| One day, James, a friend of mine here in Cotahuasi, | | | | lots of llamas and sheep, which somehow survive |
| Peru, approached me and asked a favor. He said he | | | | eating the very rough and sharp grass that grows up |
| was putting on a large mountain bike tour the | | | | there. We couldn't actually see Charcana because it |
| beginning of May. He had asked for my help in | | | | was down in a canyon somewhere ahead of us. |
| checking out a potential route across the high plain to | | | | After many false sightings of what I hoped was the |
| Charcana, as I was familiar with part of the route. I | | | | correct canyon, we finally reached the far rim of the |
| had done a 16 hour hike across that area with Max, | | | | high plateau and I could see Charcana on the other |
| another friend who is a government official working | | | | side of the canyon. It seemed so close that we |
| on many projects here. That time he was | | | | weren't worried about the time and spent too long |
| researching an area on the high plain to use for a | | | | taking pictures on top of a couple of large boulders |
| vicuña preserve. Vicuña are an | | | | that were on the edge of the rim. |
| endangered wild animal, related to the llama, whose | | | | Finally realizing that is was getting late; we started |
| wool is VERY valuable, and hence poaching is a big | | | | down the trail that led down the canyon towards |
| problem. | | | | Charcana. However the trail soon turned off and |
| Back to the bike trip, at 3:15 Saturday morning, a | | | | headed up that canyon instead of continuing down to |
| horn honked outside my house and I joined Julio and | | | | the bottom in the direction of Charcana. It also |
| Daniel in a truck for the three hour ride up to our | | | | became a very poor trail, overgrown and in bad |
| starting place at 14,000 feet elevation. On the way | | | | condition, nothing like the main trail that we had been |
| we stopped three times, each time picking up a | | | | on. After awhile we decided that we must be on the |
| horse and numerous people who were going that | | | | wrong trail. But there had been no obvious junction |
| was as well. Fortunately we got to ride in the cab | | | | and by that time we decided it was better to |
| instead of in the back of truck in the cold with the | | | | continue than to go back and try to find the correct |
| horses. There is no public transportation that goes up | | | | trail, especially as we had no idea where to look for |
| to the high plain in spite of the fact that many people | | | | it. We could see a trail heading towards Charcana on |
| live up there. The villages are small and far apart so it | | | | the other side of the canyon, so we agreed to |
| would probably not be economically feasible for | | | | continue going up the canyon to intercept that trail |
| combi (minivan bus) service. After what seemed like | | | | as the river looked too deep to cross if we were to |
| ages, we were finally dropped off in the middle of | | | | go straight down to it. |
| nowhere at a sign for the school in "Laxa" with an | | | | After over an hour the trail arrived at the river and |
| arrow pointing to the left, there was nothing in sight | | | | there was a suitable place to cross it, for which we |
| except a small trail. | | | | were very thankful. We were even more thankful to |
| It was light by the time we started to ride at 6:15, | | | | discover that the trail we had seen on the other side |
| following the very rocky trail Max and I had hiked | | | | was a beautiful trail for biking, with gentle ups and |
| previously. Of course, riding a bike is much different | | | | downs and lots of fun curves. We had a great ride |
| than hiking. The trail dropped down into a deep gully | | | | but we were hungry, thirsty and very tired when we |
| and climbed steeply back up the other side. It was | | | | finally arrived in Charcana at about 4:15 in the |
| too steep to ride so we had to push our bikes. Julio | | | | afternoon. We were the local heroes when they |
| soon had a flat tire from the thorns on the trail. We | | | | heard we had ridden our bikes across the high plain |
| passed by the one room school that was near a few | | | | but then confirmed that we were "loco" when we |
| houses, but otherwise out in the middle of a large | | | | said we were going to continue on to Cotahuasi |
| empty plain. We were on the trail to Lacsa but | | | | instead of staying there. The locals tried to convince |
| reached a point where I was pretty sure that we | | | | us to spend the night there but we all had plans for |
| needed to head in a different direction to go to | | | | things to do in the morning and said that we needed |
| Charcana, as we had hiked to Andamarca on the | | | | to get back to Cotahuasi that evening. There is a |
| previous trip. Fortunately, we saw a woman walking | | | | phone in Charcana so we called Max in Cotahuasi to |
| off in the distance so were able to get general | | | | see if he could come in his pickup and meet us part |
| directions from her. She had pointed off to the right | | | | way and give us a ride back. We weren't able to talk |
| of the trail we were on and we could see the trail | | | | to him directly but did leave a message for him. We |
| climbing up a ridge on the other side of the plain. | | | | bought a large bottle of soda and some cookies and |
| Thinking that cutting cross-country would be as good | | | | after a short rest headed down the trail towards |
| as the poor trail we were on, we headed in that | | | | Andamarca and Cotahuasi. |
| direction. | | | | This was a trail I was familiar with and it was a fairly |
| That wasn't a great decision but we had almost | | | | good trail so we were able to make good time for a |
| arrived at the trail when the strap on my daypack | | | | couple of hours, until it started to get dark. I have a |
| broke. Here we are at about 14,000 feet with no | | | | good set of bike lights but before we left in the |
| needle and thread, how do we fix a broken strap? | | | | morning I realized that the batteries were not |
| The brake cable on my bike was longer than needed | | | | charged so hadn't brought them with me. All I had |
| but I had not cut off the extra length, I just left it | | | | was my small LED headlamp, and the batteries in that |
| sticking out the end. We broke a few strands off of | | | | were not fully charged, and I didn't have any spare |
| that and Julio used the wire to sew the strap back | | | | batteries. Daniel had a small bike light but his batteries |
| on the pack! Crisis averted and we were on our way | | | | weren't fresh either. By the time it got dark, we had |
| again. | | | | reached a new dirt road. It had just been built and |
| Now we were finally on the main trail to Charcana, | | | | wasn't firmly packed yet so wasn't the greatest for |
| which was an old Inca trail. We went through the | | | | biking. So here we were, three bikers with two lights |
| ruins of the old village of Lacsa, bypassing the current | | | | going as fast as we dared down a very winding |
| village. We followed the trail across the high plain for | | | | mountain road, trying to get as far as possible before |
| miles, going down into and climbing out of numerous | | | | our lights went out. |
| deep gullies on the way. At one point there were a | | | | We had been riding at night for about two hours |
| few stone towers, about six feet high, near the trail. | | | | with our dimming lights, and had passed through |
| Of course we had to stop and take pictures with our | | | | Andamarca to a better and safer road, when we |
| bikes on top of one of the towers. | | | | saw some lights coming towards us. We soon |
| In typical local fashion, my fellow bikers had a bag of | | | | realized that it was the Cotahuasi police but figured |
| bread rolls and about a quart of water between | | | | that they must be going to some emergency, as |
| them, and I'm sure were laughing at my full pack. | | | | they had their light flashing. By this time our lights |
| However at lunchtime, after sharing my water, trail | | | | were worthless so we were walking, pushing our |
| mix, cheese, an apple and cookies with them, they | | | | bikes. We met the police at 8:15, 14 hours after we |
| probably were glad I had brought more than they did. | | | | started riding, and found out that Max had sent them |
| We were on a trail that was new to me, and I was | | | | to rescue us because he didn't have any gas for his |
| the guide; all we knew was that we were going in | | | | truck. We gladly put our bikes in the back of their |
| the right direction for Charcana. We passed a few | | | | pickup and rode back to Cotahuasi with them, saving |
| houses and buildings, all made out of stones as that | | | | us a couple more hours of "hike a bike" in the dark. |
| was the only building material up on the plain. Also | | | | |