Atacama Desert news

The Atacama is dry, high and large. Nestled in a narrow strip between the Pacific and Andes it covers over 40,000 square miles (105,000 square kilometres). It's been on our 'places to be' list since visiting Chile in 2006.

Today, just about everyone seems to know about the Atacama because of the mining accident that has trapped 33 miners awaiting rescue some 700 m below the surface. It's winter right now, and the desert is cold. Underground it's another story though with 30+ degrees.

Apparently the miners might still be caught below when we will be in the area in early December. Wishing the miners, families and rescue team speedy success in getting these miners back to the surface!

Return to Adirondack backcountry

We will spend the Labour Day long weekend back in the High Peaks backcountry camping and hiking some more 46ers. We extended the weekend by 2.5 days so we can tune up and adjust things according to the learnings.

The big test: will my latest blister prevention strategy work? It's a combo of new socks, taking off boots at lunch to let my feet cool down/dry out; and tying my boots a bit differently. Then there are copious amounts of moleskin and second skin.

We will be using a water microfilter (MSR) for the first time (used Aquatabs on our last trip and will bring them as back up).

To save weight for the 4 or 5 days we will be out there we are opting for dehydrated dinners and dried fruit along with oatmeal, nuts and bars for daily nutrition. I made a comprehensive meal plan listing weight, calories as well as carbs, protein and fat. That was an enlightening exercise!

Hiking in the rain

Today we went to Gatineau Park for a little training hike, just 9.5 k from Champlain Lookout to Meech Lake and back.. It turned out to be training in the rain. So out came the  rain jacket, back pack cover and we got to examine the interplay between the two. We were testing the "breathability" factor of rain gear ... while hiking uphill with 40 lb packs; that was rather aerobic.

What did I learn today?

The exertion that comes with lugging heavy packs keeps you warm - rain or not. The rain gear is great when it rains hard enough (it did!). If it's just a bit wet you are better off keeping the rain jacket off (ie maximum breathability) and just make sure you can change into dry clothes when done. Also, I was wearing a technical base layer that is designed to keep warm while wet - it worked.

Hiking boots (yes, boots, not shoes) are drying out now :) Backpack isn't since it stayed dry. All in all a fine experience.

Hiking shoes and feet

Us after 4 days in the backcountry

Every time we go hike or camp or generally play outside, I learn something. That's one of the great things about being outside. Last Saturday I learned two important things.

We went on an urban training hike. Thankfully, Ottawa is beautiful and the rivers are close by.
Last time when we hiked in the mountains  I lost a bunch of skin on my heels. So, I thought I try wearing a pair of hiking shoes rather than my boots. I also carried about 45lbs on my back.

I learned that my hiking shoes do not give enough support to my feet when carrying that much weight (even if it's only 2.5 hours and we're walking on paved paths). Of course, my feet aren't as strong as they might be (last few years I've had occasion to see my physio about some foot pains).

I also learned that pain diminishes when moving in challenging terrain: we carried 50+ lb when hiking to Lake Colden, which took 4.5 hours for the 6+ miles and involved climbing over some huge boulders along the way. That must have been more demanding than this urban hike and yet the urban hike hurt more.

I think that is because when hiking on difficult, single track paths one's attention is on almost everything else before considering any pain one might feel. It's a different 'normal.'

Where in South America are we going?

This map shows in yellow highlighter the places we will be exploring for 3 months this fall (actually, spring and summer in the southern hemisphere :)

In blue I marked the places we visited in 2006 in Chile and in 2007 in Argentina. Just click it to enlarge the view.

Basically, we are looking to explore boths ends of the Andes, having spent time in the middle. That means Patagonia way south and Peru (Cordillera Blanca), Bolivia (Cordillera Real) and Atacama Desert (Chile) to the north.

Distance from our location farthest north (Huaraz, Peru) to farthest south (Ushuaia) as the crow flies: about 5,100 km
Distance from Ottawa to Ushuaia: 11,150 km
Compare distance across Canada (St John's, NFLD to Victoria BC): 4,900 km
Needless to say, a good portion of our travel budget goes to air fare.

La Paz

Jan's been searching hotels in La Paz, and finding some great options. We're looking for cheap or mid-range - which there means something less than $40/night. We'll be seeing a couple of good friends who are visiting there in early November. We're planning to spend a few days in the city to see it with our friend who grew up there, but hasn't been back since leaving (some 20+ years ago). That's special.

We plan to do a lot of hiking above 4,000m in Peru's Cordillera Blanca before going to La Paz; that means we should be well acclimatized to altitude by then, and not suffer a whole lot when we get to La Paz which sits at 4,000m. Apparently, there's oxygen available at the airport and in hotels, to help people along when first arriving.

Packing list

Here's the list of what we think we're bringing. Our target weight is under 23 kg for airline travel and about 20-22 kg for trekking - we'll exchange items not needed on a particular trek for water, food, fuel.

Backpack
Day pack
Stuff sacks, compression and dry

Tent with fly and footprint
Tarp/emergency blanket
Sleeping bag (to -3C)
Sleeping pad

Stove
Fuel canisters (buy fuel locally)
Matches (buy locally)
Tea towel
Cooking pots, spatula
Plate, cup, cutlery
Coffee bodum (plastic)
Water bottles (2)
Water purification tablets
Camp soap (biodegradable)
Zip lock bags
Trowel

Hiking boots
Hiking shoes or sandals
Gaiters
Trekking pools
First aid kit for hiking
Tiny emergency blanket
Whistle /vanity carabiner
Short rope; D carabiner
Swiss army knife
Duct tape
2 Headlamps and extra batteries
Compass
Sunscreen/lip balm (SPF 30 – 50)
Travel Towel
Toiletries (tooth brush, comb, toothpaste, soap, medication, lotion, toilet paper, hand sanitizer (Purell!), tampons/pads, razor)
Sun glasses 

Maps

Guidebook pages 

Small notebook and pencil

Spanish-English dictionary

Satellite phone  
Camera, battery charger, electrical adaptor, USB cord 

1 rain jacket
1 soft shell 
1 super light wind jacket
1 rain pants
2 hiking pants (one converts to shorts)
1 jeans
1 hiking shorts 
3 t-shirts (quick drying)
2 tank top
1 light-weight fleece top
1 hoody (mid weight - warm)
1 long-sleeved top
1 cool tex
1 long underwear
5 pairs of hiking socks 
Underwear
Wind stopper (similar to bandana)

Travel documents, airline tickets, itinerary, credit/debit cards, money belt, wallet, phone numbers

Lake Colden base camp

Camping at Lake Colden turned out to be an inspired choice.

The view across the lake toward Avalanche pass, with Avalanche mountain on the left and Mt Colden on the right - #11 of the 46ers with over 4,700 feet - was awesome. Apart from other hikers/campers and a forest ranger there was just wilderness.

A couple of mornings were cloudy which made for a fine show as the clouds lifted slowly, revealing the mountains.

We used chemical water treatment taking the water right out of the creek near our camp site. That simple act made me think about water in totally new ways, again. Reminded me of the 2 weeks we spent in the desert in Joshua Tree in 2002. Everything changes when water is something one must actually think about and take responsibility for.

In the backcountry

Four days unsupported in the backcountry of the Adirondack Wilderness.

Jan at Marcy Dam

On the first day we rented the mandatory bear canisters and packed our food and stowed them in the bottom of our backpacks. Then added sleeping bag/pad/tent, stove/fuel/pots, water, emergency gear, minimal clothes and 50+ pounds in each pack we were off. That is one heavy pack to lug 6.3 miles from Adirondack Loj, via Avalanche Pass to Lake Colden. (We brought mostly 'real' food, as we aren't certain about access to dehydrated food when travelling.)

Things we learned that day: 4 days might be the outer limit of what we care to do on our own here, but at 3,000  to 4,000 m altitude this is not a pack I want to carry! Dehydrated food is awesome. We had some Backpacker Pantry with us. Delicious.

Of course, for our hike out on the last day, we decided that going over Mount Colden (#11 of the 46ers at over 4,700 feet - with a solid 1,950 foot ascend over 1.5 miles) since our packs would be lighter (guessing it was still 40 lbs) would be just the thing. We made it up the steep side and down the much more gradual descent (thankfully); 8.3 miles in all. (This is Jan at the summit on a windy, wet day) What a hard day coming out this way. Adirondack peaks are steep and challenging and requiring the occasional climbing move. Not easy with big packs.