Dispatches from the middle

Day 11: Boasting volcanoes, salt flats, pink flamingos, the world’s oldest mummified remains, and honest-to-goodness rainlessness (new word for today), the Atacama Desert tops a plateau approximately 150km wide, on average, and stretching roughly 1000km south from the Peruvian border into Chile. As per yesterday’s post, it’s a completely dessicated and absolutely stunning landscape.

And, because one of the most beautiful things about sport is the wildly creative madness and daring it inspires in its devotees, the Atacama Dessert is the site of a 250km, 6-day, self-supported stage race – the Atacama Crossing. From what I’ve read, the course is different each year, adding to the race’s mystique. Stages range from 16km to 74km in length (in 2011, at least). The fifth stage – second to last – is always the longest, an ultramarathon through sand dunes, canyons, rivers, and the lunar-esque landscape Valle de la Luna (valley of the moon). The sixth and last stage is a gentle 16km or so jaunt into San Pedro de Atacama, where the race finishes.

In short, it’s insane, and I definitely want to do it.