After a long time enjoying your amazing adventures I am finally planning a bigger one myself.
I am in the middle of writing my master thesis and am currently researching/dreaming about/prepping for a bikepacking trip for after I hand in. For the first time in a while (and probably for a while) I have time to take a couple of months off and use some of my savings on a proper adventure.
I've fallen in love with the idea of flying in to La Paz in Bolivia and embarking on Mark and Hana's Camino del Puma route. I do, of course, have a bunch of questions – even after spending most of my procrastination time researching.
First of all: a reality check. Things like these are of course individual, but I would love to hear from someone with experience if it sounds like I am getting in over my head. I am a 26 year old guy and fairly fit. I plan to bike 1-1,5 months. The biking itself doesn't concern me too much, also at such altitudes. I am fine doing shorter/slower days, enough rest days, and I plan to spend some good time in La Paz to acclimatize before setting off. I have been on two shorter trips in Europe before, one solo. These were mostly on paved/light gravel roads, however, and Europe is of course something very very different than the Andes mountains. I have a decent amount of experience wild camping, but usually not too far from people and in friendly Scandinavian forests.
As for bike specific things: I am familiar with most repairs that I could imagine happening on the road, such as punctures, cables braking and other bits and bobs coming loose. I will bring extra spokes and the NBT2 to access the drive-side spokes if needed. The bike is a 90s steel MTB, rigid, that I am building into a touring setup. It takes maximum 2.1 inch wheels and I plan to kit it with the Schwalbe Marathon off-road versions.
I am up for a proper adventure, but I also want to avoid jumping head first with my young-guy-invincible-ego into some potentially very bad decisions.
My main specific concerns are a) getting major mechanicals on the road and having no-one around to hitch a hike with, b) getting properly sick far away from people, and c) running out of food and/or water and not being able to find some/the next village shop being closed for whatever reason. Anyone have any tips and/or reassuring words here?
And two specific questions:
- A water filter and/or purification tablets seem absolutely necessary. But which, and why? I find a thousand different answers online, and having no experience using either I find it hard to choose one for the Andes specifically.
- Cooking stove. I have a very simple screw-on burner for gas canisters and access to a Trangia alcohol stove that I really like. I believe La Paz and maybe Arequipa will be the only places where I could buy gas, but what about alcohol (Benzina Blanca)? I am guessing I will be ~ 2 weeks on the road in-between the two main cities, is it feasible to carry enough fuel for that whole time or do I have to rely on getting some on the way? People recommend the MSR Whisperlite International, is that a good option for this area? If so, what specifically am I looking for as fuel? It is expensive, but if that’s what it takes then I am okay with investing.
- (Extra: Dogs? I’ve been face-to-face with some absolutely huge Turkish shepherd dogs on holiday before, and would rather not spend too much time in such company alone on the road. How is this in the Andes? What is the way to go? Carry a stick?)
This is already a long post, so I will hold off on more thoughts. All insights are super appreciated! Either general or specific to the route area. Thanks a lot.
by ehildeb
4 Comments
Im going on the Peru Divide in Sept.
On supplies, better to over carry than to under. Look the days ahead. Carry plus two days of food. Take care of acclimatising properly for the altitude.
1. I will have a sawyer filter with me. If in doubt you can always boil the water.
2. Get an alcohol stove — it’s widely available
3. I’ve been trained in Greece with dogs — read how to treat them. From my experience, show no fear, you have the upper hand, don’t run away, keep your pace, spray them with water if they are getting too close, shout. I suggest you to look up the vaccines you need, including Rabies.
Hey. I’m on my way to Bolivia via Ecuador and Peru. Hit me up when you arrive in case we’re there at the same time.
Don’t worry about altitude. There’s nothing you can do to prepare for it and it affects everyone differently. La Paz is already at a high altitude so try to factor in some days there to acclimatise and of course bring altitude medication. Side affects include constant urination. I know some people who bring an empty bottle to bed to save getting up at night.
For your questions I’d say:
a) Plan for the repairs you have the skills and tools to do. You should have very good tyre repair options and some chain links. Loctite all of your bolts so they don’t fall out.
b) Consider a Guardian In-Reach or similar device for serious emergencies.
c) I always carry too much water and food. You never know how long a road will take you (it’s almost always longer than you hope) and there’s nothing as stressful as running out of water. I carry 5L at a minimum per day. The filter I’ve recommended below can filter water from a puddle, but you might not even have that option in some parts.
1. I have the MRS Guardian Gravity. It’s the only one on the market that I could find that filters viruses. The bag is fantastic as I can hang it and filter water over lunch or in the evenings in a hotel. I haven’t bought water in the past 3 months of touring. I’m very glad I didn’t get the pump version.
2. I travel with a Trangia burner and the Trangia Triangle to support it. Very cheap, bulletproof and alcohol is widely available. Gas canisters are not.
3. I find that when a dog runs at you, the best thing to do is stop. They immediately stop running at you and after a minute or so of chilling, I am usually able to ride off without an issue. If they try to start chasing again, I often just dismount and walk the bike for a minute and they loose interest.
If you have other questions, hit me up.
https://preview.redd.it/i2db3q1r266d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83576129dc87c7aaca26af17b22b6a07646b420e
Here’s a gratuitous photo for your viewing pleasure. Mark & Hana in South America celebrating an outrageous mileage milestone. I don’t know specifically about the portion of their route that you are contemplating but I do know that they started their journey on bikes with 2.6” tires and eventually swapped out to bikes that could run 3.0” tires.
In about three weeks i’ll be going off to Bolivia and Peru aswell. I know for a fact that the canisters can be bought in La Paz and Arequipa.
For the water i myself bring a 1.5L bottle with a filter, it’s not ideal but i think it ought to do the job.
Besides all the ‘hardware’ a few words of Spanish will bring great benefit, so i’ve been told.