Distance: 55.14 km
Ride time: 4:38:12
Average: 11.90 km/h
Altitude: 3693 m
Total: 27172 km
There is no reason to get going too early these days. The nights are cold up here at 3000+ meters, but when the sun rises everything warms up nicely. That happens around 10 o’clock. This morning I was enjoying my breakfast at the hostel and going to an internet café to check my email before heading off.
As I left Humahuaca the road kept climbing. This has been 170 km of straight climbing since I left Jujuy 4 days ago – and no outlook for any real descends before reaching Peru more than a month from now.
In the beginning of the day I was enjoying the climbing, but as the day passed by it got harder and harder. I knew I would be passing 3500 meters of altitude, which is where the lack of oxygen really starts to be felt.
By the end of the day I was indeed hitting a wall, having to rest every couple of kilometers to catch the breath. Welcome to the altiplano 🙂
I was looking for a camp spot as I turned around a corner and saw ice on the road. If the ice could survive the whole day in sunshine I figured the nights would be very cold around here.
After putting up the tent I quickly jumped into my two sleeping bags as I cooked my dinner. As I went to sleep I was feeling comfortable, but somehow excited to see if I would manage to keep warm through the night.
