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→Season 2023/24
==Season 2023/24==
2024-Jan-10 to Jan-23 / 14 days / SOBO (mostly) / Opt 1B, 3, 4, 4C, 4D, 8 / Kasia and Michael
Day 0
From Molina we took the bus to Talca. The bus from Talca to El Medano still only leaves early in the morning, at 3:00 in the afternoon, and sometime in the evening. We took a bus to San Clemente hoping to catch different transportation, but no luck. The town itself is not particularly charming, however the square is nice and has places to sit and you can find some shade. There is also a coffee shop half a block off the plaza that has decent espresso at a good price. The bus from Talca passes through San Clemente at the bus stop in front of the Unimarc on the main road. We caught the bus to El Medano and arrived there around 5:30. From there we began to walk the road towards Laguna Maule hoping to catch a hitch. After about an hour of walking a couple picked us up and we rode in the back of the truck as far as Cascada Invertida. It is an interesting spot with a waterfall that has a constant wind blowing some of the water back up the waterfall. Worth a stop if you have time. From there we road-walked another two kilometers to a camp site that is popular with local rock climbers. There are plenty of campsites and a pozo for water and washing.
Day 1
From the campsite we walked back to the road and quickly caught a hitch as far as the border control point. No issues getting through border control; there is a separate line for people just going to the lake. We didn't talk to anyone, no one took our documents and we just walked right through one door and out the other. The road up to the lake is a road-walk but not that long. At the lake we started up Option 1B. We hiked up a ways, but there was a tongue of snow that was on a steep angle, extremely slick, and large pieces easily broke off. It seemed dangerous to try to pass, so we opted to hike back down and onto the road. Option 1K is a path that avoids going back through border control and ends on the highway. (If going SOBO and wanting to avoid BCP, look for a broken gate a little less than a half km before BCP and follow the road up.) From there we caught a hitch fairly quickly all the way to the beginning of Opt 3. We walked Opt 3 up for about six kilometers to a campsite marked Puente Enemigo on Gaia. Free public camping with river access. About a half km further on is a similar site.
Day 2
We started walking up the road early. The road is very dusty and the tabanos were pretty unbearable. We caught a hitch with a group of hunters and fishers going out for the weekend. They ended up taking us all the way to the end of Opt 3 and to where Opt 4 begins. We walked to the beginning of Opt 4B, but the water was too high and the current to strong, so we camped near Rio Guaiquivilo for the night.
Day 3
We took Opt 4A up and over the hill, an easy walk. The ford in the river was about crotch height with fairly strong current, however we passed where the cars drive through to get to the other side. We continued on Opt 4 which goes through farmland, a lot of which is swampy. If going through, choose footing carefully. We noticed that where the little white flowers grow is usually more stable ground than where the yellow flowers or just grass are. We went down to the river and camped under a tree just where the path drops to the river level, a little before the marked camping site.
Day 4
We continued on Opt 4 hiking along the river bed. It was slow going and we had to ford many times throughout the day as the river braids back and forth across the valley. All fords were easy, knee height at most but generally lower. It was actually easier crossing rivers than walking along the river bed since there are so many large rocks. We followed the path where it goes up the hill for about a kilometer and a half and then ran into an area where the trail had collapsed. It may have been passable but we felt that it seemed too dangerous so we turned back. When we returned to the river bed we started hiking further up the river bed to see if it was possible to go on a lower route. We camped in the river bed for the night.
Day 5
We got a late start that morning. We walked up the Rio Gonzales spending the entire day in our water shoes. We probably crossed the river two dozen times, excellent training in river fording. Some fords at crotch height, most at knee or lower. The water was a beautiful color, an excellent temperature, and there were plenty of places to go swimming. By 17:00 we had only made it half way to the marked ford point below the pass, so we turned around. We were not able to determine if it would be possible to go all the way to the final river ford before the pass. However, even if it is not possible to get to the pass, if one has time this is worth a day trip. Every bend in the river had interesting things to look at, it was exceptionally beautiful, and just very pleasant to spend a hot day half submerged in the water. Obviously this is only feasible when the water level has dropped for the season. We camped in the same spot as the night before.
Day 6
We decided to try Opt 8. We walked down the river taking Opt 4C until Opt 4D, then crossing the river there and reconnecting with Opt 4. The path up the hill on Opt 4D was a little tricky to find, but it was there; head to the left. We followed Opt 4 NOBO for a bit, then cut across the valley toward a puesto we had noticed on the way up. This is easily visible in the valley as it is marked by several very tall trees (poplars I think) that stand out against the landscape. We passed by there and chatted with the arrieros for a short while who confirmed that the pass to Achibueno was passable and that we could continue on the south side of the river. It was getting late at that point so we camped near the river.
Day 7
We continued parallel to Opt 8 on the south side of the river. First the land is swampy, then dry. Look for an OSM track that is about 2.3 km long. Stay below the canal that the arrieros built until the OSM track begins, then cross over the canal and follow it. When it drops back down to the river, there was a small section of very mucky swamp. We had to build a rock bridge to cross it. After that, cross the river and reconnect with the GPT track. We went up and over the pass, it is a bit difficult but easy to follow. I will heavily caveat this by saying many groups of arrieros had been through this season. I think doing it in a season prior to the arrieros passing through would be challenging. The view at the top of the pass over Laguna Achibueno was absolutely stunning; it looked like something out of a movie. We dropped down to the first camp site marked. It was a grassy plain with relatively little wind, some mosquitoes, and lots of little black bugs that did not seem to bite. Camped there for the night.
Day 8
We got a late start again, being tired since we had not taken a rest day. We went down the other side of the pass. Same as the day before, tricky but absolutely passable, but probably much more challenging prior to arrieros passing through. The valley below was beautiful and green, a lot of Andean oak. We found a camp site a little past the first marked camping. At the bottom past the sign for the Laguna and the sendero, there is a small hill with several large oak trees. Nice views on three sides of mountains and the waterfall, a stream close by.
Day 9-11
We stayed camped in the same spot for a rest day. We got invited to join the festival of San Sebastian that a large group of arrieros and local farmers were holding. We met a lot of really nice people and ate a ton of really amazing asado. Everyone was so incredibly welcoming, kind, and generous. This will absolutely be one of our most enduring memories of the GPT.
Day 12
Refreshed from the rest and all the meat, we continued on Opt 8. The trail out was really enjoyable, lots of Andean oak, very fantasy-like landscape. The bridge over Rio Achibueno was destroyed. We found a ford point about 50 m upstream from the mark on the track. Waist deep and a little tricky, but we managed. Camped at La Gloria down near where the estero meets the river.
Day 13
Continued on Opt 8. Wood plank “bridges” on the esteros from La Gloria on. This is a popular hiking trail, we started seeing lots of day hikers and casual hikers. We took Opt 8 instead of switching to Opt 8A, which we regretted. Opt 8 up is through a very green, but very dry and dusty forest. From the last crossing of the estero there was no water until after the pass. We also hiked it during a heat wave which made it extra challenging. It would be possible to camp on the pass which is low and has a lot of trees and flat space. There is a waterfall a ways down the far side for water. The road down to Estero Los Guayes was not difficult, but half way down you are just waking through a commercial pine plantation. The road is dusty and is mostly fenced in both sides with very infrequent access to the estero. There is also no camping officially allowed according to a resident; they said the Carabineros will come and tell you to leave. We found a spot to stealth camp in front of a small abandoned corral that was not visible from the road. Didn't have any issues. Opt 8A has camping marks on Gaia and is the main access for people driving in to hike, so this seems a better option for either hiking or hitching.
Day 14
Continued to walk out on Opt 8. Hot, dusty, tons of tábanos. After about 3 hours we caught a hitch all the way to Linares.
2024-Jan-12 / 6 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Tanja
