After breakfast in camp we loaded the bikes into our truck and drove to the top of Cerro Akati. From there we'd ride the almost seven mile section from the day before, only downhill this time! Greg had offered that he could drive us there and get some video of our ride down. We gladly took him up on the offer since it meant we wouldn't have to pound out that grueling uphill section to the third-highest peak in Paraguay. My brother, Dave, and I geared up for the long descent that would take us back to camp, about 1,200 feet below. Check out this video of our bikepacking trip! The last four sections show the downhill ride from Cerro Akati.
We were following a dirt road used by vehicles. Dave and I quickly realized that the large rocks in the road we had crept past on our ascent the day before posed a serious hazard when traveling a high speeds. The wind blew past our ears and whipped our shirts as we barreled downward. We rarely had to pedal. Most of our energy was now being spent on plotting out our lines (looking where to go)- navigating between rocks, around gravelly curves and absorbing the relentless vibrations. Split-second decisions were necessary to stay on the bike. If we plotted a bad line and suddenly came upon a ditch we didn't see coming we could often hop our bikes over the obstacle.
About ten minutes into the descent Dave called me to stop. He had blown a tire. I waited in the shade as he quickly patched it up and we were soon on our way again. We were really moving along when Dave noticed he had lost tire pressure again. By the time we reached camp we had stopped no less than three times to fix Dave's tire. I was impressed with his ability to patch it up so quickly on the fly. Even with those delays we had gone all that way in just 45 minutes. That was pretty impressive when considering the hours it took us to cover the same ground the day before. Riding up this hill required endurance but riding down it was exhilarating! I guess that's why most of the bike videos I watch only ever show riders going downhill; watching uphill in slow-mo just wouldn't be quite as inspiring.
After lunch we said goodbye to Greg who had to get back home. Then my brother and I strapped all our gear onto our bikes including a tent, sleeping bags and a stove. We were headed to another camp perched atop the highest waterfall in Paraguay: Salto Suizo. I was surprised to find how well my bike handled carrying what was probably 30 pounds of gear. My tin cookware occasionally rattled inside the gear bag that fit snugly inside my bike's frame. Dave carried our tent on his handlebars while I had found that was a great place to put my camera. Sleeping bags and sleeping pads securely strapped to the back of our saddles. Leaving the road, our path turned steeply uphill through a forested section. It was in these woods that I learned that 'hike-a-bike' is not wimping out but is actually a valid way to navigate through terrain that is not rideable.
At the top of the hill we emerged from the woods upon a manioc field. Manioc is the potato-like root that Paraguayans eat with almost every meal. We rode through a farm and arrived at one of my favorite spots in Paraguay- a spectacular view looking across the valley past Salto Suizo. It would literally all be downhill from there!
We coasted down the grassy hillside along single-track that farmers use to get to their fields. The grass was so tall we couldn't see the ground. But the way proved to be smooth as we cruised past cattle, fences and into a bamboo forest. Finally we reached our destination. It was almost humorous how perfect everything appeared. Sun filtered through the treetops, a babbling brook ran past our campsite before falling 200 feet to the pool below and ducklings waddled past us catching up with their mom. I half expected to see the seven dwarves but they never showed up.
After pitching our tent we clambered over boulders and down wooden ladders that took us below the falls. There we took a very cold swim in a pool which the sun almost never reaches.
Back at camp, after warming up by the campfire, Dave and I finally turned in for the night. We were surprised at how good we felt. The days rides hadn't been nearly as strenuous as yesterday's and inspite of the exercise we felt rejuvenated. As I lay in my sleeping bag looking at the stars through our tent I noticed a ñakyrã (cicada) emerging from it's shell. It's wings we're still soft but in the hours we slept they expanded and hardened until the insect flew away. In the morning only the shell of it's pre-motomorphicized body remained clinging to the screen of our tent.
After breakfast we packed all our gear and left our bikes by the camp caretaker's house while we climbed a nearby mountain- Cerro de la Cruz. I was really impressed by how well my clipless mountain bike shoes did on the ground. I had great traction on the steep trail that took us to a lookout overshadowed by a huge white cross.
After Cerro de la Cruz it was time for the final leg of our bikepacking trip. We cruized along orange dirt roads looping through a German colony that would take us back to the camp where our truck was parked.
Along the way we passed a rally race as it was finishing up. We followed the off-road vehicles toward town until we were finally back where we started.
Though our bikepacking trip had finished my time with my brother was far from over. We loaded our bikes into the back of the truck and drove three hours south to a place Dave had heard a lot about but had never seen: our house! We had great ambitions to party late into the night but ended up falling asleep at a very boring hour instead. We were bushed after so much riding in the heat but weren't ready to put up our bikes just yet. The next day I took my bro on my favorite bike path behind our house. We continued along sandy roads to a neighboring town where our medical-missionary teammates were. It was important to me that Dave, who has also done medical missions, meet our friends and see their ministry first hand!
Finally we made the long drive back to the city where Sarah and the kids were waiting. We enjoyed a couple more days together during which the kids also got to go bike riding with their Uncle David along the Paraguay river!
I am so thankful that my wife conspired with Dave to bring him and his bike all the way down here; leaving me with entirely unexpected and unforgettable memories with my brother, bikepacking in Paraguay!
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