Cambios

“Real Patagonia” 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.

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 some summits exceeding 6000 m. Here passes exceed 4000 m altitude and steep rocky walls and glaciers impede walking along the main mountain chain and close to 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 to the central valley. But don’t misunderstand “Precordillera” as low; here the regular route reached reaches 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 follows the main mountain range close to the continental divide. In this area the continental divide forms also the border between Chile and Argentinaso the trail is mostly close to the border but remains on the Chilean side. 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. Numerous depressions break deep breaches into the mountains (Spanish: or "cordillera" in Spanish). The depressions or valleys were created by immense glaciers during past ice ages and remain partly filled by lakes. Many of these breaches in the main mountain range are lower than 1000 m, some are just 200 m above sea level. These deep gaps in the cordillera shift the continental divide in some areas far to the east and cause a sometimes significant offset between the main maintain mountain range and the continent divide (what caused is one reason for more than a century of border disputes between Chile and Argentine that are not fully resolved now). The mountains of the Patagonian Andes are like islands in between these valleys with the higher summits reaching mostly an altitude of 2000 m to 3000 m. Only few peeks exceeding exceed 3000 m. Below the tree line frequent rain maintains a very dense, nearly impenetrable, 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 the depressions and the island-like mountains. Here having a packraft becomes beneficial (GPT17P to GPT39).

South of latitude 41° 30’ S the central valley on the Chilean side “sinks” below sea level and the Patagonian fjord land begins. Here the Patagonian Andes rise directly out of the fjords that are connected with the open Pacific Ocean. In this area the rain is so frequent and the vegetation so dense that there is hardly any road or trail on the cost. Therefore you either walk much further to the east partly on Argentine soil or you packraft. In this area packrafting is clearly the more attractive option. Here you can paddle over crystal clear leaks and float down long mostly calm rivers all the way into the fjords. In this area the trails switches several times between Chile and Argentina.