Cambios

 *'''2025-03-04 to 2025-03-08 / 5 days / <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting</span> and hiking/ NOBO / Option 6  / Tomáš&Natalie''' Not important prelude: We were not going to do this. Several continuous days of rain were forecasted. We meant to take a ferry north from Puerto Chacabuco. However, there were protests and the road to Puerto Aysén was closed on Monday and the buses were cancelled. The first bus of the day at 13:45 only went a few km before Puerto Aysén, where the prostest were. We were supposed to walk through them and board another bus. Locals said that the ferry always leaves later than the schedulet 15:00 and we should make it. But when we reached the protests, somebody called the port and the ship sailed on time. Given we also left our tent poles in Cochrane and were arranging for them to be sent to Coyahaique by bus (thanks Thijmen!!) and then by post (from Coyhaique to Santiago) and that the forecast was improving somewhat, we took it as a sign to do this option which we have previously mulled, so we returned to Coyhaique instead of hunting the ferry by hitching to Puerto Cisnes, where it would be at 11PM. We cursed ourselves throughout when it was cold, rainy and flooded, but you only truly remember the good stuff later on, so now it feels good. We walked in drysuits 80 percent of the time. We would never want to hike in such rainy and windy cold weather without drysuits and drybags. Overall, I think we are the first who have done this hike since it has been promoted from exploratory options. The GPS is correct. Hiking wise it is easy, possibly easier (less exposed, we had no issues doing it in the rain) than RR. Fords are much worse though, at least in rainy weather. Scenic-wise it is hard to compare, we had no views in the clouds. But I assume the RR is prettier. Here you will meet noone, if that is a huge bonus for you, this could be recommended. Or when denied entry on RR when going NOBO or if you have done RR previously. It is also obviously attractive for packrafters as it nicely connects to Rio Paloma/31P-01. (The rapid under the bridge over Rio Ibanez at Cerro Castillo looked just like big waves (class III?) from the bridge, but do your own scouting, I saw it twice only for 5 seconds each, I just was surprised it did not look that bad.) On Tuesday morning, we took a bus from Coyhaique to Cochrane and got out at Cerro Castillo, where we waited 4 hours for the bus from Cochrane that carried our poles. A gomeria here -46.12096, -72.16249 sharpened our machete very well and for free! When the poles arrived, we soon got a hitch to -46.13355, -72.41950. In the pouring rain and wind, we assembled the packraft and went 1 km down Rio Ibanez to option 10A. The river was flooded, all of the riverbed was under water. Luckily it was raining less then. Camped in the rain here: -46.11081, -72.40580. The cable car upstream is still there, no idea if it is functional though. The trail up still exists, but it seems it had not been used this year, so it is not the fastest. Shortly after entering the forrest for the first time somewhere around -46.10651, -72.41083, there is a meadow with some bamboo where the other side of the trail is hard to find even with GPS, but it is there. The trail is good in the forrest, but in the open around -46.10263, -72.41470, it is somewhat overgrown, but not too bad, I did not use the machete. The option 06 is preferable to 06B. I think this is what "Mum, Sis and I" did. 06B is still a trail at least in its beginning and it was done by Jan and he did not seem to like the last BB climb (I talked to him). On our route, I would say the BB&CC should be more CC&BB&TL. First part is easy if steep descent in open terrain. Around here -46.09437, -72.42397, there was a trailhead. I however lost (not hitting "save" on new waypoints is a plague!) the exact coordinates, so look for it. The trail is maybe an animal trail and is steep, but it leads you down to a stream. Cross the stream here: -46.09371, -72.42521, where the animal (?) trail continues. Then keep to the ridge until you exit the forest. The forest is indeed quite open (the more the higher you are) and sometimes there is something that looks like a trail. Good camps with access to water would be -46.09088, -72.43224 and at the end of the BB&CC (not the one indicated in the files). This part took us maybe 2 or 3 hours, but we were slow. Camp without water possible here too: -46.09290, -72.42823. It was starting to rain when we reached the open terrain, so we put on drysuits. The meadows did not seem to be grazed and water was kind of everywhere. The traverse is however easy and not exposed. Safety-wise, we felt good even in the rain and medium visibility. It was not windy but we got cold (took us some time to get warm in the tent). The forest before our campsite somewhere around -46.05323, -72.47485 is very open - count no time penalty for walking there. We had a late morning as it was still raining. When it stopped, we put on drysuits and went down the meadow and then it started to rain again. The meadow is being grazed and marshy and I do not think it ever gets really dry. Sometimes it seemed there is a bit of a trail in the forest on the west side, but we mostly walked on the meadow. Puesto del Avion stands, is semidry and kind of dirty. The trail after the meadow is well used and clear and muddy. The river was roaring (looked kayakable from high up, it is continuous rapids at least up to clas IV, but we obviously did not see all of it) and we avoided the first four fords that are close to each other by staying on the left side. This is doable, it takes a bit of time but the forest is open, just stay close to water. The ford 10.6 (-45.99676, -72.37790) was a clear nogo and initially we also tried to stay on the right. It went for a bit, but it gets steeper and steeper and cliffier and cliffier. We camped up there and tried to go further the next day, but turned back one third of the distance to the next ford. Traversing seems bad, but possibly crosing a sidestream here -45.99541, -72.37794, reaching above tree line here: -45.98498, -72.37741 and then going down -45.97970, -72.36782 might work, but the way down would be steep and it would possibly take a whole day, so you might just as well wait for the water to go down. In 12 hourse of no rain during the nightu, the water went down by about 15 cm at a narrow spot. Back at the ford, it was still too strong. However, about 100m upstream (somewhere around -45.99786, -72.37877), where the locals' makeshift camp is, one can cross the river kneedeep where it is wider. First go in the middle, then about 50 m downstream and the cross to the other side and then along the river to the trail. The trail then goes under cliffs, the whole upper valley is quite pretty. The next ford 8.2 was also strong. Without backpack, I managed to cross it but a much better whitewaterless spot is about 60 m upstream in front of a big rock. The river was still strong, Natalie struggled a bit with it even with my help. It was mid-thighs and pushy in the middle. Having lost a lot of time on the fords and attempted traverse, we camped at -45.95672, -72.35307, behind a new gate. The trail from there continues at least to -45.94945, -72.36639, where it fords the river (easy). I did not explore more, but I wonder if it joins option 8 at a clearing and buildings here: -45.93527, -72.42878, as the corresponding pass seems low and there do not seem to be any sensible other destinations in this valley. Somebody with more time and food should explore more - try to reserve at least half a day for it! There was also abandoned puesto here: -45.95000, -72.36480. Ford 4.9 did not go down overnight, it was under our ùknees. Natalie forded a bit upstream where it is more pushy but boulders and stones give you more grip. I had no issues crossing at the proper ford, where the riverbad is exposed rock. It is not flat and not too slippery though. The rest of the valley is easy and finally it was a sunny day without drysuits! Bridge 30.4 on Option 5 was standing, so that still waits for its first log. It was a sunny Saturday and there were several cars (fisher and tourists) at Bridge 31, so hitching from there seems feasible. There was also some traffic on the less minor road to Lago Caro. We however went down on Rio Paloma on 31-01P. *'''2025-FEB-26 to 2025-FEB-28 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Ivan, Jakub, Daniel''' This is a short but very diverse section with a variety of terrain, picturesque forests, and stunning views. The memory of clambering up steep slopes in the northern part of the stage and then gazing at the imposing, dominating Cerro Castillo (2675 m above sea level) to the south is etched deeply in our minds. The section passes through Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo, which means there is an entry fee and camping is only allowed at designated sites (see below). Challenges: Exposed terrain and clambering at kilometers 28.3-30.0. Caution and slow progress are necessary here. It is impassable in bad weather. There is nothing too complicated on BB + CC at kilometers 38.1-38.7; the forest is relatively clear and there is a narrow trail in some places. Fees: At the time of our passage, the entry fee for Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo was (for foreigners per person) 18,000 CLP for one day, 24,000 CLP for two days, and 28,000 CLP for three or more days in the park. We paid 24,000 CLP each upon exiting the park (X {32} [60.6/316]) since we spent one night outside the park. Bivouacing: Camping within Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo is, according to information from the gatekeepers, only allowed at officially designated campsites marked in OSM map sources: 1) Segundo camping (-46.00818, -72.10410)2) Camping El Bosque (-46.06429, -72.16909)3) Camping Los Porteadores. (-46.08888, -72.23543) We only used the last mentioned site as we chose the fastest route through the national park. These campsites have designated spots for tents, wooden seating, and dry toilets. They were quite crowded in the evenings. Other campsites found in OSM sources or track files are not official and thus illegal. Water: Water is not a problem; the trail frequently crosses a stream or river. Resupply: In Villa Frei, we bought supplies for 2.5 days in a small shop with basic groceries, and we had a little left over. In the center of Villa Cerro Castillo, there is a well-stocked shop called Janito, and a bit further along is a stylish food truck made from an old bus. '''2025-02-23 to 2025-02-26 / 4 days / Hiking / SOBO / Option 2, RR, Option E, Option 3, Option F / Tyson''' Bus from Coyhaique to Las Horquetas (BusCarolina). Was full on a Sunday, but a friendly worker at the station said I should insist, so I ended up standing in the back for the hour and half ride.  Day 1: Guard at the station gave the usual advice to hit the passes early to avoid the afternoon wind. Easy to follow trail, very scenic. Some wet cow trails at one point, but just following the river, so easy. A few ankle deep crossings. Went up to Laguna Penon (called Laguna El Turbio on some maps) in the afternoon. The wind and rain started up on the way. Made it up there to momentarily enjoy a whitecapped laguna and pelting rain. Day 2: Crossed Pass Penon by 10:30 or so. One could easily do Horquetas to Camp Bosque in a day, weather permitting. Made it to Bosque by late lunch so went up to Laguna Tempano / unnamed glacier viewpoint. Got a half hour of sun up there before the wind turned it to white caps again. NOTE: there are a handful of campsites about 20 meters past the first main grouping that you hit. Everyone stopped at the first ones, while those stayed empty Day 3: Late start but made it to Cerro Castillo by 11:30. Covered in clouds so waited about an hour to see if they would clear but more kept rolling in and wind picked up so I went on. About half way down the other side I look back to absolutely clear skies. Made it to camp Neozelandes (I recommend it over Porteadores) by maybe 4:30, set up camp. Up to Laguna Duff by 6ish, plenty of time to enjoy the remaining sun up there. At camp Porteadores, saw a hiker I met on day 1 with a bandage on her face. Her group of four had skipped over camp Turbio, so had crossed Castillo the day before. She described the wind as lifting her and another hiker up and dropping them on the ground. They scooted the whole way down to Porteadores on their backsides. Other hiker ended up with stitches in her leg (shout out to Marnie for some good looking backcountry sutures)  Day 4: Utterly clear day, couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing Cerro Castillo so hiked back up. Much easier to see the cairns and markers on the way up. People were just lounging up there without clouds or wind. Went down Option F, which was full of day hikers making the most of the cloudless day. NOTE the last half of option F goes onto private land now closed to the public. The rangers and physical maps will tell you to go half way down Option F and then take another trail going southwest. This is all well-beaten and impossible to miss. I actually completely missed the fork. Downside is that the trail spits you out further from the Villa. So if you can’t get a hitch (like me) then you’ve got another 5K to walk to town. Got charged the 28K pesos for 3+ days at the end.  '''25-02-17- 25-02-19/ 2,5 days / SOBO / OH02-RR-Var. E -RR-OH3-RR / Volker''' Scenic, easy, short - nice section. Water everywhere, all river crossings dry feet. A highway for gpt standards. Day 1: Bus (Don Carlos) from Coyhaique to Cochrane at 8 a.m., got out at Las Horquetas. Some hikers, but not overcrowded. Variant E to Laguna Turbia and the glacier recommended. There are several camp spots on the way to the Laguna and close to it.Day 2: Started early, nobody on the easy and pittoresque way up and down the first pass. Crowds between El Bosque and the mirador, many day hikers. The scrambling up and down the 2nd pass probably isn‘t fun on a rainy and misty day. Lots of hikers at the Porteadores and Neozelandes campings. Again several camp spots on the way to the Laguna Duff and close to it.Day 3: Short walk to Laguna Duff, very nice in the early morning before the crowds arrive. Met them (many dayhikers) on the way down. If you prefer to donate 28k to a charity instead of a Chilean state body - turn right at the sign „1km“ and walk along the river to the MR. Got a hitch to Villa Cerro Castillo from the parking 1,5km after the junction  * ''' 2025-FEV-13 > 15 / 2 jours / Randonnée / SOBO / RR / Pierre-Marie ​​''' Etape : <strike>GPT31</strike>+GPT32+GPT33| Meteo : soleil| Eau : difficile| Neige : non| Intérêt : 5/5| Difficulté : 4/5| Danger : pierriers, bush-bashing Les 15 premiers km sont à l'image du GPT31. La vue est sympa mais la gravel road est ennuyeuse. J'ai marché 6 km puis on m'a emmené au lac La Paloma. Vraiment magnifique et populaire. Ensuite j'ai repris ma rando en revenant au km 15,5. Il y a un ford dès la sortie de la gravel road. La montée se fait bien, quelques clôtures à franchir mais la plupart ont été cassées par des randonneurs pour faciliter le passage. Il y a un ford au km 23,2, puis j'ai campé au km 23,6. Je suis allé au point de vue de la 32-C, ça vaut le détours. Il y a pas mal de cairns sur le sentier et on voit qu'il était très fréquenté par le passé. Mais ce n'est plus le cas et certains passages sont difficile. D'ailleurs le point le plus difficile est mal placé sur la trace GPS, la partie escalade se trouve au point 45.938328° S 72.086493° W. Au km 34, après le petit torrent, le sentier est envahi et j'ai beaucoup utilisé ma machette. J'ai perdu une guêtre dans la bataille. Après le km 35 le sentier est plutot dégagé. Au km 39 on rejoins les sentiers du parc et ils sont plutôt bien entretenus et très utilisés. Attention les camps aux km 48 et 50,5 sont fermés temporairement et deplacés au km 49. En passant devant le péage à la sortie du parc, j'ai dit que je venais de Lago La Paloma et ils m'ont laissé passer. J'ai essayé le stop sur les 6 km de gravel road mais sans succès. <span style="background-color:aqua;">'''2025-02-16 to 2025-02-19 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / optie 2, RR, option E, 3, nameless laguna / Thijmen Scholten'''</span * Hitchhiking to las Horquitsas took longer than expected (4 hours) * I arrived at 15.30 and I was still allowed to enter. But you have to register otherwise the guard will run behind you (happened to me). * At least 3 fjords on option 2 so sandals or something would be nice. I decided to get my trail runners wet but regretted it next cold morning putting on wet cold shoes and socks. * The side trip to the lagunas are very beautiful go there! (leave your backpack down,) * If you walk long days it's not busy in the park all the people gather at the camping sites and stop hiking at 15.00. * Water: Easy everywhere except from Laguna Castillo to camp las porteadores has no water (3 hours walk).* Camping: at official sites or if you like a camp with more scenery you can camp at Laguna Peñon and Laguna Castillo.   '''2025-Jan-31 to 2025-Feb-02 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / option 2p, Var f., RR / Nimrod & Tamar''' We took the bus from Coyhaique at 9:00. It took about 1.5 hours, cost 10,000 clp each.The trail from Los Horquetas was well maintained. There were a few small fords along the way.Camped at Rio Tirbio with 10 more people.We left our bags and went to Laguna peñon and back, about 2 hours detour. The trail to the lake is marked well. The Laguna was quiet small and had milky color from the melting glacier.  2nd day:The accent to the pass and the descent were pleasant. A little after the pass a lot of little waterfalls from melting glacier- very beautiful!We took a detour to the unnamed Laguna using Lilian's directions.The CC to the lake is not marked but it wasn't hard to get there. Took us about half an hour to the lake. The laguna Had a tourquize color with brown on the outside to it.  We camped at El Bosque with tons of other tourists but there was room for everybody, and it was quite.We left our bags and climbed to the unnamed lake. The trail was marked well. It took us about one hour up. The lake was larger then the last two. We heard cracking and falling sound on the way ( maybe falling glacier?)The weather was bad and we were wet and cold, so we hurried back down. 3rd day:After a rainy night we started a rainy day.There were glimpses of sun and we had a chance to see the fresh snow covered mountains around.We decided not to climb to the pass because of the weather and took var f.We didn't regret it because it started snowing and the wind was crazy.On the way down we met a worried ranger who was going up to stop people from climbing the pass.At ( -46.08730, -72.17282) we split from the gpx and walked down on a well maintained CONAF trail.At (-46.067656,-072.119996) there's a CONAF cabin and we had to pay 28,000 clp each.We hitchhiked the MR to the main road. There were a lot of tourists on this trail and it went pretty fast. Took a bus back to coyhaique at 16:30.  '''2025-Jan-13 to 2025-Jan-16 / 4 days / Hiking / SOBO / OH02, var D, RR, variant E. RR / Sean & Neele''' Took the bus from Coyhaique to Las Horquetas in the morning to hike in on option 2, very easy. Camped at Rio Turbio camp, saw a mouse here so hung our food. Took variant E to Laguna Peñon route is marked with cairns. very quick and easy so worth the trip. Pass 43.9km still has snow but is easily manageable. Camped at El Bosque and took a side trip up to the unnamed Laguna above it. Really nice would definitely recommend it. The route isn't on the track files but is on OSM and is marked with cairns. Pass 53.5km - no snow. Crazy windy for us. Camp 56.6km - Camping Los Porteadores - busiest so far seems to get overnight hikers from Villa Cerro Castillo. Saw a mouse here too. Took option 3 to Laguna Duff which is very beautiful. Met a ranger at the laguna who asked where we were camping. Followed RR out, didn't see anyway to pay. Got a hitch to Villa Cerro Castillo. Camped at Nordic Patagonia for 9k   * '''2025 Jan 2nd to Jan 4th / 2.5 hiking days / SOBO / Hiking / Opt 2 & 3, RR, Var E / MiaimZelt''' A very scenic route with good maintained trails and lots of watersources. All Campings are really nice: lots of flat spaces, sheltered from the wind, toilet, benches and access to water. Day 1: Took the bus at 8 from Coyhaique to Las Horquetas. The trail from Las Horquetas is open again. Everybody has to register at the ranger kiosk. Really easy trail until Camp before the pass. Var E is beautiful and mostly hiking on a big field of rocks, marked with cairns. At pass Peñon there was still snow, but doable without microspikes. The way down is very steep. Slept at Camp El Bosque.  Day 2: Can really recommend to hike up to the nameless Laguna above El Bosque. Extremely scenic lake! Also Laguna Castillo is a real gem. Stretch of big boulders above the lake, up to the pass it gets easier. Was very warm up there and had no wind. Bring water from the lake, there is none until you reach the next Camp. Way down from the Pass is very steep with lots of scree. Hiked to Camp Neozelandes, pitched my tent and did a detour to the scenic Laguna Duff. On the way up i met a lady from the Conaf, asking where i want to sleep. Inside the NP you have to use the campgrounds. Day 3: All the way down is very easy. Had to pay 28000 pesos for 3 days, price for chileans is only a little bit cheaper. Payment possible with card or cash. At -46.115013, -72.200497 there is an open gate with a sign "Bienvenido a Sendero Laguna Castillo". It's in OSM, but not part of the GPT-Tracks.  * '''2024 Dec 13th to Dec 17th / 5 hiking days / SOBO / Hiking / Opt 2, RR, Var E, Var F, Var G / Michael and Kasia'''

• * '''2024-Dec-05 to 2024-Dec-06 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / MR + Opt.N + Opt.M + Opt.01/ Julien '''

 * '''2021-Dec-18 to 2021-Dec-22 / Option 6 (Valle Balboa), Regular Route <span style="background-color:aqua;">(Packrafting Lago Desierto and Lago Azul)</span> and <span style="background-color:aqua;">Option 9 (Packrafting Lago Paloma)</span> / Northbound and Westbound / Meylin and Jan'''</span>.