GPT66 (Puerto Navarino)

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Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions

Season 2023/24

• 20-March-2024 to 27-March-2024 / 7 days hiking (dont count the first one, beginning at almost 6 pm) / New optionnal route, clockwise, taking parts of the Oh 1 : Punta Guerrico – Lago Pilushejan – Viewpoint on Seno Grandi (ida y vuelta) – Caleta Wulaia - back to the road by the highlands (sendero patrimonial) / Matthieu

One of the best trekking experience of my life. You cross a lot of different type of landscape. Pilushejan is a wonderful spot for fishing. I didn´t see any humans from the puesto at the entrance until the truck that took me hitchhiking back to williams. Intense use of satellital images to avoid forest (and then avoid the bushes, see below)

Day 1 : from the road to the middle of the valley going directly south from the road to the lake Pilushejan. Starts with a 4x4 road you cross a cabaña on the way (see right of way dispute). Then it’s freestyle (cross country and bush bashing) all the way until Wulaia. Mostly turbia, but you have to cross some dense forest in some parts, choose these crossings wisely.

Day 2 . to the lake Pilushejan, western shore. Difficult forest part at the end just before the lake.

Day 3 : ida y vuelta, letting ñy tent at the lake, to a viewpoint of Seno Grandi a local told me about. Really nice view. Mostly turbia, some swamps to cross with fallen trees. The final way up the hill is a war in a dense forest, and I didnt have my backpack. Going down with my already done tracks was really much easier though. It´s doable with a backpack but know that the progression is very slow. From above you can join lago Windhound by the turbia, going east, in 2 days.

Day 4 : Back to the valley and up between Pilushejan and Wulaia. The trail condition is really better, the turbia is drier and you don´t have to cross dense forest.

Day 5 : Arrival to Wulaia. The last slope was HELL. Change of strategy : STAY in the forest and don´t go into the open spaces of spiky Calafates that will ruin your legs, pants and energy. The forest is much less denser in this part, no beavers so no big trunks on the way, the progression hidden in the trees is easy and without suffering. My track down to the coast is by this reason not optimal at all, crossing big chunck of spiky bushes. Wulaia is an amazing place, some abandoned shelters next to the abandonned museum.

Day 6 : Highlands north of Wulaia. Begin with an easy marked path up to the incredible views, then a bit of cross country (again stay in the forest), then the highlands with very easy progression. Some cairns on the way. Going down at the end you will cross some bushes part but nothing compared to Wulaia zone. You will find a trail when you join the last river before villa Melijones. I camped just before Villa Melijones to enjoy the last night.

Day 7 : 4 hours hiking on the road before seeing a truck that hitched me… I was sure though to see the late bus to come back to willliams (see below).

Water : everywhere on the way, like in the dientes i used a filter. No hard river crossings, max at knee level.

Weather conditions : very lucky, casi no rain at all, some parts even in T shirt with big sun. The highlands can be totally under snow so choose your days wisely. No steep descent though.

Camps : no problems to find some everywhere on the path.

Accomodation : Puerto williams, see my GPT 67 post. During summer season, there is a minibus going to Puerto Navarino 2 times a day Monday, Wendesday, Friday, SUnday(8 am and 16h30 pm from Puerto Williams, so two vueltas per day to.). Tuesday and Thursday it goes in the east part to Caleta Eugenia.

Right of way dispute : the entrance to the valley next to Punta Guerrico is private. I met the owner Sr Jorge QELLIN (not sure of the spelling though) who was really nice but preferred to be called before. I let his phone number on the island map on the wall of the camping Il padrino in Puerto Williams. Cecilia of the camping know him to apparently. I don´t let his personnal number in wikiexplora for privacy reasons.

Images

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