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→Understanding the Terrain
In the northern part of the trail from Santiago to about latitude 35° S (about 150 km direct line) the Andes are very high with several summits exceeding 6000 m.Here passes exceed 4000 m altitude and steep rocky walls and glaciers impede walking along the main mountain chain.Therefore in this northern zone the trail climbs through the Precordillera mainly along the first mountain range next just east of the central valley. But don’t misunderstand “Precordillera”; here the regular route reached the highest point with 3300 m. The mostly semi-desert like vegetation is adapted to be continued the dry and hot climate. From about latitude 35° S to about 39° S (roughly 450 km direct line) the Andes get substantially lower but remain a continuous high mountain range. Summits rarely exceed 4000 m but most passes still above 2000 m. Here the terrain is much more suitable for hiking. Therefore the trail passes along the main mountain range close to the continental divide that also forms also the border between Chile and Argentina. Climate during summer is still quite dry but provides sufficient precipitation to maintain a relative open forest in the valleys. 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 create deep breaches in the main maintain range. These valleys were created by immense glaciers during past glacial periods and remain partly filled by lakes. Many of the passes between Chile and Argentina are in these depressions and often below 1000 m, some are as low as 200 m. Regular 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 trail goes up and down between these depressions and the island-like mountains that rise out of a wild sea of dense tempered rain forest. Here having a packraft becomes beneficial. 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 or trails along 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.
===Understanding the Host Nations===