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→Season 2024/25
==Season 2024/25==
25-02-19-25-02-23 / 4 days (interrupted)/ SOBO / OH 03B-RR/ Volker
Patagonia at its best (and its worst)
Day 0: After gpt32 and resupply in Villa Cerro Castillo too many people hitchhiking on the Carreterra, so I called Pedro Zuleta (+56 993 5786), who drove me for 20k to the start of 03B in the late afternoon. Walked until the pass at S 46.198129° W 72.357921° and camped there (nice place, but very windy).
Day 1: Light rain all the day long. Because of the weather I decided not to take the mountain route (OH07) and continued on the RR (though technically a MR, blocked for cars by fallen trees) and feels like a trail), one non-indicated (very easy) ford. With the rain getting heavier and only few feasible camp spots along the way, early camp at S 46.280118° W 72.435213°. Heavy rain all the night long.
Day 2: The day started with a non-indicated ford 50m behind my camp spot. All further river crossings (including the indicated ford at 52,0: dry feet, broken trees serving as a bridge). Weather better than forecasted, the light rain ceased during the morning and by noon the sun came out. Instead of following the track file and crossing the swampy meadow CC, I stayed on the left side, where a trail leads along the edge of the forest (not without stepping out on the meadow for the scenic view on Cerro los Pumas, which now came out of the clouds). A river bank at the end of the meadow allowed me to dry my tent and cook the warm meal I had skipped the evening before. After the puesto steep down and on the RR very nice along the river. After the steep ascent to the upper valley, though indicated as CC, the trail continues, partly along the river, partly more to the right, avoiding swamps. In the rocky parts, it‘s marked with cairns. My plan was to reach the indicated camp at 63,4, however a storm with hurricane-like blasts made the scrambling across rocks and broken trees very dangerous. Even in easy terrain I could hardly stand it. With a suicidal ford (one blast during the fording: game over) and 2km through wind-exposed rocky terrain ahead I found a flat spot in a wood at S 46.391614° W 72.494383°. Impossible to raise a tent without the protection of the dense wood! And it has to be a wood with young trees (many branches and even some trunks broke that night in forests with older and higher trees). Take this into account, when thinking about OH07 (and read the comments by Alexey, who opened up this route).
Day 3: Though the storm had subsided and the ford was doable, given the overall situation (3km of BB/CC, several fords, bad weather, possibly another storm in the afternoon and 90km ahead with a shortage of food, if slowed down too much by the conditions) I decided to walk back. Rain made the trail very swampy and slippery, 3 creeks, that I crossed dry feet the day before, now to be forded. Camped at the same spot as the day before.
Day 4: Rain the whole night long, not ceasing in the morning. I was very lucky: just arrived at the settler, where the MR gets passable for cars, when the same driver, who drove me to the start of 03B 4 days before, dropped 3 Chileans there (he had offered to drive me there for 70k) and gave me a free ride back to Villa CC.
* <span style="background-color:aqua;">'''2025-02-19 to 2025-02-23 / 4,5 days / Hiking / SOBO / option 3B, RR, variant C,H, / Thijmen Scholten'''</span
