Biking from Argentina to Alaska

Cycling a 15,000 Mile Cross-Country Adventure

On a 16-month long solo bicycle trip, across 14 countries and 23,000 kms (almost 15,000 miles), scaling the biggest summits in The Andes, biking through unknown parts of South America, climbing active volcanoes in Ecuador, nearly taken hostage by Colombian guerrillas, and running of water in the US desert, Santiago Yanez reached his destination in Alaska.

Preparing for the Cycling Route to Alaska

In Buenos Aires, he went to the embassies of all the countries he was planning to visit to find out as much information as possible before departing - the best routes to bike and the high risk areas in each country, from health to social issues. He took a bike and a 45-kilogram bag (which included a tent she hardly used, thanks to many people's hospitality), and left Mendoza in west central Argentina. He headed towards the Andes Mountain range further west.

Cycling through Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador

On the first leg, he biked from northern Argentina up to La Paz, Bolivia, then to the mine city of Potosi, the highest city in the world at 4,300 m above sea level. The altitude and the weather caused a dangerous delay and he was admitted to hospital for food poisoning, exhaustion, exposure, and altitude sickness.

In Ecuador, she climbed beautiful but active volcanoes like the 3,600 m high Reventador, located about 95 km northeast of Quito. Noises, incandescence and tremors were a frightening part of the climbing experience, and a constant rain developed mud flows that caused the closing of the main roads and the Chaco highway. He left volcanoes behind and started down the road to Popayan, Colombia.

Colombian Guerrillas and a Baptism in Peru

Popayan was blocked by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC). Bus passengers had been taken hostage, TV crews were there, and the Colombian military forces were on their way. He was stopped and her bike seized until a family she had stayed with in Popayan saw her on a TV news update and came to his rescue.

In Peru, he became a godfather to a one-year-old sick child. Peruvian natives believe that the godfather passes on his health to the child, he stayed for two weeks and learned the Quechua language, in which he conducted the baptism ceremony.

Cycling through Mexico, America, and Canada

After cycling through Mexico and the Sonora Desert in Arizona in temperatures of 48.5 C, without seeing another person for several days, Yanez was running out of water. All he had left for the next 18-hour stretch was a can of tomatoes, some granola bars and a piece of fruit. Finally, he reached a gas station, so dehydrated he couldn't talk.

It took him 4 days to recover from the desert and continue the journey. The next 3 months took him to Montana, where he crossed into Alberta, Canada, then British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, back to the Rockies and finally up to Alaska. It was September 2000, a year and a half after he set out.