722
ediciones
Cambios
→Season 2023/24
- Weather : Sunny
- Resupply : in Pucon to start and in Conaripe at the end of the section
* '''2024-Jan-02 to 07 / 5 days / Hiking / SOBO / Hueall Andinda plus new options / Natalie & Tomáš'''
[Note 2024 November: This is not in the GPT yet at all, but it is in our suggestions in the 2024 Track files. This is a start of an alternative Argentinian route connecting GPT16 all the way to GPT21. In our opinion, for hikers it is probably better as it involes a lot less roadwalking and is very scenic (and the roadwalking there is is mostly easily hitchable). It might be slightly mode difficult than the RR. This is especially useful when coming from the Villarica traverse. What follows is roughly what corrresponds to GPT16 to middle of GPT18, next log is in GPT18H.]
In summary, we crossed the border into Argentina from Pucon and gained a ridge beneath Lanin's east face and traversed it towards a hiking trail in Argentina known as "Cara Sur Volcán Lanin". We then utilized the Huella Andina (HA) to end in San Martin. It took us ~5 days.
Day 1: Pucon-border-camp 1
From Pucon we took the Pullman Bus ("IGI LLAIMA") heading to San Martin, Argentina. It is the only company going to Argentina and leaves at 11:00am. I figured it would be the easiest way to cross the border and also the most likely way to keep food from being checked. It worked but it was slow and expensive (19 thousand CLP per person). They never ended up asking about food in the end, but the bus driver told us no fresh food was allowed and to make sure to have your PDI paper (a photo of it works too). The bus driver let us out at the National park guards for the Lanin park (we failed to explain we wanted to get off 2 km down the road). Luckily nobody at the park asked us what we were doing. We just continued walking on the road and got a hitch 2km to the start of the route. It took about 4hours to get from Pucon to the start, border time waits will vary. There just so happened to be a locked gate where we started and an old road, we jumped over it and prepared our things under some Aracaurias.
It looked as if there were many options for access but we decided against following any of the side ridge lines and instead aimed for a green bushy bowl at the top of a gentle valley in front of us. The valley is between a highly cliffy ridge to the right (the first one post Lanin) and a slightly rocky ridge on the left. There was an old road that took us to the base of the slope. The road goes along a circle, one might want to go directly cross country. Anyway, then we marched up the first steep slope through low shrubbery. On top we then made an ascending traverse to the left side of the valley, crossing through a fairly recent burn zone and a creek that runs in the middle. Despite the trees down, the walking was still pleasant, there were cow tracks here and there that we could follow. Looking from top of the first hill where the burnt Araucarias are, there was a nice non bushy c-shaped curve on the left of the creek that looked like it would take you in nicely.
To get to the top of the ridge (or green bowl as I say) you will have to cross some shrubbery but it was never terrible, only ~300m of rather easy bush bashing. However, getting from the creek to the shrubbery was rather steep. We followed a sloped washout, it was a mixture of steep rock (mostly solid) and hollow dirt, which seemed to enjoy engulfing your leg at times (postholing through dirt). I wouldn't worry about it too much, but to some it may be uncomfortably steep.
We made camp at the top of the ridge in a grassy plateau with water (-39.63637, -71.43107), unfortunately it was very windy.
Day 2 - Camp 1 - lanin Traverse - Lago Paimun
The next day we ascended a bit above camp and then followed underneath a ridgeline and made a long traverse with mild up and downs to the main pass before the ugly moraine part near one of Lanin's SE glacier's (-39.66646, -71.47695). The traverse before the moraine was easy, one could take many ways, the terrain was simple and there was lots of water. The moraine however had more obstacles and the hanging glacier up high made crossing in the mid day heat feel a bit intimidating. My main worry was crossing Arroyo Rucu Leufu near the end, my plan was to cross it high but since there was still solid snow covering it, we crossed it easily (breaking through was not a worry but if it happened it would have terrible consequences, therefore maybe aim to cross it higher than where we crossed, when snow is gone, fording should be easier). For the moraine crossing, one could traverse it high or low. My plan was to cross low where the moraine walls were less steep but we did a bit of both, Tomáš traversed closer to the 2000m mark and it was fine for him, I dropped down to see how the lower slopes were and I was happier on them. However if you go low you will have to climb back up no further than the moraine rib ~ here (-39.67443, -71.48657) as it is the one before Arroyo Rucu Leufu.
Once we hit the lookout trail on the other side the 10km decent went very fast. Apart from the unnecessary river crossing we did twice; the signage and gps are misleading and make you ford the river twice but there is a trail now that stays on the west side of the river, no need to cross. Near the end of the trail we took a dirt road on our right to get to camping Mawizache faster. I was told this camping had good food, but I wish we had just gone straight to the boat crossing and camped on the other side. However, bcs of this we never crossed the park entrance so noone ever ended up asking questions...
At Mawizache we had our first taste of bizarre Argentina currency exchange. The camping was an okay price (2mil each) but the dinner ended up costing us a lot more than expected. I had changed a 50us bill to Argentina pesos in Pucon but it was such a terrible rate (25000pesos for a 50, almost half of what I should have gotten) that I could not even afford to buy the dinner. Because of this we had to pay with a 50usd bill or 100usd bill bcs anything less cannot be exchanged in Argentina. We got the change back in pesos at a rate around ~1usd:650pesos. Long story short, it sorted itself out and it was nice to have a dinner on the lake, the trout and wine was excellent but she forgot to make two other dishes we ordered. We bought some white bread loafs from the man at the camping for 1mil each.
Day 3: Lago Paimun - Termas Camping
As for the next day, we crossed Lago Paimun by the little boat with a bell (-39.74619, -71.52482). It cost 3mil each bcs we were not staying at the campsite. Another reason we should have crossed the night before (hours for the boat bell system are 8-13:00 and 15:00-20:30). The camp there is run by a large family, they had bread and probably other food as well. We had to register our names and then the elder showed us the start of the Huella Andina trail behind her house.
The Huella Andina trail was signed and easy to follow. The first half of it on the way to the road was super fast and then near the end it became more slow and slightly grown over, but never terrible. Only one river ford.
The border road that this trail shoots you out on is closed for car traffic, it seemed. There is a barricade at the border checkpoint and no one stationed there. After the checkpoint the road becomes very much a "road" and seems to see a lot of vehicle traffic. We arrived at the hotsprings almost too early as there were a few groups. The hotsprings were once taken care of, now abandoned. There is this incredibly annoying wooden walkway that takes you to them (~800m) and then if you continue on it you get to the camping. The walkway is falling apart in places and there is a small suspension bridge that I hope does not collapse on somebody. We had dinner and got water by this suspension bridge and went back to the hotsprings when everyone was gone. The main one is bath water temperature (it is the largest and with a wooden patio like feature). There is another one maybe 30m before that is more dirty but warmer. The other ones that exist are way too hot, I think they are 60-70 degrees.
Instead of walking back we followed the broken walkway to the Termas camping and slept there. Didn't realize untill the morning it was payed camping, so we payed 2mil each.
Day 4: Termas- Achen Niyeu area -camp near pass
The road was not so bad, we got a hitch for the last 5km. Lots of cars going up to the hot springs but it was a bit too early for downward traffic. Laguna Verde is very popular and we thought they would charge us a day rate so we tried to cross the lagoon where it was narrow - that was a fail, too deep. They didn't charge us anyways so it was a waste of time but they did need us to register. Apart from trying to avoid Laguna Verde, it actually was a nice place in the end. The owners are a young and easy to get along with couple, their shop had lots of treats like pizza, bread, muffins and other basics. The rest of the day was slow for us as we were trying to plan an alternative ridge traverse but then the weather started to move in so we just hid our bags and went up Achen Niyeu quickly. The way down was probably the closest I will get to skiing this year. The plateau around Achen Niyeu was an incredibly beautiful volcanic landscape, easy to sit and admire for some time. Due to weather and Tomáš 's leg acting up we made an early camp in the trees on the other side of the pass. There is a tarped shelter set up where we camped, either for emergencies or for someone else (-39.88473, -71.54229).
Day 5 pass camp- bush camp
We may have missed the rain but we definitely had to deal with the consequences the next morning. The trail is still in good shape down from the pass but since it is still bushy and muddy in spots we got drenched from wet grass and leaves. The refugio Rincón de los pinos would have been a nice place to camp and so would have Auquinco. We went to Auquinco thinking it would be abandoned, but we wanted to see the state of the trail that supposedly goes around the lake, we were hoping there was a chance one could cross Lago Lolog to get to the other trails on the opposite side. It does not look like this is possible without weeks/months worth of machete work. There was a man, a citizen park-ranger or something like that, who was called Juan and based at Auquinco for the summer. He had a funny character and was very welcoming. He offered coffee and a place above his fire to dry our things and also told us no one has used those trails around the lake for at least 10 years.[November 2024: Tomáš has since removed that noexistent trail from OSM, it went west along the northern shore of Lago Lolog.] We enjoyed the pretty surroundings and then headed to the end of the trail near "bush camp" (40.0211644S, 71.3612525W) for our final night. The bush camp is just a few spots in the lake shore, no services, since it is free, but it is far nicer than the paid camping (7.5mil).
Next day we hitched back to San Martin easily.
* '''2023-29-12 / 4 days / Hiking / SOBO / option 1 and 4 / Jens '''
