Cambios

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 terrain and the unpredictable route terrain makes this comparison inadequate. In particular in the north the suitable season for hiking is quite short as you need to wait until December for the snow to melt and the rivers to fall to be forded safely and heavy snow storms may make the route again impassable in late March or during April. Venturing into this area too earlier or get there too later means often an unreasonable risk.