A little up and over...
Cass had to nip off to Cusco. So I went on to Ollantaytambo a less conventional route.
Cass had to nip off to Cusco. So I went on to Ollantaytambo a less conventional route.
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| 3000 meters of climbing started here. (1802 to 4970 by my GPS) |
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| Dirt roads |
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| soon |
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| turned into bridges and |
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| trails! |
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| A cozy nights accommodation |
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| Yes, its blurry. I was a little shocked when I went out to pee and saw this guy staring down on me. |
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| The first crossing of many glacial run offs |
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| Mt. Salkantay |
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| Some would think that in open paramo the trail would not be so hard to lose. But then there is me. |
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| Creeping up on the shoulder. |
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| A look back down. The more popular route to Machu Picchu can be seen on the other side. |
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| And a look ahead into the Cusichaca valley. |
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| Davie teetering on the knives edge of the Abra Incachiriaska |
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| An afternoon sipper |
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| Coming directly off the pass it was steep, slippery and rocky. Soon it became ripping singletrack! |
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| They had never seen tires so fat on a bicycle before |
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| I think every 25k of trail is like erasing 50 of pavement. |
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| A little wet in places |
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| and a little lush, |
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| What MTB dreams are made of. |
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| Inca walls |
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| Once a tire- then a sandal- now a gate hinge |
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| camping amongst Inca ruins |
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| The only way I'm taking this train is in classic hobo style. |
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| Ollantaytambo. It didn't take me long to find this beautiful old Italian baby. |
Terrific images, so psyched by this post.
ReplyDeleteJoe
Lovely! I just found myself following the trail on google maps satellite view .. :) One can even identify where some of your pictures were taken. How did you found out about this trail?
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! We hiked in this area a few years ago, but bikepacking it would be the ultimate adventure. Thanks for posting about your travels.
ReplyDeleteThanx ya'll. There is a great little book called: Hiking and Biking Peru's Inca Trails by Will Janecek. It has some grerat route suggestions for the area. We found it to be rather inaccurate for distances and elevation and a bit lacking in route notes. Though still worth its weight in Ramen if you are planning on spending some time in the Machu Picchu/ Cusco area.
ReplyDeleteHey Kurt...Jake from the Great Divide Trail in 2009. Amazing pictures of your riding in Peru. My wife's from Lima, and I am down there every six months. I am currently trying to map out a tour through Huancaya and the Cordillera Pariacaca and I could really use your help. Looks like your riding some of the exact trails I'm looking for, but as you know, good maps and knowledge of the area are hard to come by. Let me know if we can chat one day. What's the rest of your route through South America? If you like downhill, try to get to the Olleros Downhill, a singletrack that starts at 11,500 feet and drops to the ocean south of Lima in 50k...Unbelievable! I rode it in May. 4 hour descent!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from New Paltz! While planning for a costa rica bikepack trip I stumbled into your blog and recent adventure. I was out that way hiking a few years ago-saw some familiar spots in your post! Really wonderful area---wish I had wheels when I was there. Rock on-looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteJamie
Jake, Great to hear from you. I`ll gladly help you anyway I can with your tour (bikegreaseandcoffee@yahoo.com). As far as my route, I'm pretty much making things up as I go. Staying up in the mtns and off road as much as possible is all that is certain. Thats DH run sounds amazing! Though I'm already pretty far south of Lima. I got a friend to meet in Lapaz by X-mas. Check out these other great folks and their blogs for route info and amazing photos: http://pikesonbikes.com/ - whileoutriding.com - wishfish.org - www.big-sur.co.uk/
ReplyDeleteCheers
Hi, got to your blog via reading Cass's interesting article on bikepacking in UK CTC mag. Great pics. Thanksfor your postings. Makes me wish I was 30 years younger! Will have to follow on tablet though! Enjoy the sunrises. Best wishes. Mike
ReplyDeleteThanx Mike, Glad you like my little blog. I enjoy the rises and the stets! Bikepacking is ageless, best wishes back to you...
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the pump action espresso machines of Ollantaytambo - happy days! Looks like you really earned that one - truly epic stuff and great photos to boot...
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