GPT28P (Bajo Rio Palena)

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Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions

Season 2020/21

• GPT28P Option 5: Packrafting Seno Gala (and Ferry from Puerto Chacabuco to Quellon)

Orientation: Northbound Packrafting Dates: 2021-Feb-05 to 2021-Feb-08 Participants: Masha Ovchinnikova , Mikhail Bogdanov , Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

Two years ago we rushed by packraft in about 4 hours through Seno Gala to paddle from Santo Domingo via Villa Melimoyu, Canal Jacaf and Canal Puyuhuapi to Puerto Cisnes (GPT28P Option 6 and 7). This left no time to investigate the lateral arms of this scenic fjord. Therefore we decided to return now and to utilize three days with optimal weather to enter the three lateral arms of Seno Gala.

To share this experience we invited Masha and Misha to join us on this packrafting exploration.

Navieraustral operates the ferry “Queulat” that travels twice per week the fjords between Quellon and Puerto Chacabuco (and back) and that stops at all the villages and settlements en route. This ferry greatly facilitates access to several remote fjords that are suitable for packrafting due to their generally wind sheltered location and orientation.

When we approached by ferry Isla Gala in the Canal Jacaf at 04:00 am in the morning the wind prediction and the actual wind condition were both perfect to cross the rather open Canal Jacaf to enter Seno Gala from the south. Therefore we opted to leave the ferry at Puerto Gala to start the investigation from Isla Gala and not from Melimoyu (“Plan B”). Starting in Melimoyu from the north would have provided a better wind protection in suboptimal weather.

. Puerto Gala to Isla Rudy, Isla Fabregas and Punta Marquez (Canal Jacaf): In this more open part wind, waves and tidal flow are typically stronger than within Seno Gala. But thanks to the optimal weather we had no wind and waves and during falling tide we had a 1 to 2 km/h northbound tidal flow while passing east of Isla Chita (2 to 3 hours after high tide, apparently the water leaving Canal Jacaf is redirected by these islands). I’m now left with the impression that tidal flows in the vicinity of Isla Gala are normally manageable by packraft.

. Punta Marquez to Punta Wieghardt and Isla Jewet: During falling tide about 3 to 4 hours after high tide the tidal flow was approximately 1 km/h southbound (outbound from fjord as expected during falling tide).

. Estero del Medio and Rio del Medio (GPT28P Option 5D): During low tide we paddled and pulled our packrafts about 650 m upstream. After a rather try period the river was slow enough to paddle partially upstream. Packrafters with the appetite to explore an rarely visited lake may paddle and pull the packraft 4 km upstream to reach Laguna del Medio. This is best attempted during high tide to facilitate the upstream paddling. There is a settler south of Isla Colono where packrafters may ask to camp one night (well maintained pasture).

. Isla Jewet to Punta Swart: This scenic arm of Seno Gala is worth the detour. The end of this fjord looks more like a mountain lake than a fjord. An abandoned house whitenesses a recent but failed attempt to settle in this area. Due to a lack of suitable camp sites we installed our tents on a rock just above sea level at the end of the fjord. The view was amazing and calm weather made a wind protection irrelevant.

Archeological discoveries indicate that the native sea nomads valued these waters and buried their deceased family members in a hidden cave in this area.

. Punta Gonzalez to Islote Salvo: While we paddled Seno Gala in perfect conditions (no wind, no waves, sunshine) a group a dolphins accompanied us for one hour while hunting fish (or we accompanied them and the dolphins did not care).

. Brazo Poza de Oro: This scenic 3 km long arm has three tiny narrows and is best visited just before high tide. While the tide is rising or falling moderate rapids form at these narrows.

The hermit settle at “Settler {28P-05C} [0.3/7]” apparently loves his self-chosen isolation and did not permit us to camp one night on the only suitable patch of grass in this area. Therefore we searched a suitable campsite on the opposite shore just west of Punta Campos.

. Punta Campos: We searched some time for a suitable spot to pitch two tents on the beach just west of Punta Campos. Since all beaches are occasionally flooded during high tide we searched for a reasonable flat spots in between the trees. Eventually we found a suitable spot behind the first line of trees and cleaned with machetes two camp sites. We were surprised to see a collapsed house hidden in the trees. On this beach mussels (almejas) can be digged out during low tide and cooked for dinner (we cooked seafood pasta with freshly harvested mussels).

. Villa Melimoyu: A 4.5 km short road connects the eastern end of Seno Gala with Seno Melimoyu where the ferry between Quellon and Puerto Chacabuco stops 4 times per week (two southbound and two northbound stops per week). The tiny village has currently about 50 inhabitants. Pia Jose Rojo Moreira runs a hostería near Seno Melimoyu and recently build a beautiful dome-shaped cabaña near Seno Gala. This dome-shaped cabaña provides a perfect view into Seno Gala and was our shared home for one night (solar electricity, wifi, accommodates 4 persons comfortably). A small shop and craft beer brewery permits to resupply essentials.

. Conclusion 1: The ferry between Quellon and Puerto Chacabuco is also a very good choice for hikers that wish to travel and see the Patagonian fjords.

. Conclusion 2: Packrafting in Patagonia works best with an opportunistic attitude and flexible plans that are constantly adopted to the actual weather and the latest weather prediction. With an inflexible linar plan someone gets easily “stuck” due to unsuitable wind and weather.

. Conclusion 3: The generally good wind protection, the minor to moderate tidal flows and the easy access by ferry makes Seno Gala a suitable location for packrafters with little to no fjord experience (like the fjords Estuario de Reloncavi, Pitipalena and the Canal Puyuhuapi). The relative short distances can be managed with slower single packrafts. Of cause, wind can be quite strong at times and packrafters must check the weather forecast and be prepared to sit out unsuitable weather if needed. A machete is highly recommended to open a spot for a tent if needed.

. Conclusion 4: A machete is an essential tool when paddling in unpopulated fjords (Pitipalena, Seno Gala, Fiordo Comau, Canal Refugio, Canal Jacaf, Isla Magdalena) to clean a camp site that is slightly elevated above the high tide water level. In unpopulated Patagonian fjords every square meter that is not occasionally flooded by sea water is covered by trees and dense undergrowth. In such areas the best camp sites are the spots that cannot be seen from the water and that are fully hidden between larger trees a few meters from the coast in slightly sloped terrain. Try to camp at least one meters above the high tide level (the line where flood wood and floating garbage accumulated). Two or more meter are even better as tsunamis can form during earthquakes and landslides.

Only along populated fjords a machete is not required (Estuario de Reloncavi, Canal Puyuhuapi between Puerto Cisnes and Puyuhuapi).

. Conclusion 5: While traveling by ferry from Villa Melimoyu via Raul Marin Balmaceda to Quellon we had sunny and very calm weather. Inside the fjords were no waves and the ferry moved perfectly smooth like on rails. But while crossing from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Quellon the ferry was rolling heavily. The waves apparently formed far away in the open Pacific Ocean an in the 40 km wide “gap” between Isla Gran Guayteca (Melinka) and Chiloe these waves rolled in unhindered and hit the coast between Santo Domingo and Parque Nacional Corcovado. The waves itself were long and did not break on the open sea but such long waves cause dangerous surfs along the coast making it hard or impossible to exit or enter the water by packraft. Therefore packrafting between Santo Domingo and Chaiten is very challenging and wave conditions are hard to predict even if the weather is perfect. Therefore these routes are classified as EXP-loration or EXP-pedition routes.

. Conclusion 6: Joining with other hikers and packrafters for a section or two is normally a brilliant and enlightening experience. Previous Facebook post help to understand special interests and skills of other hikers and packrafters. This helps to “guesstimate” if joining for a few days is likely to work out or not.

Temporarily joining others for a section or two is best done weeks after starting to travel on the GPT (with your well-known travel partner or solo). Based on my observations looking for (unfamiliar) travel partner(s) before even commencing on the GPT rarely works out well.

. Conclusion 7: A decked tandem (double) packrafter is the best packraft type for fjords and larger lakes. Single packrafts are substantially slower and less suitable for longer traverses. Single packrafts are favorable on rivers especially when choosing rivers with whitewater sections.

. Conclusion 8: Before harvesting and eating seafood ask locals if the seafood is safe to eat. Occasionally toxic algae spreads in the fjords making seafood highly toxic. („mares roja“)

Season 2019/20

• 2020-Jan-24 / Shaun / Regular Packrafting Route

I paddled the regular routes of GPT27P and GPT28P as part of one trip, and my combined comments for both are under section GPT27P.

• GPT28P / Option 1 / Isla Magdalena via Seno Magdalena, Seno Soto, Canal Jacaf and Canal Puyuhuapi / 2020-Jan-17 / 5 days /

Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

We just completed the 10th packrafting route exploration this season, but this time with excellent weather throughout the entire 5-day trip.

Around 2 years ago, when starting to plan the packrafting sea routes two fjords of Isla Magdalena caught my attention. These two fjords penetrated deep into this island and nearly join each other at both ends deep inside the island. It’s just over 1 km of land that separates these two seawater channels. These two fjords are of interest for packrafting as both fjords provide more wind protection than the wide open channels Jacaf and Puyuhuapi. It appeared therefore favorable to link these two fjords into the packrafting route from Villa Melimoyu to Puerto Cisnes. The big question mark was primarily the roughly 1 km long portage.

To investigate this route we started in Puerto Cisnes as this would facilitate a return in case the portage proved not feasible. We could also speak to various people in Puerto Cisnes before attempting a traverse. One settler that owns large plots of land on Isla Magdalena was the best source of information. He stated that many years ago a basic trail existed between the fjords but that this trail is now completely overgrown. But he was optimistic that with machetes someone may make the traverse in about one day.

Puerto Cisnes to Seno Magdalena:

A challenge might be the crossing of the 5 km wide Canal Puyuhuapi depending on wind and tidal flows. This is best done in the early morning on a calm day. Also tidal flows should be considered. During falling tide the tidal flow in Canal Puyuhuapi between Puerto Cisnes and Canal Jacaf seams northbound; during rising tide southbound.

In the 17 km long Seno Magdalena the predominant wind is eastbound what favors the generally recommended travel direction from Villa Melimoyu to Puerto Cisnes. A couple of salmon farms are currently located in this fjord. One larger building on the southern shore of this fjord seams to house the employees.

Towards the western terminus of Seno Magdalena we spotted 3 buildings from settlers, with possibly one of them abandoned. A other two homes or puestos appear occasionally used. Especially the terminus of Seno Magdalena is well sheltered and particular scenic.

Portage from Seno Magdalena to Seno Soto:

We pitched our tend around 2 m above the high tide sea level in the forest after cleaning a flat patch with our machetes. This became our base for two nights as we needed one full day to smash a new provisional trail into the forest.

The Valdivian Rainforest in this traverse turned out to be reasonable open (high trees generate in good parts sufficient shade to limit growth on the ground). The traverse is also free of rocky terrain and swamps could be circumvented. Only few shorter steep ascends and descends were required. Also the ground was normally not covered by multiple layers of fallen trees so we could walk mostly on the ground without balancing over fallen trunks. Therefore we could smash a decent 1 km long trail in one day into the forest till a small lake (9 h going, 2 h returning, 2 persons with one machete each). The next day we walked with our heavy backpacks in 2 hours to this small lake, crossed the lake by packraft and cleaned in 2 hours the final 130 m to the shore of Seno Soto. This provisional trail will soon become overgrown if not maintained by an occasional packrafter with a machete.

Seno Soto:

This scenic and well sheltered 19 km long fjord was a packrafting delight. This fjord appeared free of human intervention (no salmon farms or boat traffic). Here the wind direction will depend on weather (northbound and southbound wind not uncommon). We spotted some penguins, numerous dolphins and plenty of sea lions.

Canal Jacaf:

In Canal Jacaf boat traffic is frequent. During this and our last trip I estimated that every 15 to 30 Minutes a boat was passing by. In the eastern section of Canal Jacaf the tidal flow during falling tide was westbound and reached even next to the shore 3 km/h. Sea maps indicate up to 3 kn tidal flow (nearly 6 km/h).

Canal Puyuhuapi:

When entering Canal Puyuhuapi a decision must be taken to continue either to Puyuhuapi or Puerto Cisnes. Both towns are in 25 km distance and hot springs are on the way along shore in each direction. On the way to Puerto Cisnes two free hot springs are on the eastern shore of Isla Magdalena. On the way to Puyuhuapi two commercialized thermal springs are located.

• GPT28P / Villa Melimoyu to Puerto Cisnes

(Part of Option 1: Seno Gala, Canal Jacaf, Canal Puyuhuapi) / 2019-Nov-20 / 3 days / Meylin Ubilla & Jan Dudeck

3 or 4 years ago - after packrafting the Rio Palena - we took the ferry from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Puerto Cisnes that passes 170 km along the Patagonian fjords. It was a calm sunny day, I spend most of the ferry ride on the deck and I was obviously thinking if these fjords can be packrafted.

Now we did it except the first 33 km that traverse the exposed Golfo de Corcovado (see my last post to GPT28P).

Required gear:

We did the traverse with different packrafting gear than we used 4 years ago. We now have a two-seater MRS Barracuda with an integrated spreydeck and two kayak paddles. We waited twice a day for a suitable weather window and enjoyed this demanding but rewarding packrafting route at the fullest.

Attempting any traverse of significant length with an open packraft in the Patagonian fjords is not a sign of bravery but stupidity. Wind and waves can suddenly increase, fill the packraft with water and without any exit location nearby you are helplessly exposed to the currents with little control of where you are going. Only few selected fjord routes with plenty of beaches and exit locations can be safely packrafted with on open packraft (i.e. GPT22 or GPT76).

Strategy:

The general strategy in these fjords is: “Wait, run and hide!”. 1. Wait near the start while following the weather forecast closely with everything ready to go (gear, food). 2. If a suitable weather window opens, leave early and “run“ with a minimum of breaks and leisure stops until either the wind or the evening stops you. 3. Hide in a sheltered location high enough the high-tide water line. Be prepared with sufficient food to possibly stay for days in your hiding location.

Wildlife:

Dolphins, sea-lions and penguins room the se fjords.

Human life:

At the exit of Seno Gala is the small fishing settlement Isla Gala but predominant wind makes it often difficult to access this tiny village. At the eastern shore of Canal Puyuhuapi are various settlements with easy access from the sea and perfect camp sites. Within Canal Jacaf are no further settlements but a number of permanently maned salmon farms. The entire route is frequently used by boats with the majority of the traffic created by the salmon farms and fishing but asking to be evacuated by one of these boats should be a last resort and not part of the travel plan.

Wind:

We we’re fortunate and enjoyed 3 exceptional calm days with moderate wind and waves (about 1 m) in only two shorter open sections. Wind in these channels can be firce making navigating by packraft in these waters impossible.

Currents and tidal flows:

According to sea maps the water speed in the canal Jacaf can reach 5 kn (9 km/h) but we experienced this part rather static. But we struggled after leaving canal Jacaf in the canal Puyuhuapi going southbound. During 6 hours with a falling tide we paddled against a consistent northbound flow of around 1 to 1.5 kn (1.5 to 2.5 km/h). My impression was that this is not a reversing tidal flow but a general current.

Land exists:

The generally steep cost results in only few suitable landing beaches. And the forrest reaches right down to the high-tide line. The track files contain several decent beaches where camping seams more comfortable if hiding in the trees behind the open beach.

GPT28P / Packrafting from Santo Domingo to Villa Melimoyu (Part of Option 1) / 2019-Nov-18 / 1 day / Southbound / Meylin Ubilla & Jan Dudeck We now verified the suggested packrafting route from Santo Domingo to Villa Melimoyu that I first considered packrafting when taking this route by ferry after floating down Rio Palena.

This is an very attractive but exposed fjord route. Dolphins, sea lions, penguins and lots of birds habitat this area.

Waiting for suitable weather (especially calm wind) and a close eye on the weather forecast is essential.

For this traverse a packraft with a spreydeck and should not be attempted with an classic open packraft. A sail is very beneficial and makes this traverse safer as you can reach a sheltered location faster in case of increasing wind.

The Isla Refugio provides a reasonable good wind protection on a good part of this route but the last 6 km are rather open and wind and waves can make this stretch a nightmare.

The about one dozen islands just before the the final open stretch provide some emergency shelter and you can pick your private island to sit out unsuitable weather before reaching Villa Melimoyu. But don't expect sandy beaches and palme trees on these island. To make an emergency shelter you need to carry sufficient sweat water, a machete to open a small spot and probably a hammock to stay above the high tide water level.

The tiny settlements on both ends of this route are worthwhile visiting especially when able to converse with the settlers. Both locations are suitable to sit out days of unsuitable weather.

Southbound seams the preferable direction due to typical wind direction and tidal flows according to locals. It worked perfectly for us. Only in case of less frequent “viento sur” a northbound traverse becomes feasible.

The Naviera Austral ferry route “Ruta Cordillera” connects twice per week southbound (and twice per week nothbound) Raul Marin Balmaceda with Santo Domingo and continues to from Santo Domingo to Villa Melimoyu, Isla Gala, Puerto Cisnes and Puerto Chacabuco. The ferry requires about 1:30 h for the short ride from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Santo Domingo.

Packrafting the 20 km from Rio Palena (next to Raul Marin Balmaceda) to Santo Domingo might be feasible on a perfect day if starting with the first light in the morning but this water route is a serious packrafting challenge as this water route traverse the unprotected Golfo de Corcovado. There are probably not more than a dozen such perfect days per season so either be very patient or take the next ferry. One of the bays along this unprotected route is named “Bahia Mala” (Bad Bay) and this seams no randomly chosen name. But when entering the “Canal Refugio“ (another well descriptive name) the wind and waves get suddenly a lot calmer. At the mouth of this more sheltered channel is the tiny settlement Santo Domingo that was founded some decades ago. Arriving here by ferry seams the rational choice if not willing to wait days or weeks for a suitable weather window.

• GPT28P / Exploration Fjord Pitipalena (Part of Option 2) / 2019-11-14 / 3 days / Meylin Ubilla & Jan Dudeck

We packrafted in the last 3 days the Fjord Pitipalena from Raul Marin Balmaceda (Puerto Marin or RMB) to the northern terminus of Brazo Pillan (Point B of attached map) and returned in two days back to Puerto Marin.

In the fjord sightings of penguins, sea lions and dolphins are frequent.

Tidal flows can reach in some parts 4 km/h but typically do not exceed 1 km/h.

As in all open waters wind and waves can be fierce but calm days are not uncommon due to the protection of the surrounding mountains. Be prepared to sit out days of bad weather in one of the few sheltered areas on the coast. We spend one night hanging in the trees with torrential rain and heavy gusty wind. On the last km back we were fighting heavy gusts of wind to return back to the village.

Meeting Rodrigo Parra was one highlight of this tour. He is the last settlers outside of Puerto Marin in this fjord. Location see image.

Decades ago this fjord was well populated with hundreds of settlers living at various shores of this fjord to harvest algae and some settlers attempted to grow cattle. All but one settler retreated and nature wiped out virtually all traces of these settlements.

We also investigated the area between the northern terminus of Brazo Pillan and Rio TicToc. Decades ago an well established trail crossed this 1.3 km land connection but this trail disappeared in most parts and is overgrown by dense but not impassable forest. I covered about 450 m in 1.5 hours noticing parts of an old trail or simply the machete battle field of packrafters or kayakers in this dense forest. This route to Rio TicToc is still occasionally taken by highly experienced sea kajakers or packrafters to access Parque Corcovado.

The exploration route from Rio TioTic to Chaiten follows the very exposed coast of the Golfo Corcovado. To cover the approximately 80 km from the mouth of Rio TicToc to Chaiten it needs plenty of sea-traveling experience, lots of patience and plenty of food to spend most of the time waiting for the occasional good-weather-window. I’m not sure if I better remove this route from the GPT network as a packraft traverse seams currently pretty fooled to me. I at least, have currently no desire to explore this route in the next years.

Links to other Resources

Retired Section Article GPT28P - Bajo Río Palena

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