==Season 2023/24==
==Season 2022/*2024-Feb-23==/ 1 day / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Lauren & Seb
*REGULAR PACKRAFTING ROUTE :Rio Ibáñez was a moderately fast flowing and enjoyable ride. A welcomed change of scenery, we paddled down reddish-brown canyons with the glacier view of Cerro Castillo behind us. It was a remote and beautiful little stretch.
Kilometer 0There was one tricky spot in the upper part of the river.0 At -46.13556, -72.15561 we stayed on the very left, going down between the rocks to avoid being pushed to 98the outside of the right bend.7: Same as Regular Hiking RouteThe rest of the river was easy going.
Packrafting Kilometer 98.7 The entire way the deep water channel is quite narrow and hard to 131see in the murky water.4: Packrafting Follow the coast outsides of Lago General Carrera from Puerto Avellano the meandering river to Levicáncatch the mainstream, but you will still have occasional ground contact.
Due At the river-out point, stick to the normally strong wind and the resulting high waves packrafting Lago General Carrera is challenging and not inherently safe even if paddling close turquoise waters to avoid the shore sandbanks and in approach the predominant wind direction (from Puerto Avellano towards Levicán)MR. This lake is infamous for suddenly starting windFor the portage, therefore don’t rely only on your observations but check the wind forecast before inflating we had decided not to deflate the packraft. Only if but it was a sufficiently long window of calm weather is predicted consider packrafting. The steep and rocky coast often inhibits exiting the lake and connecting to the trail. The 8.5 km long segment between [Lake In/Out @33Hpainful mistake for our big 2-104seater.6] and [Lake In/Out @33H-114.7] is without We got a suitable connection to bunch of micro holes from the trailthorny bushes which we only realised later when disinfecting our boat.
First 6Shortly before Puerto Ingenerio Ibáñez, winds got too strong and we were not able to paddle the last U-turn as it pushed us against the riverbanks.6 km till from [Lake In/Out @33HWe got out at -9846.9] to [Lake In/Out @33H28599, -10471.6]: Continuously easy lake exit 96618, deflated, crossed the airstrip and good trail accessmade our way to town.
Next 4*2023-Dec-18 / 1 day / Packrafting / SOBO / RR / Tom PieperI think this section deserves definitely more emphasis! The landscape changes dramatically here after Section 32.3 km till [Emergency Lake Out @33HThe green forests are gone and give rise to an impressive red-109brown canyon landscape with little oasis in between.8]: No safe lake exit On a good day the views back to cerro Castillo are just magnificent. Also the river speed was swift and no access you can easily make it in one day to trailPuerto Ibanez. The sandbanks can be avoided if you stick to the slightly more turquoise waters. I did not deflated the packraft at the portage and just carried it on my back. Keep care of the thorny Calafate bushes when you ascend the sandy dune at the beginning of the portage. The sand can be somehow wearisome here.
At [Emergency Lake Out @33H-109.8]: Small beach for emergency lake exit but very difficult access to trail Next 4.2 km till [Lake In/Out @33H-114.7]: No safe lake exit and no access to trail At [Lake In/Out @33H-114.7]: Easy lake exit and good access to trail Next 2.0 km till [Lake In/Out @33H-116.7]: No safe lake exit and no access to trail Next 1.7 km till [Lake In/Out @33H-116.7]: Continuously easy lake exit and good access to trail Next 10 km till [Lake In/Out @33H-127.7]: At least every 2 km beaches to exit lake but very difficult access to trail Packrafting from Levicán to Puerto Avellano in south-western direction is not recommended due to the opposite predominant wind direction. Kilometer 131.4 to 143.8: Walking from Levicán to Rio Ibañez at [River In @33H-143.8] Packrafting from Levican to Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez in northern direction is not recommended due to the opposite predominant wind direction. Therefore packrafter should walk the hiking route from Levicãn to Rio Ibañez at [River In @33H-143.8]. Only when travelling from Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez to Levian packrafting might be considered on an exceptionally calm morning or evening. Packrafting Kilometer 143.8 to 147.0: Packraft crossing of Rio Ibañez and walk to Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez With a packraft it is normally not necessary to roadwalk 12.6 km via [Bridge @33H-148.7] and [Bridge @33H-149.5] to Puerto Ingeniero Ibañaez but Rio Ibañez can be crossed by packraft. Therefore, packrafters should consider inflating the packraft at [River In @33H-143.8] and take the 3.1 km short cut into town. *GPT33H Option 9 Laguna VerdePackrafters that hike the section GPT33H northbound i.e. after crossing Lago General Carrera from Fachinal to Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez best terminate this section via Option 9 to use the packraft on the final 21 km to Villa Cerro Castillo. For more information see [[#Combining GPT33H with GPT32|Combining GPT33H with GPT32]]. *GPT33H Option 10 Río MurtaThis option is attractive for packrafters that use public transportation to cherry-pick easily accessible water routes or that plan to hike [[#GPT33H Option 4 Puerto Cristal|Option 4]], [[#GPT33H Option 5 Valle Miller|Option 5]] and [[#GPT33H Option 8 Valle Resbalín|Option 8]] or that want to packraft [[#GPT33H Option 11 Lago General Carrera Oeste|GPT33H Option 11]] along the shore of Lago General Carrera. Rio Murta is a beautiful turquoise river that meanders through a wide valley and is surrounded by snow-covered peaks. The 44 km long river section from the recommended put-in till the outlet into Lago General Carrera is free of rapids and can be packrafted southbound only. The river descends gradually 70 m (elevation difference) over these 44 km what results in a moderate to fast river speed. The water volume changes substantially between seasons and depending on rain. Especially in late summer and autumn this river can be rather shallow even for a packraft resulting in ground contacts. A bigger hazard for packrafters are the dead trees in the bends where the current often accelerates. Many wide gravel banks facilitate entering and exiting the river. The nearby Carretera Austral can be easily reached in various locations *GPT33H Option 11 Lago General Carrera OestePackrafters that look for a special challenge may consider paddling along the shore of Lago General Carrera. But only patient packrafters without a tight schedule may attempt this route should as the normally strong wind makes packrafting most of the time unsafe. During spring or autumn chances are better to have some days with less wind than during summer. The proposed route follows the shoreline close to lake exits and in parallel to land routes to continue walking if wind impedes packrafting. Due to the predominant wind direction this route can only be paddled in westbound direction. The crossing from Puerto Tranquilo to Puerto Sanchez requires particular caution and should only be attempted on a very calm morning or evening [ OP-LK-2@33H-11-#002]. It is not advisable to packraft between [Lake In/Out @33H-11-#006] and [Lake In/Out @33H-11-#007] as the steep and particular wind exposed coast impedes exiting the lake in this 12 km long area. The advises to the [[#Regular Packrafting Route]] are equally applicable. *2022 Nov / GPT33H Option 11 and Parts of Regular Route / Meylin Ubilla and Jan Dudeck GPT33H/GPT34P: Northern coast of Lago General Carrera from Puerto Sanchez to Levican (packrafting and hiking) From 2022-Nov-20 to ==Season 2022-Nov-24 we (Meylin Ubilla, Jan Dudeck) packrafted and hiked in 5 days from Puerto Sanchez to Levican along the northern coast of Lago General Carrera. 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. GPT33H: Bus Levican - Puerto Ingeniero Ibanez The last 26 km from Levican to Puerto Ingeniero Ibanez are rather dull road walking. Therefore hikers that arrive at the right day and time can take the subsidized bus. Monday and Friday only: 08:00 Puerto Ingeniero Ibanez -> Levican 09:00 Levican -> Puerto Ingeniero Ibanez 18:00 Puerto Ingeniero Ibanez -> Levican 19:00 Levican -> Puerto Ingeniero Ibanez Price: 1000 CLP Transport at other times can be arranged for a substantially higher cost (estimated 40‘000 to 60‘000 CLP per vehicle). Paty: +56 9 9506 3176 Luis: +56 9 8648 407523==
==Season 2021/22==
==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==
* Puerto Ibanez: Pirámide Hostal B&B is a nice and cheap place top stay (25.000 Pesos including breakfast). Veronica is a very friendly host.
==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==
=Images=
[[Archivo: | ]]
{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+'''GPT33P: Río Ibañez'''
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| GPT33P: Río Ibañez
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Group
| colspan="2" | H: Aysen Sur
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''34.3 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|'''7 h'''
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Region
| colspan="2" | Chile: Aysén (XI)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Trails (TL)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Start
| colspan="2" | Villa Cerro Castillo
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Minor Roads (MR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.3 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 6.6%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Finish
| colspan="2" | Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez (Puerto)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Primary Roads (PR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.4 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 7.0%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Status
| colspan="2" | Published & Verified
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Cross-Country (CC)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 1.9 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5.4%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Traversable
| colspan="2" | Sep - May
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Bush-Bashing (BB)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packraft
| colspan="2" | Required
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Ferry (FY)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Connects to
| colspan="2" | GPT32, GPT33H, GPT34H, GPT34P
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Investigation (I)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Options
| colspan="2" | 8 km (Variants Only)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Exploration (EXP)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total on Water
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''27.8 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''80.9%'''
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Attraction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 4 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| River (RI)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 27.8 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 80.9%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Difficulty
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 3 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Lake (LK)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Direction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|None
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|Only ↓
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Fjord (FJ)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Comment
| colspan="7" | Hiking: Hiking not feasible
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Character
| colspan="7" | Farmland, Settlers, River Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Challenges
| colspan="7" | -
|}
Elevation Profile of Regular Packrafting Route
[[File:profile GPT33-p.PNG|frame|center|Elevation Profile of Regular Hiking Route (2019)]]
