Cambios

South of latitude 39° S you do not find any more a continuous high mountain chain. The higher summits are still above 3000 m but numerous depressions form deep breaches in the main maintain range. These depressions or valleys were created by immense glaciers during past ice ages and remain partly filled by lakes. Many of the passes between Chile and Argentina are located in these depressions and often below 1000 m, some are as low as 200 m. Frequent rain maintains a very dense forest that is also called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdivian_temperate_rain_forest Valdivian temperate rain forest]. Due to this geography the route (GPT13 to GPT40) goes up and down between these the depressions and the island-like mountains that rise out of a wild sea of dense tempered rain forest. Here having a packraft becomes beneficial (GPT17P to GPT39).

South of latitude 41° 30’ S the central valley on the Chilean side “sinks” below sea level and the Patagonian fjord land begins. Here the Patagonian Andes rise directly out of the fjords that are connected with the open Pacific Ocean. In this area the rain is so frequent and the vegetation so dense that there is hardly any roads road or trails along trail on the cost. Therefore you either walk much further to the east partly on Argentine soil or you packraft. In this area packrafting is clearly the more attractive option. Here you can paddle over crystal clear leaks and float down long mostly calm rivers all the way into the fjords.

South of latitude 46° 30’ S 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. The GPT guides you though the mountains about 100 km east of the Northern Ice Field. Here you can opt between attractive hiking and 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(GPT38 to GPT40).