GPT34P (Lago Chelenko)

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* '''Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or Packrafting / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias'''

If you are packrafting, put the above into like this <span style="background-color:aqua;">YYYY-MMM-DD / X days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Your name</span>. If you follow a hiking route for part of the way, highlight only "packrafting".

Summary with remarks to route that are considered useful for other hikers and packrafters. Include alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions

Season 2024/25

* 2024-Nov-27 / 1 day / Packrafting / SOBO / GPT34P Option 1 and 2 from Bahia Murta to Puerto Alarcon / Meylin Ubilla and Jan Dudeck

GPT34P Option 1 and 2 / Lago General Carrera from Bahia Murta to Puerto Alarcon / 2024-Nov-27 / 1 day / Meylin Ubilla and Jan Dudeck

To enjoy packrafting in Patagonia someone has to be an opportunist. While it is often too windy to venture on the larger lakes, there are these calm days on which even a Lago General Carrera falls at sleep (the largest lake of Patagonia, the autochthonous name of the lake is Chelenko, which means "stormy waters" in Aonikenk).

When reviewing weather and wind forecasts, we changed our plans a day before the planned departure to Glaciar Nef and Colonia (GPT82P) and opted instead for a 1-day paddle on Lago General Carrera and 3-day hike in Valle Miller (GPT34P and GPT33H). The weather seamed too wet and overcasted to enjoy a hike along the eastern edge of the Northern Patagonian Icefield. But an overcasted, slightly rainy day is often perfect for packrafting, as these days tend to very calm. And the following 3 days with one perfect day was just enough to get up into Valle Jaramillo and return to enjoy a hidden “Cerro Castillo” (GPT33H Option 5A). So we left the bus from Coyhaique to Cochrane at the crossing to Bahia Murta and not at Rio Nef as originally planned.

We first visited a Swiss immigrant, Werner (“Swisaike”), who moved to Chile at end of the 80th. He built his home above Lago General Carrera. While drinking Mate and eating Rösti (a unique Patagonian-Swiss combination) we talked about our adventures and how Patagonia evolved in the previous decades.

Because the entire next day was predicted to be very calm we started late on the next morning and paddled in 6 hours the 28 km to Puerto Alarcon. Along the coast are numerous possible camp sites.

Packrafters, that love river packrafting and try to maximize water travel without aiming for “connecting footsteps” may leave the bus from Coyhaique even earlier to packraft up to 40 km on Rio Murta.

Season 2022/23

• 2022-Nov-20 to 2022-Nov-24 / 5 Days / Packrafting / Eastbound / GPT34P Option 2 and Option 3 and parts of GPT33H - Northern coast of Lago General Carrera from Puerto Sanchez to Levican (packrafting and hiking) / Meylin Ubilla and Jan Dudeck

This lake is infamous for the frequent strong gusty wind, therefore packrafting requires a careful monitoring of the weather to depart only onto the lake when a period with calmer conditions is approaching. Luckily, there is reasonable good mobile phone coverage what facilities checking the weather and wind forecast frequently.

Given the wind conditions any packrafting attempt on Lago General Carrera requires to my opinion:

- decked packraft, a longer tandem is strongly preferable (faster, more stable)

- a sail (to get quicker to an exit point)

- packrafting experience in the region (to anticipate typical weather and wind patterns)

- smartphone with entel SIM card or entel rooming

- YR weather App, Windy weather App

The predominant wind is eastbound therefore only eastbound packrafting is advisable.

I’m left with the impression that wind gets generally stonger towards the east (towards Levican and Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez) and that calm periods are more frequent and longer towards the west (Puerto Tranquilo, Puerto Sanchez).

Also, calmer conditions are more likely in the early morning just after sunrise but strong wind all night is also common.

During a previous hike in February 2020 we experienced an entire summer day with barely any wind but such days are as frequent as unicorns and no travel plan should be build on exceptional favorable circumstances. There is a trail along the northern shore but due to the steep coast there are sections of up to 13 km on the lake without a connection from the shoreline to this trail.

Emergency exits are more frequent along the coast but using such an exit means waiting for the wind to calm down what can take days. Therefore it is generally favorable to exit the water only in a location from where the trail can be reached easily.

We packrafted most of the distance from Puerto Sanchez to the Avellano river delta on 3 mornings in about 9 hours on the water but from there we hiked in two days to Levican because we had no similar promising calm weather windows in following early mornings. In hindsight the wind remained manageable in the morning hours till about noon but there was no point in reversing our decision to hike (and we urgently needed some exercise to get used to hike with heavy backpacks again).

Crossing from Puerto Tranquilo to Puerto Sanchez is reasonable feasible by packraft in calm weather (typically either very early in the morning or later in the evening). The crossing is 3 km wide and best started 1 km north of Puerto Tranquilo in a hidden bay with a nice protected spot to pitch a tent (46.6146°S / 72.6838°W · 210 m). If preparing the packraft at the beach of Puerto Tranquilo officials may stop packrafters as there are numerous restrictions and requirements applicable (in example accompanying motor boat with two licensed boat drivers).

Packrafters should depart in north-eastern direction to compensate for a south-eastern wind drift in case wind increases.

A very nice protected camp site is approximately 8 km from the recommended exit point near Puerto Tranquilo.

Season 2021/22

• Option: Pto Tranquilo - Cochrane/ Packrafting Route (Lago General Carrera and Río Baker)/ 2022 Feb-13/ 5 days / Tobias Schorcht and Jonas Grünewald

Packrafting on the shoreline of Lago General Carrera was possible with some difficulties. I visited the Marvel Caves and continued towards Lago Bertrand. There are numbers of bays which are suitable for camping. The wind direction changed fast (don’t count on the windy app), the worst part was the delta of Río Leones, where I couldn’t pass for 24h. Luckly I found the summer house of family Schneider (-46,74048, -72,77454) where I could stay overnight. They are welcoming and nice people, don’t be shy to ask them for help. Reached Pto Bertrand through Lago Bertrand without more difficulties and met Jonas there. He booked a rafting tour on the Upper Baker and I followed the raft with my Packraft. Our luggage was carried by the shuttle service of the rafting company. We faced 2 significant rapids class 3. If you want to have fun, go simply though the centre where the big waves are. I flipped once, but jumped fast back into my open packraft. If you want to go for the chicken line, stay always on the right side. After -47,05206, -72,81161 are no rapids until the confluence with Río Nef. We used the Packraft as a ferry to cross Río Nef and Baker. The official ferry on Río Baker (Balsa Baker) is getting maintained and recently out of order.

Links to other Resources

Retired Section Article GPT34P - Lago General Carrera