San Pedro de Atacama

I flew up to San Pedro to give Daniel a hero's welcome after his race. San Pedro is a small town near the border of Bolivia. It lies 2400m above sea level, has 5000 inhabitants, and overlooks the vast Atacama Desert and Licancabur volcano.

Recent rainfall in the area resulted in the river bank washing away, leaving a gulf next to the road. The walls, which are usually just dusty, are now mud-streaked.

The town is well known for its markets with handcrafted products made by descendants of the first inhabitants of the town, the Atacameños.

We had a lovely weekend together again in the dusty desert town, appreciating the local food and crafts, and resting after a long week apart!

Daniel's Atacama Action

Tent #7: El Toro

Daniel and his tent mates at the end of Stage 2

Hitting a sandy road on Stage 3 

Strolling up a sand dune on Stage 3! 

Blazing through the desert in Stage 4 

Approaching a checkpoint in Stage 5 

Sprinting towards the finish line and Vanessa!

A short video of Daniel crossing the finish line - 4th in Stage 6, 9th overall, and 1st in the 20-29 age group. WELL DONE, DANIEL!

Atacama Crossing

Daniel recently completed his first 4Deserts race in the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile. He finished 9th overall and was the youngest finisher in the Top 10! He also won his age group, 20-29 years!

The race is a multi-stage race that takes place over 7 days and covers 250km. The competitors have to carry their own food and sleeping gear, but they are provided with tents and water. The Atacama is the driest desert in the world, and previously, it hadn't rained there for over 500 years. Two weeks before Daniel's race, however, there were storms and heavy rains and large parts of the desert were flooded!

The six stages of the race take place around the town of San Pedro de Atacama. The course went over salt flats, sand dunes, rocky plains, river crossings, lunar valleys, you name it! Below are some scenic pictures of the race.

 

Glacial Camping

We returned to Yerba Loca for another round of hiking and camping, and this time we made it even further into the mountains.

Our hike started off in a lovely green valley, but the terrain changed over the 13km. Near the end it got pretty steep and rocky as we gained another 500m past the waterfalls that freeze in winter.

The glacier is actually much higher and further away than we anticipated, and although we though we were close last time, and closer this time, it still took Daniel over an hour on an early morning run to reach it. Here's hoping we both make it all the way next time!

Matrimonio Chileno

Our friends, Federico and Joselin, got married on Saturday 14 January, and we were invited to share their special day. Chilean weddings are a serious all-night affair with the ceremony only starting at 8 o'clock at night!

We arrived at the reception venue and sat down to dinner at around 10pm and then the dancing started. We managed to stay until 3am, just as the appetizers were being served, but we weren't hardcore enough to last until the soup at 5am...

Felicitaciones, Fede y Yoyo! Prospera vida matrimonial!

70km Race

On Sunday 8 January Daniel competed in the Licanray-Villarrica 70km Ultra Maraton. After a spectacular sprint, he claimed a podium finish with third place in a time of 6:01:20.

Congratulations, Daniel!

Official race results:
http://www.olimpo.cl/sitio/ultra_resultados2012.html

Article in La Segunda newspaper:
http://www.lasegunda.com/Noticias/Impreso/2012/01/711481/ultramaraton-70-km-al-limite

Official race photos:
(to be uploaded)

Pucón-Villarrica-Lican Ray

We spent the weekend exploring three little villages in Chile's "Lake District": Pucón, Villarrica and Lican Ray. These villages are popular in winter for skiing and hot springs, and in summer for the lakes and beautiful views of the volcano.

We stayed in a cabaña in Lican Ray near La Playa Chica. All the beaches in the area have black sand because of the volcano, and the lakes are a clear, deep blue. We took a boat ride on the tranquil Lago Calafquen, admiring the colorful boats and beautiful private islands.

The area is also where the native Mapuche hail from and there are craft markets galore. We'll definitely be back to visit this beautiful part of Chile.

Camping in the Andes

Daniel and I spent New Year's Eve camping in the Andes. We hiked up from Yerba Loca to a beautiful camping site at over 2800m near a glacier. We managed to sneak a bottle of wine into our rucksacks, which we enjoyed in our valley, next to a river, with the glacier and waterfalls in the background.

It was a little hard at times to take in enough fresh air for the next breath, but we survived the altitude and welcomed the new year together.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo a todo!