Thursday, March 26 to Saturday March 28
Yaucha Canyon, Argentina
-33.77, -69.06
The expedition leaves the road behind and from this point on, everything is done on foot.
They enter the Yaucha Canyon, following the same route Guillaumet once took, a path that is neither marked nor forgiving. The terrain is narrow, uneven, and at times barely visible. Progress is slow, deliberate, and entirely dictated by the landscape.
Days begin to blend together. Walking. Navigating. Adjusting. Then stopping, just long enough to set up camp before starting again.
Three bivouacs in total. No assistance. Only the terrain ahead.
The further they go, the more the environment takes over. Distances stretch, directions blur, and every step requires attention. This is no longer about reaching a destination quickly but about moving through the mountains on their terms.
On the fourth day, they arrive at Casa de Juan. An isolated shelter in the mountains and a key point in Guillaumet’s story.
Because the road to Laguna del Diamante remained closed, the expedition chose to adapt. Instead of reaching the site first, they followed Guillaumet’s path on foot, retracing his journey through the Yaucha Canyon, but in reverse. Step by step, they moved along the same terrain he once crossed alone.
It was here that Henri Guillaumet, after days lost in the Andes following his crash, encountered Juan García, the man who would lead him out of the mountains and back to safety. Until that moment, survival depended only on endurance.
Reaching Casa de Juan in this way changes the perspective. It is no longer just a destination but a point of connection with the route itself. The crossing continues beyond…