We get back on the track that crosses Torres Del Paine park. We decide to stop to walk a little: we'll see a beautiful waterfall, the Salto Grande, as well as a point of view closer to the lake that separates us from the massif. We are relieved to find our bikes and all the our bags, we left them attached to themselves at the beginning of the trail.
Crossing the park is difficult by bike: the tracks are closely following the hills curves to preserve the landscape, which makes them sometimes very steep. We are progressing slowly and with difficulty but the landscape is beautiful. The track ends up leaving the park after a long descent in which we reach the 1000km milestone since we left Ushuaïa.
As soon as we leave the park, we are looking for a place to camp. We find a nice spot near a river, near the entrance to the park. Our tipi installed, two rangers of the park inform us that they would prefer that we do not camp here, or more precisely that we do not light a fire. They are on their guard, since in 2011 a hiker set fire to 10,000 hectares of forest in the park. They suggest we got to the camp site which is close to here. Not wanting to worry them, we packed up and go to the camp site. We are badly received and they tell us the camp site is full.
We get back on our rides and set our camp in a field by a lake. We are very visible. A forest ranger specialized in pumas tells us that the owner could ask us to leave. We tell him our story, and he tells us how to protect ourselves from the pumas. He'll be a good intermediary between the owner and us, because they didn't come.
