Patalaska: The Beginning of our Bikepacking Journey
Whilst living in Belgium, Ryan and I often wondered what our next adventure would look like. After hiking the Great Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail (which we still need to finish one day!), we found ourselves dreaming of a trip that would allow us to spend lots of time in nature once more. After both studying and working for two years (Ryan as a greenkeeper in a golf course, myself as an English teacher), the urge to travel was burning. We decided to buy two Surly Ogre bicycles, and that’s how an old dream of Ryans reemerged …
He told me about the Pan-American highway throughout North-, Central- and South-America, the lakes and beaches, Spanish language and camaraderie, the hospitality and remote parks. We scoured the map of the Americas and traced trails, off-road tracks and natural phenomena. The dream grew bigger … What if we followed into the footsteps - or pedals - of many cyclists before us and traveled the Americas by bike?
It’s hard to say where to begin or to end, how far we will get, how long we will last … So we decided to begin in Ushuaia, the name of our favourite shampoo and as well the southernmost city in the world. From there on, we would cycle our way up north. Let’s see how far we can get… Alaska, maybe? It is an absolute dream destination for the both of us. If we would have started there, I’m not certain we would have been able to leave the state of Alaska at all…
The past few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster. Saying goodbye to colleagues, friends and family, getting the bikes ready, plus moving out of our beloved apartment in the Christmas holidays … it was a lot to deal with. We were grateful to be able to spend the last few days of the year at my parents’ house before we left. On the last day of the year, we waved our last goodbyes as we stepped on the train with two heavy bike boxes. The doors of the train shut and the realization dawned upon me: We’re on our own now. Tears streamed down my face as I felt the pain of leaving my friends and parents behind in Bruges… The landscape passed us by the window and we silently said goodbye to our safe haven, to my homelands, to Belgium.
Three days and three flights later, we set foot in windy Ushuaia… without bikes or checked bag. That’s right, we started off the new year with a big bang! The bikes eventually found their way back to us, but the checked bag got lost along the way. That bag contained our beloved Big Agnes tent, Ryan’s sleeping pad, clothes, 1 Ortlieb pannier, lots of bike gear etcetera - in total at least 1500 euros worth of gear and hours of preparation beforehand. Our worlds were turned upside down just as we landed on the other side of the world…
It soon became clear that the lost bag would not return to us that easily, since the Air Tag inside it shows its location in a small city in France… Très bizarre! On top of that, Ryan lost his AirPods and I broke my sunglasses. Bad things happen in threes, right?
It feels like we’re being tested, both emotionally and financially, but we carry on and make the necessary phone calls. Since waiting on our bag is - most likely - pointless, we roam the outdoor shops and bike stores of Ushuaia in search of new gear. Eventually, we find replacements that may not be the lightest or most suitable, but it will work! Once more, we realize how spoiled we are, to have easy access to almost anything.
On January 7th, it’s time to hit the road! We start our journey just outside of Ushuaia in Tierra Del Fuego National Park to spend our first night out camping and begin our northbound journey. The infamous inflation in Argentina also finds its way to the national park system (from 12.000 pesos in 2023 to 40.000 pesos in 2025 - roughly around 35 euros per person), but because of the symbolism as the start of our journey, we simply cannot pass this opportunity. We cycle all the way to the end of the world… and so it begins :)
