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[[File:GPT01-P0115.jpg|thumb|500px|right|GPT06: The volcanos Descabezado Grande and Cerro Azul with the Laguna Caracol to their feet. Image: Jan Dudeck]]

[[File:GPT06-P0005.jpg|thumb|500px|GPT11: Araucaria trees in the Pehuenche homeland. Image: Jan Dudeck]]

[[File:GPT13-P0028.jpg|thumb|500px|GPT18: Cross Country walking on volcanic ash at Cordon Caulle after recent eruption. File: Jan Dudeck]]

The Greater Patagonian Trail (GPT) is a long-distance route network in the southern Andes that spans from the outskirts of Santiago all the way to southern Patagonia.

Matgorzata (Gosia) Gmerek and Paul Bostelmann: “The Greater Patagonian Trail Network is a challenging and rewarding adventure that leads one through diverse and breathtaking scenery. Far from crowds and often without seeing other people for days this experience was without a doubt the highlight of our hiking career. Packrafting and exploring the beautiful lakes and rivers allows to reach even deeper into these wonderful and wild ecosystems. This is no ordinary hike and absolute self-reliance and wilderness experience is a must.”

==Information to the GPT==

The GPT is an informal route network therefore you will not find any “official” information. In the following I list all relevant resources that help to understand the GPT and to get prepared for an adventure on this trail system.

This Wikiexplora article to the GPT is the internet gateway to this trail system. It is the first semi-official landing point for anyone searching information online and provides an introduction to the GPT. Wikiexplora is the cradle where the GPT publication started in 2014 and remains the “online home”.

The GPT route network (with currently more than 20’000 km of tracks) is divided into approx. 90 sections. Collecting and updating all essential information to all these sections can’t impossibly be done by a single author but requires the continuous collaboration of the community. To enable such a collaboration one Wikiexplora article was created for each section of the GPT. These wikies collect all the section specific information and are open for edits and additions by all GPT hikers. So hikers that enjoy writing can become a co-author by editing the section descriptions after their return from the GPT.

To promote an active collaboration, all GPT hikers must sign up in Wikiexplora in order to get access to the GPT track files.

The Greater Patagonian Trail is composed of existing routes that were mainly made by the local settlers to serve their purposes. Hikers are unexpected guests on many of these trails. Only smaller parts of these routes have some kind of trail markers.

The GPT Facebook Group is a communication platform for past, present and prospective GPT adventurers. Here all hikers can announce their intended plans, seek other hikers to form small groups, post brief summaries after completing a section or simply ask questions.

To become member of the [http://bit.ly/GPTfacebook GPT Facebook Group] you need a Facebook account and request access: http://bit.ly/GPTfacebook

With this Hikers’ Manual and the article on Wikiexplora I aim to create a systematic introduction and comprehensive documentation of the GPT. I intentionally try not to overload these documents with personal stories from the trail.

The Hikers' Manual provides in chapters 3.7 Distinct Contributors and 3.8 Publications to the GPT a collection of links to videos and blogs that I consider particularly useful.

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[[File:GPT36H-Ruta_de_los_Pioneros.jpg|thumb|500px|GPT36H: Poorly maintained historic horse trail "Ruta de los Pioneros". Image: Jan Dudeck]]

[[File:GPT16-Quetrupillan.jpg|thumb|500px|GPT16: Circling the volcano Quetrupillan with the volcano Villarica in the background. Image: Jan Dudeck]]

The Greater Patagonian Trail is not a hiking trail. Yes, you read correctly so let me repeat one more time: '''The GPT is not a hiking trail.'''

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[[File:Pat_map.PNG|thumb|400px|Limits of Patagonia. Image: [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonia Wikipedia]]]

[[File:Historic_Map_Patagonia.jpg|thumb|400px|Historic map of Patagonia. Image: [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonia Wikipedia]]]

If you are considering exploring the Greater Patagonian Trail and wish to enjoy the experience, you must be open to experiencing the unknown diversity of this region. If your imagination of Patagonia is based on TV documentaries and travel magazine than you probably have seen primarily these three heavily hyped tourist magnets:

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[[File:GPT09-Familia_Carrileo1.jpg|thumb|right|500px|GPT09: The summer outpost ("puesto") of the Pehuenche family Carrileo near Guallalí. Image: Jan Dudeck]]

[[File:GPT09-Familia_Carrileo2.jpg|thumb|right|500px|GPT09: Being guest of the family Carrileo. Image: Jan Dudeck]]

'''This trail was not created to thru-hike Patagonia, it's a route network for immersion-hiking. The GPT does not get you through Patagonia but gets you deep into Patagonia.'''

Michael Deckebach summarized this conclusion after his 5-months adventure on the GPT with the following words: "The Greater Patagonian Trail is awesome, but (...) not designed for “purists” who get satisfaction from completing every inch of trail or touching every white blaze. Can it be done? Probably, but why try and fit a square peg into a round hole?”.

==Questions and Feedbacks==

Email of author: gpt.jan.dudeck@gmail.com