their friendship, their world. South America was a mystery to me, an unknown. It is geographically close, but culturally so different. When riding up the three day pass we encountered the most amazing folks; People who invited us to sleep in their homes, invited us to play soccer, drop what they were doing to feed us. All this while they worked the land to provide themselves with food. And where these people farmed - crazy.
At the end of one day we set up camp literally in a cloud, in the morning I was stunned
. On the mountainside facing me were fields and houses all the way up the slope I mean
this mountain was huge - occupying my entire view and up near the top, houses! It would
take gringos like us a day to climb to that spot. At about 6:00 am two guys in their
twenties on their way to work stopped to check out what we were doing sleeping on the road
- the people road . The two guys said hello, split, then returned with a log which they
used to sit on while we made breakfast. The resulting interchange was priceless: twenty
questions was what I called it .
“Where are you from ?
How did you get here ?
What do you eat ?
What is Canada like ?
Cold?
How much for your bike ?
Do you work ?
What do you do ?
Are you married ?
How many girl friends do you have ?! (apparently we were talking to quite the woman’s
man)
You know you could take a bus to Huarez ?
Such curiosity ,and why not? Imagine what they saw on their way to work . Two Gringos asleep in the dirt looking like oversized cocoons .Once the gringos woke up one is super tall and sporting long hair and the other is shorter and has red hair . To add to the morning weirdness we rode our bikes to this mountain location !
The tour operator in Huarez , Julio- that guy is a cat! He showed us wicked trails everyday . With him we saw more than I could have possibly imagined . In fact he made the trip. We were so impressed with his hospitality that we have since sent him a pair of suspension forks. One day he arranged for us to rent a truck and a driver so that the three of us could do the ride at the base of Huascaran - the tallest mountain in Peru .
It was a beautiful day , blue sky ,few clouds and one huge snow covered mountain . As we climbed up the small two track road ,greeting the locals and generally appreciating all around us - I couldn't help but think; Wow what a wild place ! If only more of my buddies could see this ! The climb was only a part of it ; Julio was leading us to an ancient trail which was effectively fall line , the rock ,a kind of marble alternating between black and white .Large drops , cork screws, full on corners with wicked exposure- always a view of the valley below. The last half was a wild scree with burmed corners and the odd walking local shaking his head at the weird loco gringos . The trail finally dropped out onto the valley floor at which point we wandered into a great open air restaurant serving up a traditional Inca meal which was spiced meats including; sheep ,goat, beef , pig ,cooked together in the leaves of corn buried underground. It was served with sweet and regular potatoes and rice. The crazy rhythms of Peruvian music blaring in the background - What a day!
As I said each day was a total adventure ,each day a total trip . The final day is worth a mention but I think I’ll leave it your imagination . Imagine getting up at 4:00 am after a 7 hour hammerfest the day before, loading into an eight person bus with two friends , three new friends and two drivers, driving for five hours from sea level to 12,500 ft. Then with out a clue of where you are going embarking on a 5.5 hour single track odyssey . Not just 5.5 hours of singletrack but 5.5 hours of downhill singletrack .A ride which runs for 83 kilometers , Add to this that your companions for the day are all very capable riders and each of them Peruvian all cool folks. The descent will be free of trees you will be able to see the whole way down. That’s right , from the top of the trail you can see the bottom - the ocean! I’ll add that on this dream ride it’s 33 degrees out and a huge blue sky greets you . Your guide ‘Yuri’ knows the land as a man should who has grown up searching these mountains for adventure . The land is barren and wild, it’s millions of years old. It’s power impossible to ignore not to be underestimated . One false move and that’s it - no Helivac , no in bounds, no out of bounds , you the rocks, the trail that’s it ! As you squeeze your grips and test your brakes , your heart begins to pound, your hands sweaty in anticipation. ”CLACK CLACK” you step onto your pedals . The wheels begin to roll, the wind rushes through your helmet, that’s it, the beginning of the longest descent in your life. The features of this land - alien exposed rock with a multitude of lines available , single track bobbing and weaving through the open alpine , huge saddles of slickrock connecting ancient trails . Open sections with no lines narrowing into tight cherry trails wrapping around the ancient mountains You’ll probably need to get off your bike either to laugh or maybe to cry - How can the riding be so good ? how can this be ?
After a couple hours lunch would be a good idea . The view stupendous, the ocean still miles away . The leader tired of you hound dogging says “ you two can now go ahead - I don’t think you’ll get lost “ You hit the blasters and launch into your favorite game ‘ my line ,your line ‘ You vie for ‘fresh tracks’ and to reward your efforts the trail narrows and with the mountainside on your left and open air on your right - the adrenaline pumps ! On the descent goes . Will it end ? Look back, no one to see .No, you're wrong they are behind you there just pretty far back. This trail finally spits you out .Out onto a river floor and now the weirdness begins . Your eyes are greeted to a smooth river bottom a river which hasn’t seen water in 30 years . The surface like a skateboard park . Broken by a long since dried creek . It’s 100 to 500 meters across and goes for about 25 kilometers ! Bigring ,large air off of huge river rocks -the last of the last .As the k’s flip by the speed increases - last kick at the can !You’re hammering , the benefits of living at elevation showing it’s stuff . The end is in sight and you and your buddy lay it down ,a huge effort to summarize a huge trip. You’re now in your last gear and as you reach the asphalt grab your buddies hand and in a gesture of accomplishment raise them in the air! . Finished ,punched and wasted you limp to the ocean and in celebration that the trip is over dive into the ocean ,the Pacific Ocean ,deep, blue, clear ,clean and cold .What a trip its been, what a great trip it been .
Rating: - 10
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