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Overview

Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions

Season 2025/26

Season 2024/25

• 2025-02-23 to 2025-01-01 / 6/7 days / Packrafting/ SOBO/ RP / Natalie & Tomás

Key take-aways:

-Lago Nef may be nearly completely covered with a small layer of ice (this time of year, ice as far as we could see from a vantage point before the lake). So unless you have warm sunny weather to melt it and or waves to break it up, be prepared for a longggg ice breaking journey. For us, on a sunny calm day, the ice was mostly melted ~1pm (left hand side of lake). I would also not advice crossing this lake in the evening as there are no safe camping spots until after the glacier,, many overhead hazards/rock fall/ice

-Rio Nef had flooded many sections of the trail for us. The worst being a 2km stretch in which we were able to easily bush bash up and down the bluffs. The second worse was what it did to ford 38.5. The river had taken over this ford and from the beginning it was over hip deep, we chopped a side path on the left. The last annoyances were just wet feet walking along this side of the route.

- Roman is a beast and Lauren + Sebastian are heros attitude wise to do this route through the rain. Download Romans tracks as they are still not in the GPT files. Their wiki's are also better for base planning.

-We took it easy on this trip, rarely getting going before 930/10 and we were moving very slow due to terrain and heavy packs (in the end I had food for at least 10 days-oops). Average speed was no more than 2km/hr, maybe even less. -We did not meet Aquilino Olivari but we stayed at his open puesto @ 39.1. Perhaps if we had contacted him for a request to stay at his puesto or even hire him for horses he would have given us up to date trail conditions.

-Machete was only useful for some overgrown rose bushes and making a trail to avoid Ford 38.5.

-There is another expedition camp ~100m in on the optional look out trail (look out trail doesn't seem to exist)

-The trail on the Rio Nef side was always visable (except for the main pass, where you need to check the gps more often). It was however already over grown with rose bushes up to the abandoned puesto and then slightly overgrown elsewhere with the low-mid height shrubbery. The trail in the Cross section valley was hard to follow visability wise. The trail in the last forest towards the second expedition shelter (labeled as steep part -47.22946, -73.21168 ) was in good condition (proper trail). It did get a little more difficult to follow after the shelter for a short bit. -No issues with slippery/exposed rock (we had dry weather)

-No issues with Lago Colonia. For all water sections I wish I had warmer socks and or toe warmers. We sit in canoe style with our lower legs and feet pressed against the floor. We needed more breaks to keep our feet from fully freezing due to the glacial water.

-First rapid of Rio Colonia was happily skipped. The grey glacial water hides many large boulders and the flow is strong. Second rapid was also skipped (looked a lot easier than the first). Tomáš ran the rest of the rapids and I walked most (not a fan of the grey water, but in the end nothing was more than simple class02). The fourth rapid looked the largest wave wise but it was clean. We rarely had ground contact, but I think it is because we had higher water levels due to rain/warm weather. The grey water makes it difficult to judge.

- Don't expect to find good camping along Rio Colonia, it's mainly all spikey shrubbery and river rock. I suggest camping at a beach (only beach) near the end of Lago Colonia or the beach AT the end of Colonia on the other side (windy).

-A better alternative to walking or hitching the ~30km road to the ferry is to continue onto Baker. Tomáš thought of it last minute but I decided against it due to not knowing much about the Baker/ terrible weather arriving. To keep it short, it looks like you can get out near the Airport on the road to Tortel, walk ~10km and then hitch. We got a ride from Neftali, a settler just up river from the take out.

Overall, we had 5 days of sun (wr waited in Coyhaique for three days for them), so we were very lucky. We met nobody for the whole trip. We think this is the nicest section in the south out of the ones we have done. Like 39 and 40, just without the people.

Transport: We took the 8am bus from Coyhaique (book in advance). Told the bus driver to drop us off at the "confluencia", 13km after Puerto Bertrand. The bus took ~8hrs. A more interesting alternative is to paddle the Baker river from Puerto Bertrand to the normal put in. You could also put in after the rapids. This would not be slower, as Baker is rather fast and you save some walking.

Day01-02: Rio Baker to Puesto 39.1

We came after a few days of heavy rain in the area: Forecasted four days of rain, highest was 50mm but the average was around 17mm/day, not sure what actually happened. Crossing the Baker was easier than expected (strong countercurrents on both sides help), but crossing the grey/opaque Rio Nef was harder than expected, the flow was very strong. The Rio Nef crossing was where we had our first signs of flooding. We made a mistake and deflated our boat once we got to the other side (30 m downstream of the GPT files). We didn't see the deep, but short, channel blocking the access to the trail. Luckily there is a wooden boat there and it was just long enough to use and porter our stuff between the two. It was just after 7 when we finished this crossing and decided to at least get over the first bump. We didn't meet any settlers. On the way up don't forget to take the trail turnoff from the bend in the MR (which looked very recently “improved”):-47.12790, -72.81425. Along the trail you can see tire tracks down within the river delta, just not sure how many times you would have to ford and if the fords would be people friendly. There was another car 8 km furher in, so they can get quite far. We found a nice camp behind some poplar trees on the other side of the bump around here -47.13819, -72.84482. You could hear water nearby, but the rose bushes made it impossible to get to, so you must drink from the river. There was no water before this point. The next day was very windy right from the get go, but luckily it was dry. The wind was very taxing and quite constant, 30-45km/hr. The trail (starting at the MR turnoff) was overgrown with rose bushes, but it was obvious to see. Not good for drysuit walking... Even though rose bushes grow like stink, we don't think the trail had been touched this year. We think this part of the trail is less maintained because perhaps the settlers move animals in the river flats more often, not sure. Unfortunately due to high water levels the trail was totally flooded for ~2km starting here -47.12517, -72.90743 (fresh water nearby). We made an easy way up and over the bluffs and regained the trail at the bottom. Rose bushes and wind were the only annoyance. Machete came semi-handy, took us maybe an hour extra. The trail continued to be quite overgrown until the abandoned settler's house. The house is locked but you probably could pitch a tent under the porch if needed, we had lunch under it and it provided a nice break from the wind. After the house, the trail was in good condition and more scenic as you climb a short hill over a hill sidecut by ancient glacier to an attractive laky landscape. I struggled a lot due to a painful cough but it was still nice. There are a couple of strangely placed pine tree plantations next to the trail and then larger ones further in the valley, we are not sure who or how someone is planning to harvest them...The first Ford@37 was easy but we still had to remove our shoes. It looked to me there was a nicer spot for camping just after the ford than the one that is listed. The second Ford@38.5, was a bit of a surprise. Rio Nef seemed to have taken over the ford and everything was deeply flooded and flowing, second step in would have already been over hip deep. We searched around for alternatives and ended up clearing a trail to the left. Climbing down to a narrow water way, and then up a bank, down bush, and over along the side of a narrow water way/canal. It would have made more sense to just inflate the boat and cross. We were surprised that even far from the ford the canal like feature was hip deep or more. A machete was very helpful here and it might have taken us 90 extra minutes. Once we thought the coast was clear and were at the puesto, one last muddy ford had to be crossed directly in front of the puesto, almost knee deep in the good parts. The puesto was indeed there and newly built, it has a wood stove and other miscellaneous items. Unfortunately the water source is the swamp, so I would recommend bringing water from the first ford (not the second, which is the grey Rio Nef water). Also be careful about crumbs and food, there are lot of mice, hopefully the open door was enough ventilation not to get hanta like Gene Hackman's wife...

(Drinking water: up to the Puesto was come and go, other than the river itself. Not that frequent, but it existed in the waypoints that are marked. )

Day03-04: Puesto39.1 - Lago Nef+Glacier area

Day03 We had a picture perfect weather, but unfortunately we didn't manage to leave the puesto until past 11:00 - oops. Therefore we didn't even make it to the lake (stopped 2km before), the trail was quite slow for us. I found that going up the pass was quite nice and the others' trail work in previous years has lived on (Tomáš CCed most of the way) You still need to check the gps often, cairns are helpful. I think everyone should refrain from posting photos of what the other side look like, it was such an amazing surprise!! The second half down the pass was less clear and much slower, but lots of water sources there. Probs to Roman for making it to the lake by 4:30 without trail clearance! Rio Nef was still absolutely raging. I would not want to packraft it due to its strength and grey opaque water, but more importantly the terrifying gorges it runs through (but GPT rightly only.puts you in after). Along the river bed it was flooded - again, but the trail (when it wasn't CC) was still there, just covered in water. A couple of times it was deeply flooded and we had to make our own way via bushbashing through the thorns or floating wood. We made camp just before the ford (48.9) on small stones, there was a more weather protected camp high up in the forest just before, just after a stream. It made no sense to push for the lake because the lake would be very frozen. It took us almost 9 hours to get to the ford including a 1.5hr lunch - oops again.

Day04 The ford was "still" water but it was up to my bum (5'6). The rest of the way to the lake was easy CC and the slightly flooded trail was frozen so our feet didn't get that wet. The lake was indeed beautiful but almost completely covered in a thin (<1cm) layer of ice (~10am). From a view point just before the lake I could scout out a band of non frozen ice on the left side of the lake where the sun was shining (zoom camera helps sometimes). Everything else, as far as I could tell, had a sheet of ice. I kind of ruined Tomáš's dreams to break through the ice around the icebergs and requested to walk to the far left side of the lake. There was a slight misunderstanding and we ended up putting the boat in too early. We had about 3m of ice free progress untill it was full on ice again. Tomáš was then convinced that breaking through ice is not a fun activity, progress is near zero (I was more worried about the ice puncturing the boat, which I am not sure is a viable worry or not). It may have been easier with a kayak paddle, canoe paddles only let you break one side at a time. Either way we turned around, deflated the boat and walked further towards where my photo showed the stretch of ice free water. If you climb up onto the flat above the eroded lake bank, you could go even further to here: -47.10450, -73.21040, where you could use a little stream valley to get down. We put in here -47.10754, -73.20492. IT IS IMPORTANT to note that at this time of year, if you have no sun or no waves to melt or break the ice (after a cold cloudless windless night), you may be in for a longggg ice breaking journey (I assume waves break the ice or keep it from fully freezing, I'm not 100%, either way, another reason to go SOBO). Also important is to not cross the lake if you don't have enough time (2-3 hours) to get through the glacier, it is unstable terrain, not safe for camping. In the end the delay helped us because by the time we started paddling for good, it was mostly ice free (~1pm). We had next to no wind and got to the end in about an hour. The water is freezing!

There was a granite-crushed beach beside the glacier when we were there, making getting out and packing easy. The walk through the moraine and glacier was slow. We downloaded Roman's tracks from the year before, we didn't follow them to a tee (probably went similar like Lauren and Sebastian), but they were helpful when we were unsure. Whatever you do, stay away from the unstable slopes to the left and the big icy overhang bottom left further in. Overhead hazards and rock fall are a thing, especially on wet and warm sunny days, we saw two large rock falls, one being a small car sized boulder. Other than that the descriptions before are sufficient. I had fun on the glacier, but Tomáš thinks there could still be holes you could fall in, so do watch your step, especially where the water flows. A good point of reference that marks the end of the glacial ice is here (approx), -47.08282, -73.25064 , it is a rounded solid rockwall to your left just before a drop off to a glacial lake. After that the CC was easy and the lakes just beyond the glacier were very pretty. You can hop on rocks over the stream here:-47.09244, -73.26085. Tomáš went to check out the optional view point trail (Option 12) and found a tarped expedition shelter ~100meters in, we camped there. No toilets (destroyed by a tree) but it was equipped with good shovels and was significantly warmer than the beach, no mosquitoes. The trail further seemed overgrown, if it ever was a trail. However, the forest is open. On the company's website, there is a picture that is clearly taken from the end of this sidetrail, so it is definitely doable.

(Drinking water: Water at Puesto is swampy, from the puesto you can get water from the fords. No water up the pass but after the pass there is plenty of water. At the lake there was a stream on the left. Obviously plenty of water on the glacier and then post glacier there are many lakes and creeks. A nice creek just before Option 12/the previously unknown expedition camp.

Day05-07: Cross Valley / Lago Colonia / Rio Colonia

Day05 As for the cross valley, once again I am seriously impressed Roman got through so fast without knowing the way. The first part through the forest was okay but the trail is often almost or totally invisible, also the bogs were annoying and cold. The second part which was in the open was even more invisible. Cairns would be helpful here but maybe the expedition team wants to keep it the way it is. The water waypoint, -47.13916, -73.25818 , was a small slippery ford for us, over a waterfall, so take caution. The exit onto the river bed is eroding, we exited here -47.14341, -73.26198 . Walking the riverbed was indeed faster than anything else along the route. Considering our earlier days with trail flooding, I was pleased this part wasn't flooded! But like Roman mentions, icebergs can block the lake and the valley can get flooded. but then you would use your packraft. (Tomáš: The river in the valley looked like fun class III to III+ of almost continuous rapids ending with a mortal rapid where it meets the glacier. Obviously only for people who know what they are doing - I recommend to bring your backpacks downstream while scouting and then go back to packraft). Cerro Arenales is absolutely gorgeous, I hope everyone can get a nice weather day for this part! In good weather we had no issues with the first granite traverse and the one closer to the lake. Tomáš accidentally wound up on east side of the main lake that has the weather station next to it (the one L+S had a wet scramble on), but it did not go, he had to turn around. When we hit the actual trail after the "Ford?" waypoint (Which was jumpable) Tomáš traced it backwards and noticed it did not go the same route we went, the trail goes to -47.20767, -73.23661. Somebody with time should investigate further, seems like the company takes people more to the east than the GPT. Tomáš thinks there must be another shelter. However, Roman’s route seems more scenic. This will hopefully make it as exploratory trail for the next year. We camped at -47.22261, -73.22310, nothing special and lots of mosquitoes. Tomáš does not think Roman’s camp recommendatiom is very good. By the way the valley seems to be where the river gets diverted when the valley gets blocked by a glacier.

Day06 An easy day. We took a slightly different way to the start of the labeled "steep forest" because Romans route was quite wet. The steep forest part was nice because it was finally a real trail, some marshy spots though. There were two fords for me and none for Tomáš bcs he moved some narrow logs to cross. We rarely had to check the gps until after the expedition shelter, where it goes along the rock bluffs. We put in a bit earlier for Lago Colonia on the river upstream of it here: -47.26765, -73.18360. It was grey and shallow on the right, I was not a big fan. On the left there was a rapid, probably class II or lower, but we saw it only from a distance. It was slightly windy for our crossing (15-20km/hr, tailwind) but we had no issues with waves. There is one nice camping beach at -47.32077, -73.12995 on the left closer to the end of the lake with a waterfall nearby. Much better camping there than the end of the lake or anywhere along the river. I don't advise camping along the river unless you don't mind sleeping on river rock and thorns. Tomáš walked the boat for the first rapid, the flow is strong and there are many boulders scattered and hidden under the grey water. It was around 8:30pm when we were at the corner of rapid #2 and I made Tomáš stop (he thought we would camp just downstream of that rapid, where indeed you can get up on sand) and camp in a sad little patch of river rock. It wasn't terrible in the end but it looked terrible.

Day07 We finished the river the next day starting very late due to cold rain. I was not in the mood for paddling the grey water rapids so I walked them, but Tomáš ran everything without a problem, no more than class II. The fourth one was definitely the biggest wave-wise, but it was clean of boulders. We had virtually zero ground contact but we were traveling in-between heavy rain systems. Tomáš proposed that we continue onto the Baker for about 25 km to shorten the road, and although this idea sounded more fun, I declined and voted for the road due to incoming storms and not knowing enough about the Baker. Chances of hitchhiking are very low, there are roughly only 25 people living in the valley. Somehow we lucked out and met Neftali, a settler just up river from the take out. He picked us up at the start of the road and drove us all the way back to Cochrane. The single car ferry operates for free from 8:30am-12:30 and then 1pm-6pm. There is technically a bus that goes to the valley. Definitely on Mondays and then possibly Wednesdays (says Neftali) or Thursdays (as paper in the Cochrane bus station seemed to suggest) at the bus stop -47.26623, -72.83772 (at Option 4). If the paper is correct, the bus leaves Cochrane on 8:30 and goes back at 12:30. It was labeled “Colonia Norte”.

(Drinking water: In the cross valley there are some sources and in the bluffs the best one is the water/ford. Along the river bed there are a few and then up high on the rocks there are a few lakes. And along the last trail there were at least three water/fords which was plenty. When you finish the trail there were two creeks just before heading to the lake so you can fill up. It was hard to find water other than the river itself on the river and when we drove back to Cochrane the road looked very dry, just one stream we passed in the ~28km. Obviously you could always ask settlers for water. Overall, I rarely carried more than 500mls of water for the whole trip.)

Season 2023/24

• 2024-Mar-04 to 2024-Mar-09 / 6 days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Lauren & Seb

Overall: A picturesque and adventurous section. One of the more remote that we have done on the GPT, with lots of fun CC over varied terrains (river bed, boulder slopes, glacier) and trails which are not very hard to follow (as long as you don’t lose them).

Tracks and Waypoints: Please download Roman’s GPS data. You will need it if you want to avoid countless hours of BB (I assume the verified tracks will be part of the GPT RP from next season onwards).

Weather: This is definitely a good weather route. We went in knowing that the weather might not be perfect, but weather forecast said that the days should be dry. They weren’t. We ended up walking 4 out of 6 days in our drysuits. It wasn’t much of a problem in the end, as we had dry feet due to the latex feet on our dry suits, even though temperatures dropped as low as below 5deg during the day. The rain made the ups and downs more difficult and time consuming. Nevertheless , we did not feel that the trail became unsafe at any moment. Still: If you can, make sure that a stable High Pressure System is hanging over the area before you go. It will make things more enjoyable and safe.

Day 1: We started from Cochrane via car to the hiking start near wp Gate {82P} [15.6/206]. It is possible to organize a taxi ride from town if you want, but we were lucky that a friend offered to take us with his van. We reached the wp by noon and hiked quickly up the valley to camp at wp Camp {82P} [36.8/285]. It’s enjoyable and fast hiking on this stretch and a quiet campsite.

Day 2: Continuing up the valley turned out to be rather easy now. Previous accounts about difficult BB up to the pass and beyond did not apply for us as earlier groups have cleared the way with machetes (thank you Cy and GG) and also Aquilino Olivari has recently cleared the trail up to Lago Nef with his chainsaw. It’s a great effort from his side, and we were very thankful for it. It’s now really easy to follow the trail all the way to Lago Nef. We met Aquilino and Eva on our way up. We had a nice conversation, and he asked to share about his services, which we would like to do at this point to honor the work he puts into clearing the trail: He is able to support with gear transport with his horses from the Rios Nef/Baker confluencia up to Lago Nef. He can support large expeditions, but also small self-supported tours. He just built a brand new refugio next to his puesto at wp Puesto {82P} [39.1/274]. If you want to bring more food and gear, to explore Lago and Glaciar Nef, and don’t feel like carrying it all up to Lago Nef on your back, you should consider giving him a call or whatsapp: +56 9 9472 5681. He will be happy to hear from you. We camped at wp Camp {82P} [50.6/448].

Day 3: We got up early to paddle Lago Nef. Once we were awake, winds were already high and we decided to wait as lower winds were forecasted from 8am onwards. We set off at 7:45am and enjoyed an absolutely spectacular paddling experience through the icebergs. We paddled in two hours under medium to strong headwinds to the northwestern end of the lake. This is where Roman’s GPS starts. We followed it closely and it turned out to be fantastic; not much backtracking was needed as we followed it across the moraine. After we crossed onto the glacier, we decided to take a different path from around here -47.08133, -73.24656. Roman’s route traverses some steep parts of the glacier, which we were uncomfortable with. Instead we went 50 meters further onto the glacier, higher across the ice, and found a gentler and safer way down. We cut back to Roman’s route just before it leaves the ice. From there on it’s CC across large rock and TL to our camp spot at -47.09996, -73.25375 which lies somewhat sheltered behind a large rock.

Day 4: The trail through the cross valley starts well visible and loses itself from time to time. It’s no problem to find it with Roman’s GPS data. Important: Don’t miss the point where it starts climbing up the right side of the valley. We missed it and BBd up the steep slope until we found it again. Once you are high up on the right side of the valley it’s easy to follow all the way to -47.14531, -73.26141. From there it’s easy CC along the river bed. Hard sand makes walking fast. You’ll then cross from the river bed into the high valley on the eastern side of Glaciar Colonia. We found the short traverse of the exposed granite rock at -47.19580, -73.25104 a sketchy part in wet conditions. Traction should be better when dry. After this, Huemul land starts :) We saw 4 of them that day including a family of 3. Shortly after, the GPS route traverses the hill side next to the lake. At point -47.208860, -73.250455 the GPS route leads across a steep granite rock. We decided not to follow it as it looked slippery when wet but to instead go a couple meters higher and traversed through a gentler part with vegetation and better footholds. You may also consider paddling across this short lake to avoid the CC traverse. We followed the GPS route to -47.20933, -73.24858 where we camped.

Day 5: More rain but again no problem in the drysuits! We followed Roman’s GPS file to the T. Not sure how he found the trail that leads up into the hills, but we are so grateful that he did. Lot’s of CC and TL until you reach that point, but from there it’s a really good trail. Can’t miss it anymore! We also didn’t find it dangerous despite the wet conditions. It was a bit steep at first, but not exposed except for one point at the very beginning before the uphill. The rain did not turn the trail into a mud bath as we had feared, it actually made the entire trail more grippy. Lot’s of ups and downs, slow progress, but an enjoyable day! We camped at the expedition camp at -47.24782, -73.19693 and setup our tent under their roof. It poured heavily that night and we were so happy to be able to keep everything dry!

Day 6: We managed to come down from the plateau without problems. Trail was easy to follow. The rain made progress slow as we treaded carefully, but the white granite was rougher and had more traction than expected. Overall we did not encounter any super ‘dangerous when wet’ areas along the entire trail, except the two steep traverses mentioned above. We put-in near -47.27440, -73.17022 and paddled Lago Colonia with good backwind. Towards the end, the wind became very strong and large waves made the landing at the water-out spot quite tricky due to the large boulders in the entire shoreline. We timed our jumps out of the packraft so proceed with caution. After we packed the boat we portered the first rapid and rivered-in Rio Colonia after it. We lined the boat through the second rapid, as deflating/inflating our large two-seater is time consuming. Lining the boat down the rapid worked well and we only carried it the last 10 meters around the last drop where lining was not an option. We got back into the boat, set across to the other side and lined it another 50m as the rapid continues around the corner. After that it was free for all! No more portering, but the river remains challenging, there is a 4th small rapid which we ran and haystacks (probably due to days of rain), that require constant focus. At one point the haystacks were at least 1.5m tall. It was a fun ride, but could have gone wrong easily. Assess the situation and keep your eyes peeled the entire first 5km of Rio Colonia. Frequent ground contact. After that it’s a fast ride down to the river-out where we reached around 6pm. During the last day we were in touch through inreach messaging with GPT Packrafter Jordan. He was so kind to arrange a pick-up for us from the river-out spot, as it was supposed to rain the entire next day and trying to hitchhike out would have been very unpleasant in the cold rain. Thank you so much again Jordan!

• 2024-01-09 to 2024-01-13 / 5 days / Packrafting / SOBO / Rio Nef - Lago Nef - Glaciar Nef [Variant C + RP] - Lago Colonia - Rio Colonia [Exploration] - El Manzano [RP + Option 5 + Option 1 / Roman

Route: took a bus to Gate {82P-C} [9.8/220] and used Variant C to cross Rio Baker and Rio Nef via RP to Glaciar Nef. Exploration via Lago Colonia and Rio Colonia to Ford {82P} [111.0/77]. Via RP to this point -47.20671, -72.63424 and took Option 5 to this point -47.141983, -72.720849 and took option Option 01 to get to the Street Carretera Austral.

Started in Puerto Tranquilo after GPT33H. There is an official Bus to Puerto Bertrand, the bus continues to Cochrane - so it was no problem to get directly dropped off at the Gate {82P-C} [9.8/220]. Bus departs daily at 1 o’clock (departure and further information here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fHUjAEDtf4fW5Jxv5?g_st=ic / +56 9 9413 8195). It’s easy to get to the river and to cross Rio Baker. I was there at 3PM and had a strong wind from south which made the crossing easier. The trail to Rio Nef is very good and I met Tres Marias, Aquilino Olivares. Crossing Rio Nef is also easy. After that good trail and CC. Camped here: -47.128611, -72.943056 at 08:30 PM. The Trail and the CC is very easy up to the start of the BB&CC Section here: -47.139511, -73.097292 (which is trail condition wise the worst section). The climb is ok even though there is no real trail (great view at the pass here: -47.139704, -73.112711. The way down is hard and sometimes without trail. Still follow the GPS because if there is a trail it’s worth following. Arrived at 04:30 PM at Lago Nef with wind from NW 15 km/h. I decided to camp here: -47.1089, -73.18915 and cross the next morning (06:50 AM). No wind - flat surface. Because of - C° the edge of the lake was frozen with ice (2-6mm). I recommend to scout a route trough the ice before you enter you packraft. In my situation due the the NW Wind most of the ice was in the S bay. This depends highly on the wind situation in which you arrive at the lake and has therefore an impact if at all and how easy to can enter or exit the lake. Due to the Situation I went in the water here: -47.109632, -73.185683 and needed to get through 100-200m of ice which I could destroy with my paddle before reaching open water. I stuck to the northern shore until the middle of the lake and crossed than to the exit point here: -47.08211, -73.236963. Here my recoding starts.

The next part up to this point: -47.082778, -73.250556 is Scrambling over the edge of the glacier (Gravel, Sand, Boulders, etc.). This is quite slow because you need to find a suitable path to avoid the frozen ice where a 1-5cm of gravel is - this is slippery and not stable (no special equipment needed). After this section it’s very easy CC up to this point: -47.100066, -73.253699. Here the trail starts - the beginning not super visible but still easy to hike because it’s only low growing vegetation. The Trail remains in ok condition and fairly easy to follow I would say I got 90-95% accuracy. The Trail continues up to this point: -47.144167, -73.261667. From there up to my campsite it’s very hard sand and very easy to hike CC. Along the way you can always pitch a tent and get water. I arrived at my camp at ~5 PM with a great view but no water here: -47.193118, -73.251086. CC continues. There follow the GPS and stay high. There is a weather station here: -47.201825, -73.255403 so A: you have a good weather forecast for the region B: it’s a hypothesis from my side why the trail now becomes even better - people take it for maintenance/science exploration. Here -47.209684, -73.234415 the Trail (visible also in satellite) and CC starts. Good trail easy to follow. An absolutely incredible Campside also with an amazing chance to take a bath or even to jump in the small pool (https://www.flickr.com/photos/165990868@N03/31348811937/) is here: -47.223611, -73.22071. If you can arrange it I would definitely pitch tent here. The Trail and CC continues up to this point: -47.228513, -73.213717. Here it’s only trail (follow the GPS! It’s a very steep start but you have to take it) in very good condition (estimated accuracy 95-100%) up to this point: -47.251483, -73.193713. After that’s it’s CC only until Lago Colonia. There are some parts of the Trail which are due to the steepness I guess quite difficult when wet. A few of the places are relatively steep and there are a few places that are sloping, all in all absolutely doable. You will reach the Camp of this company: https://www.patagoniaadventureexpeditions.com/ here: -47.247844, -73.196981 , https://imgur.com/DZznI8m. As mentioned after the Trail part it’s CC to the lake. I arrived at 01:00 PM with 10-15 km/h wind from NNW I decided to cross the lake because the wind should be getting worse the next days. There are tons of exit opportunities in the NE side of the lake. After crossing (wind was stable for the 1.75 h) I approached the first rapid (Rapid {82P} [91.7/145]). I misjudged the rapid and capsized and lost my main phone (with images and further GPS information) in my opinion it’s not possible to go over this rapid in a safe manner so: carry your boat around it - there is gravel/boulder on the N shore. This packrafting and carrying you packraft around rapids goes roughly to this point: -47.3275, -72.988333. Due to my limited experience place evaluate the Rapids individually and based on your own experience. At a certain point it becomes a fast flowing (8-10 km/h) river which is beautiful. You will have occasional ground contact the hole section. You have to take a very very small arm here: -47.307019, -72.912594 where you either have ground contact or you need to hop out for 10m. After that you can exit here Ford {82P} [111.0/77]. Pitched tent at 08:00 PM here: -47.302074, -72.910947. Got here: -47.300835, -72.912555 a lift the next morning all the way to El Manzano (-47.127835, -72.703766) via Option 5 and Option 1. The local said that he is uncertain if hikers (or generally people who are not in a car are allowed to use the ferry because of some regulations and the “friendliness” of the two operator. There supposed to be also a bus from where I camped to the ferry twice a week, but I don’t have any information about it. So worst case you have to hike the 30 km to the ferry - during the lift there where quite a few people to possible to get a lift or continue via GPT36P as an idea. After reaching El Manzano you can hop on the same bus which is going between Puerto Río Tranquilo and Cochrane or hitchhike.

Further Challenges:

SoBo/NoBo - I would recommend going SoBo because of the possibility of ice and icebergs on Lago Ned which make a turnaround easier. To have progressively better trail towards the end. Have a good trail in case Rio Colonia is not packraftable. Have a hut at Lago Colonia in case if a bad weather period.

Packraft required: you need to be aware that as soon as you crossed either Lago Nef (SoBo) or Lago Colonia (NoBo) there is no “only hiking route” out of there. So you are dependent on the circumstances. Exception taking route Option 02 which is experimental therefore I wouldn’t consider this an option.

Icebergs: If the wind is coming from an unfavorable direction the days before you arrive it will push the icebergs either towards the lake entry or exit which could prevent entering or exiting. Which would result in a waiting time or you have to turn around.

Ice: I was surprised to wake up to a layer of ice in the lake if there haven’t been anything on the day before. It was possible to destroy the ice while being in the packraft to have a “channel” where you than can go to open water but I thing this isn’t a method which is in the books. So if you go in a time where you have negative temperature during the night I would recommend crossing the lake in the late evening if the wind came down and there is no ice. But keep in mind the next place to pitch a tent is from here on forwards and crossing the glacier outskirts in dim light isn’t recommended: -47.087778, -73.256944 (wind protected, water, flat, good ground).

Cachet II: The River sometimes grows immensely covering its surroundings with water. This happens occasionally when the glacier ice blocks the river from flowing down to the Colonia Lake. From 2008 to 2017 filling and emptying happened frequently.

Overall: Awesome tour with in incredible iceberg, glacier, lake and dessert like views. If you made it to Lago Nef the most difficult trail part is done. It’s a really adventurous route but the trail is in really good condition on day 2 and in ok condition on day 1. If there is no trail is super easy CC. One of the best sections I have done so far!

Trail & Information Marker download (GPX&KML): https://1drv.ms/f/s!AqzLweJ3NZW5q7oHag2K7Y4fp14ySw

Contact: https://linktr.ee/RundW

Season 2022/23

• 2023-Feb-02 to 2023-Feb-06 / 5 days / Rio Nef - Lago Nef - Glaciar Nef and return on the same route / West and Eastbound / Packrafting / Meylin Ubilla, Masha Ovchinnikova, Misha Bogdanov, Jan Dudeck

The Aysen Glacier Trail combines several long-established horse trails with motor boat crossings of Lago Plomo, Lago Colonia and Rio Colonia and a 5 km long traverse of Glaciar Nef. The egress and exit by motor boat and the glacier traverse makes this an rather exclusive route that is not easily done unsupported. Also, the land owners at Lago Plomo and Lago Colonia collaborate closely with the company that offers guided tours on the Aysen Glacier Trail for several thousand USD per person.

See: http://www.patagoniaadventureexpeditions.com/the-aysen...

Attempting the Aysen Glacier Trail without this company requires:

1. A mountain guide that is familiar with this route and the glacier terrain and that can provide the mountaineering equipment for the glacier traverse. Nelson Baigorria (+56 9 6640 9400) is such a guide with lots of local expertise.

2. Permission and motor boat transfer from Puerto Bertrand to the western terminus of Lago Plomo. Crossing Lago Plomo by packraft is an option but requires optimal weather and may result in additional waiting time as the predominant wind direction is against the travel direction.

3. Permission and motor boat transfer of Lago Colonia and Rio Colonia. Crossing Lago Colonia by packraft is an suitable alternative as the predominant wind direction is in travel direction but this requires an extra free seat for the guide.

Due to time and weather constraints we opted against the Aysen Glacier Trail this season and choose to explore the valley of Rio Nef instead that potentially provides access to the Aysen Glacier Trail on an alternative route with less right-of-way conflicts.

The trail head is situated just south of the confluence of Rio Nef into Rio Baker and can be reached on several routes:

Option 1 (without packraft): 33 km on road from Cochrane via Carretera Austral, bridge over Rio Baker “El manzano” to “El Maiten”.

Option 2 (with packraft): Bus from Cochrane or Puerto Bertrand to Confluencia Rio Nef, walking 1.2 km to Rio Baker, packraft crossing of Rio Baker, walking 2 km to Rio Nef and packraft crossing of Rio Nef.

Option 3 (with packraft, some whitewater): Packrafting Rio Baker from Puerto Bertrand to the river exit BEFORE the the major rapids of Rio Baker start. You may discuss your plans with a rafting company in Puerto Bertrand to send heavy gear with the raft and packraft in the vicinity of the raft and the safety kayakers that accompany the raft.

From the trail head at “El Maiten” a well maintained 26 km long trail leads along the southern side of Rio Nef to the Tapera Cadagan. There are several abandoned “poblaciones” along the route. Access to drinking water is sufficient to refill a water bottle every hour or two. Also suitable camp sites can be found every hour or two.

After reaching Tapera Cadagan the trail becomes barely visible and poorly maintained. The route traverses the adjacent mountain. Enough water should be carried from the last river ford, especially on a warm sunny days. After the 740 m high pass the route descends towards the forest. In the forest the trail is somewhat better visible but remains poorly maintained. In parts the route traverse open terrain next to Rio Nef without any visible trail. The last 2 km to the Lago Nef is an uncomplicated cross-country traverse. A camp site should be chosen based on the required wind protection.

Packrafters can inflate their packrafts on a calm early morning or evening to cross the 5 km short lake to the glacier fron. Sufficient safety distance should be maintained to the glacier and stranded and floating blocks of ice.

A brief visual inspection and a drone video makes it appear feasible to walk from the southwestern terminus of the lake to the main route of the Aysen Glacier Trail without mountaineering equipment but this remains to be verified.

When returning on the same hiking route packrafters must walk at least to Camp (-47.1502 / -73.0501). There the rapids of Rio Nef are left behind and Rio Nef becomes a fast-flowing falt-water river with some boils. The former trail to the river is in parts still visible and 2 to 4 hours of machete work are required to clear especially the final 200 m to the river access. This is best done by a team of at least 2 persons with at least 2 machetes.

The return by packraft requires about 2 hours. Make sure to exit Rio Nef BEFORE the rapids and the confluence into Rio Baker.

Note: We documented this route

Season 2021/22

• 2022-Feb / Packrafting / Mikhail Bogdanov&Masha Ovchinnikova

See https://web.facebook.com/groups/222224388283455/posts/1319249015247648/

Resupply and Accommodation

Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns

Resupply and Accommodation along the Route

Transport to and from Route

Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues

Links to other Resources

Retired Section Article GPT82P - Travesía Soler-Nef

Retired Section Article GPT83P - Travesía Nef-Colonia

Images