GPT81P (Glaciar Leones)

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Summary with remarks to route that are considered useful for other hikers and packrafters. Include alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties.

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Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions

Season 2021/22

• 2021-Dec-25 to 2021-Dec-28 / 3.5 days / RR Southbound (Lago Leones, Rio Leones, Lago General Carrera, Lago Bertrand, Lago Plomo) /

Our last investigation in 2021 started in the valley of Rio Leones 44 km road kilometers southwest of Puerto Rio Tranquilo.

Access to Lago Leones and further information:

http://www.wikiexplora.com/Lago_Leones

The 9 km trail from the end of the minor road is generally easy walking and perfectly visible.

Lago Leones is a frequently used access to the Northern Patagonian icefield for climbing expeditions. Several companies offer boat trips to the other end of the lake from where climbing routes ascent.

We hoped to packraft 10 km over Lago Leones to the glacier but the wind was too strong in the evening and the next morning. The predominant wind direction is eastbound and before reaching the other end of the lake there are practically no emergency exits. Therefore packrafting is only advisable in near perfect conditions and best with a decked packraft.

We camped one night next to Lago Leones, enjoyed the view to the Northern Patagonian icefield and returned on the next morning 9 km on foot to the end of the road. There we inflated our packraft and floated down all the way to Lago General Carrera. This section of Rio Leones is free of rapids.

Experienced wild-water packrafters may packraft the entire Rio Leones including the Class 3 rapids on the first kilometers of this river provided they have the expertise, equipment (hard head, PFD, rescue equipment) and travel companions in case rescue is needed.

When approaching the river delta of Rio Leones packrafters best take the arm on the right that leads directly south to minimize exposure to wind on Lago General Carrera (see yellow arrow on satellite image). We were lucky with the wind and could continue packrafting southbound along the coast of Lago General Carrera with wind from the back partially deploying our sail. We spotted many suitable exits and camp locations along this coast.

From Lago General Carrera we entered Lago Bertrand which seemingly is in good parts less windy than Lago General Carrera. Only the southern end of Lago Bertrand in the vicinity of Lago Plomo is more exposed to wind as wind from the Northern Patagonian icefield is channeled along Lago Plomo to Lago General Carrera.

In near perfect conditions packrafters may attempt to packraft Lago Plomo. Caution is needed as this 10 km long lake offers probably no emergency exits and camp locations along either coast and packrafters must either reach the other end of the lake (River mouth of Rio Soler where “Don John” runs a small tourist enterprise with a few cabañas) or turn back to Lago Bertrand.

Due to a weather forecast with deteriorating weather and increasing wind we entered Lago Plomo only briefly and exited Lago Bertrand at Puerto Bertrand.

Packrafters that wish to continue southbound may:

Option 1: Porter 1 km around the moderate rapids where Rio Baker starts (probably Class 2 but not more than Class 3) and packraft Rio Baker till the exit shortly before Rio Nef.

Or

Option 2: Packraft Rio Baker till the exit shortly before Rio Nef including the moderate rapids where Rio Baker starts.

Rio Baker is a high flow river with strong eddies and boils. Caution is needed!

Just before Rio Nef flows into Rio Baker a series of Class 5 rapids makes packrafting Rio Baker suicidal. Therefore packrafters must exit at the ferry location about 1 km before Rio Nef and either roadwalk 50 km to Cochrane (on the western side of Rio Baker), hitch-hike (Carretera Austral on eastern side), try to get on the daily bus from Coyhaique to Cochrane (Carretera Austral on eastern side that passes this location around 3 pm) or take the bus from El Maiten to Cochrane (Tuesday and Sunday only on the western side of Rio Baker, see image).

Packrafters with appetite for more adventures around glaciers may walk up the valley Rio Soler, Rio Nef and/or Rio Colonia to access the glaciers that creep down from the Northern Patagonian icefield and end in glacier lakes with floating blocks of ice.

Links to other Resources

Retired Section Article GPT81P - Travesía Leones-Soler

Retired Section Article GPT82P - Travesía Soler-Nef