Cambios

==Season 2016/17==

On the way down Rio Palena, at the confluence of Rios Palena y Frío, i headed up Ruta 7 to add a day riding the Rio Frío. Rio frío is a dream. Not much traffic on Runa 7 made hitching unsuccessful for 2 hours. Luckily a bus stopped in Vanguardia to Villa Santa Lucía. Look for Daniel’s Refugio. In addition to lodging and meals he offers riverside camping by donation and easy access to put in the river (-43.4360, -72.3656). A nice community of cycle tourists camped there. I bottomed out several times in the first few kilometers but nothing requiring getting out of the boat for. The upper river is braided requiring choosing the deepest branch. Some rapids were a touch more powerful than the upper Rio Palena but manageable. Many had trees and rocks in the main current that required scouting the right line and paddling hard. The rapid just past the bridge is probably doable with scouting if you paddle hard right after the first drop, but is easily portaged without leaving the river valley for the road. I arrived back to the confluence around the same time I left the day before. Absolutely an extra day well spent. This river is full of rapids and requires constant attention. Approximate locations of some (not all) of the larger rapids: (-43.4816, -72.3623), (-43.4933, -72.3546), (-43.5788, -72.3306), (-43.6546, -72.3247).