Day 6: Back on track

Ray was feeling much better this morning and, after a day's rest, I was game to give my injured foot a chance as well. The day today is very different from what we've experienced so far with cloudy skies and more manageable temperatures.

Ray and I get into an effective ryhthm early and navigate our way down the two lane highway that winds its way out of the Andes. This is an impressive road that sweeps wildly down a vast river valley with mountains soaring thousands of feet above us on both sides. Like it's Chilean counterpart, the road has little for a shoulder and is choked with drivers - unfortunately mostly truckers - hell bent on getting somewhere fast.

It's a frustrating visual dance between spectacular scenery and kamikaze traffic. The drivers respect us for the most part giving us space whenever possible and even saluting us with a wave or a honk on occasion. But among the good there's always the bad and at kilometer 25 while traversing a particularly tight section up against a metal guard rail, a large truck swerves at us without warning. The drivers action is clearly deliberate and he misses us by mere inches. We both leap against the metal rail, me twisting my left ankle in the process. With an injured right foot and now left foot I find myself wobbling down the road like some ultra-running caricature of John Wayne.

This close call sets us on edge for the rest of the day and the anxiety wears on us. The road is incredible though, tunneling through mountains at some points while skirting precipices at others. We routinely see the twisted remains of guardrails scattered among the boulders and slabs of rock, hundreds of feet below us, testament to the dangers of this road.

At kilometer 40 I bow out for the day, handing the 'baton' to Bob who will join Ray for the remaining section. Since hurting myself on the first day of the expedition I have reduced my mileage in an attempt at getting better. I suspect trying to run nearly a marathon per day is taking the concept of active rest to an unreasonable limit but relative to what Ray is accomplishing this expedition the distance seems about right.

Our day ends in the small community of Uspallata, 70 kilometers closer to the Atlantic and our goal.