To plan this route, we relied on the Fin del Mundo bikepacking route, and improvised the other parts with poor maps and no documentation. We strived to avoid the National Road, but plenty of dead ends made the alternatives hard to put together. Still, with hybrid setups, we didn't explore off track either. After the barren steppes squared by fences and the raw coasts eroded by strong winds, old growth forests and snow capped mountains were an alleviation. Unlike most, we experienced both directions.
In southern Patagonia, the austral summer was quite rough still : the temperatures were cold, the precipitations were frequent and the west winds were strong enough to even made us ride or hike alike. However, camp options were endless, and a few shelters were opened along the road. Roads were mostly well packed gravel or dirt, but because a few mapped tracks were private, we climbed over fences here and there. The hike a bike at the very south of the route was quite demanding, but no other parts required further skills or equipment.
We were still independent all the way long, and we parted ways for some parts, with each of us a camp set, a cook set, tools and spares. We had warm and waterproof camp and clothes. Thin bags were less influenced by the winds, large tires and tubeless setups gave us more confidence. Water from rivers, lakes, or the few people around was frequent even in the driest season, which we filtered because of the Giardia. Food was available in every village and town we passed by. We camped or sheltered every night along the route without anyone around and leaving no trace.
