The final two days of our journey through Paso Agua Negra. The gendarmeria (police) that welcomed us into Argentina 60km past the border told us cyclists never come through this time of year (perhaps they’re wiser than us). Only a handful of cyclists from the US had done the pass this season.
Pausing to take in the start of our ascent after Vicuna
We followed Rio Turbio up to its source, a confluence of three glacial streams at around 4000m
Looking at the ominous weather ahead. The snowy peaks and cautions from other travelers nearly ended our attempt at the pass. There’s a green pepper in Katie’s right hand.
We spent 45 minutes building a rock wall to protect our shoddy tent from the wind. The stream froze and expanded, threatening our bikes early morning.
Freezing, we bundled in our sleeping bags while boiling water for our morning oats. We forewent coffee to guard against headaches and dehydration at the high altitudes.
A view of the road we climbed early morning during our final day of the pass. Just past the right edge is the 4000m mark.
Jubilation! Nearly crying from joy and too cold to take any other photos, we donned our down jackets and descended.
Before our next ascent we need proper hand wear. Katie wore a thin windproof shell for gloves, and James wore full fingered regular cycling gloves. Not a good choice, but our only option.
