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→Understanding the Terrain
The Greater Patagonian Trail crosses most of Patagonia and the adjacent regions to the north. For this reason I named the trail “Greater Patagonian Trail” when I started publishing it in 2014. I coined the term "Greater Patagonia" to combine Patagonia in its traditional limits with the adjacent regions like "Greater London" includes the city of London and the surroundings.
====Limits of Patagonia====
The limits of Patagonia are as fuzzy as the imaginations of many when they hear “Patagonia”. There are some core ideas that most people connect with “Patagonia” like vastness, wilderness and solitude but few have precise knowledge. So are the limits of this region. There is no doubt that Patagonia is part of the Southern Cone but opinions deviate where it exactly starts and ends. The northern limit of Patagonia on the Chilean side can be seen as south as the Estuarió de Reloncaví (latitude 41° 30’ South) or as north as the river Río Biobío (about latitude 37° South if taking the mouth at Concepcion as reference). That’s a difference of about 500 km. On the Argentine side the understanding of the limits can be equally different. Some take the Río Negro with the tributary Río Limay as the northern limit (about latitude 39° South) others the Río Barrancas and the Río Colorado (Latitude 36° South). Also the southern limit is fuzzy. Some consider Tierra del Fuego as part of Patagonia others not.
In contrast when reaching "real Patagonia" get ready for frequent and enduring rain. Also don't expect to walk high up in the mountains as there are simply no continuously high mountain ranges. In Patagonia high mountains are rather like islands that rise out of a wild sea of dense tempered rain forest. These island-like mountains are separated by wide valleys that were carved by giant glaciers during past glacial periods. Therefore "real Patagonia" is best traveled by packraft. But more to this later.
====Diversity of Patagonia====“Real Patagonia” consists of surprisingly disparate zones. There are vast open plains in the east of Patagonia with a dry and wind battered steppe that spans from the eastern edge of the Andes to the Atlantic cost. The western part of Patagonia is in some regards the opposite. In the west you have the rugged and rainy Pacific coast with countless fjords and islands. An impenetrable forest covers most of this land to the west of the Andes. And in between these two unlike areas – in between the dry plains in the east and the humid fjords in the west - tower the Patagonian Andes. Dormant and recently active volcanoes rise into the sky and glaciers cover all higher summits. During previous glacial periods these glaciers grew to a formidable size and carved deep wide valleys into the Patagonian Andes. These valleys are now partly filled by lakes and get drained by powerful rivers. All this is Patagonia and this diversity creates the mystery and magic of this region.
The Greater Patagonian Trail snakes mostly through the southern Andes but also diverts to the west into the Patagonian fjords and descents in to east where the vast plains and the Patagonian steppe begins. Therefore you can sample from the full variety of Patagonia when walking on the length of the GPT.
In the northern part of the trail from Santiago to about latitude 35° S (about 150 km direct line) the Andes are very high with several summits exceeding 6000 m. Here passes exceed 4000 m altitude and steep rocky walls and glaciers impede walking along the main mountain chainand the Continental Divide. Therefore in this northern zone the trail (GPT01 to GPT04) climbs through the Precordillera mainly along the first mountain range next just east of the central valley. But don’t misunderstand “Precordillera” as low; here the regular route reached the highest point with 3300 m. The mostly semi-desert like vegetation is adapted to the dry and hot climate.
From about latitude 35° S to about 39° S (roughly 450 km direct line) the Andes get substantially lower but remain a continuous high mountain range. Summits rarely exceed 4000 m but most passes are still above 2000 m. Here the terrain is much more suitable for hiking. Therefore the trail (GPT05 to GPT12) passes along the main mountain range close to the continental divide. Here the continental divide forms also the border between Chile and Argentina. A large number of options provides you many hiking choices in this area. You can opt between lower trails and higher more demanding routes that get you in very remote areas of the Andes. Climate during summer is still quite dry but provides sufficient precipitation to maintain a relative open forest in the valleys.
South of latitude 39° S you do not find any more a continuous high mountain chain. The higher summits are still above 3000 m but numerous depressions form deep breaches in the main maintain range. These depressions or valleys were created by immense glaciers during past ice ages and remain partly filled by lakes. Many of the passes between Chile and Argentina are located in these depressions and often below 1000 m, some are as low as 200 m. Regular Frequent rain maintains a very dense forest that is also called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdivian_temperate_rain_forest Valdivian temperate rain forest]. Due to this geography the route (GPT13 to GPT40) goes up and down between these depressions and the island-like mountains that rise out of a wild sea of dense tempered rain forest. Here having a packraft becomes beneficial(GPT17P to GPT39).
