Kilometres this section : 104
Kilometres completed : 1,928
I opt to not take a day off in Palena, despite the hard work over the last few days. It's not much of a place, and in three days time I should be in Trevelin, a substantial town. Easy enough to get there too, only 100km or so, almost all on roads, starting with 10km of gentle climb on route 235. This leads to a potential obstacle - I need to cross back into Argentina here, at Paso Río Encuentro, and I am looking a little worse for wear after two months of walking. Will the border guards approve of this apparent vagrant wanting to cross, I wonder? In the event it's not a problem, the guards on both sides are friendly, and the crossing doesn't take long. Even better, as I hoped the village just into Argentina, Carrenleufú, has a panadería where I buy many baked products for lunch. More easy walking, the road is now gravel, after fresh tarmac on the Chilean side, the surroundings green, wooded hills. A bridge over Río Corcovado, locals are picnicking and swimming, I collect some water and head north on a more minor road, route A30 - back to gravel, it's more authentic I suppose. Just a little way to my planned stop, with 35km done, quite a few buildings around here but I find a sheltered spot in the woods. Then as I'm putting up the tent, a couple of dogs turn up, oops - I must be pretty near someone's home. Fortunately they just look at me briefly then depart, rather than furiously barking. Given it has just started to rain, I really didn't need somebody coming to tell me I can't camp here!
I survive the night undetected, and walk off, quickly reaching a small village, Cerro Centinela, no sign of any stores here, although it does see the road surface change to tarmac, so easy. I join provincial route 17 and walk past Laguna Theobald, with a fine view to the snowy mountains that mark the border. Then a road so minor it has no number, and is no more than a dirt track - maybe private, though there was no sign. Well, easy enough, a gentle ascent, I am making good time. I did want to give myself some leeway today, the last few km will be the start of a short section that is not a road - will it be a barely detectable path? In fact, after a few km of vehicle track I do get a bit of horse trail, but it's in good condition and flat enough. Actually the only problem is the Patagonian flora, which often tends to have annoying spiky seeds, they're particularly bad here. Still I have no trouble doing 40km, only 29 left to Trevelin. Oh, and interesting animal life makes a return, I think a skunk? Sure was a friendly little critter anyway.
Just a little more horse trail, then a gravel track, and I am on a public road again, Ruta Nacional 259 even - still a gravel track, but there's a fair bit of traffic, going very slowly. Good to get off it, minor roads and even a bit more trail, and I am in Trevelin by 3pm. Not quite as big as I imagined, but I have an actual apartment booked, and there are restaurants here with menus and beer on tap, oh yes. I enjoy a large pizza and a glass or two, surprisingly enough. Interesting place this, mostly settled by Welsh people back in the day, a sign near my apartment informs me that the first store in town was built there, opened by Señor Robert Bobbie Williams. There are even bilingual signs in Spanish and Welsh! More importantly for me there's a decent supermarket, I acquire yet more socks, and new trekking poles. An even more momentous purchase is a new pair of shoes, obviously I started in a pair from Decathlon which have lasted nearly 2,000km, hopefully the new ones will survive some decent fraction of that.
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