Italian researcher began his adventure through the Atacama Desert
After a year and a half of preparation, the Italian researcher and sportsman Francesco Magistrali, began the first part of his route through the Atacama Desert that will lead him to Uruguay. He started his route in “La Negra industrial” district (15 kilometers east of Antofagasta), where he prepared all the necessary equipment that will accompany him during the next six months.
During the journey, the academic researcher of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Human Movement of the UA and NEXER associate researcher Dr. Morín Lang Tapia, was with the athlete to track the walk through an electrocardiogram to measure heart rate, saturation and blood pressure.
In addition, the academic, prepared the researcher to monitor his walk through a survey called “Lake Louise Score” to detect acute mountain sickness (Puna). “He will write down day by day how he feels and if these values change according to his perception or if he feels bad, he will send a message through his watch. As we will still be close, together with the academic and doctor Juan Silva Urra, we will help him ”he said.
The first part of the route that the Italian will take is to “Minera Escondida” approximately 150 kilometers that he will walk in a week.
“The first part of the trip will be a bit complicated, because I have to get used to the weather, the desert temperature, the sun. But I will do it slowly and calmly, so every day I will get used to the environment, ”he said.
For the crossing, he drags a car with all the necessary equipment such as, 40 liters of water and food for about a month, where its main source is non-perishable foods such as nuts and canned food.
The adventurer’s achievement has personal and professional goals, because during the months he travels from Antofagasta to Uruguay, he must look for micro plastic samples in the Bermejo River located in the “Gran Chaco Argentino” to fulfill the task delegated from a research center of Europe.
Source: Tamara Villagra – Comunicaciones UA / http://www.comunicacionesua.cl/2019/12/05/investigador-italiano-comenzo-su-aventura-por-el-desierto-de-atacama/
