Intro Today was Day 334 of this journey, and it began with a shivering 3.8°C morning inside a cold schoolhouse in Pillone. After five days of wild camping or invitations and high-altitude grit since leaving Arequipa, my only goal was reaching Yunga, where the promise of a real bed and Read more
Intro The morning in Yunga began at a crisp 9.7°C under a sky so clear it felt fragile. After yesterday’s forced rest, I was curious if my lungs would cooperate with the 432-meter climb ahead on the hard-packed gravel towards Ichuña, a short 23-kilometer test for my recovering chest. The Read more
Intro Day 333 began inside the Tico Tico Restaurant, packing gear in the dim light of a 6:40 a.m. wake-up call. The morning was deceptively calm at 11.2°C, and for once, the gravel road ahead looked smooth, free of the soul-crushing washboard sections that have defined the Peruvian Altiplano lately. Read more
Intro The morning in Yunga didn’t break with the usual high-altitude sun; instead, it arrived with a persistent rain that turned the concrete main street into a slick, grey ribbon. I woke up with a throat that felt like it had been scraped with a wire brush, a sharp pain […]
Intro The sky was a sterile, cold blue this morning as I packed up my tent in Salinas Huito. At 7.5°C, the air felt thin and sharp, and my 09:20 departure was far later than I’d planned for the 30-kilometer grind across the washboard gravel. The road surface was already […]
Intro The sky over the Arequipa region was a sterile, cloudless blue when I pulled away from camp at 09:05. Starting at 11.9°C with a light breeze, the day promised a brutal 934-meter vertical gain over gravel and sand. By the time I reached the high passes, the temperature had […]
Intro The morning air in Arequipa was a deceptive 18.8°C as I ate my final rooftop breakfast of tuna and avocado ciabatta. This was the start of a seven-day push toward Puno, and my bike felt every gram of the extra water and supplies needed for the high-altitude stretch ahead. […]
Intro It is nearly midnight in Arequipa, and the dry Andean air is currently competing with the heat radiating from my laptop fan. Today was officially a rest day, but in the reality of a cross-continental trek, rest is simply a euphemism for administrative labor and mechanical triage. The morning Read more
Intro The sky over Arequipa remained a hard, cloudless blue today, offering a deceptive sense of calm before tomorrow’s departure. My legs are rested, but my mind is occupied with the logistics of the seven-day self-supported climb toward Puno that begins at dawn. Today was about understanding the literal foundation […]
Intro Day 328 in Arequipa began under a clear 18.8°C sky, a stark contrast to the frozen silence of the high passes. After the grit of the climb from Chivay, the morning felt like a necessary recalibration for both my legs and the bike before the seven-day push toward Puno. […]