1300 km along the Magellan Strait and the Tierra Del Fuego to Ushaïa.

The weather is changing very quick in a few days! Snow for our final arrival in Ushuaïa!

09/01/19

music by : “The Cheatcode” full album free to download here :

www.dataglitch.org

The “explosive” surprise of the trip : Guatemala. First country on the list of Central America, this country had instant immersive power, without transition. And to set the tone, it is on the Mayan site of Uaxactún that we spend our first night. Isolated by an unpaved road and eclipsed by its great rival : Tikal, only a few kilometers below, the site is deserted by tourists. Yet, the place is of mystical beauty, lost in a devouring jungle and in an ocean of sounds

Here is a recording, which we made, leaving a “sound trap” all night,  near  to our camp:

But beyond the magic of the site, we have woven links with 4 girls from the village, a particular and unexpected moment that stretched over 2 days. We opened our truck and cooked together, had lunch, sung, listened to the sounds and talked about the spirit of the forest. Then, at an improvised ceremony, they surrounded us by lianas and remarried forever. At the time of the goodbyes, our truck was dotted with floral arrangements, each small creation made with method and taste. We left the heart heavy, with the feeling that Guatemala will offer us something big.

The suite was exponential, in color, tradition and warmth. Adventures that we had the chance to share with family.

Here are some small audio snippets of Guatemalan markets:

This vibrant experience ended with an experience we will not forget, sleeping close to the Fuego, a very active volcano. We were going to miss out in our crazy race, we can never thank enough Gwendoline and Jérémy, met on the roads of Guatemala, to have put the idea in our heads.

The day before, we choose all four to spend the evening at the home of our guide, Catalino, in his family. Instant pub for Asoava, two times cheaper than the agencies in Antigua. To see the phenomenon, you have to walk on the dusty slopes of the nearby volcano, the Acatanango, to the base camp at 3500 m. Tents, duvets and meals will be worn by our guides, but the 4 liters of water per person, multiple layers for the night close to zero and the sound gear was for us. According to Catalino, the volcano is very active in this moment, so we will take all the recording equipment : recorder, Double M/S, Ambeo ambisonic microphone, telinga parabola, 3 microphone stand, battery for 2 days of recording.

I could describe the ascent, but I only have the memory of being attracted like a magnet to the top, guided by the sounds : stronger and stronger. End despite the steep and stony slope, altitude and dust, the march was only a detail compare to the Fuego.

Arrived at the end of the afternoon, it is at sunset that we observe it. Every 10 minutes, a thick smoke explosion occurs. Then 8 seconds later, the sound reaches our ears and makes them vibrate.

Here is a recording of the explosion of the Fuego :

Once night falls, the smoke gives way to a glowing lava, in intense explosions. Beyond the beauty of the show, breathtaking, the sound is unique. Sometimes deep roar come from the bowels of the earth or dry detonation, the expulsion of the volcano produces an intense vibration into the body, a low frequency harsh frequency. Adrenaline at its peak, it was a sleepless night at the top.

The climb of the last 500m started at night to reach the summit of Acatanango before dawn. Under the stars, with the moon and the still glowing volcano of its night, the fantastic power of the moment exceeds us but still resonates in our bodies.

It was time to make a break inside the truck routine, stop swallowing bitumen and get into the Bear country for a few days. Going deeper into wilderness, would surely make recordings more isolated from human activity.

For this first attempt, we set our sights on the Kluane National Park in Yukon. The road to get there appetites us and we choose to go hiking 4 days, with this goal : a breathtaking view of the Kaskawulsh glacier. You have to go to the visitor center for registration, nobody escape from the complete prevention about risks of this hike : Bears, crossing creeks, hypothermia, all vital subjects are reviewed with small interrogation by the ranger. She’s looking satisfied about our speach, and let us leave with a bearproof container (to put food, garbage, any fragrant product).

It is with sound equipment, tent, food and other useless things, that we engulf ourselves on the trail. 22.5 km to reach the base camp, a good entry in itself. Still uncomfortable about the presence of the Grizzlies, we join forces with a companion, Roger. Make noise, speak loudly, this is the first weapon to avoid surprising the animal. Here is his territory and if you do not cross it, his presence is palpable.

We hike between wet tundra and rocky mountain with scattered cairns. The last kilometers give us a beautiful climb, we finish and close these 8 hours of hiking.

Some tents, but nobody at the camp; we’ll understand the next day why we have to wait until 7 pm to start seeing silhouettes far away.

The second day will be the ascent to the glacier. A small round trip of 20 km with many surprises. Initially, the multiple creek to cross. Glacial but shallow, we will find them with a much higher level on our return … Then, it is an ultra climb, 1200 m elevation over 4 km, on a hilly and vertiginous trail, which raises us, painfully to the mountain peak. The sound equipment has made the trip with us, we get rid of time for a Phonography :

The scene is obviously spectacular, but I was already thinking about the return, the steep slope, the ridges without guardrails, the river that was gaining power. To summarize the descent, I would say that I cried a thousand times … the physical was not at the rendezvous and the mind had left me for a while… Having no choice but to go down, I gathered my mind and remained focused at every step. Once down, the river held its promise, it had changed shape and tempo. We choose a place where it split and loses a little power. One throws himself, facing the current, stick straight ahead. Some creeks are deeper, and the bubbling water dazes me. The ranger had said, “never look at the water”. We cross the last creek that definitely freeze our feet. We arrive at the camp at 7 pm, a day of 10 hours of walking.

“You will be happy to have a day-off before leaving”. We were told that too and that’s exactly what we had to do on this third day … and some sound recordings too.

The last day could have been simple and without pitfalls. But too tired, we decide to “ziber” to save time. A very bad idea, especially during rainy weather. Do not think, go straight ahead, make continuous noise and run to get out of this uninspiring place. We find the trail back (thank you GPS), trembling, muddy, but so happy to see the end of the hike (I spare you the episode of the man, hyper freaked out, who saw the man, who saw the Grizzly, adding a layer of adrenaline).

At each end of the hike (I practice the thing regularly.), I always feel this feeling of satisfaction after having drooled. We must not lie, we did not have the level on that one. With a little less weight in the bag and more training, maybe. For the record, a group that we saw leaving the morning during our day off, returned very late. One of the girls was carried away by the current on 200 m, with its bag (from where the importance to detach it). In shock, on the edge of hypothermia, scratched everywhere, his story puts us all in our place, very inexperienced in this wilderness.

“Yukon, larger than life”, yes indeed.