GPT40 (Glaciar Viedma)

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* Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or Packrafting / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias

Summary with remarks to route that are considered useful for other hikers and packrafters. Include alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties.

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Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions

Season 2022/23

• 2023-Apr-08 to 2023-Apr-11 / 4 days / RR / SOBO / Arthur, Rémi, Noé & Louis

Such a wonderful section ! One of our favorite ! Incredible views on the glaciers, with autumn's colors it was amazing !

It is recommended by the guardaparques to have good weather on day 2 and 3 (for the passes), no cloud and no wind for us : perfect.

We rented 1 harness for the 2 zip lines (day 2 and 4). 1 harness per group is sufficient but you have to rent a thin rope too in case the one in the pulley is broken. It is really worth it because the feeling is so good ! (We rented at Viento Oeste, north of San Martin street, the cheapest according to a friend).

The thin rope is very helpful to suspend all your bags and things in camps. You have to do it because mice are at every camp and the will destroy your bag, your tent or whatever has food inside. This is the only annoying point of this section.

About the trail : easy to follow, except when you have to walk on the glacier on day 2, it can be a bit challenging. Take care, do not go if there is fresh snow all over the glacier.

The way down the paso Huemul on day 3 is very steep too.

Do not forget to register online with the guardaparques (and to check out when you return !).

• 2023-Mar-30 to 2023-Apr-01 / 3 days / El Chaltén counter clockwise / Anna & Christopher

We did the Huemul Circuit in 3 days. We started around 9 a.m. planning to camp at the Biwak Túnel the first night. The weather turned out to be so nice that we decided to continue and do the Paso del Viento the first day.

The trail until the first Tyrolean traverse was really good even though it was partially covered in snow. We crossed the river easily by foot. After that the trail up to the pass gets more demanding and slower. Once you reach the Glaciar Túnel Inferior navigation gets more difficult. There are different paths and we firstly followed one going up and down on the gravel. It's probably easier to take the path on the glacier from the beginning on. We reached the pass at sunset and had an absolutely amazing view.

We decided to camp at the end of Laguna Ferrari (to avoid the mice problem at the main campsites). The path to the lake was demanding, because the slope was covered with lot of snow and it was dark. At the campsite there are lots of well protected spots for tents.

The next day we slept pretty long to recover from the previous big day and with better weather than anticipated we walked until km 39.3. There are two really good camping spots, one at the edge of the trees and one inside the small forest. No mice there.

The steep trail down wasn't super easy and must be hard during rain. The second river crossing at km 54 was much more demanding. We crossed it further east of the Tyrolean, where the river divides in multiple branches. There the water went below Annas hips (1,63m). We walked to the viewpoint at km 62.4. Lots of people watched the sunset there with a great view of Fitz Roy and it was easy to get a ride for the last 2 km to El Chaltén.

• 2023-Mar-10 to 2023-Mar-13 / 4 days / RR / SOBO / El Chaltén anticlockwise / Ondrej

I had the luxury of being able to wait for a good weather window and it really payed out. My hike was easy with magnificent views when climbing up to Paso del Viento. I even had a tranquil lunch at the top. The glacier walk and the snowy peaks are stunning.

However, I believe gpt40 can turn into hell in windy weather or if camping outside the wind-sheltered camps. I met several people in El Chaltén who had to turn back because the wind didn’t let them climb up to the pass. One couple also had their tent teared apart in the middle of the night at Bahía de Hornos. If you can, avoid camping there for the last night. Instead, camp at Bahía de Tempános which offers far better wind protection.

I enjoyed the recommended 4 day length. Each day section took me around 5-6 hours of walking. I believe that especially Day 1 and 2 could be combined into one (El Chaltén - Refugio del Viento) if the weather is favourable.

Mice seem to be present at all of the official camps - best is to hang your food, cooking utensils and hygienne stuff on a tree away from your tent and avoid eating in your tent. I did that and had no problems with the animals, while some of my companions got holes bitten into their tents and other stuff.

I rented harness and carabiniers for the tyrollean traverse at Viento Oeste. The traverse was fun to use and I was happy that I didn’t need to ford the cold rivers. Recommended!

• 2023-Mar-06 to 2023-Mar-07 / 2 days / Laguna Toro out and back / Will

This is a tough one, I didn't make it. I waited out a few rainy days in town until the park office told me we had a good two day window.

I spent the first night at Laguna Toro. Be careful of mice there. Quite a bit of rain and snow, but still too warm for the snow to stay on the ground. The next day we (25 or so tourists) set out to attempt the pass.

I crossed the river on foot right by the zip line, the water was below my knees at noon. Painfully cold though. I climbed up until I got a view of the first glacier at which point the wind was too strong for me to trust my footing. I went back to the first camp planning to wait and try again the next day.

Just after setting up the wind tore down a big green tree branch, which crushed and ripped my tent. Thankfully I wasn't inside. Walked back to El Chaltén in defeat.

I guess that's the end of my GPT hike. It's been amazing, other than the miserable weather down here in the south!

• 2023-Feb-21 to 2023-Feb-24 / 4 days / GPT40 RR counter clockwise / Véronica & Zach

Route: Centro de Visitantes - Laguna Toro - Paso del Viento - Paso Huemul - Bahía de los Témpanos - Centro de Visitantes

We hiked the Huemul Circuit in 4 days as recommended by the Park officials. You could do it in less, but it is so beautiful and it was nice not to rush and to take it all in. The park staff also informed us of the expected weather conditions. You only really need favourable weather on the 2d and 3d day, going over the two passes. It was extremely windy when we went, knocking me off my feet at times.

I enjoyed having my microspikes for the crossing of Glaciar Túnel, allowing me to explore a bit further up on the ice, but they are not necessary. From the top of Paso Del Viento, the view of the Southern Patagonian Icefield is awe-inspiring, but there are no good sheltered spots at or near the top to pause and admire the view for very long before the descent.

The Paso del Viento Camp (second night) is the most exposed of the camps, the tent sites are semi-protected by low rock walls, and some are better than others. The trail is easy to follow and is well-marked.

We rented harnesses and cord for the Tyrolean traverses from the gear shop Viento Oeste, at 1,400 pesos per person per day. The cord was 250 extra pesos per day. It was fairly straightforward to figure out how the cable crossings worked. The first crossing of Río Túnel on day 2 seemed fordable, but not the second one on day 4. That Tyrolean traverse also did not have a rope to pull the pulley back, so we were glad to have one.

This is the link to register for the trek online: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfP8lEz5ry97gEK6fzx2mlu1NAhPwBx8cRlnSZOH8mx8iUMHA/viewform

• 2023-Unknown / Helen and Craig

Big forest fire around the 3rd bay near iceberg bay. Circuit was closed for a bit. Unsure on how well it's recovering. Have a chat with the rangers before leaving.

• 2023-Jan-08 / Alexis, Iris

Same as below, follow the trail when it differs from the trace. Beware that on Day 2, the Paso del Viento can be very windy and you should check the weather forecast before leaving.

• 2023-Jan-04 to 2023-Jan-07 / 4 days / Helen and Craig (plus 8 trail friends!) Gabby, James, Hannah, Jess, Julia, Jacob, Caro and Ali.

>Trail was very easy to find.

>Wind guru was for us completely unreliable. Very strong winds to the point of blowing us off path for minutes at a time whilst predictions were minimal forecast. Heed advice from rangers.

>First river crossing was impassable. Worth bringing harnesses for zipline (worth it for the fun) The far far end of el chalten there's a shop called vende oste where we found good rates of hiring harnesses.

>If it's windy on the 3rd day pitch up in the iceberg bay bivi site rather than the second site. We stopped earlier than the rest of the gang due to being a bit tired. We had very peaceful night in strong winds where friends at the next site a hellish night. Iceberg bay was also my number one campsite of all GPT40-30! Watching icebergs flip to the sunset after a long dusty day of slipping sliding and being gusted off the path by winds on the mornings pass. This place is a true refuge for the soul.

>Ferry not running so not many options to hitchhike back to chalten for last part of last day. The liberal use of gaiters on trainers also recommend. Lots of spiky grass seeds and burrs on last days

> Very much worth the wait for a weather window. Incredibly diverse veiws. The glacier walk was a one of kind! Veiws of the ice field kinder the feeling of being about a small at a ant.

• 2022-Dec-15 / 3 days / RR anticlockwise / Frank

The river above Laguna Toro was waist deep & v fast, it nearly knocked me over. Not recommended to cross in the afternoon. In the early morning it may be only knee deep. Bring the harness anyway & learn how to use it, you may need it. On the glacier stay near the edge, people tend to go too far out. At the far side you should see footprints & cairns leading to the moraine. Camped @ small high camp just after exiting the moraine (Vivac Tunel) There are a few stone corrals there. Lined the tent with rocks - pegs alone will pop. Good & sheltered camping @ Laguna Toro & after Paso del Viento @ Refuge but I went from high camp over Paso's Viento & Huemul in 1 long day. Only a little snow @ Paso del Viento & easy to cross. Very windy on Paso Huemul in the afternoon. Steep & loose descent, slow going but I saw 2 huemul. Amazing views of the Icecap between the two passes. Campsite @ Iceberg Bay one of the best on GPT. You can watch the bergs that calve off the icefield breaking up. At lower Rio Tunel we forded 300M downstream from the cable where the river is braided into channels. OK to cross @ noon, knee deep & fast but you need to pick a good spot. Definitely not fordable @ the cable where it runs deep in a single channel. Challenging hike but incredible views of the Icecap.

• 2022-Dec-16 / Frank

Watch video of the hike @ national park office. Bring a harness & learn how to do a Tyrolean traverse before you go. Where the trail differs from the track file it's easier to follow the trail which is generally good & clear. You are required to register online for the trek (link given by Veronica & Zach) & sign out at the national park office when you are finished.

Season 2019/20

• 2020-Jan-12 / Oreste Marquis

Verify the wind forecast! The hills are so steep, strong wind could be dangerous! There’s no snow anymore and you will not need crampons.

• 2019-Nov-6 / Lea Geibel, Kevin Moe

Equipment for Zip Line to cross rivers is not required anymore since this season. Most of the season the rivers are possible to cross on foot Paso Viedma had a decent amount of snow on it (Snow Line at 1000m), the ascent is straightforward but the descent on the side facing the ice field can be really iced over and difficult without crampons (ask at Visitor Center of the NP for current conditions)

Links to other Resources

Retired Section Article GPT40 - Glaciar Viedma

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