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→Understanding your Motives and Personal Notes
===Understanding your Motives and Personal Notes===
To be issued.
===Blogs of GPT Hikers and Packrafters===
With this wikiexplora article I aim to provide a comprehensive introduction with a systematical description of the trail net¬work. I intentionally try not to overload this wikiexplora article with my personal stories from the trail. This way of writing simply feels more appropriate to me when providing such a trail documentation to the general public. Given the length and the complexity of this trail network this is already an overwhelming task for me therefore I do not maintain an additional more personal travel blog.
My way of writing might remind in parts in a “technical operation manual” and if you sense it this way I can tell you why. I’m an Engineer by trade, I work as an inspector and I issues inspection reports on regular base. For this I need to carefully choose my words to be factual and precise, well descriptive but also legally sound. Lingual flowers are neither needed nor welcome in my inspection reports. And if numbers of any kind are available or information can be structured into tables or charts than this is always preferred over a well phrased verbal description. I do not need to point out that these writing habits also shape this article.
Both, keeping personal stories mostly out of this trail description and maintaining the trail documentation more technical makes this article a bit pale. But for most hikers, including me, the personal experience of the land and the people is the main motive for going for such an endeavor. Therefore to get a better personal feel for this trail you should read as part of your preparation some blogs written by hikers that walked the GPT in recent years. In these blogs you find a much more personal account that shows the individual perception of the trail. These blogs often contain also a more detailed description of specific trail sections and supplement my more general introduction in an important way. Therefore, to get a better personal insight to the trail I happily refer to other hikers and their blogs and make them speak instead of me. Listening to other voices also illustrates how diverse the way of walking and the trail experience can be. Some blogs are also very useful to extract lessons learned by others to not start hiking with similar incorrect assumptions and repeat frustrating mistakes.
====Bethany Hughes and Lauren Reed===
Hiked: GPT40 to GPT01 and much, much more
Link: [www.her-odyssey.org her-odyssey.org]
Bethany and Lauren are on their way to traverse the length of the Americas by non-motorized means to connect stories of the land and its inhabitants. They started in December 2015 in Ushuaia on the southern tip of the continent and were the first to walk the entire length of the GPT. We got in touch before they commenced their endeavor and while they walked northbound I developed the trail southbound. This resulted in a very fertile exchange of ideas and routes. Bethany and Lauren “gound-truthed” and recorded several of the hiking sections of the GPT in central Patagonia based on my drafts. This was a very important support since I travelled primarily the packraft options in central Patagonia. The following year, around October 2016, they asked me for my advice how to continue their journey north which led me to develop the fife northern section of the GPT extending the trail all the way to Santiago. Independently from Gerald Kramer they investigated and recorded these fife sections in the Precordillera (GPT01 to GPT05). I’m deeply grateful for their contributions. They did not only provide important GPS records to get the tracks updated. Both were essential to get the message to prospective hikers right on how to approach this trail. Bethany and Lauren continue to support me in updating this wikiexplora article.
I strongly recommend to read first Bethanies general advise to the GPT: [https://her-odyssey.org/2016/12/26/so-you-wanna-hike-the-gpt/ Blog: so-you-wanna-hike-the-GPT]
In addition you should read the blogs of Bethany and Lauren to the sections that you are planning to walk. Just browse their blogs to find what is relevant for you: [https://her-odyssey.org/blog/ Blog of her-odyssey.org]
====Gerald Kramer====
Hiked: All sections from GPT01 to GPT11
Link: [http://geraldtrekkt.blogspot.it/2017/04/greater-patagonian-trail-1-santiago-coya.html geraldtrekkt on blogspot]
Gerald is a highly experienced hiker who walked in many remote areas around the world. He learned about this trail though a common friend (Christine Thürmer, the German author of the book “Laufen, Essen, Schlafen”). When we got in touch I told him about the newly drafted but unverified fife northern sections (GPT01 to GPT05). He loved the idea to be the first to investigate and record them and so he did! When he reached the already verified part of the GPT he did not continue on the “path of least resistance” by following the already well documented regular route but instead he kept investigating and recording the more remote and mountainous options that I drafted mainly based on satellite images and accounts from local arrieros. He hikes without making a self-promotion-show out of it and this is a pleasant contrast to some others (that I’m not citing here!). His careful and humble attitude is key to appreciate the GPT. If you plan to walk the northern sections then I highly recommend reading his blog. He provides a very detailed account of the route and Gerald’s blog tells you in a personal and exemplary way what to expect when walking the GPT.
====Piia and Oliver====
Hiked: All sections from GPT06 to GPT22
Link: [https://www.nothingtwowrite.com/blog nothingtwowrite.com]
Piia and Oliver, a Finish-Canadian couple, walked sections GPT06 to GPT22 in about two month. Like Gerald Kramer they maximized their time on the trail by minimizing resupply stops, a strategy that we also apply and suggest to fully appreciate the trail. Piia and Oliver got food for about 10 days each time they had the opportunity and then walked often several sections in a row. I’m impressed how they moved on even when they got in overgrown terrain and how they managed the sometimes unpredictable nature of the GPT. Where others turned around they just kept going but in respectful and humble manner, a key attitude on the GPT.
====Garrett Martin, Robyn, Aljoscha and Anthony====
Hiked: GPT06 (partly), GPT07, GPT10-GPT12, GPT17, GPT18 (partly), GPT19, GPT22 (partly)
Link: [http://www.unboundedthefilm.com/journal/ unboundedthefilm.com]
Garrett, together with three other hikers came with the intention to create a documentary along the trail. Badly overloaded with camera gear and recording equipment they started on section GPT06 but did not make it very far. But in contrast to others that started with a similar intentions they did not give up but learned their lessons and adapted slowly to the trail. They downscaled but did not scrap their plans and picked the most attractive sections along the northern half of the GPT. In this way they still record several of the highlights of the GPT and took the time to meet the people along the trail. I have not seen yet the documentary but I’m looking forward to watch their work.
One lesson that I learned from Garrett and his hiking companions (and also others) is that if someone intents to make a film or a documentary along the trail then I will strongly recommend to first come one season without much camera gear to simply get to know the trail, the region and in particular the people. Be a silent observer first before you speak up to others!
==Trail Length and Trail Types==