Diferencia entre revisiones de «Greater Patagonian Trail»

Revisión del 12:25 15 jun 2017

GPT16: Volcán Mocho on the background. Contenido 1 Summary 2 Update in Progress 3 The Art of Walking on the GPT 3.1 Statements about the GPT by Hikers and Packrafters 3.2 Understanding the Trail 3.3 Understanding the Terrain 3.3.1 Limits of Patagonia 3.3.2 Diversity of Patagonia 3.3.2.1 East to West 3.3.2.2 North to South 3.4 Understanding the Host Nations 3.4.1 Being an Guest 3.4.2 Remarks to the Society 3.4.3 Security, Police and Border 3.4.4 Cost of Travelling and Typical Prices 3.5 Understanding the Hosts 3.6 Appropriate Attitude and Required Skills 3.7 Understanding your Motives and Personal Notes 3.8 Blogs about the GPT by Hikers and Packrafters 3.8.1 Bethany Hughes and Lauren Reed 3.8.2 Gerald Klamer 3.8.3 Piia Kortsalo and Oliver Barker 3.8.4 Garrett Martin, Robyn, Aljoscha and Anthony 4 Trail Length and Trail Types 4.1 Trail Types 4.1.1 Horse or Hiking Trails (TL) 4.1.2 Minor and Two-Track Roads (MR) 4.1.3 Cross Country Routes (CC) 4.1.4 Bush Bashing Routes (BB) 4.1.5 Primary and Paved Roads (PR) 4.1.6 Ferry and Boat Transfers (FY) 4.1.7 Packrafting 4.1.8 River Packrafting (RI) 4.1.9 Lake Packrafting (LK) 4.1.10 Fjord Packrafting (FJ) 4.2 Trail Length and Trail Type Composition 5 Zones and Sections of GPT 5.1 GPT Zones 5.1.1 Zone Designations, Locations and Planning Status 5.1.2 Hiking and Packrafting Recommendations for Published Zones 5.1.3 Possible Travel Directions and Sections of Published Zones 5.2 GPT Sections 5.2.1 Section Designations, Locations and Planning Status 5.2.2 Section Start, Finish and Sequence of Published and To Be Planned Sections 5.2.3 Section Orientation of Published Sections 6 Section Attractiveness and Difficulty Rating 6.1 Section Evaluation and Trail Type Composition Charts 6.1.1 Hiking Only Without Any Packrafting 6.1.2 Packrafting Including Exploration Options 6.1.3 Packrafting Excluding Exploration Options 6.1.4 Hiking and Packrafting Where Most Beneficial 7 END OF UPDATE 2017 8 Recommended Season 9 Update of Trail File for GPS and Google Earth created in 2016 10 Outdated Trail Files issued in 2015 11 Long Distances Challanges 12 Trail Altitude Profile 13 Entrance Permits and Fees 13.1 Entrance Permits and Challenges 13.2 Entrance Fees 13.3 Conclusion 14 Logistical Considerations 14.1 Tourist Visa 14.2 Importation of Food 14.3 Resupply at Nearby Towns 14.4 Resupply by Bus 14.5 Food Supply on the Trail 14.6 Traditional Food 15 Recommended Equipment 15.1 Packraft and Drysuite 15.2 GPS and Electronic Map 15.3 Satellite Tracker 15.4 Solar Battery Charger 16 Required Skills and Capabilities 17 Code of Conduct 18 Dangers and Annoyances 18.1 Trail Condition 18.2 River Crossings 18.3 Isolation 18.4 Weather 18.5 Sun 18.6 Volcanic Eruptions 18.7 Earthquakes 18.8 Wild Animals 18.9 Domesticated Animals 18.10 Insects 18.11 Spine and Bur-Bearing Plants 18.12 Deseases 19 Other notable Long Distance Trails and Hikes 19.1 Long Distance Trails 19.1.1 Huella Andina 19.1.2 Sendero de Chile 19.2 Noteable Long Distance Hikes 19.2.1 Settlement of the Americas 19.2.2 George Meegan: Across Americas 19.2.3 Deia Schlosberg & Gregg Treinish: Across the Andes 19.2.4 Jeannette Leenders & Arlen Hoebergen: Across Chile 19.2.5 Eyal Schwartz: Across Patagonia 20 Creation of the Greater Patagonian Trail 20.1 Idea for the Trail 20.2 Planning of the Trail 20.3 First Hike of the Trail 20.4 Trail Name 20.5 Publishing of the Trail 20.6 Future Development of the Trail 21 Comment to Outdated Trail Files from 2015 21.1 Waypoints 21.2 Tracks 21.2.1 Track Nomenclature of the KMZ File 21.2.2 Track Nomenclature of the GPX File 21.2.3 GPX Track List 21.3 Custom Map with GPX2IMG 21.4 Distances, Ascents, Descents and Walking Times 22 Trail Verifications, Trail Extensions and Additional Options 22.1 Trail Verifications 22.2 Trail Extensions 22.3 Additional Options 23 Trail Planning Sources and Contributors 24 Questions and Feedbacks 25 Other trails in Chile

__ Red: Hiking Trails on Land (Including Common Trails for Hiking and Packrafting) __ Blue: Packrafting Trails on Land and on Water (Exclusively for Packrafting) __ White: Ferries and Boat Transfers __ Orange: Exploration Land Route (Reasonable reliable track) __ Yellow: Exploration Land Route (Investigation track) __ Green: Exploration Water Route __ Blue Waypoints: Section Start and End Points Instructions to follow the track in your smartphone

Summary (editar) Activity Trekking Location Argentina, Chile, El Bolsón-Curicó Scenery Impresionante Atractions Vistas panorámicas, Glaciar, Bosque, Flora atractiva, Fauna atractiva, Lago, Laguna, Río, Fiordos, Formación Geológica, Cascada, Parque Nacional Effort 922.8 dopihoras Trail Tramos sin sendero Signage Insuficiente Infraestructure Inexistente Topology Cruce Gain/Loss (meters) +100000, -100000 Distance (k) 3000 (*) Regular Route (Hiking Option and Packrafting Option without Exploration Sections) Mean altitude 1000 Original creator Jan Dudeck Download KMZ/GPX Debes registrarte para descargar. Formulario es BREVISIMO Para ver estos botones debes registrarte. Toma 30 segundos: es un formulario minusculo, de solo 3 campos obligatorios.

Summary

GPT06: The volcanos Descabezado Grande and Cerro Azul with the Laguna Caracol to their feet. Image: Jan Dudeck

GPT11: Araucaria trees in the Pehuenche homeland. Image: Jan Dudeck

GPT18: Cross Country walking on volcanic ash at Cordon Caulle after recent eruption. File: Jan Dudeck

GPT28: Packrafting the Río Palena. Image: Jan Dudeck

GPT38: Glaciar O'Higgins coming down from the Southern Icefield. Image: Jan Dudeck

The Greater Patagonian Trail (GPT) is a long distance network of trails in the southern Andes that spans from the outskirts of Santiago all the way to southern Patagonia.

It’s a stunningly beautiful and diverse trail system that guides you in the first part from the semi-desert of the Precordillera into scenic Andes valleys. The trail crosses numerous dormant and active volcanos with partially healed volcanic scars and open wounds from eruptions as recent as 2011. You can take a dip in more than a dozen hot springs along the way to draw from this energy.

Continuing, you will dive into the twilight of lush green tempered rain forest lined by snow covered mountains. Numerous passes and high plains get you above the tree line into barren terrain with broad views. Crystal clear rivers descend from these mountains and feed deep blue lake along the way. If you packraft you can paddle over these lakes and float down these rivers all the way into the Patagonian fjords where the Pacific Ocean hits the ragged coast.

Eventually you reach the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the world's second largest contiguous extra-polar ice field. Here giant rock towers stab into the sky and enormous glaciers calve colossal blocks of ice into wind battered lakes.

On the northern part of the route you will meet solitary herdsmen (In Chile called "arrieros") with their animals that move every spring after the snow melts on higher ground to let their livestock feed on the mountain pastures. The trail later crosses the homeland of the indigenous Pehuenche (one of the tribes of Mapuche Indians) where majestic Araucaria trees tower above the tribal land and provide the traditional food for these sometimes shy and sometimes proud people. When going further south you will meet courageous settlers that have ventured into the challenging back-country of Patagonia. If you are interested you can listen to their stories while sitting around the warm stove (In Spanish: "cocina") and share the traditional drink of this region: Mate. These authentic encounters are part of the beauty of this trail.

In countless locations the trail branches into different routes creating a wide network of tracks that give you many choices. You may either walk the entire distance or you can bring a packraft to float down rivers and to paddle and sail over lakes and fjords. There are also various volcanoes and other summits along the route that can be ascended without rock climbing gear. I have also included optional tracks that get you into literally the last valley and over the last mountain which delineates the border between Chile and Argentina. These remote corners of the southern Andes are of particular interest to hikers that love to venture into remote back-country.

The trail currently spans approximately 3'000 km and the entire network including all options contains more than 12'000 km of tracks.

If this introduction quickened your appetite to explore this trail then don't stop reading here and don't pack your backpack yet. This trail network is quite different from what you expect. Especially if you have thru-hiked the famous long distance trails in the US i.e. the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) or the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) don't assume this is a similar experience and that you are therefore prepared for this trail. This region and this network of routes is quite different in nature. Some best practices and habits that are key for thru-hiking one of these trails in the US would be foolish in Patagonia and other skills and aptitudes are essential to truly appreciate the Greater Patagonian Trail.

Since I started to publish the trail I have seen around 40 people attempting to walk major parts of the trail and I was in contact with many of the them (seasons 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17). The majority was absolutely amazed by the land and the people and their experience on the trail. But some hikers quickly aborted or changed their plans and missed the best parts of the trail as a consequence. Interestingly, these were partly experienced hikers and athletic walkers.

In the following section I try to rectify potentially incorrect assumptions and outline the essentials for hiking on this trail.

Update in Progress

I have written most of this trail description in 2015. Since then we returned twice to Patagonia to hike and paddle the southern extension all the way to the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and we investigated various alternative routes in the northern and central area of this trail. Other hikers have walked the northern extension to Santiago and contributed with GPS records to refine the regular route and numerous optional side tracks. With this the GPT has doubled in length to approximately 3000 km and the number and length of all the additional options has growing exponentially.

I'm now updating the entire trail documentation to incorporate all these extensions, trail corrections and additional options. Due to the northern extension the section numbering is changing completely and I'm also improving the track nomenclature to facilitate a better understanding and documentation of the countless options. This ongoing update currently results in inconsistencies of this trail documentation. Please have this in mind when reading this article and downloading files.

If you have questions that are not answered in this trail descriptions then you may send me an email. Also your feedbacks are very welcome. Please report any changes or errors to correct the trail description and the trail file. All GPS records and waypoints along the route network are very helpful to update and maintain the trail file. If you have change and extension proposals please send the proposal ideally with a GPS record to the author. Alternative routes that are attractive for hiking or packrafting will be included as a trail option or result in a change of the regular route.

Email of author: gpt.jan.dudeck@gmail.com

The Art of Walking on the GPT

GPT22: Discussing route options with settlers at the Río Puelo. Image: Jan Dudeck

GPT02: Highest point of the GPT in the Precordillera. Image: Gerald Klamer

GPT06: Horse Riding at the Volcano Descabezado. Image: Jan Dudeck

GPT11: View from the ridge Las Monjas with difficult Cross Country walking. Image: Jan Dudeck

GPT35: Weather cleaning up after a nasty day with rain and snow. Image: Jan Dudeck

GPT28: Reaching the sea after paddling down the Río Palena. Image: Jan Dudeck

Statements about the GPT by Hikers and Packrafters

Annette Ster und Michael Möbius: "If you're looking for one of the finest (and longest) trail experiences on earth through some of the most outstanding scenic terrain on South America, the Greater Patagonian Trail is the trail to go for!"

Carla Lange: "The GPT is not a hiking trail, it's an adventure and words do not do my experience on it justice. Travelling on the GPT was everything but easy (or necessarily fun all the time) but it returned it all and more. Essential pieces of equipment to bring on the GPT are your brain and intuition as well as humbleness, respect and openness for the land and people."

Garrett Martin: "This trail is unlike any other trail in the world and requires detailed planning, determination, physical and mental strength and most importantly - respect for the people and environment along the trail. Throughout our 4 month journey, we discovered the beauty of the Andes Mountain range and the incredibly generous people that call this place their home. If you are considering hiking the GPT, please do so with extreme care for the land and the utmost respect for the locals living in this area."

Brian Tanzman (Buck-30): "Honestly, I wouldn't recommend hiking the GPT to any of my thru hiking friends."

Understanding the Trail

The Greater Patagonian Trail is not a hiking trail.

Yes, you read correctly so let me repeat one more time: The GPT IS NOT A HIKING TRAIL.

So, what is it then?

The GPT is an informal route network that consists mostly of trails, roads and cross country routes that were not made for hiking nor especially prepared for hikers. Most of the trails were made by the local population to solely serve their purposes, i.e. to drive animals to summer pastures, to get to remote settlements and outposts or to extract wood from the forest. The routes that the GPT is composed of include:

• well maintained horse trails that are regularly used by the local cowboys (in Chile called "arrieros" and in Argentina "gauchos"),
• poorly maintained and neglected trails that are washed out, trenched and blocked by fallen logs,
• minor roads and simple car tracks that are occasionally used by all-terrain vehicles,
• trail-less cross country routes in barren open terrain,
• a few short stretches of bush bashing,
• and where no more adventurous route was found also public roads with moderate transit traffic.
• Packrafters can cross in addition mountain lakes, float down generally calm rivers and even paddle on the Patagonian fjords.
• For more information to the trail types and the trail type composition of the GPT see section Trail Length and Trail Types.

This diversity makes the GPT so authentic but also so inconsistent and challenging in parts.

Since the GPT is an informal route network practically no signposts and only few trail markers facilitate route finding. The locals that regularly use these trails don't need them as they know their trails inside out and nobody else is expected to come.

On many of these trails a customary right-of-way applies but some routes cross private land and you often can’t know what is where the case. Therefore when you venture onto the GPT you are mostly an unexpected guest on trails that were not made for you and you will trespass over private properties. So be at least a respectful and friendly trespasser that can explain in Spanish what he is doing there.

What also distinguishes the GPT from many other long distance hiking trails is that it is not a single trail but a partially wide network of tracks with many options. For some hikers this is confusing as you cannot just follow one trail but you need to make many choices along the way. But because the GPT is an informal trail network these choices are sometimes essential to continue your journey when you find one route not passable or closed. Then you can backtrack and divert and try a different trail. For safety reasons I have also included bad weather options and exit routes that get you out of the mountains to the next village or at least to the next road. These additional tracks are not recommended for hiking since they are often not particular attractive but having these tracks on your GPS can save you in adverse conditions.

With the recently added extensions in the north (that extends the trail all the way to Santiago) and in the south (that stretches the trail all the way to edge of the Southern Icefield) the trail spans now about 3000 km in often difficult and slow terrain. With this extension the trail became too long to be safely thru-hiked in one season. An experienced thru-hiker may disagree as with 3000 km the trail is even a bit shorter than the Appalachian Trail (AT) but the so different and unpredictable terrain makes this comparison inadequate. The GPT is simply not a trail that can be hiked efficiently. The trail will change you plans without asking and inevitably stop you from time to time and turn you around. Also the period with normally suitable hiking weather is in parts quite short. In particular in the north you need to wait until December for the snow to melt and the rivers to fall to be forded safely. And fierce snow storms may make the route again impassable in late March or during April.

I know, sooner or later someone will try to thru-hike the trail in one season and may even succeed if he is lucky with the weather. But attempting this seems foolish to me. You need to rush and take less attractive short cuts. You can’t slow down to fully appreciate the land and to share relaxing time with the people along the route. And more important: someone who tries to thru-hike the GPT in one season needs to take unreasonable risks by throwing himself in torrential rivers and getting high when fierce blizzards can kill. And remember, when you walk on these trails you are a guest on the land of someone else. Just the idea of making a race in the backyard of other people feels wrong for me.

Therefore the appropriate pace on this trail network is the "appreciation pace". This pace might vary substantially between different hikers but gives you the time to make an attractive detour, i.e. to climb a summit next to the trail without worrying about your plans. This adequate rate of advance permits you to accept the invitation of a settler to share some cups of mate or to sit out a day of torrential rain in shelter (here called "puesto") with an arriero. This adapted velocity allows you to wait in front of a pass if the weather is too volatile to climb up or to spend a day or two waiting at a lake if it is too windy to paddle with your packraft.

This trail is therefore not suitable for hikers that need to have full control and that measure their success in kilometers or miles. Its a trail for thoughtful discoverers that accept to be just guests. It's for hikers for which completion or distance covered is irrelevant or at least secondary but that count their enjoyable and eventful days in a pristine and diverse nature instead. All this makes the GPT to a discovery network with a good portion of unpredictability but an impressive authenticity.

Understanding the Terrain

Limits of Patagonia. Image: Wikipedia

Historic map of Patagonia. Image: Wikipedia

When you consider to walk on the Greater Patagonian Trail than do so only if you are interested to discover the true diversity of this region. If your expectation of Patagonia is based on a brief Google search and a few articles about Patagonia than you probably have seen primarily these three heavily hyped tourist magnets:

• the national park Torres del Paine
• the glacier Perito Moreno and
• the surrounding of El Chalten with Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.

These are three truly amazing spots on the eastern edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and show one scenery of Patagonia but these three frequently pictured attractions do not represent the Patagonian variety. If your primary interest is visiting these famous places than go there; you will most likely enjoy it. Simply, don’t be surprised in these popular national parks if you need to queue up to take your selfie with one of these millionfold pictured attractions in the background. At these attractions you can only image the solitude of Patagonia but you can not experience it, at least not during peak season.

Don't assume that the Greater Patagonian Trail is just more of the same scenery. The GPT as currently planned and published ends in El Chalten and on the last three sections (GPT38, GPT39 and GPT40) you will see this kind landscape but the GPT is much more than this. The Greater Patagonian Trail is rather like a gourmet menu with many quite different courses that allow you to try different tastes and textures; nothing for someone who just wants to eat a burger or a steak.

Limits of Patagonia

The Greater Patagonian Trail crosses most of Patagonia and the adjacent regions to the north. For this reason I named the trail “Greater Patagonian Trail” when I started publishing it in 2014. I coined the term "Greater Patagonia" to combine Patagonia in its traditional limits with the adjacent regions like "Greater London" includes the city of London and the surroundings.

The limits of Patagonia are as fuzzy as the imaginations of many when they hear “Patagonia”. There are some core ideas that most people connect with “Patagonia” like vastness, wilderness and solitude but few have precise knowledge. So are the limits of this region. There is no doubt that Patagonia is part of the Southern Cone but opinions deviate where it exactly starts and ends. The northern limit of Patagonia on the Chilean side can be seen as south as the Estuarió de Reloncaví (latitude 41° 30’ South) or as north as the river Río Biobío (about latitude 37° South if taking the mouth at Concepcion as reference). That’s a difference of about 500 km. On the Argentine side the understanding of the limits can be equally different. Some take the Río Negro with the tributary Río Limay as the northern limit (about latitude 39° South) others the Río Barrancas and the Río Colorado (Latitude 36° South). Also the southern limit is fuzzy. Some consider Tierra del Fuego as part of Patagonia others not.

If you try to align Patagonia with the current administrative divisions of Chile and Argentina than the following provinces (Argentina) and regions (Chile) are typically considered to be Patagonia:

In Argentina:

• Neuquén
• Río Negro
• Chubut
• Santa Cruz
• Tierra del Fuego

In Chile:

• XIV. Region (Región de los Ríos with the provinces Valdivia and Ranco)
• X. Region (Región de los Lagos with the provinces Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena)
• XI. Region (Región de Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo with the provinces Aisén, Capitán Prat, Coihaique and General Carrera)
• XII. Region (Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena with the provinces Magallanes, Tierra del Fuego, Última Esperanza and Antártica Chilena)

For more information to this subject read the Spanish Wikipedia article to Patagonia.

This fuzzy limits make it impractical to state where the Greater Patagonian Trail actually gets into Patagonia. If taking the administrative limits and the Río Colorado with the tributary Río Barrancas than you gets in casting distance of Patagonia at the end of section GPT05 where you can view for the first time over the border into Argentina into the province Neuquén. But with a different understanding you enter Patagonia on section GPT13 where you ford the Río Biobío or on section GPT16 where you walk into the Chilean administrative region XIV (Región de los Ríos). You will doubtless step into Patagonia on section GPT22 where you reach the first Patagonian fjord: the Estuarió de Reloncaví.

But for me this discussion is irrelevant as long as I can walk and paddle through pristine and varied terrain. For me the little known region north of Patagonia is actually the one most attractive for hiking. Here you walk more distance high up in the mountains with broad views, here you find the more attractive trails and cross country routes and here you meet the arrieros and native Pehuenche people. Also the climate is more favorable for hiking. During summer rain is infrequent and short and you can mostly enjoy sunny weather.

In contrast when reaching "real Patagonia" get ready for frequent and enduring rain. Also don't expect to walk high up in the mountains as there are simply no continuously high mountain ranges. In Patagonia high mountains are rather like islands that rise out of a wild sea of dense tempered rain forest. These island-like mountains are separated by wide valleys that were carved by giant glaciers during past glacial periods. Therefore "real Patagonia" is best traveled by packraft. But more to this later.

Overview Map of Southern Cone with GPT. Image: GPSVisualizer.com

Map of GPT01-GPT40 (Regular Hiking and Packrafting Route only, no optional routes). Image: GPSVisualizer.com

Satellite Image of Patagonia. Image: Wikipedia / NASA World Wind

Diversity of Patagonia

East to West

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.

The Greater Patagonian Trail snakes mostly through the southern Andes but also diverts to the west into the Patagonian fjords and descents in to east where the vast plains and the Patagonian steppe begins. Therefore you can sample the full variety of Patagonia when walking the length of the GPT.

North to South

From Santiago to latitude 35° S: GPT01 to GPT04

In the northern part of the trail the Andes are very high with some summits exceeding 6000 m. Here passes typically exceed 4000 m altitude and steep rocky terrain and glaciers impede walking along the main mountain chain close to the continental divide which forms also the border between Chile and Argentina. Therefore the trail climbs through the Precordillera mainly along the first mountain range next to the Chilean Central Valley. But don’t misunderstand Precordillera as low; here the regular route reaches the highest point with 3300 m. To an altitude of approximate 1500 m to 2000 m you find a semi-desert-like vegetation; above this altitude vegetation is scare. In summer expect a generally hot and dry climate but be prepared for chilly nights higher up. When starting early in the hiking season expect large snow fields in higher areas; when getting there late heavy blizzards become a hazard.

From latitude 35° S to 39° S: GPT05 to GPT12

South of Curicó the Andes lower in altitude but remain a continuous high mountain range. Summits rarely exceed 4000 m but most passes are still above 2000 m. Here the Andes are much more suitable for hiking. Therefore the trail follows the main mountain range close to the continental divide. Also here the continental divide constitute the border between Chile and Argentina so the trail is mostly close to the international limit but remains on the Chilean side. In this area a large number of route options provides you many hiking choices. You can often 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 hot and dry but provides sufficient precipitation to maintain a relative open forest in the valleys. In spring while the snow is melting torrential rivers make this area nearly impassable.

South of latitude 39° S: GPT13 to GPT40

South of Temuco you do not find any more a continuous high mountain chain. Numerous valleys and depressions break partly deep breaches into the main mountains range creating natural low passes between Chile and Argentina. These depressions and valleys were created by immense glaciers during past ice ages and remain partly filled by lakes. Many of these breaches are lower than 1000 m, some are just 200 m above sea level.

These deep gaps in the cordillera (Spanish for mountain range) shift the continental divide in some areas far to the east and cause a partly significant offset between the main mountain range and the continent divide. This offset was one reason for more than a century of border disputes between Chile and Argentine that are not fully resolved now (Agreement between Chile and Argentina made in 1881: "(...) The boundary-line shall run in that extent over the highest summits (...) which divide the waters, and shall pass between the sources (of streams) flowing down to either side. (...)". See also Wikipedia: Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina).

The mountains of the Patagonian Andes are like large islands that are separated by these "channels" of lowland. The higher summits reach mostly an altitude of 2000 m to 3000 m. Only few peeks exceed the 3000 m mark. Below the tree line frequent rain maintains a very dense, nearly impenetrable, forest that is also called Valdivian temperate rain forest. Due to this geography the GPT goes up and down between the depressions and the island-like mountains and provides a very attractive and varied hiking at least to the finish of section GPT22.

Here having a packraft becomes very beneficial in particular from section GPT17P to GPT39 where you can use your inflatable boat on 40% of the distance.

South of latitude 41° 30’ S: GPT22 to GPT40

South of Puerto Montt the Chilean Central Valley "sinks" below sea level and the Patagonian fjords begin. These fjords and channels form a vast network of waterways with countless islands and peninsulas. In this rugged region hardly any road or trail was build along the cost. The mountains rise directly out of the sea and rarely leave sufficient suitable space for a land connection and the impenetrable tempered rain forest amplifies this challenge. In this region of Chile even the most important road; the Carretera Austral; has a 50 km wide gap that can only be crossed by ferry. There is not even a horse trail or a food path that bridges this gap; just impenetrable dense forest and cragged mountains. Here most land routes are further inland in the valleys and depressions that cut through the Patagonian Andes. Due to this geography the GPT crosses on section GPT22 into Argentina and does not return to Chile until section GPT26. Only passionate and highly experienced packrafters may try the very challenging investigation routes GPT30P, GPT76P and GPT77P that provide a water connection through the fjords and channels on the Chilean side.

In Central Patagonia in particular from GPT28H to GPT31H hiking is less attractive because several historic horse trails have been upgraded to dirt roads. But packrafting in this area is just stunning. Here you can paddle over crystal clear mountain leaks and float down long mostly calm rivers with impressive mountains on either side of your raft until you the Patagonian fjords.

South of latitude 46° 30’ S: GPT35 to GPT40

At the latitude of Lago General Carrera and south of it are two large ice fields, the Northern Patagonian Ice Field and the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields. Here ice fills completely the depressions between the island-like mountains to an altitude of about 1500 m. These are the two remnant parts of the much larger Patagonian Ice Sheet that covered most of Patagonia during previous ice ages. In this area the GPT guides you first though the mountains about 100 km east of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Here you can opt between attractive hiking and attractive packrafting routes but weather is volatile and distances between settlements are substantial. Towards the current southern terminus of the GPT you reach the eastern edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field what makes an impressive finish. From GPT38 to GPT40 you can walk and paddle though a rough wind battered land full of milky glacier lakes that get constantly refilled by immense streams of ice that flow down from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

Understanding the Host Nations

The Greater Patagonian Trail is located in South America in Chile and Argentina. These two countries are sometimes referred to as the “Southern Cone”. About 86% or six seventh of the current trail is located on Chilean territory and 14% or one seventh are on Argentine soil.

People that are not familiar with this continent often mingle all their associations of Latin America into one scary-lovely medley. If they listen a news report about unrest in Venezuela it also stains their mental record of Chile and Argentina – “It’s next door! Or?”. And when they listen Chile; they instantly think that they must eat spicy food like the Mexicans – “Come on, it’s called Chile!”. But like any other continent – may be with the exception of Antarctica – it’s a socially, politically and economically diverse continent with quite different nations.

If you are interested in hiking the GPT but you never have been to Chile or Argentina than start with getting a good understanding and knowledge of these two countries. I’m not attempting to provide a comprehensive introduction to the Chile and Argentina with the following paragraphs. I mainly focus on a few trail specific aspects that you probably do not find in guide books.

Chile and Argentina are not developing countries like i.e. their common neighbor Bolivia. Chile and Argentina are very much like western countries but with a high inequality of wealth and income. Both countries are on a global scale reasonable stable and healthy democracies, Argentina may be with a bit more populism and corruption than Chile. Both countries have reasonable good working institutions i.e. a police that keeps most of the country reasonable safe. And both nations have their social struggles, economic challenges and political scandals like many others.

Being an Guest

Chile and Argentina receive a lot of tourists and there is not much xenophobia. In contrast, tourists are welcome and received with hospitality as long as they don’t pretend to belong to a superior race. After three centuries of colonization and two centuries with sometimes heavy outside interference people have a fine sense for any form arrogance. And if they sense it they will often not tell (especially Chileans learned to swallow their objections during 17 years of a military dictatorship) but expect to receive reservation and poor service in turn. And that’s a pity because Argentines and Chileans are normal open and interested people that treat guests with honest geniality.

If you are a European or a North American accept that you are called a “Gringo”. Sometimes this term is used for all foreigners regardless from where they come. In the Southern Cone this term has no negative intonation (unlike in Mexico and Central America). The label "Gringo" may only imply that his person is bit ignorant of the local customs what needs to be treated with leniency. Try to surprise your counterpart with with good Spanish skills and knowledge about his country!

If you are from the Far East, you will often be considered a “Chino” no matter if you are from China or actually from Japan or Korea or any other country of this region. And please, don’t take it as an offence if you are i.e. of Japanese origin and called a “Chino”. Your part of the world is simply too far away from Patagonia and only few know the complicated and conflictive history of a so distant place.

The same applies to all Turks and Arabs and other Middle Eastern nations may be up to Pakistan. In Chile they are often all labeled “Turcos” no matter from where they are exactly. If you are affected you may try to explain from which country you are exactly but don't get frustrated if these differences are irrelevant in a mountain hut in the Andes. Just enjoy that you are first seen as person that came from a distant place without being instantly classified by your nationality.

Only Israelis get distinct out of this Middle Eastern group of the "Turcos" because Israelis travel this region in large numbers. They are normally referred to as “Israelitas” and hardly ever as “Judíos” (Jews). When travelling Chile and Argentina I practically did not observe any anti-Semitism but occasional some annoyance with young Israelis. They travel after a long and tough military service, have typically a tight budget and try therefore to get as far as possible with the least amount of money necessary. They tend to break the rules more often (as many youngsters of this age tend to do), they often bargain for the lowest price (what is not common in this part of the world and sometimes perceived offensive) and they often travel in groups of their own without seeking much interaction with others. If you are an Israeli hiker on the GPT than please don't bargain for a discount if the asking price is reasonable. Take it or leave it, in particular if you are in an remote place along the route and a settler offers you some food or accommodation. I experienced these locals on the trail as generous and reasonable and haggling would be in most cases rude. Be a good ambassador of your nation and be generous where you are treated with generosity (all this applies obviously to all hikers).

Remarks to the Society

This generalization of people from far away is contrasted by a classist thinking about their own nation, especially in Chile. A few super-rich own and control most of the country, a stressed middle class (living mainly in the cities) tries hard to keep up and many simple living people (which make the majority in rural areas) learned to live a tranquil life with rather little. The different groups and social classes distinct between each other and rarely mingle; they live in different quarters; send their children to different schools and vacation in different places.

What you do not see much more is extreme poverty. Since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990 a center-left government runs Chile for most of the time. This government was quite successful in fighting extreme poverty and improving the infrastructure in rural areas. And hikers benefit from it in several ways. When hiking in Chile and Argentina you will not experience bagging like this is the case in the neighboring countries Bolivia or Peru. Also roads are build in rural areas what is a mixed blessing from a hikers perspective. On one side these roads greatly facilitate resupplying and getting to the trail heads but on the other side they also replace horse trails that are nicer to walk. The government also subsidizes public transport into particular remote places that are not served be profit-oriented private bus and shipping companies.

The middle class from the cities starts to discover the mountains in their vacation. A growing number of Chileans and Argentines begin to hike; mainly in national parks; but many still lack experience and appropriate gear. This results in normally concerned park rangers especially when you plan to walk off the standard trail.

Owing large plots of land is a status symbol of the rich and super-rich. And this is where the right-of-way trouble often culminates. The rich owners (Spanish: "patron") of these properties (Chile: often "fundo", Argentina: often "hacienda") are rarely there themselves but hire caretakers (Spanish: "cuidador") to maintain their property. Sometimes the "patron" instructs the "cuidador" to not let anyone pass. How to deal with such a situation I will explain later.

When comparing Chile with Argentina than in general terms Argentina is the prouder nation, the one with more style and self-confidence. We experienced Chile as the harder working country, with generally more humble people.

… to be reviewed and continued …

Security, Police and Border

To be issued.

In the bigger cities you need to be cautious with petty crime. But once you get out of the cities into the rural areas people live a tranquil life and sometimes don’t even lock the doors of their houses. I do not recall any scary situation with people along the GPT and only very few instances in which distrust was advisable. Only when you meet trunk herdsman (Spanish "arriero") be cautious and keep distance. With alcohol these sometimes shy people can get pretty annoying and even harassing (in particular with women). In such a situation the best response is to move on.

Relevance of border ...

Forward police posts ...

Drug trafficking concerns ...

… to be continued …

Cost of Travelling and Typical Prices

To be issued.

Chile and Argentina are no low-cost travel countries. Prices are similar or even higher if compared with the US and Europe. South of Puerto Montt prices are higher as further south due to the costly logistics. ...

Don't abuse hospitality ...

Estimated monthly cost of hiking on the GPT: approx. 1000 USD/month (800 USD/month is the minimum required)

including food, transport and accommodation

excluding airfare to Santiago de Chile equipment (hiking and packraft gear)

Typical prices (Minimum / Average / Maximum):

• Groceries similar or even 50% higher if compared with the US and Europe (in the far south even more)
• Imported products in super markets approx. 100% more expensive
• Bus: Approx. 1500 CLP / 2000 CLP / 2500 CLP per hour (approx. 80 km)
• Accommodation: 8000 CLP / 12000 CLP / 20000 CLP per person per night
• Warm meal: 2500 CLP / 4000 CLP / 6000 CLP per meal
• Bread: 1000 CLP / 1500 CLP / 2500 CLP per kg of bread
• Cheese: 4000 CLP / 6000 CLP / 8000 CLP per kg of cheese
• Live goat: 30000 CLP / 35000 CLP / 40000 CLP per animal with approx. 10 km of meat
• Live lamb: 40000 CLP / 50000 CLP / 60000 CLP per animal with approx. 10 km of meat

Cost savers:

• Harina tostada
• Make your own bread
• The classics: Rice / Pasta / Mashed Potatoes

Understanding the Hosts

To be issued.

Arrieros ...

Indigenous Pehuenche ...

Settlers ...

Wealthy landlords ...

Appropriate Attitude and Required Skills

To be issued.

Understanding your Motives and Personal Notes

To be issued.

Blogs about the GPT by Hikers and Packrafters

With this wikiexplora article I aim to provide a comprehensive introduction with a systematical description of the trail network. I intentionally try not to overload this wikiexplora article with my personal stories from the trail. This way of writing simply feels more appropriate to me when providing such a trail documentation to the general public. Given the length and the complexity of this trail network this is already an overwhelming task for me. Therefore I do not maintain an additional more personal travel blog.

My way of writing might remind in parts in a “technical operation manual” and if you sense it this way I can tell you why. I’m an Engineer by trade, I work as an inspector and I issues inspection reports on regular base. For this I need to carefully choose my words to be factual and precise, well descriptive but also legally sound. Lingual flowers are neither needed nor welcome in my inspection reports. And when numbers are available or when information can be structured into tables or charts than this is always preferred over a well phrased verbal description. I do not need to point out that these writing habits also shape this article.

Both, keeping personal stories mostly out of this trail description and maintaining the trail documentation more technical makes this article a bit pale. But for most hikers, including me, the personal experience of the land and the people is the main motive for going for such an endeavor. Therefore to get a better personal feel for this trail you should read as part of your preparation some blogs written by hikers that walked the GPT in recent years. In these blogs you find a much more personal account that shows the individual perception of the trail. These blogs often contain also a more detailed description of specific trail sections and supplement my more general introduction in an important way. Therefore, to get a better personal insight to the trail I happily refer to other hikers and their blogs and make them speak instead of me. Listening to other voices also illustrates how diverse the trail experience can be. Some blogs are also very useful to extract lessons learned by others to not start hiking with similar incorrect assumptions and repeat frustrating mistakes.

GPT13: Bethany and Lauren with the Pehuenche family of Olga and Geronimo near Icalma. Image: www.her-odyssey.org

Bethany Hughes and Lauren Reed

Hiked: Ushuaia to Salta and still going ...

Hiked on the GPT: Northbound GPT39 to GPT01 (other routes instead of GPT26, GPT22 to GPT20)

Packrafting: No

Link: her-odyssey.org

Bethany and Lauren are on their way to traverse the length of the Americas by non-motorized means to connect stories of the land and its inhabitants. They started in December 2015 in Ushuaia on the southern tip of the continent and were the first to walk the entire length of the GPT. We got in touch before they commenced their endeavor and while they walked northbound I developed the trail southbound. This resulted in a very fertile exchange of ideas and routes. Bethany and Lauren “gound-truthed” and recorded several of the hiking sections of the GPT in central Patagonia based on my drafts. This was a very important support since I traveled with my wife primarily the packraft options in central Patagonia. The following year, around October 2016, they asked me for my advice how to continue their journey north which led me to develop the fife northern section of the GPT extending the trail all the way to Santiago. Independently from Gerald Klamer they investigated and recorded these fife sections in the Precordillera (GPT01 to GPT05).

I’m deeply grateful for their contributions. They did not only provide important GPS records to get the tracks updated. Both were essential to get the message to prospective hikers right on how to approach this trail. Bethany and Lauren continue to support me in updating this wikiexplora article.

I strongly recommend to read first Bethany's general advise to the GPT: Blog: so-you-wanna-hike-the-GPT

In addition you should read the blogs of Bethany and Lauren to the sections that you are planning to walk. Just browse their blogs to find what is relevant for you: Blog of her-odyssey.org

GPT05: Gerald Klamer investigating and recording the route around Laguna del Maule. Image: Gerald Klamer

Gerald Klamer

Hiked on the GPT: Southbound all sections from GPT01 to GPT11

Packrafting: No

Link: geraldtrekkt on blogspot

Gerald is a highly experienced hiker who walked in many remote areas around the world. He learned about this trail though a common friend (Christine Thürmer, the German author of the book “Laufen, Essen, Schlafen”). When we got in touch I told him about the newly drafted but unverified fife northern sections (GPT01 to GPT05). He loved the idea to be the first to investigate and record them and so he did! When he reached the already verified part of the GPT he did not continue on the “path of least resistance” by following the already well documented regular route but instead he kept investigating and recording the more remote and mountainous options that I drafted mainly based on satellite images and descriptions from local arrieros. He hikes without making a self-promotion-show out of it and this is a pleasant contrast to some others (that I’m not citing here!). His careful and humble attitude is key to appreciate the GPT. If you plan to walk the northern sections then I highly recommend reading his blog. He provides a very detailed account of the route and Gerald’s blog tells you in a personal and exemplary way what to expect when walking the GPT.

GPT23: Piia and Oliver after a tough bush bashing part towards the end of their trip. Image: Oliver Barker

Piia Kortsalo and Oliver Barker

Hiked on the GPT: Southbound all sections from GPT06 to GPT22

Packrafting: No

Link: nothingtwowrite.com

Piia and Oliver, a Finnish-Canadian couple, walked sections GPT06 to GPT22 in about two month. Like Gerald Klamer they maximized their time on the trail by minimizing resupply stops, a strategy that we also apply and suggest. Combining several sections into longer legs is beneficial where you do not have a village with a shop at the section end but where you need to take a bus to a town far off the trail. Such a resupply bus trip can easily cost you two or three days until you are back on the trail. To efficiently cover longer multi-section legs Piia and Oliver paid a great deal of attention to gear weight and function. They applied a lot of the ultra-light principals but not so much to go fast but to get far. They normally got food for about 10 days each time they resupplied and then walked as far as feasible. I’m impressed how they moved on even when they got in overgrown terrain and how they managed the sometimes unpredictable nature of the GPT. Where others turned around they just kept going but in respectful and humble manner; a key attitude on the GPT.

Robyn, Aljoscha and Anthony. Image: Garrett Martin

Garrett Martin, Robyn, Aljoscha and Anthony

Hiked on the GPT: GPT06 (partly), GPT07, GPT10-GPT12, GPT17, GPT18 (partly), GPT19, GPT22 (partly)

Packrafting: Yes

Link: unboundedthefilm.com

Garrett, together with three other hikers came with the intention to create a documentary along the trail. Badly overloaded with camera gear, recording equipment and packrafts they started on section GPT06 but did not make it very far. But in contrast to others that started with similar intentions they did not give up but learned their lessons and adapted slowly to the trail. They downscaled but did not scrap their plans and picked the most attractive sections along the northern half of the GPT. In this way they still record several of the highlights of the GPT and took the time to meet the people along the trail. I have not seen yet the documentary but I’m looking forward to watch their work.

There is one lesson that I learned from Garrett (and also others that are not cited here). If someone intents to make a documentary or film along the trail then I will strongly recommend to first come one season without much camera gear to simply get to know the trail, the region and in particular the people. Be a silent observer first before speaking up to others!

Trail Length and Trail Types

Trail at Section GPT07 next to the Laguna Dial. Image: Jan Dudeck

Two-Track Road at Section GPT08 next to the hots springs Los Peucos. Image: Jan Dudeck

Minor Road at Section GPT11. Image: Jan Dudeck

Cross Country route at Section GPT11 near Las Monjas. Image: Jan Dudeck

Bush Bashing route at Section GPT23. Image: Jan Dudeck

Primary Road at Section GPT09 next to Laguna de Las Lajas. Image: Jan Dudeck

Trail Types

Hardly any of the trails of the GPT was made for hiking or especially prepared for hikers. This distinguishes this trail network from many other long distance trails. The Greater Patagonian Trail is composed out of existing routes that were mainly made by the local settlers to serve their purposes. This makes the GPT so authentic and diverse but also so inconsistent and challenging in parts.

Horse or Hiking Trails (TL)

When planning the Greater Patagonian Trail the first choice were the horse trails that traverse the remote valleys and mountain passes in the heart of the Andes close to the border between Chile and Argentina. Most of these trails are created and maintained by local herdsmen to drive livestock to their summer pastures and by settlers that live in the solitary of the Andes.

Along these trails practically no signposts indicate directions and only few trail markers facilitate route finding. Tracks quite often split up and rejoin and in such locations it is often unclear what is the main trail and what is just a cattle treading. Such trails occasionally peter out and disappear in particular where they cross open terrain and where neither the landscape nor the vegetation constrain riding or walking.

On many of these trails an customary right-of-way applies but some trails cross private land. Often it can not be recognized what is the case. Gates and fences occasionally close these trails. This does not necessarily indicate the entrance or exit of a private property because gates and fences over trails are primarily set up to keep animals either in and out. Keep all gates exactly as you found them, either close them again or leave them open.

A lot of the incorporated trails are "opportunistic trails". This means, that these trails do not provide the most efficient connection but that routes were chosen that minimize the burden of building and maintaining these trails. This often results in detours each time the route is traveled compared to an hypothetical "optimized" route. In example trails may climb up a ridge simply to avoid overgrown areas further down. If sediment deposits next to a river eliminate the need to cut a trail through the forest, than the visible trail disappears and leads over these sediments even if they are occasionally flooded and more cumbersome to walk on. If there are rocks blocking the leveled route, than the trail climbs up and down just to circumvent these obstacles. In barely any place trails are built with brute force but are "opportunistic" in this sense.

Keep in mind that locals rarely ever walk; they move on horseback. All the physical effort that ascents and descents require are done by the horses. Therefore some trails involve a lot of "pointless up and down" simply because it meant fewer burden when initially creating the trail. Also river crossings are less hassle on horseback; it’s not the riders feet that get wet. For this reason some trails switch frequently the river sides just to avoid minor obstacles that are located on alternating sides of the river.

In the Alps and other frequently visited mountain ranges some very scenic panorama trails were build that sneak on a mostly constant altitude through the mountains to attract tourists onto scenic trails for an effortless walk. I’m not aware of any such trail in the Andes. Locals established trails solely to get from one place to another; never to have an enjoyable walk. But where a high altitude trail on a ridge above the tree line provides a good connection there you find such routes; not to please you but because they happen to be the simplest option.

Only in a few national parks such former horse trails became official hiking trails with occasional signposts and trail markers to keep visitors on the approved routes.

In the GPS file the tracks for such Trails have the two-letter-code TL.

Minor and Two-Track Roads (MR)

The second choice were rarely traveled minor roads and two-track roads. Such minor roads typically provide access to isolated settlements or villages without attracting any transit traffic.

Until recently some of these villages could only be reached on horse or by food. Regional governments try to improve the living conditions in these remote settlements by upgrading the traditional horse trails into minor dirt roads. This might be sad for hikers but since we are only guests we have no reason to complain.

Other routes that are categorized as minor roads are simple two-track roads (NOT two-lane roads!) which are basically car tracks that formed when locals were driving their all terrain vehicles to their homes and outposts without building a proper road. Also forest and logging roads are put in this category of minor roads.

These minor roads may be private or public and you often can not recognize what is the case. Gates and fences that close these minor roads may indicate the entrance or exit of a private property but are primarily set up to keep animals either in and out. Keep all gates exactly as you found them, either close them again or leave them open. As long as you walk these roads and you do not enter with a vehicle settlers may ask you but rarely complain.

Some of these minor roads became neglected and unmaintained and are now impassable for vehicles. But hikers can still use such deteriorated roads if they don't mind to climb over fallen trees and seek their way through washed out parts.

Many hiking trails in Europe would fall in this rather wide category of minor roads since a good part of the hiking trails in Europe are occasionally used by forestry and agricultural vehicles.

The two-letter-code for Minor Roads is MR.

Cross Country Routes (CC)

In some areas the Greater Patagonian Trail crosses through open terrain without a visible trail. Some of these routes lead through steep and exposed terrain above the tree line but do not require technical climbing. These cross country routes often belong to the finest parts of the Greater Patagonian Trail because they provide access into barely visited areas high up in the Patagonian Andes with wide open views.

In this cross country terrain hikers should seek their own way following the approximate GPS track without feeling too bound to the track. The tracks in cross country terrain are often straight lines to indicate only the approximate route and not path that needs to be followed precisely. Hikers must apply (as always!) their own judgment to avoid obstacles on such cross country routes. Towards the end of a cross country route hikers need to return to the GPS track to i.e. find the entrance into a forest or overgrown area.

The cross country routes do not pass very dense vegetation.

CC is the two-letter code for such open Cross Ccountry tracks.

Bush Bashing Routes (BB)

On a few shorter stretches you need to hike through overgrown terrain and do some bush bashing. In some parts this cannot be avoided because old unused trails became overgrown or simply no trail was ever made.

For someone that is used to hike fast and efficient this might be frustrating but patient hikers will find their way step by step even in this challenging terrain. A machete is normally not required to cross this terrain but if you carry one you might use it occasionally to cut some thorny branches and twigs.

In the GPS file the tracks of such Bush Bashing in overgrown terrain have the two-letter-code BB.

Primary and Paved Roads (PR)

Public roads with transit traffic were avoided wherever possible. On such primary and paved roads you may find some moderate traffic but they are safe to hike. If you do not insist in "connecting footsteps" you may try to hitch-hike on these primary roads. Some drivers will even stop without being asked and offer you a ride as this is part of the back-country culture in this region.

The two-letter-abbreviation for Primary and paved Roads is PR.

Ferry and Boat Transfers (FY)

There are several lakes along the route that cannot be walk around on a suitable hiking route. When thru-hiking the entire trail along the regular route in two or three hiking seasons than you need to cross 4 lakes by ferry and you require 4 boat transfers over rivers and lakes. So you cannot walk the entire length of the trail without any non-motorized travel.

Also if you opt to packraft the GPT you will need to take at least 3 ferries when attempting a multi-season thru-hike. Some lakes and fjords along the packraft route are simply to fierce for a such a small boat and only a daredevil would throw himself into these potentially suicidal waters.

FY is the two-letter-code for such Ferry and boat transfer routes.

Lake Packrafting on Section GPT24P on Lago Futalaufquen. Image: Jan Dudeck

Packrafting

River Packrafting on GPT23 on Río Carrenleufú. Image: Jan Dudeck

Packraft Sailing on GPT18 on Lago Pirihueico. Image: Jan Dudeck

Wherever feasible the Greater Patagonian Trail incorporates lake crossings, calm river downstream floats and even paddling on fjords with a packraft. When not carrying such a light-weight inflatable boat you have to follow the hiking route otherwise you will end up on a river or lake shore without being able to continue walking.

When you take the packraft route and the weather does not permit paddling then some but not all of these water sections can be bypassed on foot, by ferry or with private boat transfers. Therefore plan with additional reserves when taking the packraft route.

River Packrafting (RI)

The incorporated river sections are mostly relative clam flat water floats and do not require serious white-water paddling. But along these rivers sections you may encounter some minor rapids. In most places you can land on a river beach before and either walk around the rapid or take them by packraft after inspecting them carefully. The longest river paddle section is on the Río Palena and permits you and unbroken 180 km water ride.

When taking the packraft route make very sure that you leave the river where indicated and that you do not pass the last exit point even if the water looks still calm. Otherwise mortal rapids further downstream may crush you.

The two-letter-code for RIver packrafting is RI.

Lake Packrafting (LK)

Along the entire route are more than 50 lakes that can be packrafted. Some lake paddle sections are up to 25 km long. The majority of the lake crossings are oriented in the typical wind direction. We carry a sail that we open on lakes when we have favorable wind and we can recommend such a sail to every packrafter on the GPT. But if the wind is not with you then you may be forced to wait or take an alternative route therefore plan with sufficient reserves when taking the packraft route.

The two-letter-code for Lake Packrafting is LK.

Fjord Packrafting (FJ)

A few fjords in northern and central Patagonia are incorporated in the regular packraft route and can be paddled as part as optional side routes. Here you will depend highly on the wind and the tides and precaution is needed to not venture into the these water in adverse conditions.

GPS tracks on Fjords are abbreviated with FJ.

Trail Length and Trail Type Composition

As stated earlier the Greater Patagonian Trail is not a "classic" single line long distance trail but a wide discovery trail network with countless options and alternatives. Therefore the actual length that someone may walk and paddle depends highly on the selected sections, the chosen route and the method of travel (hiking only, packrafting wherever possible or a balanced combination of both). Also a further extension of the trail towards the southern tip of the continent is in preparation. For this reason there is no precise number for the trail length and only examples can be provided.

The below overview shows two example based on the current regular hiking route and the current regular packraft route. The packraft example does not include all possible packrafting but considers a packraft use only on the selected sections where this equipment is clearly more benefit than burden and is therefore highly recommended to be carried and used (Sections GPT17P to GPT39). This example also excludes the not yet verified and very challenging exploration sections.

Greater Patagonian Trail: Trail Type Composition (Hiking Only)

Greater Patagonian Trail: Trail Type Composition (Hiking and Packrafting where most beneficial)

Zones and Sections of GPT

GPT Zones

To be issued.

Zone Designations, Locations and Planning Status

Hiking and Packrafting Recommendations for Published Zones

Possible Travel Directions and Sections of Published Zones

GPT Sections

The current main trail is divided into 40 connecting sections. These 40 sections are between 36 km and 200 km long. Every of these section connects seamless with the following section and starts and ends near a road or village with public transportation. Therefore each section can be hiked individually or several sections can be combined into a longer journey with connecting footsteps.

A further extension of the trail all the way to the southern tip of the continent is still be planned. This southern extension to Cabo Forward will add another 10 sections.

I'm also incorporating alternative routes that open up additional parallel routes i.e. for a long round trip by packraft in northern and central Patagonia that combines some of the finest packrafting of the region. Most of these additional sections are connected with the other section but are not in line with them.

Section Designations, Locations and Planning Status

Section Start, Finish and Sequence of Published and To Be Planned Sections

Section Orientation of Published Sections

Section Attractiveness and Difficulty Rating

The four hikers that first completed most of the trail (Bethany Hughes and Lauren Reed from Her-Odyssey, my wife Meylin Ubilla and me the author) have evaluated each section in respect of attractiveness and difficulty.

This evaluation only compares these 40 sections between each other (relative comparison) and is no attempt to compare the GPT with other trails.

Two grades from 1 to 5 are given to each section, one grade for attractiveness and one grade for difficulty. The 5 stands for the most attractive or the most difficult category. The grades were choose in a way that the average grade over all hiking sections is a precise 3. For sections with substantial packrafting an additional packrafting grading is given, that is based on the same hiking scale to facilitate a comparison if better hiking or packrafting a section where both is possible. Since packrafting is generally more attractive and more challenging the average rating of packrafting grades exceeds 3.

Because this is only a relative comparison an attractiveness of 1 or 2 does not mean "ugly" and "not worth to walk", it simply means that the majority of the other sections are more attractive. And since several sections are mind-blowing beautiful "competition" is tough and a number of sections simply must end up in these lower categories even if they are worthwhile hiking.

Equally a difficulty grade of 1 or 2 does not mean "a piece of cake". Depending on the weather even such a section can become threatening.

Such an evaluation of the attractiveness and challenge is obviously subjective. Rather random factors like the weather when hiking or particular memorable encounters with the local population influence the judgement. Anyway, we four found little discrepancies in our evaluation where we hike the same route at different times.

The evaluation of the attractiveness considers not only the landscape and the trail itself but also the social experience with the local population as this trail comes only with the people that live on it and you can't have just the trail for yourself.

The evaluation of the difficulty and challenge considers the terrain, the trail condition, exposure to weather, remoteness, section length and resupply possibilities along the trail. This evaluation is based on the regular route. The individual experience will greatly vary with the actual weather that someone is exposed while hiking or packrafting. Also some optional routes might be much more demanding compared to the regular route. Keep this in mind when making you choices.

The not yet confirmed exploration packrafting sections are particular challenging. To caution adventurers that wish to explore these sections a difficulty grade of 6 on a scale from 1 to 5 is given to these exploration sections. For a continuous route none of these 5 exploration sections need to be taken.

This relative comparison shall help hikers and packrafters to make an educated choice of the sections that they attempt and to choose wisely where to hike and where to packraft.

Section Evaluation and Trail Type Composition Charts

Hiking Only Without Any Packrafting

Greater Patagonian Trail: Section Evaluation (Only Hiking)

Greater Patagonian Trail: Trail Type Composition (Only Hiking)

Packrafting Including Exploration Options

Greater Patagonian Trail: Section Evaluation (Packrafting including Exploration Options)

Greater Patagonian Trail: Trail Type Composition (Packrafting including Exploration Options)

Packrafting Excluding Exploration Options

Greater Patagonian Trail: Section Evaluation (Packrafting without Exploration Options)

Greater Patagonian Trail: Trail Type Composition (Packrafting without Exploration Options)

Hiking and Packrafting Where Most Beneficial

Greater Patagonian Trail: Section Evaluation (Hiking and Packrafting where most beneficial)

Greater Patagonian Trail: Trail Type Composition (Hiking and Packrafting where most beneficial)

END OF UPDATE 2017

Recommended Season

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 2: Crossing Río El Melado. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 2: Sudden weather change in mid-summer. File: Jan Dudeck

If you plan to hike the entire trail in the correct sequence starting with section 1 than you should leave in December, ideally in the second half of December.

On the first three sections several rivers and high mountain passes need to be crossed. In particular high river-water-levels during snowmelt may make the river crossings difficult and dangerous until December. Therefore leaving before or in early December may put you in risk when crossing rivers or traversing still snow covered passes. But if you leave after December you may be surprised by the heralds of the winter before reaching the finish of the Greater Patagonian Trail if walking in a moderate pace.

If you do not insist in hiking all trail sections in the correct sequence then you have more options when and where to start. If you want to leave before December you may in example set out in late October or November with section 11 in Liquiñe (Hiking-Only-Option) or in Reyehueico or Coñaripe (both Packraft-Option) as we did.

Coñaripe is a alternative start of section 11 for packrafters and the first of the 8 sections with significant packraft use. Starting with section 11 before December gives you the advantage of floating down the rivers with a comfortable high river-water-level during snow melt.

If you do not carry a packraft but wish to start in late October or November Liquiñe would be a good choice. Liquiñe is a village full of thermal springs and situated on the Hiking-Only-Option of section 11. This start avoids the potentially dangerous river-crossings of the first 3 sections and the rather high and exposed mountain passes of section 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 10. Once you reached the finish of section 18 you can travel by bus in about 3 days to the start of section 1 and hike all the way to the point from where you started the track.

On sections 5 to 10 the trail crosses the distribution range of the Araucaria tree. Between February and April the cones of these trees can be harvested and provide plenty of nutritious free food that you do not need to carry on your back. If possible arrange to cross sections 5 to 10 between February and April. This is one more very good reason for an early start on section 11 because then you can finish in the Auracaria distribution range in late summer or early autumn and feed yourself like a food gatherer millennia’s ago.

Even if hiking this trail in the recommended season be prepared for sudden weather changes with heavy snowfall, in particular when you are higher up in the mountains. Also rivers can swell anytime after heavy rain.

See the Section Information below that provides an orientation when each section is best be hiked.

Update of Trail File for GPS and Google Earth created in 2016

Santiago, December 10, 2016

Dear Hikers,

I extended and updated the Greater Patagonian Trail (GPT). The trail now starts at the last metro station in Santiago and goes all the way to the lake and glacier Viedma south of the Fitz Roy in Argentina. The trail has now a length of approx. 3000 km. I also created new digital maps for handheld GPS devises. These maps can be downloaded from Dropbox using the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mbsd9mupzy03zib/AAAF9bRnw-6aW3JZ8cpEGMXva?dl=0

The ZIP file contains the GPT trail network in various file formats. To review the entire trail network on a computer open the KMZ file in Google Earth.

Google Earth File: “GPT Master 20161127.kmz”

This file contains now nearly 12'000 km of tracks and nearly 3000 waypoints.

If you plan to hike the Greater Patagonian Trail you should continue to read carefully to understand how to select, install and use the digital maps on your GPS devise.

If you download and use these maps you do this at your own risk and under your own responsibility. I do not accept any liability and cannot guarantee the correctness and precision of the information provided with these maps. Trails may erode or overgrow, rivers may change substantially with weather and time and poor weather may turn many places along these routes into hazard zones. Therefore do not follow any of these trails blindly. Use constantly your own judgment, plan with contingencies and rather turn back or seek an alternative route if it is not save to follow a track shown on the digital map.

This update contains many improvements and extensions compared with the trail files on wikiexplora that I created and uploaded in 2015. But the general recommendations outlined in this wikiexplora article still apply.

Due to Garmin firmware limitations the Google Earth KMZ file cannot be displayed on a Garmin devise. It is also not possible to upload all this information to a Garmin GPS devise by converting it into GPX files as suggested by Garmin. The number of tracks and waypoints simply exceeds the typical Garmin limits of 200 tracks and 2000 waypoints (only some Garmin GPS models permit up to 5000 waypoints). If you try to upload more items you will get an error message or these items may simply not be displayed on your GPS devise.

Therefore I have created digital maps that contain all the tracks and waypoints. I created in total four maps in the IMG file format. One map contains only the waypoints and the other three maps show the tracks depending on how you plan to travel. These IMG files cannot be displayed in Google Earth.

• Maps with Tracks for Garmin Devises (install at least one of the four IMG maps):

1. Hiking-Only Tracks: “GPT Hiking-Only 20161127.img”.

2. Hiking and Packraft Tracks: “GPT Packraft 20161127.img”

3. Exploration Hiking-Only Tracks: “GPT Exploration Hiking-Only 20161127.img”

4. Exploration Hiking and Packraft Tracks: “GPT Exploration Packraft 20161127.img”

• Map with Waypoints (install this map regardless how you plan travel):

5. All Waypoints: “GPT Points 20161127.img”

These maps are all “transparent” and should be displayed together with a digital topographic map. I do not recommend to use these trail maps without a topographic map in the background.

To install the maps on your Garmin GPS devise simply copy the IMG file into the “Garmin” folder on the Micro-SD card. When starting the GPS devise you may need to enable the map using the map options of your devise to make the map visible. You may install all four maps simultaneously and simply enable and disable the maps as needed on your GPS devise. The map ID numbers were chosen to avoid conflicts between these fife maps (the map ID numbers use the entire range from 16112701 to 16112749).

If you hike without a packraft you should install only the Hiking-Only maps. These maps show all the hiking routes and hiking options but none of the routes on water and none of the trails that lead to these water routes. By using the Hiking-Only map you avoid that you follow unintentionally a trail that leads you to a lake or river from where you cannot continue by food.

If you travel with a Packraft you should install the trail maps that contain also the Packraft options. These Packraft maps contain all Hiking -Only routes plus all Packraft routes. You can also install all four trail maps but enable only one or two maps while traveling (and disable the other two or three maps using the map options of your GPS devise).

The exploration maps show planned routes that are not verified yet. Be aware that these routes might turn out to be impassable or baldy overgrown and you might be forced to return on the same route. In most cases I have pretty good information that these routes were used in the past but in Patagonia it does not take long that such trails get overgrown if not used any more. Therefore venturing on such a trail may indeed become an exploration and you should carry enough supplies since you may advance much slower than expected or you may even need to return on the same route.

The waypoint map displays the approx. 3000 waypoints as small green dots. When you move the mouse indicator onto the waypoint the waypoint name gets displayed showing what this waypoint represents (i.e. a Camp Site, River Crossing or Ford, Water Supply, Trail Diversion …). Only the "Section start and End Points" are displayed differently with the “Trail Head” symbol. I have now added also some "Important Information" points that highlight where to organize boat transfers and trails with restrictions i.e. trails through private natural reserves that should only be used in case of an emergency.

To see constantly the section start and end points and the important information you may install the following GPX file on your GPS devise using Garmin Basecamp: “Section Start and End Points.gpx” and "Important Infromation.gpx".

If you install these GPX files on your GPS you will see a little flag on each section start and end point and the important information points with the section number or the important information constantly displayed (depending on zoom level).

If your GPS model permits up to 5000 waypoints you may in addition install the following GPX file on your GPS devise using Garmin Basecamp: “Way and Decision Points.gpx”

If you install this GPX file on your GPS you will see a little flag on each waypoint with the name constantly displayed (depending on zoom level). This facilitates anticipating what lies ahead of you but this will works only on specific GPS model (check the Garmin web page to find the limits of your devise).

I’m not sure if the GPX files can simply be copied to the GPS Micro-SD card. At least on my devise it did not work when copying the GPX file to the same location as the IMG file. Therefore I installed the GPX file(s) from my computer using the Garmin Basecamp software.

Note that I did not had the time to harmonize the nomenclature of the tracks and waypoints so the naming of these items is not particular consistent and conclusive. Therefore simply ignore if a track has i.e. the name “Untitled Path174” and focus on how the track is displayed (line color, line width, continuous or dotted).

Changed Digital Map Nomenclature

• Line color: I have selected a few line colors that provide a good contrast on the GPS screen and that can be easily distinguished from each other and map features i.e. roads.
• Black: All Hiking Routes on land are now in black regardless if they are part of the Hiking-Only trail network or if they lead to a packraft water track. Therefore it is essential to install and enable the appropriate map. I changed it from red to black since this black provides the best contrast on all map features i.e. on roads.
• White: All Ferry Routes or private boat transfer tracks are in white (good contrast on the blue water background).
• Red: All Packraft Routes on water are in red (good contrast on the blue water background).
• Violet (Dark Pink): All Exploration Hiking Routes on land are in violet. Be aware that these routes might turn out to be impassable or baldy overgrown and you might be forced to return on the same route.
• Pink (Light Pink or Magenta): All Exploration Packraft Routes on water are in pink. Be aware that these Exploration Packraft Routes may cross very challenging lakes, rivers and fjords where i.e. wind may force you to wait several days for better weather. When you get on such a route carry enough supplies and check the weather and wind forecast regularly i.e. using your Delorme InReach satellite messenger.

• Line width: All tracks are either 2 or 4 dots wide providing a good contrast to the 1 dot wide altitude lines.
• Thick: Regular Routes are the normally recommended tracks avoiding particular difficult passages but avoiding also hiking on roads. The Regular Routes is the to my opinion the best compromise between beauty and difficulty.
• Thin: Other Routes may be side trips, climbs to summits, short cuts, nearby roads and alternative entry and exit routes. I included in the route network many roads and trails in parallel to Packraft Routes to indicate possible “Escape Routes” if you can’t continue paddling on water. So some Other Routes might be more scenic (and difficult) compared to the Regular Route while others are not particular attractive and serve mainly to leave a certain area.
• Continuous, dotted and arrow lines: To minimize the number of colors needed I opted to use lines that are either continuous or dotted or consists of arrows.
• Continuous line: Reasonable reliable tracks that are either based on a GPS records or a trails that are reasonable good visible on satellite images.
• Dotted line: Investigation track for which I either do not have a good GPS record or no conclusive satellite image to clearly see the trail. In most cases I have relative reliable information that this trail exists and was hiked recently but the precise location of the trail is not verified. Expect some discrepancy between the actual trail to the dotted line on your GPS and rather follow the visible trail than trying to follow the dotted line on your GPS.

I now added Arrow lines: Packraft routes on water that can only be taken in one direction i.e. rivers in flow direction or large lakes in the predominant wind direction are shown as a line of arrows.

If you use these maps I ask you for three favors in turn.

1. I tested these maps only on my Garmin devise (GPSMap 62st) but not on other models. Please provide me a feedback how the installation and display of these digital maps worked on your GPS devise. 2. If you use these maps for hiking please record by GPS your entire hike and provide me all GPS records afterwards. This is essential to maintain, update and improve the GPT trail documentation. 3. Please record and share with me additional waypoints that you consider relevant and provide updates to existing waypoints in particular if changes occurred.

I plan to send a new update later in 2017 after this hiking season. In case you do not wish more updates in the future please advise me by email.

Enjoy hiking and take care to not hurt yourself nor the land on which you are hiking. Leave no trace and be a pleasant guest when meeting people on the trail.

Best regards, Jan

Outdated Trail Files issued in 2015

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 3: On the ridge above Laguna de Las Lajas. File: Jan Dudeck

The KMZ file displayed on the satellite map above is optimized to provide a good overview but does not include any waypoints and shows only some of the optional routes. Therefore the files below in the next table should be downloaded and used if you actually plan to hike on the Greater Patagonian Trail. There are trail files for individual section and for the entire trial.

Different file formats are provide for reviewing the trail on a computer with Google Earth (KMZ) and for uploading the trails to a handheld GPS devise (GPX). All these file formats contain the same geographic information; mainly tracks and waypoints; but the different file formats have advantages and disadvantages when using them with different applications.

The KMZ file format is optimal for display and editing on a computer with Google Earth. In example tracks and waypoints can be organized in a folder structure what facilitates handling a large number of individual tracks and waypoints. Unfortunately a KMZ file cannot be uploaded directly to a Garmin GPS but needs to be converted first into GPX file (in example with the free Garmin "Basecamp" software). See also the wikipedia article for further information to the KMZ/KML file format.

The GPX file format is optimal for uploading the trail file(s) to a handheld GPS devise. This applies in particular to Garmin equipment. Also when using a handheld GPS devise it is of advantage to minimize the number of individual tracks. The Garmin devise that I use (GPSMap 62) is unable to display more than 200 individual track. Therefore numerous individual tracks that are in line were joined to minimize the number of tracks in the GPX files. See also the wikipedia article for further information to the GPX file format.

Therefore:
Reviewing and editing the trail on a computer in Google Earth: KMZ
Uploading the trail file(s) to a handheld GPS: GPX

The trail files for the hiking only options i.e. "GPT01-18H.kmz" have a H like "Hiking" in the file name. These trail files do not contain any of the packraft routes, neither the water parts itself nor the land hiking parts to the lakes and rivers from where you can continue only by packraft. This shall prevent that a hiker without a packraft takes by accident the wrong route and ends up on the shore of a lake or river from where he cannot continue on foot. So if you do not carry a packraft download the trail files for the Hiking-Only-Options.

In contrast the trail files for the packraft options i.e. "GPT01-18.kmz" contains all routes including all hiking routes. There might be good reasons i.e. strong wind or bad weather that make a hiker with a packraft opting for the hiking alternative to avoid in example a lake crossing under unfavourable conditions. So if you carry a packraft download the trail files for the Hiking-Only-Options AND Packraft-Options because these trail files show you all options.

For sections without any packraft parts only one section trail file is published (without an H in the file name).

Read also the comment to the trail files after downloading to understand the structure and nomenclature of this file.

See the Section Table above with the recommended season, hiking direction, hiking options and resupply villages and towns.

Read also the comment to distances, ascents, descents and walking times to correctly understand the recording, calculation and relevance of these numerical values.

Long Distances Challanges

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 3: Carrying fire wood for the next night. File: Jan Dudeck

The sections 2 and 3 can be combined with an alternative trail through a pristine area that bypasses the settlement and the road at the finish of section 2 and the start of section 3.

The sections 3 and 4 may also be combined by packrafting the entire Laguna Las Lajas or taking a cross country route on the eastern side of the lake. Both, the packraft and the hiking option, are quite challanging and the optional cross country trail still needs to be verfied. This alternative route bypasses the road to the town Antuco and the tiny ski resort on the base of the volcano Antuco.

It is even possible to combine sections 2, 3 and 4 in a extra-long super-section without passing a single village. This tripple section is a true long distance endurance challange that gets you in 3 to 4 weeks through nearly untouched wilderness. If you attempt it, you should be well aware of all the exit routes to walk out in time if you run out of food.

Combining sections 4 to 7 should be considered when hiking these sections. You may get some basic food i.e. in Trapa Trapa at the end of section 4 and in Guallali on section 6. You may also ask the Puesteros along the trail for food or harvest Araucaria cones to "stretch" the food that you carry in your backpack and make it last this long combined section. This would save you resupply bus trips to "nearby" villages and towns. Such resupply bus trips take two days or more due to the distances and the low bus frequency. In particular getting at the end of section 6 by bus to Lonquimay and then back to continue with section 7 might be an ordeal.

Also combining sections 13 to 15 is advisable to save you time consuming resupply bus trips. At the end of section 13 you may ask in a settlers home for food and at the end of section 14 you may take the ferry that runs three times per week to a tiny village, resupply in a small shop just next to the embarkation point and return shortly later with the same ferry.

Note that these GPX files are outdated but updates are included in the updated trail files issued in 2016.

Trail Altitude Profile

The following two images show the altitude profile of the trail. The first images shows the Hiking-Only-Options and the second images shows the route with all Packraft-Options incorporated. Both altitude profiles exclude all optional ascents to summits.

Altitude profile of the Hiking-Only-Options of the Greater Patagonian Trail. Click to enlarge.

Altitude profile of the Greater Patagonian Trail with all Packraft-Options included. Click to enlarge.

Entrance Permits and Fees

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 13: Cordon Caulle. File: Jan Dudeck

The Greater Patagonian trail is not an official trail that is set up and managed by a government agency. Is simply a compilation of horse trails, minor roads and some cross country sections that pass over private properties and state owned land.

Nearly the entire trail can be hiked without entrance permits or paying entrance fees. And what is even better: many of the humble people that live along the trail will welcome you or even invite you to stay. Here hospitality matters!

But there are a few exceptions; some are already briefly mentioned above under Hiking Direction.

Unfortunately the public right of way is vague and sometimes ignored in Chile. By Chilean law the access to the coast, to lakes and to rivers is a public right but there are numerous locations where this gets disregarded. There are simply no penalties if someone unlawfully denies passage. I'm not sufficiently familiar with Chilean law to state if a similar public right of way applies to all the connecting trails and roads on private properties. But if it exists it’s occasionally disregarded. Some rich landlords with huge plots employ guards and instruct them to deny access to anyone.

Entrance Permits and Challenges

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 1: Signpost that you do not see until you leave the resticted area if going southbound. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 2-3: Locked gate on southern entrance of Fundo Las Truchas. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 13: Locked gate on southern entrance of Fundo Carrán. File: Jan Dudeck

Section 1

Laguna Mondaca: I was recently advised that a signpost was place at the pass between the Laguna Las Animas and the Laguna Mondaca denying access to the Laguna Mondaca. If you want to avoid a discussion with an overeager guard at this lake you may take the short cut that leads you directly to the hot springs “Termas de Asufre”. Otherwise you may be asked to continue on the regular trail after having reached the lake.

Hydropower Station Cipreses: The Hydropower Station Cipreses is owned by Endesa and controls the valley between the Route 115 and the Laguna de La Invernada. Permanently manned gates control the northbound access from the Route 115 but there are no similar barriers when entering the property southbound over the mountains in example when coming from the volcano Descabezado. An access permit can be requested in advance and is normally granted. See the wikiexplora article "Laguna y Cráter Los Hornitos" for further information.

Long Distance Challange that directly connects Section 2 and 3

Fundo Las Truchas: The fundo Las Truchas is owned by a regional big farmer. When he purchased this ranch he first kept it open for public access to the attractive Laguna Las Truchas. Unfortunately some locals don’t treat their environment with respect and litter or fish without limits. The owner got annoyed and now denies public access in particular to local citizen. When entering the fundo Las Truchas northbound you may be send back by the guard, who lives 2 km south of the Laguna Las Truchas from late spring to autumn. If entering southbound you may be asked to leave the property in the direction you are hiking anyway.

Section 3 "Bad Weather Exit Route"

Hydropower Station El Toro: The Hydropower Station El Toro is owned by Endesa and controls the valley Rio Polcura upstream of Abanico. A permanently manned gate controls the northbound access from Abanico. There are no similar controls when entering the property southbound from the Laguna de Las Lajas. An access permit may be requested in advance but no specific information are available where this can be done. Anyway, this restriction is not of much relevance since the regular trail on the ridge can be hiked in either direction. You only get to the Hydropower Station El Toro if get down from the ridge on the "Bad Weather Exit Route".

Section 12

Reserve Huilo Huilo: During the later days of the Pinochet Regime large parts of the state owned forest around the Lago Pirihueico were sold under obscure circumstances to the German immigrant Victor Petermann. He later converted the forest into a “private for profit natural reserve”. The emphasis seems to be the profit and not so much the natural reserve. Permanently manned gates now limit access to guests of the luxury resorts on this immense property. Wood logging continues in more hidden parts of the “profit reserve”. When we attempted to take the former public road from Puerto Fuy to Pirihueico we were turned back on several of the gates. For this reason we took the ferry over the lago Piriheuco and walked the same road but from the other side where we did not encounter any manned gates or objections. See the wikipedia article to the Complejo Forestal y Maderero Panguipulli.

Fundo Chihuio: The fundo Chihuio is situated north of the Termas de Chihuio and owned by a rich businessman. The guard lives at the southern entrance to the ranch. He is instructed to deny access to the former public road towards Puerto Fuy and Pirihueico. When hiking southbound you will leave the property at the entrance where the guard lives.

Section 13

Fundo Carrán: The Fundo Carrán is located south of the Lago Maihue. We crossed the Lago Maihue southbound by packraft and entered the fundo Carrán unknowingly from the shore of the Lago Maihue. We than walked about 5 km until we reached a locked gate just before a public road. We could easily climb over the locked gate to continue on the public road. On this locked gate is a signboard that prohibits public access.

Entrance Fees

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 13: Volcano Puyehue. File: Jan Dudeck

Section 13

Southbound Access to Cordon Caulle: A very fiendly and helpful older couple lives at the northern access to the Cordon Caulle and volcano Puyehue. They own the forest with the road that provides access to volcanic area where 2011 a major eruption occured. They offer shelter if the weather does not permit a crossing of the volcanic plateou. In 2013 they charged a 6'000 CLP entrance fee.

Northbound Access to Cordon Caulle: The restaurant "El Caulle" is situated at the southern access to the Puyehue and Cordon Caulle. They maintain the refuge higher up on the foot of the volcano Puyehue. In 2013 they charged a 10'000 CLP entrance fee but no "exit fee".

Conclusion

When challenged on the trail explain friendly that you are just a hiker and that you do not want anything else than passage to the next road or town. Hikers are rarely seen on most of the route and some people may suspect other interests because they simply don't know the concept of hiking. You may explain how far you already walked to gain the sympathy and respect of the guard or land owner. Guarantee that you will carry all your waste and that you will not leave any traces.

What we experienced on the trail seems to mirror the attitude of the Chilean society: The humble poor people on the trail opened the doors to their houses to give us shelter and they literally shared their bread with us without asking for money. But some of the super-rich denied passage over their immense properties on which they normally don’t even live when kindly asking for permission to pass.

Logistical Considerations

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 7: Harvesting piñones. File: Meylin Ubilla

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 6: Opening piñones. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 7: Selecting piñones. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 7: Boiling piñones. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 6: Eating piñones. File: Jan Dudeck

Tourist Visa

The vast majority of citizens from Europe and North-America do not need a visa to visit Chile as a tourist. These citizens receive a tourist permit that allows them to stay up to 90 days in Chile. With an estimated duration of 90 to 120 days it is possible to complete the first 16 sections on Chilean soil in 90 days but leaves little margin for rest days or weather related delays.

The easiest way to renew your permit is travelling to Argentina before completing your 90 days and returning a few days later to Chile. On re-entry you will normally be granted another 90 days. Such a trip can be combined with a resupply stop in a nearby town.

Recommendable "visa trips" with public transportation are:

• Section 9: From Curarrehue in Chile to Junin de Los Andes or San Martin de Los Andes in Argentina
• Section 13: From Osorno in Chile to San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina

Alternatively you can request a tourist visa extension in Chile. This can be done in any of the 54 provincial capitals of Chile. Los Angeles, Temuco and Puerto Montt are 3 possible choices but none of the provincial capitals are conveniently close to the trail. Here you find a full list of the Chilean provinces with its capitals: Wikipedia: Provinces of Chile.

If you do not start the trek at section 1 but do sections 11 to 18 first you will cross the border from Chile to Argentina on foot on section 16 and renew your tourist permit when returning to Chile. This will give you enough time to hike sections 1 to 10 in a comfortable pace.

If you insist in not taking any bus or motorized vehicle during the entire trek you have three options:

• You hurry up to cross into Argentina on section 16 within 90 days counted from your arrival in Chile.
• You can walk on foot from Icalma in Chile to Villa Pehuenia and back (Section 8, 16 km one way).

Importation of Food

Chile is very cautious when it comes to importing food, plants and animals. To minimize the risk of introducing pests, invasive plants and animals such imports are highly regulated and controlled. Therefore individuals are strictly banned to bring fresh fruits, vegetables, raw milk or meat products to Chile. Only processed sterile food can be imported in concealed packing’s, in example all heat treated canned items in closed containers. Thorough checks are performed by the SAG (Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero) on the airport and the border checkpoints from neighbouring countries.

• Example of strictly banned items:
  • Fresh and dried fruits
  • Fresh cheese
  • Raw meat and raw meat products like ham and sausages
  • Honey

• Example of normally accepted items:
  • Bread, cookies and other baked items
  • All canned items even if containing milk and meat products
  • Sweats like chocolate, candies and cereal bar
  • Cereals, corn flakes and chocolate powder
  • Pasta, rice, flour and dehydrated potato puree
  • Instant meals like dehydrated trekking food in concealed bags

When crossing the border to Chile you need to fill in a declaration if you are carrying any plant or food products. On this declaration the definition for plant or food products is very wide and includes all the permitted items as well. Therefore the best and only correct thing is to always state YES. If ask explain that you are aware of the restrictions and that you carry processed food and give examples.

If you state NO but something banned is found you will be charged a high fine.

You should also clean your boots from visible mud since mud may contain seamen of invasive plants.

Theoretically the same rules apply when crossing into Argentina but controls are often much more relaxed and you do not need fill and sign a declaration.

Resupply at Nearby Towns

There are no proper shops along the first seven sections of the trail. The first regular food store on the trail comes after 600 km at the finish of section 7. But there is a road with public transportation at the end of each section that gives you the opportunity to take a bus and to travel to the next village or town to resupply. See the table under Section Information with suitable resupply villages and towns.

In the larger cities, in example in Santiago, Talca, Chillan, Los Angeles, Osorno and Puerto Montt you find "Jumbo" supermarkets. To our impression these supermarkets offer the widest range of dehydrated food that is suitable for hiking. These supermarkets have typically a section of imported food items from Europe and North America. Here we found in example well-seasoned couscous imported from Canada, potato fritters that comes as a powder imported from Germany and dehydrated deserts that you just need to mix with cold water and milk powder to make in example a very tasty chocolate cream after your dinner. If you are fancy on good cooking in the wild then take your time and stroll through the aisle of the supermarket and try something new.

Resupply by Bus

The product range in smaller villages and towns is limited. In particular dehydrated trekking food may not be offered at all. If you prefer to have some special stuff that you find only in Santiago or that you bring with you from overseas you have the following option: You pack a box with food and other gear in Santiago and send the box with one of the mayor bus companies to a town where you plan a resupply stop. To send the box you do not need any address in this town; all you need to do is making yourself the recipient of your own package. The bus company will ship your box to this town in 1 or 2 days and store it until you pick it up. There you can take out of your box whatever you need and resend the box with the remaining stuff to the next resupply town where it will be stored again. Storage of up to 30 days is free of charge. This transport service by busses is called "encomienda" and functions like a postal service. Unfortunately this service is only available in larger cities. Therefore this service cannot be used to ship resupplies directly to the trail.

I advise you not to use this service offered by JAC. They lost one of our packages and were incredible poorly organized and ignorant to give us at least the legally required minimum refund (which was far less than the actual value). Turbus made at least a more organised impression when compared to JAC. Anyway, you should better not send valuable items i.e. a packraft but only items whose loss does not jeopardize your trip. If you plan to send valuable items anyway you should have at least the original purchase receives of these items with you. If you present these receipts before sending the package you may increase the refund value in case of loss to a substantially higher value. Without such a receipt only a rather small value can be declared (50,000 to 100,000 CLP depending on the company) and gets refunded in case the shipment is lost by the company.

Suitable resupply towns with bus cargo stations are (bus company in brackets):

• Talca (Turbus)
• San Carlos (Turbus)
• Chillán (Turbus)
• Los Angeles (Turbus)
• Pucon (Turbus)
• Osorno (Turbus)
• Puerto Montt (Turbus)
• Puerto Varas (Turbus)

See also the table with the Section Information for a full listing of resupply towns on or near the trail.

A true thru-hike without resupply bus trips would require the setup of food depots on strategic points along the route.

Food Supply on the Trail

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 15: Shopping in the super market of El Poncho. File: Jan Dudeck

On this trail, in particular on the first seven sections you will meet herdsman on the summer pastures with their livestock, which are mainly cattle, sheep, goats and horses. Depending on the altitude and the snowmelt they migrate up between October and January and return to their winter quarters in April or May. These herdsman, locally called "Puestero", live in improvised permanent shelters, called "Puesto". They bring large quantities of food with their horses and mules up into the mountains. You may ask them for food, in particular for flour and bread or whatever they are willing to sell. With flour, dry yeast and salt you can bake your own fresh bread on the trail. If you are desperate for meat they may sell you a goat or a sheep but be aware, the smallest quantity for sale is typically half an animal (Spanish: "Medio Canal"). To communicate with the locals you need to speak Spanish.

On section 5 to 10 you will cross the distribution range of the impressive Araucaria trees, which are ancient evergreen coniferous trees. What we liked on these living fossils were not just the imposing figure, but the nutritious female seed cones that are rich in carbohydrates. These fruits or "piñones" were the main staple food for the indigenous Pehuenche people and they taught us how to harvest and prepare them. You can gather these starchy Araucaria "piñones" between February and April.

Tortilla de Rescoldo. File: Jan Dudeck

Traditional Food

Making Sopaipillas. File: Jan Dudeck

Our way of baking fresh bread and pizza. File: Jan Dudeck

Cordero al Palo. File: Jan Dudeck

Trinking Mate. File: Jan Dudeck

This is not a listing of all the standard trekking foods like pasta and cereals. If you attempt this long distance trail you should know all this by heart. This section lists and describes selected traditional food items that are typical for this region but may be less known outside or named differently.

Piñones: As already mentioned under Recommended Season and Food Supply on the Trail you can become a gatherer on sections 5 to 10 and collect a good part of your food yourself along the trail if you pass this area between February and April. You just need to get the timing right and carry a strong string to harvest the mature cones of the female Araucaria trees. According to Wikipedia the name Araucana is derived from the native Araucanians who's main staple food were the nuts or seeds of the Araucaria tree. A group of Araucanians living in the Andes, the Pehuenches, owe their name to their diet based on harvesting of the Araucaria seeds. Pehuen means Araucaria and che means people in the native language Mapudungun.

The natives use a lasso to harvest the mature cones. As a hiker you probably will not carry a rather heavy lasso but you may bring a strong string with you. By trial and error we eventually choose to connect long sticks in example branches, bamboo grass and/or our hiking poles to lift a sling over a single cone and then break the cone off by pulling against the growth direction. Once you have the cone down you can open the cone with a wedge and a stone as shown on the picture above. The seeds then need to be separated and boiled for about 30 minutes with the husk. Once boiled the husk can be easily removed. Just squeeze the husk and the eatable seed will slip out easily. You can eat the seed simply cooked or fry them later.

Harina Tostada (Chile) or ñaco (Argentina) is toasted ground wheat and the staple food of the herdsmen. It comes as a brownish powder and tastes like corn flakes but it needs to be mixed first with a liquid to eat. The most common form is mixing with water but also beer, wine or juice can be used. Also sugar may be added if mixed with water. Depending on the mixing ratio it will be a thick paste or a liquid and makes a perfect snack during the days. Try yourself and find out how you like it most. You can buy it in all rural stores but also the big super markets sell it. It's the perfect trekking food because it's nourishing and takes little space in the backpack. See the wikipedia article for more information to this versatile staple food.

Tortilla de Rescoldo is a white bread that was backed in the hot ash of a fire. Most puestos don't have a proper oven to bake bread but use the accumulated ash of the fireplace instead. The dough is made as usual with wheat flour, salt and (dry) yeast. After the dough was prepared and given the typical rest the dough is gently put in a pit in the hot ash and then also covered with hot ash. After about 10 to 15 min the bread is turned and covered with hot ash again to bake it evenly on both sides. To not burn the bread the hot ash must be free of glowing charcoal. It requires quite some experience to get the temperature and the timing right. Also the fireplace must be in use for days or weeks to accumulate sufficient ash. A typical campfire will not work because the fire itself is to hot and amount of ash is insufficient.

To make fresh bread on the trail our self we used our two stainless steel pots and the lid. With some self-made wire clips we suspended the slightly smaller pot within the bigger pot. This creates a small but fully functional oven because the air gap between both pots protected the content from burning when placed in or next to the fire. With this oven we did not only bake fresh bread but also pizza and an onion pie. It needs some trial and error to learn how to get the temperature right and regular turning help to bake the content evenly.

Sopaipilla (Chile) or Torta Frita (Argentina) is fried white bread. The same standard dough made with wheat flour, salt and (dry) yeast and given the typical dough rest period of 15 to 30 minutes. Round flat dough-cakes are formed with a hole in the middle and gently put into a pot of hot oil of fat over a fire. The hole in the middle is required to move and removed the Sopapilla with a stick.

Chivo or Cordero al Palo: Puesteros occasionally butcher a male goat or sheep when they meet with other herdsmen or when they receive a visit to share an abounded and delicious meat feast. Female animals are normally preserved to maintain the flock so mainly the male goat get sacrificed(a rare example of male discrimination). The skinned and cleaned animal is cut into pieces and stack on a wooden pole ("palo" in Spanish). The pole is then placed next to the fire and regularly turned until the meat is ready to eat. It's crucial that the meat is well cooked to kill all potential parasites. You need to be lucky to arrive just in time for such a feast. Alternatively you may ask the puesteros along the route if they have some meat left or if they are willing to sell one animal and butcher and prepare it with you. The smallest quantity for sale is typically half an animal ("medio canal"). Once the meat is well cooked over the fire you can carry the left overs and consume it during the next two or three days.

Yerba Mate is a energizing caffeine-rich hot drink. You fill about half a cup with the tee-like "yerba", pour hot water over it and drink it with a special straw that acts at the same as an filter. This straw is called "bombilla". You can pour again and again water over it to keep drinking. Sharing mate with other people is a common ritual in these region. You will certainly be offered this rather bitter drink when you meet and chat with the locals. See also the wikipedia article to Mate for more information.

Mote are wheat grains, which were boiled and removed from its husk and then dried again for long term storage. Mote is probably not an optimal trekking food because it needs to be soaked in water for several hours before boiling. But settlers and herdsmen often carry mote and use it as an ingredient for stews and other meals.

Recommended Equipment

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 16: Lago Puelo. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 11: Floating down the Río Cuacuá. File: Jan Dudeck

Solar Charger from GoalZero. File: Jan Dudeck

Packraft and Drysuite

A packraft is a light-weight inflatable boat designed to be carried in the backpack when not needed but to carry the backpacker and his backpack over lakes and rivers when he needs it. A packraft is not required for this trail but quite beneficial on sections 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18. It may also be used on sections 2, 3, 4 and 8. On section 1, 5, 7 and 10 it can be used for smaller side trips on lakes that are located next to the trail.

Here you find some images of our packraft. We use the "Explorer 42" from Alpackaraft. The total weight of the two-person-boat with paddles, two drysuites, waterproof bags and water gear is approx. 8 kg or 4 kg per person if shared.

I strongly recommend the use of a drysuite whenever paddeling in this area regardless of the size of the river, lake of fjord. This is the only suiteable protection against hypothermia in case you get wet or you get out of the boat on the water. Be aware that water temperatures are often quite low. Wind can suddenly increase and build up high waves in a matter of minutes that splash you wet with cold water or even flip your boat. Also on most rivers, lakes and fjords that are included in the packraft route suitable exit points are scarce. So don't rely on getting quickly out of the water when needed. The first two years we paddled without using a drysuite but I consider this now a beginner's mistake.

The packraft did not made us faster but made our trip much more diverse. It is just great to walk to the shore of a lake or river, take the backpack down, inflate the boat, store the gear, take a seat and paddle off. A packraft brings an other "dimension" into the trip.

Section 1 to 20: At two larger lakes you can alternatively take a daily ferry (Lago Pirihueco) or a private boat transfer (Lago Todos Los Santos). For all other lakes and rivers alternative trails, which circumvent the water are included in the Trail Files for GPS and Google Earth above. So you can bypass on foot all paddle parts if you do not have a packraft or if i.e. wind and weather do not permit the crossing of a lake with a rather tiny boat.

Section 21 to 27: In Palena the Hiking-Only-Option and the Packraft-Option of the Greater Patagonian Trail take a completely different routes. Both option rejoin briefly on Section 26 in the area of Cerro Castillo. When taking the Packraft-Option you do not have an easy connection to the Hiking-Only-Option so be well prepared to paddle long distances when taking this route.

Enter lakes, fjords and rivers with your packraft only in suitable weather conditions. Note that on sunny days wind typically increases substantially around noon and often blows very strong till the evening. Therefore packrafting on lakes and fjords is something for early risers.

Most but not all lakes have a predominant wind direction. The route is choosen in way that you have more likely favourable wind from the back than wind against you but on some lakes the predominant wind will blow you right into face. Most but not all river sections are relatively well wind-shilded. In particular the last part of Río Palena and Río Ibañez are quite exposed to wind.

If weather is unsuitable for packrafting take the alternative hiking options around the water or simply wait for better weather but do not jeopardize yourself.

The Packraft-Option also enters two fjords that are connected with the Pacific; the Estuario de Reloncaví on Section 16 and the Fjordo Pipiplena on Section 22. Here tides strongly affect water levels and currents. Understand the the tide cycles and get a current tide chart before before you enter these waters. In certain areas of these fjords tidal currents can outpace your packraft. Both fjords are best entered with a falling tide just after high tide. Also be very cautious when camping on the shore of these fjords and better avoid it. Make sure that you camp above the spring tide level. The trift wood on these shores can indicate you to what level the water may rise.

GPS and Electronic Map

The trail is mostly unmarked and only smaller fractions are documented with maps. Long stretches of the trail are only vaguely visible and frequently the trail peters out or divides into several branches. Therefore a GPS is absolutely essential for navigation. You need a handheld GPS devise to which you can upload the trail files. Spare batteries or recharge options are required to keep the GPS devise functional long enough.

In addition an electronic topographical map is recommended.

We used a Garmin GPS with the Garmin TOPO Chile Deluxe electronic map (TOPO Chile Deluxe sold for 80 USD). The topographical profile, rivers, lakes, road and towns are precisely mapped. Only smaller streams, smaller lagoons and some trails are partly incorrecly placed on this electronic map. The Garmin TOPO Chile Deluxe is more precise than the TOPO Andes (see below) and has more details but covers only Chile and is good for section 1 to 16 only.

Garmin now offers also an electronic topographical map that covers all Chile, Argentina and Bolivia (TOPO Andes sold for 100 USD). If you are planning to hike the entire trail and future extensions to the south then the TOPO Andes map is the suitable choice.

I do not recommend the purchase of paper maps. The Chilean Instituto Geográfico Militar (IGM) offers topographic maps with a scale of 1:50'000 for the entire Chile but these maps often do not contain the trails and may be outdated. There are a few hiking maps for some popular areas showing some but not all trails that are used by the GPT. So the extra cost and additional weight of paper maps do not justify to my opinion the minor benefit of paper maps.

If you are looking for an backup devise to your handheld GPS you may consider the inReach Explorer from Delorme which is not only a satellite tracker but can also be setup as navigator. I do not recommend this devise as a substitude for a handheld GPS due to the small screen, the limited battery life the limited number of tracks and waypoints that can be uploaded. But in case your handheld GPS fails, gets damaged or lost the inReach Explorer is a suitable backup if setup with the route and selected waypoints before starting the trip.

Satellite Tracker

The Greater Patagonian Trail leads partly through rather isolated uninhabited areas with no mobile phone coverage at all. In case of an accident a satellite based emergency communication devise may contribute to your survival.

• SPOT offers a light weight emergency beacon that when pushing an emergency button submits a distress signal via satellite with your GPS position to a rescue centre. This devise can also be set up to regularly send the GPS position in 10 minutes intervals and to display the hiked track on a map in the internet. We carried such a personal satellite tracker and our families and friends stayed much more relaxed because they could see us move day by day through the mountains. Unfortunately this devise is not particular reliable in Patagonia due to the satellite coverage. Based on our experience only 5% to 20% of the position signals are submitted successfully when hiking in this area. Therefore if you wish to keep your family and friends updated with a SPOT you need to purchase and activate the tracking option while hiking. This ensures that at least some positions are submitted successfully every day. In theory you can manually submit an "OK" message without purchasing the tracking option but this may result in rather long "black-out" periods since many signals don't get submitted successful and the devise itself does not provide any feedback if the signal was transmitted correctly or not. The other limitation of this devise is, that is cannot receive any messages or send messages written on the trail. SPOT requires you to choose one of the annual satellite data contracts so if you need it only for a few weeks or a few months you are forced to pay for more than you acetaully need. You find further information to this devise on the SPOT manufacturers homepage.

• InReach from Delorme offers a similar devise but without the above mentioned limitations. The inReach uses the more reliable Iridium satellite network that covers in particular the area towards the poles much better what favours its use in Patagonia. This devise also always provides a feedback if the position signal or message was send successful or not and keeps trying until the information is actually received. This devise can send position signals in regular intervals for display on an online map, the inReach is able to send and receive 160-character text messages with the GPS coordinates to mobile phones or email addresses and it can post updates to social media. And when pushing the emergency button a distress message is send via satellite with your GPS position to a rescue centre. The InReach itself is more expensive than a SPOT and it drains the batteries sligthly faster but the InReach is clearly the more reliable option. In contrast to a SPOT devise you do not need to opt for an annual data contact but you can choose the satellite data contract only for the months you really need it. Therefore I consider the InReach from Delorme a much better choice if compared with the SPOT. If you opt for the InReach Exporer and you set it up with the route before the trip than you also have a backup devise for your handheld GPS. See the inReach manufacturers homepage for more information.

Solar Battery Charger

The partly long stages and the limited supply along the trail requires a proper power management for the GPS, the camera and all other electronic gear you may carry with you. We opted for a solar power panel to recharge all our batteries while hiking. Carrying regular batteries for up to 3 weeks would have meant a substantial extra weight. We choose the model Nomad 7 from GoalZero with the Guide 10 Plus Power Pack.

Required Skills and Capabilities

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 6: Cross Country at "Las Monjas". File: Jan Dudeck

The Greater Patagonian Trail requires endurance not only because of the total trail lenght but the rather long trail sections. The first three sections exceed 100 km each without regular resupply points on the route. If combining sections the distances become even larger and can reach or exceed 300 km.

Hiking this trail requires a detailed planning and preparation before and during the hike. The gear needs to be reduced to what is essential. Before each section the correct type and quantity of food needs to be selected and carried.

The isolation of some parts of the trail demand a self-reliant attitude and cautious behaviour. The hiker needs to feel confident and move safely in various terrains, that reach from snow covered mountains passes to dense tempered rain forests.

Sudden weather changes may happen anytime in this mountainous region. The hiker needs to be prepared and equipped to master in example an surprising snow storm and closing in clouds while crossing a mountain pass.

Good navigational skills are essential since the route is mostly unmarked. The hiker needs to recognize and follow the often only vaguely visible trails that frequently peter out or divides into several branches. Here the hiker needs follow his "sixth sense" while verifying and comparing the taken route with the recommended GPS tracks. Good knowledge in setting up and using a GPS is compulsory.

This trail should only be attempted with at least some Spanish knowledge and practice. You need to be able to introduce yourself, explain what you are doing, buy food and other supplies and organize your bus trips to and from the trail. Hardly anyone along the trail speaks or understands even a few words in English.

The following skills are NOT required:

• Rock climbing
• White water rafting
• Any super-man-capabilities

Code of Conduct

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 2: Closing a gate after passing. File: Jan Dudeck

The trail leads mostly through unspoiled wilderness with little human intervention. And where you meet some settlers or herdsmen you are welcome and get treated as honourable guest. To maintain this I plead all hikers to follow this code of conduct:

• Leave no trace and in particular no litter. All packings that can be carried with content can be returned when empty.
• Make camp fires only where permitted and where and when it is safe to do so. Don't light a fire in dried out areas or when wind can carry sparks that may ignite nearby vegetation. Use only death wood and put the fire out with plenty of water. Don't leave the fire or go to sleep before having it put out completely.
• Don't abuse the hospitality of the people along the trail and pay fairly for what they share with you. Using a trail or camping in a not maintained place should be free of charge but if you get invited to a meal or use a camping ground that was installed by a local settler pay what you are asked for or what you would get charged in other places. Don't ruin the hiker's reputation by misusing the generosity of humble people. They sometimes might refuse to take your money but insist because they need it; it's part of the hospitality.
• Near a puesto you find often a good camp spot because the grazing animals create and maintain nice patches of grass. If the puesto is inhabited always introduce yourself and ask first for permission before pitching your tent. This also calms down the dogs.
• If you are caught by bad weather feel free to knock on doors and ask kindly for shelter. Helping in such situations is part of the ethics in the mountains.
• Don't enter locked puestos except in emergencies. This is also for your safety since poorly ventilated and maintained puestos pose a Hanta virus infection risk. See also Deseases.
• Leave all gates in the condition as you found them. If a gate was closed, close it after you. If a gate was open, leave it open.
• If you meet people on horses on a narrow trail step to the side and let them pass. It's for your own safety.
• Respect the rights of the land owners. Don't dispute over rights of way but ask kindly for permission to pass.

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 7: Puesto. File: Jan Dudeck

Dangers and Annoyances

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 1: Poor trail condition. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 2: River Crossing. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 4: Near Laguna de Las Lajas where 45 soldiers died in 2005 during a snow storm. File: Jan Dudeck

Trail Condition

The Greater Patagonian trail is not an official trail that is set up and managed by a government agency. Is simply a compilation of horse trails, minor roads and some cross country sections over private properties and state owned land. This means that large parts of the route are not monitored or maintained by public authorities. Most of the horse trails were created by local herdsman to drive livestock to their pastures and other parts of the route are current or disused wood logging roads. Therefore the maintenance depends on the needs and initiative of these locals users.

Severe weather, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes can destroy or alter a route and if not maintained vegetation can completely close a trail within a few years in particular in the tempered rain forest. Therefore attention and good judgment are needed when hiking the Greater Patagonian Trail because some trail sections may become impassable or change. Check your GPS regularly but don’t follow blindly the GPS track.

Check also the recent feedback and updates to the trail shortly before starting your hike and during your adventure whenever you have the opportunity i.e. during the resupply stops. This table will be used to share updates provided by hikers. All hikers are encouraged to open an account on wikiexplora to enter updates to the trail in this table them self.

In worst case you need to turn around and seek an alternative route. A GPS with sufficient backup power and a detailed electronic map is essential in such a situation.

River Crossings

River Crossings are possibly the greatest hazard on this route in particular if attempted during inappropriate times or at not suitable locations. Snowmelt or heavy rain can raise the water level substantially and make a rivers crossing impassable that during other times is easily forded. Also the bed of a river can change and a location that once was suitable for crossing can became too deep or rapid. Therefore do no rely on the GPS waypoint for river crossings but always judge the situation yourself before attempting to ford a river. You may seek an alternative location along the river or turn around and take an alternative route if a river crossing is hazardous.

Rivers should only be crossed with shoes and hiking poles for added stability. If hiking together cross the river in pairs with arms firmly joint together. If the ford is wide enough you may cross the river not perpendicular to the flow direction but inclined in the flow direction. Some even recommend to carry and use a rope for difficult river crossings.

Isolation

Some parts of the Greater Patagonian Trail cross rather isolated areas. In some areas you can walk for days without seeing another human being. Therefore be prepared to help yourself in case of an accident. Always carry a sufficient first aid set.

If you are unable to continue it might take weeks or more for someone else to pass and mobile phone coverage is very limited along the trail. Therefore a satellite based emergency communication devise may contribute to your survival. SPOT offers a light weight emergency beacon that when pushing an emergency button submits a distress signal via satellite with your GPS position to a rescue centre. For further information see the recommended Satellite Tracker.

Weather

Storms with heavy rain may arise on all parts of the trail anytime and in elevated areas heavy snowfall may occur even in midsummer. Therefore be always prepared and equipped for sudden weather changes.

In bad or instable weather do not climb a pass or venture into exposed terrain above the tree line. Rather wait or return and seek shelter if the weather changes in a concerning manner. Carry at least a poncho to protect yourself and your backpack if rain or snow closes in. In instable weather keep your eyes open and memorize potential protected camp sites and puestos if you are forced to turn around to seek shelter. Selected suitable locations are documented with waypoints in the KMZ file for trekking.

While hiking we were told about several incidents along the trail where local inhabitants and outside tourists got lost, disappeared without trace or froze to death in bad weather. Don’t add another story!

Sun

Don’t undermine the sun, in particular when crossing large snow fields or large camps of bright volcanic ash. A proper head cover, sun cream and sun glasses are essential to prevent sun-burns and snow-blindness. Don’t just carry this stuff but use it preventively.

Snow-blindness can disable you for a few days if you did not wear sun glasses while crossing large snow fields in bright sunlight. The effect of snow-blindness are normally not felt until several hours after exposure when the symptoms (pain, intense tears, eyelid twitching, discomfort) become evident. See also the wikipedia article to Photokeratitis.

Volcanic Eruptions

The Greater Patagonian Trail snakes through the Southern Volcanic Zone and passes and crosses numerous volcanos. The trail is therefore plastered with signs of volcanic activities. Hot springs and beautiful mountain lakes that were dammed up by lava flows are the "sunny side" of these volcanic activities; widespread devastating destruction is the other. Several major eruptions occurred in the vicinity of the trail in recent years and parts of the trail were temporarily closed due to increased volcanic activities.

Therefore hikers should be aware how to act in case of a volcanic eruption:

• Respect the volcano alerts and do not venture into areas that were closed by local authorities.
• Some volcanos show an increased seismic activity shortly before an eruption therefore series of smaller earthquakes may announce an imminent eruption. If you are close to a volcano get ready to run!
• Know your possible escape routes in case of a surprising eruption. Be aware that small streams and rivers that origin at the flanks of a volcano often rise immediately and become instantly impassable during an eruption. Therefore seek higher ground if you are next to such a swelling river.
• In case of an eruption get distance between you and the volcano. If you have more than one option try to get out of the ash rain. Consider that the predominant wind direction is from west to east.
• Try to get to a settlement since local authorities will do their best to evacuate the affected population.

Earthquakes

Two of the ten heaviest earthquakes in the 20th and 21st century had their epicentre near the Greater Patagonian Trail. The 1960 Valdivia earthquake had a magnitude of 9.5 and the 2010 Bio-Bio earthquake had magnitude of 8.8. In the first 15 years of this century more than 300 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or more occurred in the area of the trail. Therefore don't be too surprised if the ground below you starts to move. (Data retrieved from USGS for the area from -35°S to -45°S and -75°W to -70°W, the large majority are aftershocks of the major Bio-Bio earthquake in 2010)

An earthquake may lose rocks, trigger landslides and cause tsunamis. Therefore be cautious when selecting your place to camp. Avoid pitching your tent in areas where scree and rubble indicates a hazard zone below rocks and cliffs. If you get hit by an earthquake while walking look up to check the area above you for liberated material that comes towards you and seek shelter. If a heavy earthquake occurs while walking or camping next to a fjord or a lake get on higher ground in case of a tsunami. Be aware that a landslide into a lake may cause a tsunami on a lake shore.

Wild Animals

There are no bears in South America. This makes hiking more relaxed if compared with North America. You can cook at your tent and store all you food in your tent without fearing a visit of a hungry bear.

The largest living predator in Patagonia (apart from humans) is the Puma, also called Cougar or Mountain Lion. They normally hide and avoid contact with humans. Wikipedia states: “Attacks on humans are very rare, as cougar prey recognition is a learned behaviour and they do not generally recognize humans as prey. (…) As with many predators, a cougar may attack if cornered, if a fleeing human stimulates their instinct to chase, or if a person "plays dead". Standing still however may cause the cougar to consider a person easy prey. Exaggerating the threat to the animal through intense eye contact, loud but calm shouting, and any other action to appear larger and more menacing, may make the animal retreat. Fighting back with sticks and rocks, or even bare hands, is often effective in persuading an attacking cougar to disengage.”.

For more information see: Cougar attacks on humans on wikipedia.

Wild boar: Are other potentially dangerous animals. They were introduced by humans and became an invasive species. These omnivores range in particular the Araucania and love Araucaria "piñones". Wikipedia states: “Although wild boars do not generally pose a threat to people, they occasionally attack humans. (…) Male boars become most aggressive during the mating season and may charge at humans at such times. Occasionally, female boars will attack if they feel their piglets are threatened, especially if a human physically comes between them and their young. Although a majority of boar attack victims recover with medical treatment, fatalities do occasionally occur.”

For more information see: Wild boar aggression towards humans on wikipedia.

Chilla or Grey Fox. File: Meylin Ubilla

Fox: The Chilla or Grey Fox populates the southern cone of South America and can be found on both sides of the Andes in Chile and Argentina. Their diet is varied and includes small and medium mammals, carrion, birds, reptiles and fruits. They sometimes attack small livestock in particular young goats and sheep but there are no records of attacks on humans. Foxes do not always show fear of humans and sometimes approach camp sites at night in search of food. Therefore do not leave any food outside of your tent but also not your smelly boots. In one camp site a fellow hiker missed one of his shoes in the morning. The park ranger later told us that this was not the first time that a fox has stolen a stinking shoe because foxes find intensive smell attractive.

Domesticated Animals

Dogs: Most settlers and herdsmen have several dogs to protect their home and their animal. They often show an aggressive behaviour when approaching a home or a puesto but calm down when the owner shows up and talks with you. Therefore keep distance to the dogs as long as the owner is not in sight. Many settler and herdsmen discipline theirs dogs by throwing stones after them. Therefore collecting stones and get ready to throw them keeps dogs often in distance.

Cattle: Cattle are normally rather peaceful but bulls and cows with calves may become aggressive and attack if they feel threatened. Therefore keep distance and do not try to pet them.

Insects

Horse-Flyes or Tabanos will form an annoying aerial escort on some parts of the trail. They are abundant in December and January in humid parts of the River- and Lake District. These rather noisy flyers get attracted by dark moving objects in bright sunlight. So avoid dark cloth and do not try to chase them off with rapid movements, otherwise your will attract the attention of more of them. They inflict painful bites but do not leave an itching stitch.

Cenchrus plant. File: Jan Dudeck

Cenchrus plant. File: Jan Dudeck

Spine and Bur-Bearing Plants

Along the entire trail you will encounter again and again anoying Cenchrus plants with spine-covered seeds, that use bypassing animals to spread their seeds (and now also hikers). Common names include buffelgrass, sandburs and sand spur. When the seeds of these leg-high plants ripen then the very sharp spines harden and the seed easily detaches from the stem.

The ripe seeds stick to most fabrics and can penetrate deep into the skin therefore be very careful when removing these thorny tiny balls from your cloth with your fingers. You can minimize "your collection" by wearing trousers made of a hard dense fabric. I had several times a not visible broken off spin in a fingertip that resulted in a small wound that did not heal for days until I removed the spine by cutting into the skin and removing the remaining spine tip manually.

Other less bothersome but still anoying plants have bur-bearing seeds that stick to soft cloth like fleece but do not penetrate into the skin.

Deseases

The most dangerous animal for humans in Patagonia is a quite small one: the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) and the long-haired grass mouse (Abrothrix longipilis). These two species are known to carry and transmit a particular aggressive strain of Hantaviruses with a mortality rate of 30% to 40%.

The typical incubation time is 1 to 3 weeks but also cases with 3 to 45 days between the suspected exposure and the disease outbreak have been reported. Early symptoms are similar to a flu and include fatigue, fever and muscle aches. Other possible symptoms are headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Seek medical attention if you experience such symptoms.

Wikipedia states: “There is no known antiviral treatment, but natural recovery from the virus is possible with supportive treatment. Patients with suspected hantavirus are usually admitted to the hospital and given oxygen and mechanical ventilation support to help them breathe during the acute pulmonary stage. As the virus can be transmitted by rodent saliva, excretia, and bites, control of rats and mice in areas frequented by humans is key for disease prevention.”

For more information see: Hantavirus on wikipedia.

The main source of infection are inhaled aerosols of mice droppings. Therefore the recommended preventive measures are:

• Avoid any contact with mice and mice dropping.
• Do no use any shelters that are not well ventilated or where you can see any traces of mice.
• Keep your food protect and away from mice in particular during the night. The same applies to your pots, dishes and waste to not attract mice.
• Camp in clean, open area that do not provide hideouts for mice. Avoid shrubbery.
• Use a tent with a closed floor and a fully concealed inner tent.
• Drink only secure water and disinfect or boil it if necessary.
• Do not eat wild fruits that may attract mice as well.

Other notable Long Distance Trails and Hikes

Long Distance Trails

Huella Andina

The Huella Andina is a long distance trail on the Argentine side of the Patagonian Andes with a combined total length of 564 km. This trail is a mostly signposted and marked hiking trail and substantially less demanding when compared with the Greater Patagonian Trail. The Huella Andina was developed considering that hiking novices may walk this trail. Therefore neither optimal equipment nor plenty of hiking experience are a precondition to take this route. The Huella Andina provides a resupply point at least on every second day. A GPS is not required to follow this trail. To the knowledge of the author of this article no full GPS record nor detailed hiking maps are published yet for the Huella Andina but trail descriptions are available on Wikiexplora.

The project was initiated by Estefania Chereguini and Walter Oszust in 2008. During their leadership of the project most stages were defined and marked. Read the Spanish articles Huella Andina: Un sueño de caminos y horizontes patagónicos hecho realidad and Fundamoentos Técnicos de Senderos de Larga Recorrido Huella Andina for more information to this ambitious and promising long distance trail project.

Unfortunately when the Argentine Ministry of Tourism took control of the project it came practically to a halt. At this time no initiative is visible to close the remaining gaps and transform the Huella Andina in a continuous long distance trail. Currently many but not all of the 42 day stages are connect with each other. The longest continuous sections spans 166 km. There remain 3 larger and several smaller gaps making this an uncontinuous long distance trail. Here you find an overview map of the Huella Andina.

The Huella Andina and the Greater Patagonian Trail join each other at the shore of the Lago Puelo where section 16 of the GPT finishes and section 17 starts. From this point the Hiking-Only-Option of the GPT follows for about 13 km the Huella Andina (See Huella Andina Section 33). The following part of section 17 connects the Lago Puelo with Lago Cholila and contains some challenging cross-country hiking. The founders of the Huella Andina, Estefania Chereguini and Walter Oszust, guided us through this difficult terrain, so only thanks to them this key piece of section 17 could be logged by GPS and published. The Hiking-Only-Options of section 18 of the GPT follows again the Huella Andina and corresponds with section 35 to 39 of the Huella Andina (See Huella Andina Sections 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39). Therefore even if the Hiking-Only-Options of section 18 is not recorded yet by GPS route finding should be rather easy since the Huella Andina is a marked trail.

If the development of the Huella Andina is continued than both trails; the Huella Andina and the Greater Patagonian Trail; may form the basis of a trail network in the Patagonian Andes that offer multiple hiking options from rather easy trails suitable for beginners to quite challenging routes for self-reliant hiking experts.

Sendero de Chile

In the year 2000 the Chilean government announced the plan of creating a continuous trail that spans all Chile from the northern most tip all the way to the southern end of the country. The total length of this hiking trail was projected to be between 8000 and 9000 km.

By now, 15 years later, the objective has shifted. Instead of a continuous trail that spans the entire country numerous smaller mostly unconnected trails are published. These trail are spread over the entire country to promote and facilitate access into the Chilean countryside for the local population. In July 2015 a total of 135 trails with a combined lenght of 2663 km are published on the Homepage of "Sendero de Chile". The average trail lenghs is 19.7 km and two trails exceed the 100 km mark. Most of these trails are established routes that are used for decades by the local population in the foodhills of the Andes close to the main population centers. But some of these routes are in the main Andes mountain range. The Greater Patagonian Trail incorporate some of these routes.

See also the homepage of the "Sendero de Chile" foundation for further information.

Noteable Long Distance Hikes

Settlement of the Americas

The most impressive long distance hike in this region was without any doubt the prehistoric settlement of the Americas. These first settlers did not had any trail to follow, there was no resupply shop to refill the backpack with pasta an rice nor did these adventurers poses a maps or GPS to guide them. They could not shop any state-of-the-art ultralight gear online before leaving on their trip; all they had was MYOG (Make Your Own Gear) created from whatever they could gather and hunt. But they made it all the way to the southern tip of Tierra de Fuego and into the inhospitable Patagonian channels. Compared with this truly epic journey any hike now looks like stroll through a town. See also Wikipedia: Settlement of the Americas.

George Meegan: Across Americas

George Meegan is a British adventurer born in 1952. From 1977 to 1983 he crossed Americas from the southern tip of South America to the northernmost part of Alaska at Prudhoe Bay in an unbroken walk. He completed this 30,608 km km long journey on foot in 2,425 days and documented this truly epic hike in his book "The Longest Walk" (1988). See also Wikipedia: George Meegan.

Deia Schlosberg & Gregg Treinish: Across the Andes

Gregg Treinish and Deia Schlosberg, two adventurers from the US, hiked between 2006 and 2008 from the Ecuadorian capitol Quito all the way to the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego. In a little under two years they walked 12,500 km covering 55 degree of latitude. In 2008 they were honoured by National Geographic as “Adventurers of the Year” for their achievement. The trip journal and the approximate route are published on their homepage "Across the Andes".

Jeannette Leenders & Arlen Hoebergen: Across Chile

Jeannette Leenders and Arlen Hoebergen, two Dutch athletes, walked in 2011 and 2012 from Visviri, the most northern settlement in Chile to Cabo Forward, the most southern mainland point of South American continent. They covered 6,242 km during this 290 day journey. In contrast to most hikers they did not carry a backpack but pulled a two-wheel-wagon on their trip and followed mostly roads. Your can read more about their hike on their homepage "El desafío mas largo del mundo".

Eyal Schwartz: Across Patagonia

Eyal Schwartz, an Israeli hiker, walked in 68 days 2813 km from the volcano Villarica to Cabo Forward, the most southern point of the continental mainland. He followed mainly roads with some hiking trails in between. A good part of this route is often used by cyclist that cross Patagonia on bicycle. See Eyal's Schwartz Homepage: Sendero De Patagonia.

Creation of the Greater Patagonian Trail

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 12: Lago Pirihueico. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 7: Dirt Road without transit traffic. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 1: Horse trail that is well visible on satellite images. File: Jan Dudeck

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 16: Horse trail. File: Jan Dudeck

Idea for the Trail

I did my first hike in Patagonia in 2002 and returned several times in the following years. As most casual hikers I used a trekking guide book (Lonely Planet: "Trekking in the Patagonian Andes") and ventured only onto trails described by books or printed on maps. It did not even appear to me to go beyond.

A few years later I was recommended the "Adventure Handbook Central Chile" from Franz Schubert and Malte Sieber. This booked introduced me to the often overlooked area between the Chilean capital Santiago and Patagonia. Before reading this book I always passed this area without seriously considering to stop before reaching Patagonia.

In 2011 my girlfriend and I planned to do the hike to the Laguna las Truchas that is recommended in the "Adventure Handbook Central Chile". But before we set out we were told by locals that the landlord does not let pass any backpackers. The locals recommended a different trail instead for which we had no guide books, no maps and no guide willing to lead us. After long considerations we eventually took our backpacks and hiked on our own to the impressive Laguna Dial. We were surprised to walk on well maintained trails where maps are simply blank. In the following months and years we repeated this experience and learned that there are plenty of perfectly hikeable trails where maps show nothing but wilderness. When I reviewed our hikes on Google Earth I also noticed with surprise that these trails are often visible on the satellite images, in particular in areas without dense forest. This showed me a new method how to plan further hikes.

Two years later in 2013 I was wondering how far you can possibly walk through the Andes using the few published the many undocumented trails. More out of curiosity I started searching for a continuous trail in Google Earth trying to incorporate the best trails that I hiked so far. In a lengthy tedious search using Google Earth and all other material available to me I planned a constantly growing trail. I finally had a route that I estimated to be 1400 km.

Planning of the Trail

The Greater Patagonian trail is not an official trail that was planned and set up by a government agency. It’s better: it’s a compilation of the most beautiful and diverse hiking and horse trails, minor roads and cross country sections through the Patagonian Andes selected by a passionate hiker.

This genesis prevented that the routing of the trail was compromised and deformed by local interests and political constraints. The track could be chooses freely on either side of the border; on the Chilean side and the Argentine side of the Andes. There were also no “must-include” towns, villages or places because influential local politicians decided so. Simple the most attractive hikeable route could be selected, without any influence or other interests.

The route planning and trail selection conditions were:

• The trail leads through the heart of the Andes along the main mountain chain of the cordillera
• The most beautiful and diverse existing tracks are selected for this long distance trail
• Hiking paths and horse trails are preferred over roads with transit traffic even if this means a reasonable detour
• All included cross country sections are feasible for hiking without climbing gear or a machete
• The route is continuous without any gaps
• The track can be hiked legally without unauthorized border crossings

The trail was planned in 2013 by Jan Dudeck using:

• Google Earth satellite images (and later verified using Bing Maps satellite images)
• Hiking trails and horseback trips previously done by the author
• Hiking maps and guides books that document and describe trails in some selected areas
• Geotagged Panoramio images displayed on Google Earth
• Internet trail exchange platforms in particular: wikiexplora.com, wikiloc.com and trekkingchile.com

First Hike of the Trail

On November 12, 2013 I started with my girlfriend Meylin Ubilla in Coñaripe at the alternative starting point of section 11. We both had no previous long distance hiking experience and never used a packraft before.

During the hike we had a few moments of doubt because the route disappeared several times in impenetrable forest. But we always managed to find passable trail even if it meant returning a day’s hike. After about half the trail I became a bit concerned that we may run out of time before reaching our goal. But we kept going with a steady pace without worrying too much.

On February 23, 2014 we finally arrived again in Coñaripe were we set out a 104 days before. Our GPS summed up roughly hiked 1'600 km and 50'000 m climbed. We actually walked on 80 days with the remaining time used to resupply, rest and to travel from the end of section 16 to the start of section 1.

About one year later, from December 18, 2014 to February 9, 2015 we returned to the Greater Patagonian Trail and refined sections 3, 10 and 11 and hiked most of section 17 and 18 to extend the trail further south. We also crossed Laguna Dial (section 2) and Lago Pirihueico (section 12) by packraft what we did not dare the year before because we lacked at this time the packraft experience. And for the years to come we plan more hikes and packraft trips to extent the trail even further.

Trail Name

Traditional limits of Patagonia. File: Wikipedia

Greater Patagonian Trail Section 13: Cross Country on Cordon Caulle. File: Jan Dudeck

While hiking the trail I have long thought how to name this trail. I was looking for a precise but well descriptive name.

The trail crosses various regions that are rather unknown outside of Chile and Argentina. Few people have ever heard about Maule or Bio-Bio and might associate whatever with these words but not an outstanding trekking region. Therefore naming the trail after the actual regions seamed not a good choice.

On the other side naming the trail after the Andes like "Andes Trail" would be a huge exaggeration because the trail spans only a smaller part of this 7000 km long mountain range.

Naming the trail after Patagonia like "Patagonian Trail" would be incorrect, because most of the trail is actually not located in Patagonia at least when applying the traditional limits of this region. Most of the trail is on the Chilean side where only the regions Aysén and Magallanes further south are traditionally considered part of Patagonia. See the map: "Traditional limits of Patagonia".

To be precise and well descriptive at the same time I decided to use the geographic term "Greater Patagonia" that includes Patagonia in its traditional limits and the surrounding area like "Greater London" includes the city of London and the surroundings. On the Argentine side Patagonia reaches much further north than on the Chilean side and has it's limit at the Río Colorado with its spring near the Laguna del Maule. This is the latitude where section 1 ends and section 2 starts. So "Greater Patagonia" applies very well to the entire trail region because all parts of the route are located not more then 100 km outside of the traditional limits of Patagonia.

The name "Greater Patagonian Trail" seams a good choice because:

• with more than 1500 km length it’s a greater trail than all other published trails in Patagonia,
• the trail is without doubt one of greater trails in respect of beauty and diversity,
• the trail is located completely within "Greater Patagonia",
• the name remains correct while the trail gets extended further south and
• the name embraces the legend of Patagonia and may become a legend itself.

Publishing of the Trail

The trail was first published in 2014 on wikiexplora after completing the long distance hike. Also more than one thousand images were geotagged and uploaded to Panoramio for display on Google Earth with a reference to this wikiexplora trail description. The tracks are also uploaded to Wikiloc.

The trail was published without any commercial interests. The motives for publishing were:

• Share this trail with other interested hikers to promote this first long distance trail in South America and the Andes
• Attract contributors that perfect and extent this trail
• Promote hiking in the rather unknown parts of the trail to create an additional source of income for the humble people still living along the trail
• Protect and maintain this trail by making it well-known and more frequently used

Before publishing the trail I have long considered if publishing may have also negative consequences for the affected area. I personally do not see that this trail will become overrun like in example "Torres del Paine". The trail is simply too long and demanding to attract large crowds. And even if a larger number of hikers seek this challenge they will be distribute over a rather long trail. The principle risk of publishing this trail is that this attracts irresponsible people that litter and don't have the necessary care when making camp fires. This may indeed cause severe damage and destruction. To promote a responsible behavior I plead that all hikers respect the Code of Conduct of the trail.

On the other side I have seen plenty of evidence that settlers give up and retreat from this gorgeous but challenging area along the trail. But if the settlers that created these trails vacate their land then the trails will soon be overgrown, become invisible and be destroyed by weather without being repaired and maintained. So by creating an addition source of income for these tough herdsmen and mountain farmers they will have one more reason to stay. And if they stay the trail will be maintained and remain accessible for hikers like you and me.

Future Development of the Trail

This trail is not finished yet. There is plenty of terrain left till this trail finally reaches the southern tip of Patagonia and ends either on Cabo Forward at the shore of the Magellan street or even on Tierra del Fuego. Also a few smaller sections need to verified and recorded and additional alternatives may be aggregated. Read the chapter Trail Verifications, Trail Extensions and Additional Options to see how you can contribute to perfect and extent the Greater Patagonian Trail.

Comment to Outdated Trail Files from 2015

The trail files contain the geographic information of the trail and can be opened in Google Earth or uploaded to most current GPS devices. See Trail Files for GPS and Google Earth for an introduction to the two available file formats (KMZ and GPX) and a table with the trail files for download.

All trail files contain two basic elements: Tracks and Waypoints.

The tracks in the trail files are continuous lines defined by a chain of geographic points that reassemble an actual part of the hiking route. Tracks have always a start and an end point and have therefore a given direction. Since the regular hiking direction of the Greater Patagonian Trail is southbound all tracks are defined in this direction even if they can be hiked in either direction. Tracks cannot branch into two options or different routes. Therefore most trail files consist of various tracks to document all hiking and packraft options.

The waypoints are geographic points defined by a latitude and longitude. Waypoints can be situated on or near the trail and document relevant locations i.e. camp sites, river crossings or mountain passes.

Waypoints

The waypoints are named with the item of interest at the waypoint. A alphanumeric code is added in brackets to be able to refer in the trail description to specific waypoints. The GPS normally displays the entire waypoint name with the code.

Example waypoint name: Start (GPT01-WP001)

• Start: Item of interest, in this case the start of section 1
• (GPT01-WP001): Alphanumeric code in brackets
  • GPT: Abbreviation for Greater Patagonian Trail
  • 01: Section number, in this example section 1
  • -WP: Abbreviation for WayPoint
  • 001: Running number

Used waypoint categories are:

The waypoint nomenclature is the same in the KMZ file and the GPX file.

Tracks

Track Nomenclature of the KMZ File

The route of each section is broken into smaller segments to differentiate between different trail types and to incorporate options and alternatives. Each section consists of up to 30 trail segments. Each track is named with a unique alphanumeric code.

Example track name: GPT01-TR006-RR-1

• GPT: Abbreviation for Greater Patagonian Trail
• 01: Section number, in this example section 1
• -TR: Abbreviation for TRack
• 006: Running track number
• -RR: The penultimate two-letter code shows the Route Type, in this example its the regular route for hiking and packrafting (see the tables below for used codes)
• -1: The last alphanumeric digit indicates the Trail Type, in this exmaple its a hiking trail or horse trail (see the tables below for used codes)

Used Route Types are:

Used Trail Types are:

Track Nomenclature of the GPX File

Unfortunately a KMZ file cannot be uploaded directly to a Garmin GPS but needs to be converted first into GPX file. Also when using a handheld GPS devise it is of advantage to minimize the number of individual tracks. The Garmin devise that I use (GPSMap 62) is unable to display more than 200 individual track. Therefore numerous individual tracks that are in line were joined to minimize the number of tracks in the GPX files. This results unfortunately in some loss of information, i.e. the Trail Type gets lost, but the file itself becomes more user friendly.

The nomenclature of the GPX file tracks is based on the nomenclature of the KML file tracks but simplified to shorten the track names.

Example track name of a regular hiking or packraft route: GPT01-RR

• GPT: Abbreviation for Greater Patagonian Trail
• 01: Section number, in this example section 1
• -RR: The two-letter code at the end shows the Route Type, in this example its the regular route for hiking and packrafting (see the tables above for used codes)

Example track name of a optional or investigation route: GPT01-TR4A-OH

• GPT: Abbreviation for Greater Patagonian Trail
• 01: Section number, in this example section 1
• -TR: OPTIONAL: Abbreviation for TRack (not used for regular hiking or packraft routes)
• 4: OPTIONAL: Running track number base on the equivalent KMZ file track number i.e. a 400 becomes a 4 (not used for regular hiking or packraft routes)
• A: OPTIONAL: Running letter (not used for regular hiking or packraft routes)
• -OH: The two-letter code at the end shows the Route Type, in this example its a optional hiking route (see the tables above for used codes)

GPX Track List

Custom Map with GPX2IMG

An interesting and suitable option to transfer all the tracks and waypoints to an GPS is creating a customs map. This evades handling a large number of tracks on a small GPS which is not without problems with some handheld GPS devices.

I have recently "discovered" the free software GPX2IMG and used it with success to convert more than 500 track and 1500 waypoints into a custom map and upload it to my GPS without any problem. This simple to use software creates a transparent custom map so all converted tracks and waypoints are displayed i.e. on top of a topographic map without hiding the information of the topographic map. In particular with the trail extension and a rising number of tracks this will be a more suitable method to transfer and display all the entire trail with all the options on a GPS.

The free software can be found and downloaded here: www.gpx2img.com

The steps for creating a custom map are:

Optional Step 1: Edit the KMZ file in Google Earth as required (i.e. combining the selected sections or deleting the not required section) and save it as single KMZ file.

Optional Step 2: Open the KMZ file in Garmin Basecamp and edit the tracks and waypoints as required.

Optional Step 3: Save all tracks and waypoints with Garmin Basecamp in a single GPX file.

Optional Step 4: Close Garmin Basecamp.

Step 5: Open GPX2IMG and load the GPX file that you wish to convert into a custom map.

Step 6: Select the appropriate format for the tracks (i.e. set all tracks to be displayed as "Trail") and waypoints (i.e. leave all waypoints as blue dots) in GPX2IMG before creating the custom map.

Step 7: Convert the GPX file into a custom map. If set up correctly the created custom map will be written automatically into a Garmin Basecamp directory.

Step 8: Open Garmin Basecamp and select the GPX2IMG map and verify if the map contains the desired tracks and waypoints in the appropriate format. Note that the custom map may not appear transparent in Basecamp even if correctly converted.

Step 9: Transfer the custom map to handheld GPS devise.

Step 10: Verify that the custom map was transferred correctly to the handheld GPS devise. You may need to "enable" the custom map and an topographical map to see all information simultaneously.

Distances, Ascents, Descents and Walking Times

Making a lunch break. Such breaks are not included in the Walking Times. File: Jan Dudeck

Switching from backpack to packraft or back takes us about 1 hour. Such stops are not included in the Walking Times. File: Meylin Ubilla

This trail description contains plenty of numbers for distances, altitudes, ascents, descents and even walking times. All these numbers are based on the "cleaned" GPS track without our occasional seek and search detours. Also all altitudes, ascents and descents are based on a digital map with a quite precise altitude profile.

These numbers are therefore also free of accumulated "GPS noise" and "barometric altimeter noise" that increase the measured distances, ascents and descents when recording the track by GPS while hiking. So, don't be surprised if your GPS will always indicate longer distances, more ascents and descents even if you stay on the trail. A deviation of 10% is typical.

The walking times provided here are estimated moving times without any breaks and rests. When evaluating our GPS records I was surprised that we did not move nearly one third of the time between leaving the camp in the morning and stopping again in the evening. It did not appear to us that we make such long breaks but the GPS record does not lie. So in our case a walking time of 6 hours means more or less a 9 hour hiking day adding normal breaks for eating, taking pictures, verifying the route, chating with the locals on the trail or harvesting some piñones.

The estimated walking time is calculated purely based on distances, ascents and descents. I opted to use such a calculation because it removes the unnecessary seek and search detours and the factor of having a good day or a bad day. I developed and verified this calculation method based on all our GPS records and was surprised myself that such a simplified calculation provides quite reliable estimates. The calculated times correspond closely with our actual walking time. If applied to our actual GPS records the average deviation per day is 15 minutes and never more than 50 minutes.

The used calculation factors are:

• 12:30 minutes per km (corresponds with a 4.8 km/h walking speed on a level trail)
• 17:10 minutes per km on water in a packraft (corresponds with a 3.5 km/h paddle speed on water)
• Additional 12:00 minutes per 100 m ascent
• Additional 4:00 minutes per 100 m descent

These factors resulted in the smallest average deviation to our actual moving time recorded by GPS. I would not consider us as fast hikers, therefore the walking times calculated with these factors are rather conservative.

Trail Verifications, Trail Extensions and Additional Options

Trail Verifications

The trail files contain a few not verified tracks and waypoints because we did not hike all the options and alternatives. This unconfirmed tracks and waypoints are based on satellite images, maps or tales from locals. The corresponding KMZ tracks have a question mark “?” in the name if the trail is not clearly visible on satellite image. So you can see in the KMZ file on what tracks and waypoints you can rely on and where your explorer’s skills are needed. Tracks that need to be explored can also be recognized on unnatural straight lines over longer distances.

Whenever you walk such a not verified trail, you are welcome to record the trail by GPS and send the file with a comment to the author of this trail to update the trail file.

Trail Extensions

This trail is not finished yet. There is plenty of terrain left till this trail finally reaches the southern tip of Patagonia and ends either on the shores of the Magellan street or even on Tierra del Fuego.

In a laborious research possible hiking and packraft extension routes were investigated using Google Earth, Bing Maps satellite images and numerous other sources. The most promising options were compiled in Google Earth into KMZ files and uploaded to wikiexplora as section 19 to 27. See the two tables below. These proposed extensions cover the entire area from the current finish of section 18 to the northern shore of the Lago General Carrera or Lago Bueno Aires (Chileans and Argentines could not agree on one name for this lake cross-border lake therefore this lake has two names). This proposed extension add an estiamted 600 to 700 km.

In this area the most promising Hiking-Only-Option and Packraft-Option are located in different valleys. Therefore both routes are quite distant from each other and only interconnected in a few locations. To distinglish between both options but maintain the section numbering sequence a letter is added to the section number i.e. "GPT19H" or "GPT19P". H stands for Hiking and P means Packraft.

Both proposed extensions, the Hiking-Only-Option (GPT19H to GPT27H) and Packraft-Option (GPT19P to GPT27P) are expected to be in some parts more challanging then the already cornfirmed sections (GPT01 to GPT18). Some trails are located in more remote areas, are less frequently travelled and may be partly overgrown. The packraft part on water span larger rivers, cross wider lakes and more explosed fjords. Weather is generally colder, more rainy and more windy. Therefore these routes are only recommended for experienced well-equipped hikers and packrafters that wish to investiage these not yet confirmed and recorded routes.

The "Yelcho Return Circuit" (GPT99P) is a possible packraft return route from the end of section 20 (Lower Futaleufu) to the start of section 16 (Cochamó). This route can only be taken by packraft and is receommended in northbound direction only. To take this section in southbound direction someone needs to hike more than 40 km on the Carretera Austral (from Chaitén to Lago Yelcho) because this section incorporates a downstream float on the river Yelcho.

If you plan to hike or paddle any of these these proposed extensions contact the author for further information.

South of the Lago General Carrera are further already established trails and minor roads that can be combined to an attractive continious trail all the way to the lake and glacier Viedma near the famous Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massive at El Chalten in Argentina. This route can be setup as a Hiking-Only-Trail but also a packraft may be used to cross lakes and float down rivers.

This routes uses the following hiking trails and ferries:

1. Ferry from Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez to Chile Chico

2. Trails of Reserva Nacional Lago Jeinemeni

3. Trails of Parque Patagonia

4. Trails of Reserva Nacional Lago Cochrane (Tamango)

5. "Ruta de los Pioneros" from Cochrane to Villa O'Higgins

8. Ferry from Villa O'Higgins to Candelario Mancilla

9. Optional Side Trip from Candelario Mancilla to Lago Chico, Glacier Chico and Glacier O'Higgin's

10. Trail to border crossing from Chile to Argentina and Lago del Desierto

11. Ferry over Lago del Desierto

12. Trails to Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre Trail and El Chalten

13. Hiking circuit from El Chalten to Glaciar Viedma and back to El Chalten

This extension to the lake and glacier Viedma adds another 600 to 700 km.

Additional Options

If you know a better or simply an interesting alternative trail or extension that fits well into this Greater Patagonian Trail you are invited to be become co-author by sending your proposal with a GPS File to me (preferably KML, KMZ or GPX files). I will review it and incorporate it in the master file. This applies also to helpful new waypoints.

The trail should be worthwhile hiking. It should consist mainly of horse trails or minor dirt road with no or insignificant traffic. Walking i.e. long distances on the Careterra Austral seams not tempting to me. If someone wants to travel a longer section of the Careterra Austral, than I would rather recommend doing it by bicycle.

The route should be passable without a machete, technical climbing or superman skills. Cross country through an open landscape is great, but it is not wanted to fight tree by tree through dense tempered rainforest.

It does not matter at all if the trail is on the Argentine side or the Chilean side as long as it does not depend on clandestine border crossings. If you get catched in particular by the Chilean carabineros without a valid stamp you may get expelled and this makes not a nice finish of such a trip.

Trail Planning Sources and Contributors

Questions and Feedbacks

If you have questions that are not answered in this trail descriptions then you may send an email to the author of this article. Also your feedbacks are very welcome. Please report any changes or errors to correct the trail description and the trail file. Your GPS records are very helpful to update the not yet confirmed parts of the trail. If you have change and extension proposals please send the proposal ideally with a GPS record to the author. Alternative routes, that are more attractive for hiking will be included as a trail option or result in a change of the regular route.

Email of author: gpt.jan.dudeck@gmail.com

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