Carretera Austral - Time to visit friends

The day started with a bit of fog but quickly going away, and a walk along the Cisnes river. The shore of the river along the Refugio Río Cisnes has a well marked path, which I explored while my tent was drying. Packing took me a bit more time than expected, because of the grassy field. Once packed was time for breakfast with a brownie and other treats from the cafe. With all done, it was time to get back on the saddle.

The road to Villa Mañihuales

Soon after getting out of the camping the road starts to climb what it was the toughest climb of the day. At the top Villa Amengual appeared, which give me the opportunity for a first quick stop. Soon after a quick descent, another chance to stop at Lago Las Torres, a beautiful lake surrounded by forests in a Natural Reserve. The road continues through the forest and slowly some farms start to appear until the road gives way to a valley with larger farms with horses around. Getting closer to Villa Mañihuales most farms are clearly marked by alamo trees, and the hills start to get dotted by flowers from the spring that is just starting. Once in Mañihuales I got lunch while I waited for my friend to pick me up in his car, as his place is a bit far and without easy access.

A weekend with friends

For a long deserved rest, I spent a weekend with a friend from university and his wife. They received me in their small but charming house near Mañihuales, with their 3 dogs, chickens and their 2 newly arrived horses (a mare and its foal). I enjoyed their cooking and we visited Puerto Aysen, for them it was a monthly trip to restock and for me to get snacks for the following days. We took a detour on our way back to visit a waterfall for a lunch/picnic.

My friends’ place is surrounded by forests and mountains, which made the Internet connection a bit difficult. We took advantage of the surroundings for a hike and get their dogs a good walk. The hike took us through a river crossing (where I lost one of my flip-flops), with freezing water from the melting snow, to then follow the path used by forest workers and farmers to move cattle. The forest is full of coihue and, at higher altitudes, lenga trees. There were also traces of burnt trees from the times these valleys were settled, not by indigenous peoples but by Chileans trying to tame these lands. As the path crossed several private lands, it was quiet but we didn’t have the chance to see anything else than some birds. The final crossing of the river that run across all the private lands was a bit more difficult, but lunch was waiting on the other side.

Thanks to my friends, I got a good rest and a warm up for the following days where I included a couple of 100 km rides in succession (something my friend convince me I was capable to do).

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