5
ediciones
Cambios
Magdalena Tim 2025
==Season 2024/25==
* '''Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting</span> / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias'''
* '''2025-01-16 to 2025-01-24/ 9 days (including one rest day, excluding multiple hitchhiking days!) / Hiking / NOBO / EXP43, New Route, RR, option 1/ Magdalena & Tim'''
We walked a new route in the GPT42 area from Settler {42} [#3/385] to Estancia Helsingfors in 9 days including one rest day.
We started with some EXP 43-03 but soon leave the track for a probably safer but slower alternative. We connect to Lago Tannhauser and from there walk the same route as described by Robin Marcille.
We hitched on Ruta Provincial 19 to Settler {42} [#3/385].
It took around 7 hours until we met a car going to the end of the road.
One inhabitant in the settler hut invites us enthusiastically to stay the night. They have no livestock, they are working for Solo Patagonia, a tourism company, to build and extend the road (OH-MR&CC-V {43-02}) to a viewpoint over the lake. CC can probably already be removed from the track, although we didn't walk it.
In a year or so they say tours will go there by boat from Puerto Bandera. Then a bus will shuttle tourists up to the viewpoint, where many condors breed. They are working in shifts, we met their colleagues earlier who left by car in the morning.
Day1: We start walking NOBO on the old MR (km 26.4). Easy Walking but not boring. At km 24.1 there is a easy ford, afterwards the track fords the tributary as well, while we stay on the southern side. There are many cow paths either way probably.
Now EXP 43-03 starts.
As we get above the treeline there is some moderate scrambling needed to get further up. S 50.07576°, W 072.93645°
Soon after we leave the track for a bit to ascend via this pass, which looks easier. S 50.07086°, W 072.95873°
From the high plateau we try to ascend to the ridge at S 50.04458°, W 072.95789°. We abort quickly as the wind gets too strong to be safe (over 80kmh?) and it's getting late. I can't really say if it's doable, maybe with low winds.
We descend for ~3km on 43-03B and enter a small sidevalley to the north, hoping for a sheltered campsite. We camp between two glacial lakes at S 50.04525°, W 072.99735°. The spot is somewhat sheltered from 3 sides, but strong gusts regularly hit our tent from all directions. We build a small stonewall, which helps to get some sleep.
A very small tent or bivouac bag could find a better spot in between the boulders above.
Day2: from here we ascend to the east up towards EXP 43-03. We see lots of Guanaco tracks on the way, so that was reassuring. No major difficulties except the wind until the pass at S 50.03497°, W 072.96812°.
From here EXP43-03 is not possible. A rocky steep outcrop is blocking the way: S 50.03390°, W 072.97002°
To go around, we descend 40m and reascend to another pass at
S 50.03267°, W 072.97092°. Only the final bit is difficult, very steep, loose sand. Luckily it is somehow completely windstill (in our case).
We easily descend to camp, finally in the wind protected forest at S 50.01617°, W 072.99547°.
Day 3:
We ascend on decent cow trails to a pass at S 50.00991°, W 073.01324°. Once in the beautiful high valley, the going is pretty easy and fast. We see a herd of cows as well as guanaco. Via another easy pass (S 49.94691°, W 073.01142°) we reach Lago Tannhauser.
From here we take the same route as described by Robin, so I'll keep it shorter. We descend and camp at S 49.93053°, W 073.09374°.
Day 4:
Since we don't have a permit, we are quite scared to walk with 2km of Ea. Christina and its ranger station. We meet employees of the estancia three times (Guides with dayhikers twice and once someone leading horses to the estancia), but they did not seem overly suspicious. Afterwards we didn't meet anyone.
Once we reach Refugio Pascale, we are still worried a ranger might search for us, so we camp instead a bit further.
Day 5: it's supposed to be raining most of the day, so we decide to do a rest day. We still have enough food, we had planned for the EXP section to take longer.
Day 6:
I think we see Robin's footsteps from 3 weeks before and follow them towards Cerro Yumil and over the pass to it's east. The views of the glacier are awesome, definitely happy that we waited for better weather.
Day 7: in the morning there's a fraction of the water in the river. Robin described the way up to the pass as difficult, not in our case, probably we found an easier way. There's a old trail all the way up and over the pass, maintained mainly by cows I assume. We camp near Camp {42} [25.1/677]
Day8: at the small lake (S 49.74042°, W 073.07323°) as Robin recommended we stick to the Western shore without problems.
The ascend to the pass directly after was very hard for us, dangerously steep loose rocks, maybe the hardest of the trip. Maybe we took a bad route up. The valley after was definitely the least fun of the trip 😬. super thorny BB. The trail is almost completely overgrown and if you find it, it won't really help much. After the second pass out gets easier CC although we still found the trail here and there. Once lower we face very hard BB again, up to chest high, but at least not as thorny. We camp at S 49.70767°, W 073.04438° decently wind protected. Might be swampy if it has been raining.
Day 9: don't try to CC directly to the beach like we did from our camp, it's steep cliffs and CC back to the track is blocked by a ravine. At the beach campsite [13.6/254] a trail starts marked with cairns. Around S 49.69399°, W 073.00547° we lose the trail, it's quite overgrown, we don't find any good way. Afterwards it's easy until Ea. Helsingfors.
Getting back from Ea. Helsingfors:
We discuss with the dueño Nico and one other employee our options to get back. They are very nice. The only guests left a day ago and the next ones will arrive in 3 days or so. A taxi is not an option for our budget..
Traffic is nonexistent.
Nico offers us food if we decide to walk and ask the other estancias. We take him up on it, we only had food for one meal left. Nico gives us food to walk for 2-3 days. We start walking in the evening and ask at Ea. Los Hermanos if we can camp there. We are invited in instead. No one is going back to Ruta 40 from them.
At estancia Santa Teresita the son of the dueño agrees to drive us to La leona for 70k Pesos (~70US$). His family rents and operates various estancias in the area.
From la leona we hitchhike to El Chaltén.
*'''GPT 42 - Uppsala - NOBO - 20/12/24 - 24/12/24 - Robin & Manon - New option + RR + Option 1 - 4.5 days - 2 persons permit'''
=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=
Tim & Magdalena January 20242025:Nothing changed. Permits for the area are only given for groups of 3 minimum. That's why we went without permit. Robin got a permit from a ranger who wasn't aware of the policy. The rangers we talked to have heard of their colleagues mistake.
Frank 14-12-2023
