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→Season 2022/23
==Season 2022/23==
* '''2023-Feb-04 to 2023-Feb-07 / 3.5 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Martin & Helena''' Great section, after a lot of forrest trails it was nice to see again something totally different and quite similiar to the landscape of GPT06. We were a little irresponsible with the water so better plan carefully. The beginning around the lake is just road walking with quite a lot of traffic, depending on the weekday, but its better to avoid it, we didn’t feel always safe with more cars passing by. There should be ferry that goes on the other side of the lake. Good restaurant at around km 2-3, the one with empanadas to go in the house above the restaurant (reealy good). We camped behind a gate at km 5.7, below one of the miradors. At Hueinahue we went down to the beach we have seen from the road, hoping to buy some food, but nothing was there except of crowds of people. We crossed the river to get back on the road, but it would have been better to return back really. MR continues for the next almost 30km, but its quite nice walking through forrest and around settlements. Food truck with empanadas and some drinks at km 23 was a nice surprise, but might be there only in summer. Great place to camp by laguna at km 31, but its shores are all muddy. Bridge at km 37 is the last reliable source of water so keep it in mind! When we got to the start of option 03, there was only locked gate and no one around at Hector and Neri’s place. Because of that we went with 03, and after 2 locked gates joined the CC variant and back on the RR. There is probably some tiny stream at the CC part but not easily accessible. The way up on the RR already was relatively easy with a few fallen trees that you can always walk around. We were hoping to find some water at km 53.5 or the one next to it but it was all dry already, just like many creeks that we have seen over the treeline. This became a problem for us, and the first water we found was at the big plateau you have to descent to in order to continue to the lava field and further. We didnt turn left at the beginning but continued straight to a few snowfields that are still big enough and on a hot day we could gather water from the snowmelt. From that point its about half a day to the next water (close to the start of descent down to the refugio and valley) so again good to take as much as you can. We didn’t have to pay anything at the end of the section as someone told us, this might be the case only in NOBO direction, or it was because we went there later in the evening. We camped on a yard of family living across the road for 5k CLP, they sell some basic food and its possible to have a shower there as well. Bus to Osorno and Entre Lagos as well leaves early in the morning around 7 AM we think but rather ask. Contact: @martin_hanzelka @helenneka * '''2023-JANFEB-10 - 2023-JANFEB-13 / 3 days / hiking / RR + volcan summit + termas - round trip from south / Louis, Rémi & Noé :'''
I wanted to precise one thing that I haven't understand : Santiago has a restaurant, near the road and a refuge (waypoint refuge no water). You have to check in at the restaurant to pay the 15k CLP /pers. This price includes a night in the refuge (there is nobody in there), access to volcano and a night at the camping near the restaurant (with cold shower for free).
Day 4 - Back to Restaurant El Caulle on RR - 32km - +1300m/-2400m A long day, even longer under the rain but doable. The restaurant was closed when we arrived (a Monday at 7pm). Santiago selled us basic food (pasta, sauce, eggs (a bit expensive)) and he opened the doors of his barn for us to sleep dry. The only bus going down from here to Osorno leaves at 7:30am.
* '''2023-JanFeb-05 04 to 2023-Feb-07 / 4 3.5 days / hiking Hiking / SOBO / RR / FrankMartin & Helena'''
* '''2023-JAN-28 - 2023-JAN-30 / 3 days / hiking / NOBO / Yannic & Mirjam'''
The path down from the Refugio is in good conditions. From Licán we got a ride directly to Puerto Montt.
* '''2023-Jan-05 / 4 days / hiking / SOBO / RR / Frank'''
I came from GPT18. Before Lago Maihue there are a couple of small shops & a restaurant. As you go around Lago Maihue on the road there are a lot of $ campsites, then the road climbs high above the lake before dropping to Rio Hueinahue. I forded the river easily & went down to Camping Rupimeca at the lake, about 1KM off route. Good cheap campsite, no electricity but they will charge your phone at the house. Next day I continued to Hector & Neri's house but they weren't around. I went in on the alternative route which goes right on a road just before Hector & Niri's place. It's marked private with two locked gates but there was no one there. Stream near the road but difficult to access - running in a gully & blocked by vegetation. After several attempts I was able to access the stream higher up & camped nearby. Just before the alternative route rejoins the RR from Hector & Niri's house there is a stream, if you drop down right a few hundred metres from RR onto the alternative route here you can get water. The water sources marked near the treeline were tiny stagnant pools & they are a bit off trail. However, in early January there was plenty of water above treeline from snowmelt. Did the spectacular traverse in one long day. The snowfields could be traversed or avoided fairly easily. Fill up with water before you descend to the hut. There was no water at the hut & on the trail out to the road the marked water sources were only tiny trickles. Carry a few litres of water up to the hut if you are NOBO. There was no one at the entrance & I hitched out to Entre Lagos.
* '''6 to 8 of January 2023 / Véronica / GPT19 RR SOBO / via GPT19-02 / 2.5 days
Route: Riñinahue - Los Venados - Refugio El Caulle - summit of Volcán Puyehue - Anticura'''
I loved seeing the drastic change in landscape and ecosystems on this section, from the life-filled rainforest to the stark desert-like altiplano.
From Panguipulli, I took the first bus to Los Lagos, which left at 8:40 a.m. There was no bus from Los Lagos to Futrono, so I hitchhiked instead. Then from Futrono I took a bus to Llifen, then hitched the rest of the way to Riñinahue. I wanted to start this section from Riñinahue (Option 2) in order to shave off some of the road walking on the Regular Route. I was lucky and caught a ride all the way to the bridge at km 37.3 over Río Nilahue. Getting to the trail took most of the day. I began to hike south on the regular route around 5 p.m.
I met Neri and Hector, very kind people. At first Hector was apprehensive about letting me hike onward because I was alone. But after explaining how far I'd walked and showing him my GPS and SPOT device, he agreed to let me through the park. I wrote down my name and contact info in the book/registry he keeps with Neri. I dry camped about a kilometer beyond their house.
After Hector and Neri's place, the path stops being MR and becomes TR through the lush Valdivian rainforest. Trail is in good condition. There are a few blowdowns, but they are relatively easy to go around, climb over, or crawl under.
The "water ?" waypoint north of the trail before the treeline is just a few shallow pools of stagnant water. It was cold and clear though, so I collected 2 litres for the upcoming Puyehue plateau. I didn't investigate the other "water ?" to the south. I definetly didn't have to carry that much, because I soon discovered the plateau still has many snow patches, and so there are lots of little snowmelt trickles pretty regularly. This may no longer be the case in a few weeks though.
The altiplano is desolate and beautiful, very reminiscent of Section 6. I found there was a decent path and footprints to follow up until the junction at km 56.1. There are impressive azufreras there! Afterwards it's all cross-country. I had no navigation issues. I found the terrain got more physically demanding the closer I got to the volcano, and climbing in and out of steep-walled dry arroyos was tiring.
The "water ?" at 68.6 km was flowing nicely. The next "water ?" at 69.2 km was non-accessible, because the ravine where it is located is currently covered by a giant snowfield. You'd have to go down quite a bit to get to where the water trickles out. There will be water there a long time, I'd say.
The "pass" waypoint was confusing to me, because I saw nothing there that looked like a pass. It's just a long traverse on the mountainside. About a kilometer south of this "pass" though, a trail reappears and it lasts all the way to the refugio El Caulle.
The weather was looking a bit unsettled, cloudy and windy, and I didn't know if it would rain or not, so I did a long day and camped at the refugio (the volcanic flank is quite exposed). I collected lots of water at the waypoint at km 71.8, so I didn't check to see if the spring below the refugio was running or not.
Early the next morning, the weather looked good, so I left most of my gear at camp and climbed Puyehue following Option 4. There are cairns most of the way up, and other footsteps/tracks to follow. It gets a bit steep in some places, but nothing too crazy. Poles definitely helped and having a light backpack too. The 800-m climb is definitely worth it! Amazing to see the surrounding mountains and valley clouds in the early morning light. Like Quetrupillan, the crater of Puyehue is filled with snow and ice. The climb from the refugio to the summit took me 1h45 min, including a short water/breakfast break on the way up. Downhill was easier and less sketchy than I expected, and that took an hour.
From El Caulle down to the road is a clear path, sometimes steep, down through the forest. The two water sources there were pretty much dry, just a bit of stagnant and muddy water. It has been very dry this past month, almost no rain. I crossed the gates at Santiago's house at the end, I didn't see anyone and no one charged me entry for the park. I hitched easily to Entre Lagos and will be skipping down to GPT22.
==Season 2021/22==
