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GPT14 (Volcan Sollipulli)

2025-02-07T13:02:40Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

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<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

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=Overview=

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

* '''2025-02-02 to 2025-02-05 / 4 days / NOBO / Huerquehue - Sollipulli traverse / Celio, Amalia '''

We did the huerquehue sollipulli traverse as suggested by Tomas and Natalie report.
First of all thanks to them for this option!
It's a very beautiful traverse but demanding on the south to north summit traverse of the sollipulli.

Huerquehue :
From Pucón there is 3 buses going to the entrance of the park (8:30am 12am and 16:30pm). There is 3 also living the park (around 1h later than the previous). Pucon was crowded and we decided to stay at the beginning of the trail at camping Olga (amazing place, no wifi and electricity btw, 9000$ each). When you get to the park entrance they will ask you your reservation at the camping and then ask you what's your trail plan and check your reservation for the park.
There we just said that we planned to do the lagos loop, since the traverse is not authorized anymore. We had reserved the entrance in advance for the next day ( careful on monday the park is closed...).
The next day we started early and went by the control "nido de aguila" by 9am and no one was there so we kept going. Once in laguna Huerquehue it's easy to follow the trail going down the other side (blues dots, overgrown a bit). You get to the old camping place reñahue and met with the trail going to termas rio blanco that's well maintained. We stayed at eco termas rio blanco, 15000$ each, amazing therms!

Next day we followed the dirt road (you pass an old lumber exploitation) until 39.105063° S 71.545074° W. There is a sign saying laguna isolde, there start the trail. Note that you will come over several gates on the dirt road but we asked 2 persons and it's supposedly not a problem. At laguna isolde if you want to reach the shore, seek for the middle west shore, there is a trail following a dry rocky river bed that take you to the shore and a fire place. People camp there.
After that the trail go down to the gravel road, that you follow 2km on the east until you find the start of the lago cochor trail (there is a sign for it).
Going up lago cochor is a very nice trail well maintained and beautiful. Lago cochor is a perfect place to camp and we were not alone! 5 other tent.

Sollipulli traverse :
Next day we started the sollipulli traverse. There is a visible trail until you get out of the forest then it's less visible until the summit.
At the beginning to avoid the small detour just after lago cochor we shortcut in the forest staying on the ridge (savimg a few meter and elevation) 39.037476° S 71.553153° W.

After the south summit start the Tomás and Natalie suggestion track for the traverse.
Careful!
It's getting more demanding from this point, more alpine terrain and at the beggining there is a small downclimbimg (going Nobo) to do on a 4m wall. I guess it's was not there when Tomás did it earlier in the season with more snow. It's here 38.999587° S 71.520148° W.
This is where we find out to be the easiest. I guess someone can try higher up on the snow but it's quite steep and on the map is shown as a Glaciar, even if I doubt there is still crevasses...
After that it's walking mostly on moraine ground and volcanic rocks. I recommend to take the lower option of Tomás and especially here, 38.994149° S 71.499742° W, as the more higher option is exposed on a steep snow slope where a fall could "hurt" you.
Also be careful to strictly follow is track here 38.978334° S 71.491617° W, since on the west or east it's a cliff. The way down is steep but on loose rock where you can "ski" down. If you want to avoid it you have to go way more east than the semi transparent blue track of Tomás. Around here I'll say 38.978328° S 71.487167° W.
After this it get easier and we camp at the blue lake just down southeast of the north summit. Next day we joined the option 1 and went down the north face to the park ranger then the gravel road and hitchhiked to melipeuco.

This traverse is probably a lot more scenic than the RR but it's demanding and require skills on alpine terrain especially later in the season when there is less snow and with that downclimbimg involved.

* '''2025-01-17 to 2025-01-18 / 2 days / NOBO / RR / Tobias '''

First night I camped next to Río Machín (-39.03706, -71.46988), 2 km before “Police” {14} [49.3/1000]. There was no police. But at the next Puesto {14} [48.4/1078] the owner wrote down my name. Did not need to pay there. Went up the pass and took option 1 for getting up to Vulcan Sollipulli. Easy trail, amazing place up there!! Then I went down where the conaf trail starts. Rangers did not put any attention on me. I went to hot springs (-38.89384, -71.49345), because I thought about staying there. The owner showed me the place, full of algas and the water is cold, so I continued. Stayed at Camp {14} [22.4/1158] after 38 km of walking. Next day I continued 17 km to laguna chica de Icalma, where I continue packrafting in some days with Mara. For the overgrown part I recommend long trousers. Beautiful section, no bad surprises.

* ''' 2025-JAN-02 > 03 / 1,5 jours / Randonnée / SOBO / 14-A > RR / Pierre-Marie '''

Etape : GPT14+GPT15+GPT16+GPT17+GPT18+GPT19
| Meteo : soleil
| Eau : facile
| Neige : non
| Intérêt : 2/5
| Difficulté : 0/5
| Danger : aucun

Bus Bio-Bio pour Lonquimay le 01 à 11h30, puis bus le 02 à 14h pour Cruzaco, puis auto-stop jusqu'au point X {14-A} [6.8/1319] (compliqué de sortir du GPT...). La rando est top et la piste en parfait etat. Je voulais relier les pistes 14-01 et 14-01B en traversant le cratère du volcan, mais le gardien du parc m'a dit que c'etait impossible. Je suis donc passé par la vallée. Pas de pont au km 33,5 mais facile a traverser. Après le col au km 42, la rando n'est plus interessante. C'est de la gravel road jusqu'a la fin.

*'''2024-DEC-29 to 2024-DEC-31 / 2 day / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Ivan, Jakub, Daniel'''

This is a relatively easy stage with one challenging BB section; the rest is mostly along MR.

We departed from Villa Icalma in the afternoon, carrying food supplies for two days. The first night we stayed at a campsite {13} [35.2/1172], where we paid 10,000 CLP for one tent. The locals warned us about the risk of forest fires and asked us not to light any fires.

At coordinates (-38.8421396, -71.3628436), there is a log bridge to cross the stream. The following TL section is heavily overgrown and littered with fallen trees. Progress was slower here, but the path was still navigable. At the end of this overgrown part, we took a detour to a small, picturesque lake (-38.8676092, -71.3797418), where we refilled our water supplies. There were also a few picnic tables.

At coordinates (-38.8892305, -71.4503356), we encountered a locked gate that we had to climb over. At Lodge Nevados de Sollipulli [33.4/1188], basic food supplies are available for purchase. However, the nearby bridge [33.8/1188], marked in the track files, was missing, so we had to ford the river.

The remainder of the stage held no further surprises.

* '''December 17–26 2024 / 10 days/ Packrafting / SOBO / New option combining Huella Andina and nearby lakes from Icalma/Villa Pehuenia to Paso Mamuil Mamal (road from Pucón to Argentina) GPT14 RP?, GPT15-RP???'''

TL;DR: If you like people suffering, skip to days 7–9.

(Note: putting everything here, even though this technically spans two sections - there is no possibility to legally cross borders back to GPT15.)

Summary: This is a new and quite scenic and varied mostly-not-on-road route. In our opinion, it is a superior alternative to a lot of roadwalking on the RR GPT14-15 and a possible candidate for extending RP (including a river flowing through Aracaurias, which are to be found along all the trail). The last bushbashing (BB) part, while offering an experience in a pristine and untouched forest, is extremely demanding and not exactly safe due to its remoteness and bone breaking/puncture hazards. The forest was an experience for us like no other so far after six months on the GPT in total. The 5km BB took us 3 days. However, before that final section, this route is suitable for hikers as it follows the Huella Andina ("HA"), with some modifications (and using a packraft). Natalie also found a MR route around the bush bashing and last two lakes (with some ridge options) for hikers. In either case, one can than connect to our traverse od the side of Lanin, which we published last year in GPT16. Had this not been our first section this year and had we not carried 1a packraft and food for ten days, this could have been done much faster. I will refer to the KMZ file downloadable from wikiexplora article about HA. This time of the year, we practically never carried water, it was everywhere. It would be probably different at the end of summer. We never met any park rangers, so we do not know if any permits or payments are needed. In Villa Pehuenia, we were told by the tourist information office that HA is only open from Lago Ñorquinco, and indeed it is only marked from there, but the two previous sections exist as trails or roads and to our knowledge are open for hiking. Probably they are not maintained as they are not in any National Park. Outside of the lakes, we met no other overnight hikers and only one daypacker and one group of MTBikers.

Day 0 - Crossing from Icalma to Villa Pehuenia - 4 km
In Icalma, we asked a local working in a garden whether there was a taxi in Icalma and he offered to drive us to the border for 5 thousand CLP, which we accepted. It was a big help since the border was closing at ~7pm (it may have been 6pm but we only had an hour or so for both crossings). At the border, we were informed that Argentina requires a boat certificate of desinfection by a Chilian officer, but the Argentinians did not ask for it (for details, see this discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/222224388283455/posts/1956717948167415/). We didn't get a hitch between the border controls, but soon after in Argentina the first car took us to Villa Pehuenia. Villa Pehuenia is a tourist town, with no exchange office but seemingly every shop was willing to change US dollars for Argentinian pesos, ask around to get a decent rate. Shops were open until 21. Ressuply is well possible, this being Argentina, but food is now probably cheaper (though of course worse) in Chile (the Argentinian border controls did not check our bags stuffed with food at all). There is a dedicated shop for vegetables and fruits here: -38.88139, -71.18762. Paid 10 thousand to sleep at a run-down but functional ‎Complejo Lagrimitas. Phone Claro internet decent.

Day 1 - Villa Pehuenia to Moquehue ‐ 15 km
Our first independent packrafting trip meant that we fiddled several hours with packing and loading the boat, so we started at 11 AM. Lake was calm and we reached a beach here: -38.91476, -71.27327 around 14:00. The "puesto" marked in OSM sounds more like a settler, dogs and chickens heard. While we ate, whitecap waves against our direction developed and when paddling, we more or less stood on the ground, so we opted for hiking the rest of the way. The trail to Moquehue is easy but scenic, so we did not regret it. It is a trail, not a road, OSM has it wrong (will be fixed in the summer) until the last 1 km or so. In Moquehue, we managed to buy bread and nuts, ressuply possible, but we had most of our food already. Claro internet (last before end of trip). We followed HA for one km and slept a few hundred metres beyond the town here: -38.95579, -71.32329 (no water).

Day 2 - Moquehue to ridge above the next valley - 13 km.
We followed HA until just before Filo Cerro Plomo. Appart from first 2 km, it is a 4x4 road (sad) through a beautiful forrest (happy). Sidetrip to viewpoint here -38.96209, -71.32286 worth the ten minutes it takes. The ridge above the HA that should be accessible through OSM path starting here -38.95090, -71.31670 (mapped based on Strava, so might be CC) looked like easy and beautiful walking and is probably preferrable in good weather. Paths around -38.97080, -71.32003 are also mapped based on Strava, might be an artifact of a race or one single mad person doing the same round over and over and might be more CC than trails, but should get you to the ridge too. Anyway, on HA, the trackfiles are a bit wrong, around -39.00634, -71.30802, you will see two trail marks, so leave the road and go up. Met some people with bikes here, only people we met for the next two days. Path is not visible, but forrest is open and you go basically straight up. When reaching low lying beech shrubbery, path reappers that leads you up to the saddle. There is a creek shortly after this turn off (just before the trail marks) you can fill up on water. There is also a cairn at this creek and if you wish to walk the creek bed I think it might be possible as well. From the saddle we opted to follow the ridge NE from HA. It is spectacular and while steep, no hands are needed to advance. It is a bit slowgoing though, especially with a packraft and 10 days of food. We slept near a seasonal lake around -39.03013, -71.28361, very beautiful.

Day 3 - Ridge above the next valley to Lago Ñorquinco - 15 km.
We followed the ridge for two km and then discovered a recently maintained trail down to the valley here: -39.05003, -71.28180. We took it. It took us down through beech shrubbery to here -39.05142, -71.28621. Then it kind of petered out but the forest was open enough for us to easily reach the HA in the valley. The HA is quite a wide path that must have been made with a digger some time back, but it is not used by cars up to -39.08562, -71.30652. We originally wanted to stay on the ridge longer and go down from here: -39.08760, -71.29079. That is open terrain and looking from below, it looked possible, but not wholly certain. However, we would advise to join the ridge straight from Moquehue as suggested previously and get down by this trail we discovered. We followed the HA to Ruta Provincial 11, but it might be advisable to cut to the NW corner of the lake from here: -39.11217, -71.30914 to avoid roadwalking and a detour: Arroyo Nompehuen must be forded anyway and while cold, does not have too much water (knee deep) and there seems to be a path on satellite in the suitable direction and the landscape is reasonably open. We put our packraft in here -39.12056, -71.31909. It is a campsite where noone was in attendance, otherwise day-access is about 4 thousand pesos per person, so you might want to reach the lake farther, should be possible, use OSM and satellite map. There are showers and toilets and trashbin though. It was a bit windy (from West) and rain was coming, so despite the small size of the lake and low fetch, whitecap waves developed. Their direction was suitable for us and we crossed the lake along the southern shore to find a very wind sheltered camp next to a creek behind a bush here: -39.12056, -71.31909.

Day 4 - Lago Ñorquinco - to Arroyo Calfiquiera - 19 km
The next day we padled to -39.14420, -71.29466 and joined HA from there. According to OSM, the lake can be hiked around from both directions. West side seems preferable. HA starts to be marked here. It is actually mostly a very old eroded road made with a digger probably decades back. It has overwhelmingly the characteristics of a trail. Cascada Coloco is very pretty. Once you reach the pass, where there is a puesto and cows, the trail turns into a road that is very rarely used, it seemed. Vivac Pampa de Castro would probably give you shelter in rain and is open enough for hanta virus not to be a worry. We reached Arroyo Calfiquiera here: -39.22814, -71.27044 (before that it is a wild stream). However, the creek is overgrown just after that, luckily there were two locals living there who were fishing and helped us carry our fully loaded packraft to -39.22933, -71.26945. There was one more narrow and almost overgrown section shortly after (-39.23189, -71.26735), so you might want to put in just after that (follow the 4x4 tracks visible on satellite). From then on, apart from two low lying bridges, no portages were needed (we shortly walked our boat once or twice through some narrow braided passages). We camped at -39.23857, -71.25184 just before a class 1 rapid (that turned out to be the biggest on the river). Tomáš left his scissors from his Victorinox card there, you might find them at the edge of grass.

Day 5 - Arroyo Calfiquiera to Vivac Malalco Chico - 18 km
In the morning, the rapid turned out to be dangerous only for one's knees. The bridges are here: -39.24453, -71.24944 and -39.24874, -71.21634. There is a creek with fresh water flowing in at -39.24601 -71. 21842. With all the packing and unpacking, it is for sure quicker to walk on HA (which leaves the road for a trail in the valley for at least a part of its length). However, packrafting is recommended as part of the arroyo flows through an aracauria forrest and all along you get nice views of surrounding mountains. It is also good practice for beginners, we thought, being beginners ourselves. Down at the lake, we ferried across an American who said she would climb a mountain north of the lake nearby using a trail disclosed by a local. We did not packraft across the lake and instead got out at the picnic area at the west end of the lake (small stream but walk up a bit bcs there is an outhouse in the stream) and then after lunch made a shortcut to the ridge. After about 500 metres along the lake on the road, we turned right uphill and soon found a trail used by horses recently here: -39.25142, -71.19640. It was easy to follow and joined HA here -39.25310, -71.18395. It would be great if somebody could investigate where in the valley (presumably further up) it originates. There are a few puestos high up on this side so more trails are expected. The HA itself then crosses a very attractive (old volcanic) plateau. It is probably (one of) the nicest part of the HA that we have seen so far (out of a half). We camped at a valley designated by the KMZ files as a bivauc and it is a good camping spot, but do not expect any facilities or people.

Natalie devised an idea where you would CC from here: -39.25687, -71.23304 onto the ridge, traverse Cerro Rucachoroi and join HA here: -39.31090, -71.20943. It all looked like well passable CC, but we never got a good view of the peak itself and are unsure if it can be sidehilled or crossed. Some of the sub-peaks obstructing the view were rather vertical, but ridges that we saw were passable.

Day 6 - Vivac Malalco Chico to Lago Quillèn - 21 km
Going down is straightforward. However, there are some fallen branches. About 200 metres of altitude above the valley, you hit a creek that you will cross several times downstream. After crossing Arroyo Malalco (which looks great for packrafting, but do your research), a local from Comunidad Laf Lefiman offered us a cabaña with Starlink internet for 60 thousand,but it was too early so we went on. When we reached the lake, we saw a family with a paddleboard and kayaks that we saw the previous day at Lago Rucachoroi. Park rangers were nowhere to be seen. It was quite windy and waves looked big, so we used our packraft to cross the outlet from the lake and walked along the beach to join MR that runs along the southern side of the lake until -39.43088, -71.2848, where we camped. We met a group of people fishing there but they soon left.

Day 7 - Lago Quillèn to Somewhere in bamboo - 13 km.
We started early (aiming for sunrise, we managed to be in the boat 45 minutes after it) and paddled on lake Quillèn to reach old buildings here: -39.42796, -71.42474. They were a (probably recentishly) abandoned border police station, as far as we could tell. The lake had some waves already in the morning but they were quite managable and it took us about 4 hours to paddle the 13 km or so. Along the way, there would be places to camp, especially on the beach here: -39.42164, -71.36282 where there is fresh water. After the police station, we got onto a beach here: -39.43593, -71.41508. We cleared a place for a tent and entry into the forest, did not check for water but satellite says there is a creek outlet about 50 m NW from there. Then the "fun" part started, at about 15:00. Natalie's many many warnings about the forest looking impenetrable turned out to be true. It is an ancient Chilean beech (Roble/Coigue) forest with a completely native understory of many shrubs but mainly just walls of bamboo. In the grand scheme of things, if we had stuck to the creek bed we would have made the crossing in two (long) days. But because we left the creekbed several times, this 5km crossing took us 3 days.

At the beginning, while we were not yet on a steep slope, we were moving at a healthy speed of maybe 400m an hour. We found a creek here: -39.43977, -71.41793 that allowed us to walk without obstruction for about 15m. It was turning into a canyon, which we did not like, so we continued to the east of it. Little did we know how foolish that was! In the beginning, as it got steeper, we would sometimes find an area full of flat dead woody bambo that would allow us to jump about twenty metres before fighting the green bamboo again. As we progressed (at a speed of maybe 250m per hour), we noticed we were on a side of a steep canyon made by erosion from water running down the slope. Details of the satellite map revealed that we were two such ravines removed from the main creek. We crossed one over a log, that was maybe 10 m long and was maybe 6 m high above the lowest point of the canyon. It was getting dark so we cleared a somewhat even spot for a camp (sorry forest). After six hours and some zigzagging caused by the canyons, we were about 1 km from where we started. Survey without a backpack (which makes moving around about three times easier) suggested we might be able to rejoin the main canyon the next day which was about 100 m far (and thirty metres below).

Day 8 - Somewhere in bamboo to dried creekbed - 1 km
New survey in the morning made us go backdown as the main canyon's wall seemed like a landslide and almost vertical. We started to follow down a ravine between us and the main creek, hoping it would join it. After three hours, 400 m of distance and two failed surveys in the direction of the main canyon, we finally manged to make a crossing. A rule for heavy duty bushbashing seems to be: always follow the water. It is not exactly quicker, but psychologically being able to see more than 5 metres in advance and not having to constantly put branches from one's face is a tremendeous benefit. It also helps with orientation and hopefully provides a possible passage. We of course set a turn-back time by which we would turn back if we did not reach the pass, but (Tomáš not being the responsible one), we failed to heed it after deciding we actually still had food for three more somewhat fasting days. We started to go up the creek at a speed of about 200 metres an hour, so after about 5-6 hours, we managed to get under the place where we slept. We agreed that we could have probably gone down there, saving us 5 hours of a detour, the canyon walls being steep, but in some places having enough bamboo to provide good (but never truly certain) holds. At about -39.44779, -71.41624, there was a confluence of two canyons, and we decided to go through a steep dry vegetation-wise more or less open slope to the right . After about 100m, we traversed back left to the main creek. It was now six in the evening. Still hoping to reach the pass (hey, just 500m of distance!) and facing somewhat overgrown waterfall in the main ravine roughly -39.45067, -71.41624, we again opted to go right, onto an even steeper slope. Somehow with the help of trees growing there, we reached a beech-bush combined with bamboo understory, slowing us down to maybe 50 m an hour. After an hour or so, we found a ravine that we partially followed and traversed back to the creek. It still had some waterfalls that turned out to be scalable and after 100 m (our speed returning to a solid 250 m per hour), it turned dry. It now being 9 PM, we built a camp inside of the creekbed. Looking back, especially the second diversion was a mistake and we should have stayed in the canyon (the waterfall was probably scalable with passing backpacks and such). The variety of plant and insect species that live in and around the creekbed was amazing. Luckily very little tabanos or other obnoxious insects, which was true for all these 5 km.

Day 9 - Dried creekbed to somewhere in bamboo II - 3 km
In the morning, Tomáš went exploring and found the other side of the pass much preferable, so around ten, we set off to continue. After an easy 40-minute 300m traverse to the pass (Lanin looks impressive even through the trees), the character of the valley changed a lot. Almost open beech forrest and relatively regular creekbed (with a creek) enabled us to reach -39.45964, -71.41716 in a superb speed of almost 600m/hour. From there, we followed the river through a dense old and amazing canopy. At about 400 m/ hour, we eventually got to a 20 m cascading (not vertical) waterfall here: -39.47088, -71.41775. To its left, we managed to cut a path with our machete, passing each other our backpacks on the not-entirely vertical somewhat crumbly climb-down. Unfortunately we do not think our holds will last long as we scaled it down in mainly mud and fragile rock (rope or bamboo bushing walkaround should do). Afterwards, our speed again decreased to about 200 m an hour, overcoming many logjams and much smaller waterfalls. We camped around -39.47449, -71.41901. Natalie somehow left her insoles there. All the scrambling we have done both up and down were mangeable (T4 to T5 on SAC scale), though a rope of 10 or 15 m or so would have been at certian moments quite useful.

Day 10 - Somewhere in bamboo II to Paso Mamuil Mamal - 17 km
In the morning, we took three hours mostly following the creek or bashing bamboo alongisde it to reach the shore (yay!), where Tomáš somehow left his beloved trusty headphones: -39.48276, -71.42544. Should you find them, give them a decent burial. We inflated our packraft and paddled across Lago Tromen (which offers tremendeous views) in about 2,5 hours to outlet of Rio Malleo, meeting people again after several days. Rio Malleo has probably too much of a drop to be packrafted safely but lookes tempting to Tomáš. After a long lunch, eating the last of our last food, we crossed the river and walked along the OSM trail to the National Park office near the border. Nobody paid attention to us there, so we walked to the Argentinian border control, from which we got a hitch all the way to Pucon, seeing Clara hitchhiking around the end of the Villarica Traverse. Pucon did not have Tomáš's favourite icecream like last year and in general did not feel as good as previous years (cherries were perfect though). We were very glad and maybe somehow euphoric we made it .

Overall, the forest was incredible. However, if we broke a limb or worse, we doubt help would come, so only do this if you are prepared for self-evacuation or face the consequences. We are however convinced that with good navigation, and staying mainly in the creek, it could take two long days to do the BB traverse, one for going up the pass and one down. The BB has difficulty 7 in GPT terms.

* '''17Dec2024 - 20dec2024 / hiking SOBO / RR from ~km30 - OH1 A/R (cumbre sollipulli) - RR - GPT15 OH1 / 4 days / Clara'''

Hitchhike from Icalma to Tracura and then Huechelepun (took me half day with multiple cars and still few km of road walking, not much cars)

OH1 (cumbre sollipulli by north side) : no one of conaf at park 31. It's written that they don't allow people to go up after 11am so may be a problem if they're here (maybe more during full turism season).
Very easy trail for 7km and 1000d+, steep and snow at the top but easy going slow. Really nice full snow cratere on the top !! Descent by same path cause low clouds comming (except took 1a short cut that is good).

Ruta de Baquedanos (RR) is easy dirt road walking. Camp spots with water almost everywhere (maybe less between 40 and 46). Not many nice views all along.

Then RR until GPT15 opt1 (a bit after settlment 51.7).
Sleep in hospedaje Veronica that is lower on 15-OH-1a. (15k for bed + private bathroom with cold water + breakfast). She and her husband are really nice. She used to have a cafeteria and sell honey, charcuterias and other products that she did. For now she has family issues so she only keep the hospedaje but she told me that she's thinking to reopen it in january or february.

* '''2024-dec-05 to 2024-dec-08 / 3.5 Days (1 day rest due to bad weather) / Hiking / SOBO / RR - D / Karin'''

I took the RR through the overgrown part. It was managable, but for some parts I had to look closly on the GPS not to loose track. There were lots of fallen trees/branches blocking the way. With the vegetation growing, I think it will become more difficult to get through.

Camp spot at km17.9 was very wet and swompy, due to the rain. But, I guess that it would be good on nice days.

On that kind of plateau (alt. 1500m) was still a bit of snow, but nothing to worry about.

Camp on km22.4 looked nice (lots of curious cows). After this camp, about 1km, was a locked gate, which was not so easy to climb.

As it was raining heavily (stronger than perdicted), I took var D in order to find a refuge. After a few km, I found cabañas (Santa Victoria) where I could stay for two nights ever that it is still off season. Very nice people working there.

At the park ranger km31.8, as I didn't see anybody so I just walked through.

The bridge at the Laguna (km33.5) was not there, but the river was easy to ford, so as well for the fords all the way up to the pass km41.5. The water was never higher than mid-calf/knee.

I camped at camp km46.9. Very nice and large spot.

The Ruta del Baqueano seems to be a high used biking or off road driving track. I meet a lot of cars and bikes.

As I did GPT 13-15 in one, I did not stop neither in Icalma nor in Reigolil, so I cannot say if there is enough for resupply.

* '''2024 nov 13 / 1 Day/ Hiking / SOBO/ hitchhiked to huechelepun + RR till reigolil/ Allie '''

I camped in camping Carilafquen in Huechelepun. I left early in the morning as it was 32km to get to Reigolil. I stopped by the lodge nevados for a coffee and stayed a bit, the place was so lovely. On the highest parts of the regular route there are some patches of snow to cross but nothing sketchy. Watch out for snow bridges though. The river fords are doable as well.

* '''5.-8.11.2024 / 4 hiking days / Daina and Arno'''

We did a combination of GPT 14 and 15, although we didn't have the files at this time.

We took a bus from Pucón to Flor del Valle and arrived later than expected at 1:30 pm. First we hiked into section 14 on the minor road with very few traffic. At -39.01943, -71.458341 we needed to cross a creek, that is not visible in our map. There are huge treetrunks like a natural bridge. Later at -39.014836, -71.456205 there was another wide stream of water at the road, but very easy to ford.
Later we dicided to turn around and hiked to the Laguna Huesquefilo instead, to find a nice campspot. The trail to the Laguna was very smooth, the Laguna itself was beautiful. Next day we continued to GPT 15.

==Season 2023/24==

* '''2024 Mar 24th to Mar 31st / 6 hiking days and 2 rest days / SOBO / Hiking / RR, Var C, E, H, G, Opt 1 and 1A, Opt 2 and 2A / Michael and Kasia'''

We did sections 14 and 15 together.

TL:DR: a nice section; the summit of Sollipulli is not to be missed!

Day 1 March 24th

We left Icalma at 08:30. It was a foggy morning and the air was still, very nice hiking weather and beautiful light. It had rained the day before so the road walk was thankfully not dusty. It was a Sunday morning and very few cars passed.

We left the highway to keep on RR. It is a dirt road for quite some time. We found a lot of piñones just lying on the ground. There was an unmarked ford at (-38.84187, -71.36345). After that the overgrown section began. It was somewhat challenging for us, not bush bashing per se, but definitely bush pushing. A lot of it was waist high and really slowed us down. Our plan had been to get to the laguna on Var C, but it became obvious that even if we did make it, it would be dark before we got there. Looking at the GPS I noticed what looked like a small laguna at (-38.86766, -71.38010). There was no OSM track for it, but when we got closer, we found a dirt road going to it. There was no sign and no fences. It was a lovely spot. There were a few araucarias dropping piñones, and the laguna was clear and glassy smooth. It was, however, definitely someone's campground. There are flat spots for tents, picnic tables, a shipping container turned into a bathroom (padlocked shut when we were there), and there were signs of more development planned. Point being, if you plan to camp here in future seasons, be aware that, at least during “la temporada”, there may be other people there, and it probably costs money.

Day 2 March 25th

We made it a short day. Our packs were extra heavy due to all the piñones we were harvesting. We kept trying to stop, but there is just something about their color and shape that makes them irresistible to pick up. The path from the campground to the laguna on 14-C is a dirt road the whole way. We had to check the GPS a few times as there are a few other roads that break off of it, but the route is easy walking. The laguna is very pretty and the campsite there is nice. It's fairly flat with plenty of space for multiple tents, under some trees, so mixed shade and sun, and easy water access. There was also a fire ring there. We had our first fire of the season and cooked a few batches of piñones. Some people on horseback came by looking for their cows. They said they are beginning the process of collecting the animals and moving them down to the invernadas for the winter. They mentioned that the laguna on 14-C is called Laguna Santa Olga.

Day 3 March 26th

Stayed at Laguna Santa Olga for a rest day.

Day 4 March 27th

We walked by (Camp 14 [17.9/1538]) on the way back to the road. We could hear a stream trickling in the opposite side of the road from it.

The forest along the way was beautiful. It was a great time of year to be there as well, sunny but not hot and the light was always nice. We collected another 2 kg of piñones. There were so many everywhere, we definitely could have bought less food and been okay.

We took Var E to bypass the road construction even though there was no one there by the time we arrived. It was mostly because we were looking for camping and knew there wouldn't be any good spots there. But if someone arrived there after work hours, the gate going SOBO was just closed with wire, and on the other end it was possible to just walk around the fence.

We then followed Var H on to Var G towards Var F. We camped at Camping Carilafquen (-38.91004, -71.49813) along Var F. We paid 10.000 for the tent space. There was no one else there. The campground was pleasant. It had plenty of space on the grass for tents, picnic tables, and bathrooms with showers, cold water only, no electricity. It was a good option for us because it was only 1.6 km from the CONAF office. If wanting to camp there, just up the road from the property there is a house. A couple who manages the campground lives there. They were very nice, they even gave us sopaipillas.

Day 5 March 28th

We arrived at the CONAF office around 09:00. There was no ranger on the office. We started moving things into a small backpack anticipating leaving our bags. By the time we were ready to hike, still no one had shown up. Fortunately a small tour group arrived and parked right next to the CONAF office. They said we could put out bags in their vehicle and they would leave them for us if they got back first.

The walk up through the forest was beautiful and peaceful. There were a lot of huge, old trees that were very impressive. The trail was well maintained and easy to follow. Higher up it switched to a more lunar landscape with multiple volcanoes and cordilleras of mountains appearing the higher up we got. Towards the top it got a little steep which was slower going. It took us 5 hours to the summit with photo breaks and a snack break. We spent about an hour at the summit with no one else there. The weather was impeccable, full sun and hardly a breeze. The only sound was the river below.
It took us about 3 hours to get back to the bottom.
We ended up camping across the path from the CONAF office next to the picnic tables. There was a facet outside the office and bathrooms.

Day 6 March 29

When the CONAF guard arrived in the morning, he came over to talk with us. He said it was fine that we camped for the night, but just asked us to take the tent down, and then we could take as much time as we needed. It seems that camping there is unofficially acceptable as long as you're there after closing and wrapped up before people start to show up in the morning.

We started to walk along RR. We had been walking less than 30 minutes when a truck stopped and offered us a ride. They were going to Paso Llaima and to collect piñones. We rode in the back with their two dogs getting to watch the beautiful misty forest go by around us.

From Paso Llaima we continued on RR, then took Opt 2 to Laguna Huequefilo. The trail up is easy to follow and well maintained. The sign at the front says no camping and no fires, but there was no CONAF office and no guardadaparques. When we got to the lake there were several groups camping and having fires. There are a huge number of araucarias there and it is a very popular spot with locals to go to collect them.

Going down Opt 2A to the SE end of the lake, there is a fairly large sand beach and a creek feeding into the lake that was a good place to get water from. A local family from Ragolil that was camping there suggested a good spot around (-39.05250, -71.43000) that was fairly wind protected but still close to the beach. But if it's not windy, that end of the lake has plenty of space for camping. The lake and the setting is beautiful and for us it was well worth the detour.

Day 7 March 30th

We stayed at Laguna Huequefilo for a rest day.

Day 8 March 31st

We left Laguna Huequefilo and headed back to finish 14 and start 15. We gathered more piñones along the way. At (-39.05455, -71.46918), around km 52.26 there was a sign for a minimarket. The woman who runs is, Viviana, is very nice. She and her family moved there a couple of years ago from Santiago. We suggested she carry gas for camping and she said she would try to get some to sell in the future. She had canned fish, pasta, rice, 200 g tomato sauce packets, bullion cubes, mermeladas, butter and margarine, and a variety of cookies and candy. Prices were reasonable. We bought some things and got back to the road. We almost immediately caught a hitch to the beginning of GPT15 Opt 1.

* '''2024-Mar-18 to 2024-Mar-19 / 1 day / SOBO / RR 01 01a/ Matthias de Austria'''

No snowfields, no Tabanos, no Mosquitos. Plenty of water except for the Sollipulli peak area.

Came from Lonquimay by bus at 12:00 to Icalma, arrival around 14:00. There is a minibus directly going a bit west, but only to the intersection at the end of the lake, so maybe like 3km for 500 peso.
Very little traffic, but luckily got 4 rides until the ranger at 31.8 in just 3 hours. I am a bit in a hurry as I want to hike Sollipulli but the weather turns bad next day evening. There is a minibus coming from Melipeuco to intersection end of Variant I. It turns to the bridge 30.6.

I did not visit the rangers, as I don't want to go back the same way. Looking for a hidden spot ro camp and early start to the peak the next day.

Don't camp at Hannes suggestion, every Hilux driver coming downhill will spot you easily. I am sure the actuall place he meant is -38.923355,-71.489118. Well hidden and flat, but the water on the other side of road dried up. There is water on your side too, but don't just follow your ears, you won't reach the water. Instead walk where it is relatively easy in south to south east, you may or may not see path like structure, but ca. in 200m you will reach a good path, just follow it uphill directly to the water at -38.924705,-71.489552. It is a 5 to 10min walk from camp. If you follow this path further it leads you to the OSM dirtroad, which is an offical marked hiking path of the park.

I am alone all the way, later I heard that the rangers closed the path due the upcoming bad weather. Very strong and cold winds at the peak, a few hours later it will be snowing, I would love to try the traverse, but it is too risky with that forecast. Nice CC back down to the pass 41.5.

First running water coming from the peak: -38.966463,-71.472000

Possible camp with water at 01: -38.971581,-71.465207

Only car on the road picks me up, a tourist couple from Santiago who stayed at the luxury lodge, and we drive to Pucón, while the rain starts.

Without summiting Sollipulli this would be a drive by section, but Sollipulli makes this section absolutely amazing and I strongly recommend the easy climb up just for those mind blowing views.

* '''From 2024-03-10 to 2023-03-11 // 2 day // Hiking // NOBO // RR + OPT1 (Summit) // Quentin Clavel'''

What a section !

After a very cold start, early in the morning at the bottom of the vallee of reigolil, you just go slowly but surely in the Villarica reserve.

The gravel road is transforming into a smaller 4WD track, and the path is lovely, going up gradually, passing threw a nice forest, with many amazing aucaria trees.

Lucky enough to arrive in this region at the time where piniones are still possible to pick. Didn't had to make a lot of effort, just harvesting the ground was enough to give me way more than what I needed !

I took the junction to reach the summit. At the very beginning I struggle a bit, when you reach a puesto, there's few possibility of track, I took the wrong one that result on a little fight with the bush, then I managed to come back on track, which is pretty clear until the volcanic plateau.

No trouble at all with water, as you'll have some along the path, from th beginning to the end.

Arriving to the plateau, then stick to the track, it will guide you to the summit and the outstanding view on the massive nevados de sollipulli ! That was sick, even with a looooooot of wind. I still stayed there for more than an hour, protected from the wind thanks to some bog rocks, contemplating this amazing landscape, some condors dancing around and the views over lanin and Llaima volcanoes.

It was finally time to leave this kind of parrallele world. The way down was very easy as the track is marqued. Some crazy views again with Llaima volcán + the aucaria trees around, then I reached the conaf desk. I arrived there late and no-one was still there.

(Didn't mentionned that going NOBO you don't have to respect a precise timing to go up, there's no conaf desk on that way).

Then continuing on the way to icalma, passing threw a private pipeline working area. But as it was late on the day, I haven't got any troubles (still easy to avoid, by taking the variant E).

After passing the Hot Spring {13} [#1/945] (PK28), you'll have to jump a gate, then few gates/fences, and continuing in the forest on a very well marked 4WD track, until the overgrown part, which is not difficult to pass.

It's overgrown, but nothing to be scared about ! The track is still visible, it's just that the nature want to give you some hugs, very nice and kind, I could even say cute. It's nothing like a fight with the bush !

Then you continue till reaching the gravel road until Icalma. There it's possible to resupply Ith multiple minimercado, you have some possibilities to sleep too, bit it's still a tiny city, don't expect a lot.

* '''2024-Feb-16 to 2024-Feb 18 / 3 days / Hiking / NOBO / RR /czimahi'''
from Reigolil - no good resupply, no pan- following RR, night camp 46,9; then no prob (cross rio Carilafquen just first bridge after camping, think it is 14E) till point S38°51.753` W71°23.062` where I follow wrong way- for sure this would lead to 14a and to the main road. I decided go back to RR and be hours in bush. At the end I missed the route once more but I found water which I needed (aprox S38°50.483` W71°21.907`) and then meet 14B and back to RR to the camp $ 13, and next day to Icalma pueblo.

* '''2024 Jan 30 to 2024 Feb 01 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + OH14-C + OH14-E + OH14-01 / Hannes'''

Hitchhiked to km 5,2. Then I went on RR, found last water at -38.841797 -71.363423, soon after the as overgrown marked trail starts. Trail actually not to bad overgrown, most of the time clearly visible, sometimes I had to stick to GPS, especially at the beginning, there are a few trails there… Till the Laguna {14C} I did not see water anymore, except close to Camp at km 17,9, around 50m down towards the puesto was running a little streamlet, maybe drying out? Laguna on OH 14-C is very nice! Good camping spot, but I headed on, still to early. Camped then at km 28,6. I loved this place! An open air cinema with all the green and birds flying and singing around. At -38.889097 -71.450367 you’ll find a locked? gate, barbed wire fence around. Check if it is really locked, I did not look accurately! I say this, because the next one I encountered outside this valley was just pseudolocked. Anyway, I passed the fence at around -38.889820 -71.449927, around 100ms to the left from gate beneath. Seemed to me the best option, but check out for yourself…Walked on. You’ll find another unlocked gate at -38.901269 -71.504529, private property with a sign that just authorised persons can pass, some company I suppose. I took a detour over OH14 E, but having seen the exit of this company road close to km 30, shortly before the bridge, I would have taken it. There a gate as well, but not locked and either entrance or exit nobody around. Went on to Conaf to take some water. Read about their rules and so I decided to take the unofficial trail up to the volcano shown on the OSMmap at 38.9238605S, 71.4873252W as some others already spotted. My plan was to do the Sollipulli-Traverse over the rim. The thing is: Where this trail (actually more an MR) starts, there is a nearly 100m long fence, hindering you to drop in directly, furthermore at the end of this fence there is an other cabaña, looks like an outpost of CONAF checking who is taking this trail. I do not know who sits in this shack, did not want to know either, did not want to explain my plans. So I went back were the fence starts. This is at -38.92315, -71.48867, there is a signboard with „Sollipulli Lodge, 500ms". There I dropped into the bushes. There would be actually a pretty nice camp spot for one to two tents at around -38.922156 -71.489928, around 30ms from the MR, but nobody sees you and water nearby at the other side of the road. From there I walked up (little CC) keeping in mind where the OSM trail goes, found a path and somewhere I got on this OSM trail. Went up to the summit. Looked over the rim, realized I had to descent for the next summit towards the south, impossible there to cross over the rim. Went down southeast of the summit to this two beautiful lakes, some bigger snowfields there, but could be done with afternoon sun. Camped at -38.971172 -71.489823, an amazing campsite! But realized there that without micro spikes or crampons I would have to detour some extended snowfields in the morning and loose a lot of time, not knowing what expects me after the next summit. So I skipped my plan for the traverse and went down over OH 14-01. Then all the way out to Reigolil. Difficult for me to hitch a car…

* '''2024-Jan-13 to 2024-Jan-15 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR - {14-A} - RR - {14-E} - RR - {14-01} - RR / Lilian'''

DON'T SKIP GPT14, the views on Nevados de Sollipulli is one of the most STUNNING views in my life!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND to you!

Here is the waypoint description:

RR road walking.

Km1.0 : a small shop.

Km1.1 : tiny shop, look like only have drinks and ice cream. It is closed when i was there at weekend.

Km5.2 : junction of RR and {14-A}, i go for {14-A} because i want to arrive ranger station RR[31.8/1141] before 11am, {14-A} is a dirt road, the time can be controlled and stable.

{14-A} km6.3 : ranger station, crowned when i pass here.

Lot of possible camping spot beside the dirt road of {14-A}, i think it is easy to find a spot here.

{14-A} km10.9 : water flowing, but it need some BB, about 10m for get close to stream.

Km11.4 : locked gate, go around itbon right side.

Km12.5 : huge blowdown, no more cars going up by this road.

Km13.0 : side trail on valley side, 30m for collecting water, flowing low.

Km13.3 : {14-A} end, connect with RR km15.7.

I find one more water spot nearby, at RR km15.6, also a side trail at valley side, a little overgrown about 10m to stream, better water at downstream 10m, you can cross 2 logs there, then you will find a very tiny waterfall, easy to collect.

Camp RR[17.9/1538] : tiny grassland, some muddy nearby. Water flowing at downstream of the muddy, but in steep valley look like very difficult to collect.

Camp[22.4/2158] : very beautiful grassland camping spot until km22.95.

Km23.45 : locked gate with barbed wire fence. Better climb at left side, just the top one is barbed wire, all the wire of right side is barbed.

Km24.6 : another beautiful grassland camping spot. I heard water flowing good at valley side, but I'm not sure can collect water or not. I think this is the last camping spot before you met settlement and climbing Sollipulli.

Km25.85 : crossing Estero Huechelepun on bridge, water flowing good under the bridge, it is a steep valley, I don't think it is possible to collect water here.

Km29.5 : junction of RR, {14-I} and {14-E}. RR is blocked by barbed wire fence. So i go for {14-E} then met RR.

Honestly, i don't think {14-F}, {14-G} and {14-H} is still usable now. At {14-E} km0.4, {14-F} is blocked by a barbed wire fence(no gate) that taller than human, only this spot the fence is such high, i think it means the owner not welcome other people to go in at here. Also bridge[31.0+0.2/1020] and ford[31.0/1034] is all blocked by gate or barbed wire fence. Even you can climb all over them, {14-F} is going just beside settlement, it will annoys the people there.

Lastly, ranger station is not at park ranger[31.8/1141], it is at (-38.91796, -71.49481), even you can sneak by {14-F}, rangers are still in front of you. There are no way to go around them, and their windows are towards the road, they see you before you get close (the only method is earlier or later than them at there).

So, i go for a round trip for Sollipulli, and put my backpack in ranger station.

For Sollipulli {14-01}:

Km0 : ranger station, car parking lot, some picnic table, food truck(not open on Sunday when i was there) and toilet. Also you can collect water by Río Carilafquén if need.

Km1.25 : official viewpoint, but surrounded by some trees taller than the viewpoint 5-20m, i saw nothing here. Some benches here too.

Km2.1 : junction of {14-01} and {14-01A} (CC route). For GPT hiker, both are in good condition, easy to follow and walk, but of course {14-01} is a little better condition, because of official route.

Km3.8 : sharp turning, a helipad nearby.

Km4.73 : official viewpoint.

Km5.3-km6.1 : snow valley, covered by snow now. Not too steep, no difficult climb up and go down, also there are some day hikers, mostly you can follow their steps or go by yourself.

Summit [6.3/2145] to km7.05, covered by snow ridge now, very easy to walk on. Km7.1 is a better point for rest, mort quite, more peaceful. Most of the day hikers would not come to here. km7.05, enjoy your moments here.

For my observation from high, km7.1 to km7.9 are all covered by snow, but easy to walk on. I didn't see any footprints or trace on the snow, so I don't know descent is still work or not. I need to get back my backpack at ranger station, so i didn't go down at here.

I take a long nap and some relax with amazing views at km7.05, such a good time.

I took 3 hours for climb up and 1.5 hour to go down.

Continues on RR :

Km32.2 : viewpoint of waterfall.

Bridge[33.5/1188] : no bridge here, wet feet crossing. From here to ford[37.0/1228] you need to cross the same river 6 times, all wet feet crossing but just above ankle, easy.

Km37.95: flat grassland beside a pond. I saw some people camping here, look nice.

Camp[39.3/1294] : grassland camping spot with 2 fire ring beside the river.

Km40.6 : an old dirt road leads you to a grassland beside the river.

Km43.0 : junction of RR and {14-01}, {14-01} at here is a clear road to west, also one more road is going west after here 80m.

Lot of small stream if flowing good with clear water across the road after the pass.

Km44.5 : road junction, a sign "Reigolil Paso Mallin Chileno" here. Nice seat with good view of Sollipulli too.

Km49 : wet feet or an exciting log crossing.

Shop[57.8/856] : it is a ferretería, with drinks and ice cream, friendly.

At last, I didn't cross bridge[59.8/835] to Reigolil and keep going south because i have enough food for GPT15.

* '''2023 28 - 31 dec / 3 days / NOBO/ Option 01B / Natalie & Tomáš'''

Last year we wondered if one can avoid roadwalking on GPT 14 and GPT15 by traversing Sollipulli (not the glacier) and it turns out it can be done and is quite a spectacular option (probably a lot more attractive then RR and when done right, not with too many people). The idea is, SOBO, to follow the rim of Sollipulli for about 4 km, then go to Laguna Cochor (14-01B), then to Laguna Isolda, Termas Rio Blanco and NP Huerquehue (15-01) and then Villarica Traverse (16-04). If you hitch (should be easy) or take a bus between the end of 15-01 and beginning of 16-04 through Pucon, you will get quite a nice trail without much roadwalking. See our notes to GPT15 and GPT16 for the rest of this option, here follows the Solipulli bit [November 2024: it is in our suggestions in the Track files].

Note: to do a one way traverse of Sollipulli, either walk through the CONAF station before about 8 AM or after about 7 PM when the guards should no longer be there or walk past it for about 1 km on the road and take a right at 38.9238605S, 71.4873252W where there is an OSM trail based on Strava heatmap; however that trail needs to be confirmed, but it is almost for certain there.

Since we climbed Sollipulli last year from the north, this year we opted to do a day trip from Laguna Cochor to the north summit via south summit of Sollipulli, thus proving the traverse is doable and not too hard. The following paragraph (Tl;DR: do not expect to get a ride easily on this road) is about access, so if you are coming from the north, skip it.

We took a bus from Temuco to Cunco, they go every half an hour and cost a few thousand pesos. There are many terminals, the company you look for is Nar Bus, find its terminal in google maps to save yourself 1 km of going to the rural bus terminal and back. The ride takes cca 80 minutes. From Cunco, there is a daily bus to Laguna Caburga that leaves everyday at 17:00. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, it should go all the way to Termas Rio Blanco (it probably goes back in the morning, do not remember time schedule but we just saw a bus in the morning in the direction of Cunco). In Cunco we missed that bus and had to hitch. It was very easy at the beginning to get to Lago Colico but after that it became extremely difficult all the way to the start of the hike. We had to sleep in the forest by the road that night because no cars were stopping. In the morning, we got a hitch of 3 km and then we walked a few more to the western end of Laguna Caburga. We bought some bread and chips there, waited for four hours for a hitch and killed about twenty horseflies. None of the 15 cars that passed took us. We then walked to the other end of the lake, where we got a hitch to the junction with access to Thermas Rio Blanco. From there, we walked to the start/end of GPT14 option 1B. It took us about 26 hours from Cunco.

At the entrance to the trail (it is open but seems to lead through private land), there is a sign saying it is not allowed to camp at Laguna Cochor (which is clearly being violated, on our second night there, there was a Chilean tent). Secondly, it says there is no estabilished access to Sollipulli, which is not true, the path leads well above the tree line. The trail is an old road for ~1 km and the rest is very clear, easy and pretty through sometimes dark forrest. At the laguna, there is a beach where one can camp, as we did. There is no good source of water on the way to the laguna or at the laguna (but some streams could be heard in the undergrowth), definitely treat the water in the laguna.

The next day, we hid our tent and set off to reach the south summit of Sollipulli and then to the northern summit via the ridge (or below the ridge). It was an extremely long day trip (~16hrs out and back) but it should not be a problem if doing a proper traverse, many camping options. If one does not want to camp at Laguna Cochor, first good place is right above the treeline where the TR section ends and CC section begins. A nicer place would be cca 1 km further on, where you traverse to a nice valley. The first cca 2 km of CC are actually more TR&CC, the trail comes and goes and follows the contour line, which is to be recommended. In the valley, there was a stream that can still be jumped in one place or could be easily forded. With less snow, it would probably be jumpable almost everywhere. The way to the summit is uneventful and a bit of a slog. No scrambling is needed (there is just one small rock obstacle, but one can walk through). Above around 1900 m., there was a lot of snow. If going early in the season, check the map where glaciers are and do not walk on them - you do not need to, they are fairly small. From the summit, we looked for several ways to go down and then retraced a bit and actually crossed what on a map is marked as a glacier here: 38.9963315S, 71.5233126W. Judging from satellite photos and our own survey, we think the western part of the glacier has melted and we walked over a snowfield to a soft ridge with a small tarn at the end of it. Getting down from this ridge sharply down left towards a plateau-like valley may or may not be difficult if there is "no" snow. We found a good way down on moderate snow slopes but considering the snow there is still very deep we do not know what the rock would be like, most likely it should be fine without snow. Here Natalie went back as it was already 1500, but Tomáš pressed on. He went across the valley and up the side of the next ridge at roughly 2000 m (there are two places that are not rocky, this one was the lower one, it was steep but fairly easy walking through loose stones and scree), then he went roughly half the way up the ridge, traversed above the two lakes on the way, then got to the rim and walked the ridge, then he got down to the other two lakes on the map and walked up to the summit.

It was six, so he ate and then spent 6 hours walking back, this time not going to the rim at all and staying under the two more southern lakes and then retracing his steps - this was a faster but less spectacular variant. There seemed to be many possible variants how to cross this six km between two endpoints of GPT, the best variant will depend on your mood, skill level, weather and snowncover. It is however possible to do the traverse without climbing or exposed scrambling (though to make sure, somebody should do this in February when there is no snow), Tomáš practically never used his hands. On the way back, he met a Chilean tent above the treeline.

Next day, we walked down to the road, walked about six km, got a hitch of 3 km to Reigolil, after 15 min there got a hitch of 5 km, waited for an hour and then got a hitch all the way to Pucón (about 75 min of driving).

* '''2023 23 - 25 dec / 3 days / SOBO / RR + D + Sollipulli summit / Frans'''

Trail is mildly overgrown going up to the first campsite but not as bad as expected. Usually until your knees but the trail is still visible, it just slows you down. Keep an eye on your GPS if you think you lost it, it's spot on with the GPX files. Camp 14 [22.4] is such a nice spot! Be aware that if you want to do the Sollipulli summit you have to there before 1100 (according to the sign) or the rangers won't let you up. Still a 2hr walk, but not difficult.

GPT14-I point there is a gate and private property sign if you want to continue RR. They are doing road construction, and there is a guard house at the end. I didn't see anyone there, but it was weekend. Just keep in mind you might need to do the detour which takes a bit longer to get to the ranger station.

At the park rangers place you can drop your backpack. I was not allowed to do a one-way trip. Needed to come back. It's definitely worth it! Amazing crater and nice views! Took me 2hrs to get up, 1.5 to get down.

I walked to Camp 14 [39.3] to spend the night. Also a nice spot. The rest of the trail is not super exiciting but 80% slowly downhill which is nice to speed up this part. I spend the night a few km's into GPT 15 next to the river. There are a few decent spots after about 4km.

==Season 2022/23==

* '''2023-Jan-31 to 2023-Feb-02/ 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / including the Sollipulli volcano / Johana & Matouš'''

One of the best sections so far for us thanks to the Sollipulli volcano. We started at the Icalma lake (the San Alfonso camp was great, 10 000 per two people, hot water (yes!) and access to the beach). There are some restaurants and minishops as well, enough to resupply I believe. The overgrown section had been cleared half a bamboo-metre ago, so sometimes it was tough and felt like the forest wants to suck you in. Nothing impassable, but the two kilometres took us two hours. Another thing - the river where the ascent starts in the forest is for long the only water source there if the weather is dry. There was a gate (S 38° 53.3570' W 071° 27.0191'); there's a hole in the fence on the left that we went under. We camped at a good spot on the right side of the road (S 38°53.4903' W 071° 27.8162'). The next day, we rushed to the CONAF station - we got there a little past 11 AM, but the ranger let us do the ascent anyway, we even had lunch before we went up (not from the stand, sadly, still operates only at the weekends). You can leave your backpacks with the ranger, which was great! We didn't pay anything to enter the park. It took us 5 hours there and back with a longer break at the top. The view from the top is indescribable plus the path leading up to it is also very nice with some snowpatches next to it that you can slide down as you please.
After that we continued further down the road. We tried to outsmart the three fords but ended up fording the river three times anyway since the number of the fences and gates had increased I guess and we got stuck on a private property with nowhere to go. The best option might be to just follow the regular route.
There's a beautiful camping spot that we highly recommend and had been told about by the ranger - a lot of free space, a laguna/pond, nice (not dense!) forest and several safe fireplaces. (S 38°56.3141' W 071°27.6738)
From there on it was easy walking until Reigolil. The shop before the bridge has not many things to resupply but is good to refresh. The shop near the bus stop tuna, rice, pasta, biscuits, chips, beverages, some vegetables as well, enough to resupply. Its owners were so nice that they took us to their lot near the river where they let us pitch our tent. It seems that you can freely camp by the river but there was some Mapuche festival going on at that time.
The bus schedule: 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. from the bus stop by the shop to Pucon.

* '''2023-Feb-18 to 2023-Feb-20 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR starting in Tracura (road to Sollipulli) / Natalie & Tomáš'''

We used Icalma as a resupply which worked well enough; many "mini- supermercados" and cheap accomodation (we had a cabana for 20mil/10mil each) but as a warning internet is awful! There is a nice pehuenche restaurant at the southern end of town on the main road and a little further than this on the main road you can get the best cell signal. Supposedly a bus goes to Lonquimay Mon-Wed-Fri but I forget the times, I think it was at 6am and 3pm.

We headed towards parque Sollipulli but hitching out of Icalma was slow, ~2hours combined waiting. We got off at Tracura and walked most of the way to CONAF (minus 4km hitch). Hitching was difficult even though it was a Saturday and there were cars, just no takers. No clean water sources until conaf but you could ask one of the cabana rentals along the way if needed.
No entrance fee at CONAF and although camping is not allowed the "senior" ranger told us we could camp behind the office (I may have persuaded him with piñones). The only thing is we had to wait until everyone was gone (~7-730pm) and then leave early the next day (~7-730am). He didn't want people to know so don't spread the word... There are water, toilets, cold showers and the next morning we were able to keep our things in the other building as we went up Sollipulli. Finally there was a food truck there with sopapillas and juice (it was a Saturday).

As for Sollipulli it has been the easiest summit so far, there is superb trail and it took ~2hrs up más o menos. There is one intersection where the trail tells you to go right but the climbers trail goes straight and is quicker (staying left is more quick: -38.93399, -71.49659).
The glacier is amazing, 4km in diameter and supposedly 200m deep. I would come back here with glacier gear to cross it and go down the south summit. However Tomáš has his eyes on a way to go around the crater without glacier gear, so it would be a mixture of walking the rim and traversing above treeline towards the south summit where there should be another trail. That would save one cca 20 km of road walking [Nov 2024: this has been proven, see above].

We wanted to go up the main route and down option 01 but CONAF still requests you come down the same way and since they helped us with camping I wanted to respect their wishes. If you wanted to avoid the rangers we both think you could easily go up before or after they arrive, we saw a few other parties doing this [they live somewhere else, this is just a day station]. Note that there is no water after CONAF, if you were doing the traverse, there are some lakes down to the east from the North summit. We think the traverse looks easy until the treeline. From the other end we later passed the trail going up which is in fact a road - not sure how far it goes as a road.

The summit was quick, so afterwards we started walking the road that skirts Sollipulli on its east. It was a peaceful road and I have no complaints until it became not fun anymore after the camping at ~46.9. There were two vehicles that passed (no room) but I have no idea how they drove past some of the downed trees, would be a dodgy ride.
The forests here are finally becoming alive! We saw tarantulas and a giant moth carcass and mushrooms finally! There are many fords at the beginning after the lodge so keep sandals on if you have them. It would be worth looking at Google Earth for an alternative trail because we met a guided horse group on GPt15 that told us they went from the south summit of Sollipulli to the lodge without going on the road. It is possible they meant "no road" as in "no asphalt road" but who knows.
We headed to routa S-965 to hitch to GPT15 PN Huerquehue (no cars passed until S-965).

* '''2023-Jan-23 to 2023-Jan-25 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Martin & Helena'''

This section took us 2 days. Unfortunately we didn’t go to the summit, because we needed to go quickly down to Curarrehue, but otherwise we wouldn’t skip it, just a few kms more and it looks incredible. About the trail, the beginning is a dirt road around the lakes and it continues until the start of overgrown section. That is a little more than 4kms, but from the start its a relatively normal trail, easy to follow. The overgrown part is mainly between km 2-3.5, but not so terrible overall following the gps. We camped at the end of this part that took us around 2 hrs, maybe less. After that you walk on a minor road all the time, in a really nice forrest. All the puestos were empty. Hot Spring waypoint is somewhere around houses so we didn’t even go there. To cross the river before CONAF station we used GPT14-E and the bridge. At the station was one guard, food truck closed, water available. The lodging after 1km is nice but it comes with higher prices, we stopped there to have some drink and beer + cola (cans) cost us 6k CLP. We spent the night in the forrest after the pass, but camp at km 46.9 looked great. The rest of the trail is still the same gravel road. Minishop at 57.8 has only basic food, but also some things for repairs etc. In Reigolil was only one shop on the main road open with very limited supplies, but we got from the lady pastel de choclo and some homemade bread, all delicious! Later we continued to GPT15.

Contact: @martin_hanzelka @helenneka

==Season 2021/22==

==Season 2020/21==

==Season 2019/20==

* '''2020-Feb / Hiking / NOBO / '''

From Reigolil to Solipulli it is a very easy forest road inside the reserva nacional. Carabineros asked some questions and said we could camp where we wanted. Arriving at the CONAF site at Solipulli, there is a small campground, free if you pay the entrance for the volcanoe (4000pp). There is a food truck with sopaipillas and jugos. We hiked the Solipulli and it is a must see. It is incredible and there are not that many people doing it. The CONAF ranger is very friendly. We did not hike from there to Icalma to avoid bushbashing and we wanted to see the big fiesta planned in Melipeuco (every year in late feb). It was worth it as we got to see a celebration of baqueanos. Melipeuco is not this nice but there are several supermarkets and restaurants to resupply. Easy hitch to Icalma (or there are 2 buses / day). We then hitched to Liucura to start section 12.

* '''2020-Jan-30 / 2.5 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Martina & Ivo '''

Nothing to add to the previous comments. We arrived at the pipeline construction site during working hours and just followed the indications of the workers, no detour, just some optional route. We spent the night at the CONAF campground and had one of the best breakfasts in Chile at the Sollipulli Lodge (13'000 p.P.). As the rain hasn't stopped by lunchtime we had lunch there too, it was excellent :-D We actually quite liked this section with all the trees. We directly added section 15 after this one. There are several busses per day from Reigolil to Curarrehue but we don't know the schedule.

* '''15-Jan-2020 / 4 days (GPT 14 + GPT 15) / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Matus & Anna '''

We combined sections 14 and 15. It took us 3 days and nero.
GPT14 - there are signs that someone tried to clear overgrown part of the trail on the begining and end but middle is still nicely overgrown. Though we didn't have problem to follow.
Part of minor road on regular trail is under construction. They are putting a huge pipe under it. It was evening and workers were not there se we managed to sneak through but I don't think they will let you pass during working hours. It's just before descending to the river before National reserve Villarrica.
In the Conaf campsite was food truck (it was weekend) with churasco, sopapillas, drinks... pure heaven. We paid 4000 per person at conaf.
They are building a dorm at Lodge. It will be ready for next years hikers ;)
Resuply in Reigolil - mini shop on trail seemed abandoned. We found best supplies in shop-4. There is one other shop directly after bridge.
GPT15 - road and trail in good condition. On the climb to the lake bit before last settler there are some wild cherry trees on the left. We stuffed ourselves and left for others too. Enjoy. Multiple shops, accomodation options and restaurants in Curarrehue.

* '''2020-Jan-18 / 1.5 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + optional summit up Volcán Sollipulli / Tom & Maddie '''

Overgrown trail towards the start is relatively easy to follow. Mostly overgrown around the middle but the tracks towards either end are in decent condition. The rest of the section is easy walking. I would strongly recommend taking a small detour to summit Volcán Sollipulli in the CONAF National park (~30km into the section). When we arrived at the park we had to pay a CLP 4000 fee per person. When speaking to the ranger about where we intended to walk, he advised that the optional route down from the Volcán we planned to take is in very poor condition and would not let us take it. We had to do an out and back. It took us around 3.5-4h to summit and return. The trail is in excellent condition (trail markers are present) and the view is spectacular!! Possibly the best thing I’ve seen on the GPT. We camped in the park for no charge and bought some hot food from the food truck in the evening on the weekend. No issues with the rest of the section.

* '''2020-Feb-02 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR including Sollipulli climb / Frank'''

2 long days including Sollipulli climb
They are building the pipeline under the dirt road, when they are finished they will bury the pipe & road should reopen. No issues going through there but it was Sunday & no one was around. You walk on a narrow track above ditch, when you reach a point where two big boulders block the path you need to go down into the ditch to go around them.
Climbing Sollipulli is highly recommended to see the huge summit crater filled with ice & snow. Easy & well marked ascent.
You are not allowed to do the ascent after about 11AM. The food truck 'Sabores de Sollipulli' at the Conaf campsite only operates on weekends, it was closed on Sunday. I believe there is another Conaf site a little off route at Laguna Huaquifilo where you can camp. Nowhere good to camp after that. It was raining so I continued to Reigolil. Just after you cross the bridge there is a shop, they have rooms & provide very basic food. Not recommended but will do if you are stuck.

A few minor corrections: There is no bridge @ Bridge 46, just ford the river easily. Gate @ far side of ford is marked no entry but walking through appears to be OK.
There is a gravel track that stays on the right side of the river & goes past Ford 133 & Ford 134 so you don't need to cross either of them. It leads to Ford 135 which you do cross.

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

=Transport to and from Route=

[[File:Reigolil.jpg|thumb|center|600px|Timetable January 2020]]

Bus goes from Reigolil to Curacautin & Pucon. When I was there it left Reigolil at 7 & 7:50 AM (different to timetable) Confirm times at the shop by the bridge in Reigolil. Frank

South Summit:
Temuco-->Cunco-->Lago Caburga-->Hitch/Walk. Or ask/phone the business at Termas Rio Blanco & Termas San Sebastián about their own chartered buses, from a brief conversation with an employee there sounded to be a bus every few days.What's app +56946809918, +56992318329

Temuco's Terminal de Buses Rurales (Balmaceda 1475) can be complicated since most buses have their own shop elsewhere. For Cunco go to office "IGI LLAIMA/ Nar Bus"; Balmaceda 997. The bus leaves every 30min.

From Cunco check with locals about bus to Lago Caburga. Supposedly a bus leaves everyday at 4 or 5pm from Balmaceda corner La Concepción. It will pass by the nice supermarket;Supermercado Hesis on "Colico Sur" aka the S-75. Confirm schedule in the municipality of Cunco before traveling at +56 45 2200147.

Hitchhiking is easy up until Lago Collico, after that there are cars but not many stop.

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

Retired Section Article [[GPT14 - Volcán Sollipulli]]

=Images=

[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109047041.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045479.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
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[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045611.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045628.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
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[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109046479.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
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[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109047207.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]

GPT14 (Volcan Sollipulli)

2025-02-07T12:56:24Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

'''[[GPTs|List of all GPT sections]]'''

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<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

Include remarks about your route useful for other hikers and packrafters, alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

=Overview=

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

* '''2025-02-02 to 2025-02-05 / 4 days / NOBO / Huerquehue - Sollipulli traverse / Celio, Amalia '''

We did the huerquehue sollipulli traverse as suggested by Tomas and Natalie report.
First of all thanks to them for this option!
It's a very beautiful traverse but demanding on the south to north summit traverse of the sollipulli.

Huerquehue :
From Pucón there is 3 buses going to the entrance of the park (8:30am 12am and 16:30pm). There is 3 also living the park (around 1h later than the previous). Pucon was crowded and we decided to stay at the beginning of the trail at camping Olga (amazing place, no wifi and electricity btw, 9000$ each). When you get to the park entrance they will ask you your reservation at the camping and then ask you what's your trail plan and check your reservation for the park.
There we just said that we planned to do the lagos loop, since the traverse is not authorized anymore. We had reserved the entrance in advance for the next day ( careful on monday the park is closed...).
The next day we started early and went by the control "nido de aguila" by 9am and no one was there so we kept going. Once in laguna Huerquehue it's easy to follow the trail going down the other side (blues dots, overgrown a bit). You get to the old camping place reñahue and met with the trail going to termas rio blanco that's well maintained. We stayed at eco termas rio blanco, amazing therms!

Next day we followed the dirt road (you pass an old lumber exploitation) until 39.105063° S 71.545074° W. There is a sign saying laguna isolde, there start the trail. Note that you will come over several gates on the dirt road but we asked 2 persons and it's supposedly not a problem. At laguna isolde if you want to reach the shore, seed for the middle west shore, there is a trail following a dry rocky river bed that take you to the shore and a fire place. People camp there.
After that the trail go down to the gravel road, that you follow 2km on the east until you find the start of the lago cochor trail (there is a sign for it).
Going up lago cochor is a very nice trail well maintained and beautiful. Lago cochor is a perfect place to camp and we were not alone! 5 other tent.

Sollipulli traverse :
Next day we started the sollipulli traverse. There is a visible trail until you get out of the forest then it's less visible until the summit.
At the beginning to avoid the small detour just after lago cochor we shortcut in the forest staying on the ridge (savimg a few meter and elevation) 39.037476° S 71.553153° W.

After the south summit start the Tomás and Natalie suggestion track for the traverse.
Careful!
It's getting more demanding from this point, more alpine terrain and at the beggining there is a small downclimbimg (going Nobo) to do on a 4m wall. I guess it's was not there when Tomás did it earlier in the season with more snow. It's here 38.999587° S 71.520148° W.
This is where we find out to be the easiest. I guess someone can try higher up on the snow but it's quite steep and on the map is shown as a Glaciar, even if I doubt there is still crevasses...
After that it's walking mostly on moraine ground and volcanic rocks. I recommend to take the lower option of Tomás and especially here, 38.994149° S 71.499742° W, as the more higher option is exposed on a steep snow slope where a fall could "hurt" you.
Also be careful to strictly follow is track here 38.978334° S 71.491617° W, since on the west or east it's a cliff. The way down is steep but on loose rock where you can "ski" down. If you want to avoid it you have to go way more east than the semi transparent blue track of Tomás. Around here I'll say 38.978328° S 71.487167° W.
After this it get easier and we camp at the blue lake just down southeast of the north summit. Next day we joined the option 1 and went down the north face to the park ranger then the gravel road and hitchhiked to melipeuco.

This traverse is probably a lot more scenic than the RR but it's demanding and require skills on alpine terrain especially later in the season when there is less snow and with that downclimbimg involved.

* '''2025-01-17 to 2025-01-18 / 2 days / NOBO / RR / Tobias '''

First night I camped next to Río Machín (-39.03706, -71.46988), 2 km before “Police” {14} [49.3/1000]. There was no police. But at the next Puesto {14} [48.4/1078] the owner wrote down my name. Did not need to pay there. Went up the pass and took option 1 for getting up to Vulcan Sollipulli. Easy trail, amazing place up there!! Then I went down where the conaf trail starts. Rangers did not put any attention on me. I went to hot springs (-38.89384, -71.49345), because I thought about staying there. The owner showed me the place, full of algas and the water is cold, so I continued. Stayed at Camp {14} [22.4/1158] after 38 km of walking. Next day I continued 17 km to laguna chica de Icalma, where I continue packrafting in some days with Mara. For the overgrown part I recommend long trousers. Beautiful section, no bad surprises.

* ''' 2025-JAN-02 > 03 / 1,5 jours / Randonnée / SOBO / 14-A > RR / Pierre-Marie '''

Etape : GPT14+GPT15+GPT16+GPT17+GPT18+GPT19
| Meteo : soleil
| Eau : facile
| Neige : non
| Intérêt : 2/5
| Difficulté : 0/5
| Danger : aucun

Bus Bio-Bio pour Lonquimay le 01 à 11h30, puis bus le 02 à 14h pour Cruzaco, puis auto-stop jusqu'au point X {14-A} [6.8/1319] (compliqué de sortir du GPT...). La rando est top et la piste en parfait etat. Je voulais relier les pistes 14-01 et 14-01B en traversant le cratère du volcan, mais le gardien du parc m'a dit que c'etait impossible. Je suis donc passé par la vallée. Pas de pont au km 33,5 mais facile a traverser. Après le col au km 42, la rando n'est plus interessante. C'est de la gravel road jusqu'a la fin.

*'''2024-DEC-29 to 2024-DEC-31 / 2 day / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Ivan, Jakub, Daniel'''

This is a relatively easy stage with one challenging BB section; the rest is mostly along MR.

We departed from Villa Icalma in the afternoon, carrying food supplies for two days. The first night we stayed at a campsite {13} [35.2/1172], where we paid 10,000 CLP for one tent. The locals warned us about the risk of forest fires and asked us not to light any fires.

At coordinates (-38.8421396, -71.3628436), there is a log bridge to cross the stream. The following TL section is heavily overgrown and littered with fallen trees. Progress was slower here, but the path was still navigable. At the end of this overgrown part, we took a detour to a small, picturesque lake (-38.8676092, -71.3797418), where we refilled our water supplies. There were also a few picnic tables.

At coordinates (-38.8892305, -71.4503356), we encountered a locked gate that we had to climb over. At Lodge Nevados de Sollipulli [33.4/1188], basic food supplies are available for purchase. However, the nearby bridge [33.8/1188], marked in the track files, was missing, so we had to ford the river.

The remainder of the stage held no further surprises.

* '''December 17–26 2024 / 10 days/ Packrafting / SOBO / New option combining Huella Andina and nearby lakes from Icalma/Villa Pehuenia to Paso Mamuil Mamal (road from Pucón to Argentina) GPT14 RP?, GPT15-RP???'''

TL;DR: If you like people suffering, skip to days 7–9.

(Note: putting everything here, even though this technically spans two sections - there is no possibility to legally cross borders back to GPT15.)

Summary: This is a new and quite scenic and varied mostly-not-on-road route. In our opinion, it is a superior alternative to a lot of roadwalking on the RR GPT14-15 and a possible candidate for extending RP (including a river flowing through Aracaurias, which are to be found along all the trail). The last bushbashing (BB) part, while offering an experience in a pristine and untouched forest, is extremely demanding and not exactly safe due to its remoteness and bone breaking/puncture hazards. The forest was an experience for us like no other so far after six months on the GPT in total. The 5km BB took us 3 days. However, before that final section, this route is suitable for hikers as it follows the Huella Andina ("HA"), with some modifications (and using a packraft). Natalie also found a MR route around the bush bashing and last two lakes (with some ridge options) for hikers. In either case, one can than connect to our traverse od the side of Lanin, which we published last year in GPT16. Had this not been our first section this year and had we not carried 1a packraft and food for ten days, this could have been done much faster. I will refer to the KMZ file downloadable from wikiexplora article about HA. This time of the year, we practically never carried water, it was everywhere. It would be probably different at the end of summer. We never met any park rangers, so we do not know if any permits or payments are needed. In Villa Pehuenia, we were told by the tourist information office that HA is only open from Lago Ñorquinco, and indeed it is only marked from there, but the two previous sections exist as trails or roads and to our knowledge are open for hiking. Probably they are not maintained as they are not in any National Park. Outside of the lakes, we met no other overnight hikers and only one daypacker and one group of MTBikers.

Day 0 - Crossing from Icalma to Villa Pehuenia - 4 km
In Icalma, we asked a local working in a garden whether there was a taxi in Icalma and he offered to drive us to the border for 5 thousand CLP, which we accepted. It was a big help since the border was closing at ~7pm (it may have been 6pm but we only had an hour or so for both crossings). At the border, we were informed that Argentina requires a boat certificate of desinfection by a Chilian officer, but the Argentinians did not ask for it (for details, see this discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/222224388283455/posts/1956717948167415/). We didn't get a hitch between the border controls, but soon after in Argentina the first car took us to Villa Pehuenia. Villa Pehuenia is a tourist town, with no exchange office but seemingly every shop was willing to change US dollars for Argentinian pesos, ask around to get a decent rate. Shops were open until 21. Ressuply is well possible, this being Argentina, but food is now probably cheaper (though of course worse) in Chile (the Argentinian border controls did not check our bags stuffed with food at all). There is a dedicated shop for vegetables and fruits here: -38.88139, -71.18762. Paid 10 thousand to sleep at a run-down but functional ‎Complejo Lagrimitas. Phone Claro internet decent.

Day 1 - Villa Pehuenia to Moquehue ‐ 15 km
Our first independent packrafting trip meant that we fiddled several hours with packing and loading the boat, so we started at 11 AM. Lake was calm and we reached a beach here: -38.91476, -71.27327 around 14:00. The "puesto" marked in OSM sounds more like a settler, dogs and chickens heard. While we ate, whitecap waves against our direction developed and when paddling, we more or less stood on the ground, so we opted for hiking the rest of the way. The trail to Moquehue is easy but scenic, so we did not regret it. It is a trail, not a road, OSM has it wrong (will be fixed in the summer) until the last 1 km or so. In Moquehue, we managed to buy bread and nuts, ressuply possible, but we had most of our food already. Claro internet (last before end of trip). We followed HA for one km and slept a few hundred metres beyond the town here: -38.95579, -71.32329 (no water).

Day 2 - Moquehue to ridge above the next valley - 13 km.
We followed HA until just before Filo Cerro Plomo. Appart from first 2 km, it is a 4x4 road (sad) through a beautiful forrest (happy). Sidetrip to viewpoint here -38.96209, -71.32286 worth the ten minutes it takes. The ridge above the HA that should be accessible through OSM path starting here -38.95090, -71.31670 (mapped based on Strava, so might be CC) looked like easy and beautiful walking and is probably preferrable in good weather. Paths around -38.97080, -71.32003 are also mapped based on Strava, might be an artifact of a race or one single mad person doing the same round over and over and might be more CC than trails, but should get you to the ridge too. Anyway, on HA, the trackfiles are a bit wrong, around -39.00634, -71.30802, you will see two trail marks, so leave the road and go up. Met some people with bikes here, only people we met for the next two days. Path is not visible, but forrest is open and you go basically straight up. When reaching low lying beech shrubbery, path reappers that leads you up to the saddle. There is a creek shortly after this turn off (just before the trail marks) you can fill up on water. There is also a cairn at this creek and if you wish to walk the creek bed I think it might be possible as well. From the saddle we opted to follow the ridge NE from HA. It is spectacular and while steep, no hands are needed to advance. It is a bit slowgoing though, especially with a packraft and 10 days of food. We slept near a seasonal lake around -39.03013, -71.28361, very beautiful.

Day 3 - Ridge above the next valley to Lago Ñorquinco - 15 km.
We followed the ridge for two km and then discovered a recently maintained trail down to the valley here: -39.05003, -71.28180. We took it. It took us down through beech shrubbery to here -39.05142, -71.28621. Then it kind of petered out but the forest was open enough for us to easily reach the HA in the valley. The HA is quite a wide path that must have been made with a digger some time back, but it is not used by cars up to -39.08562, -71.30652. We originally wanted to stay on the ridge longer and go down from here: -39.08760, -71.29079. That is open terrain and looking from below, it looked possible, but not wholly certain. However, we would advise to join the ridge straight from Moquehue as suggested previously and get down by this trail we discovered. We followed the HA to Ruta Provincial 11, but it might be advisable to cut to the NW corner of the lake from here: -39.11217, -71.30914 to avoid roadwalking and a detour: Arroyo Nompehuen must be forded anyway and while cold, does not have too much water (knee deep) and there seems to be a path on satellite in the suitable direction and the landscape is reasonably open. We put our packraft in here -39.12056, -71.31909. It is a campsite where noone was in attendance, otherwise day-access is about 4 thousand pesos per person, so you might want to reach the lake farther, should be possible, use OSM and satellite map. There are showers and toilets and trashbin though. It was a bit windy (from West) and rain was coming, so despite the small size of the lake and low fetch, whitecap waves developed. Their direction was suitable for us and we crossed the lake along the southern shore to find a very wind sheltered camp next to a creek behind a bush here: -39.12056, -71.31909.

Day 4 - Lago Ñorquinco - to Arroyo Calfiquiera - 19 km
The next day we padled to -39.14420, -71.29466 and joined HA from there. According to OSM, the lake can be hiked around from both directions. West side seems preferable. HA starts to be marked here. It is actually mostly a very old eroded road made with a digger probably decades back. It has overwhelmingly the characteristics of a trail. Cascada Coloco is very pretty. Once you reach the pass, where there is a puesto and cows, the trail turns into a road that is very rarely used, it seemed. Vivac Pampa de Castro would probably give you shelter in rain and is open enough for hanta virus not to be a worry. We reached Arroyo Calfiquiera here: -39.22814, -71.27044 (before that it is a wild stream). However, the creek is overgrown just after that, luckily there were two locals living there who were fishing and helped us carry our fully loaded packraft to -39.22933, -71.26945. There was one more narrow and almost overgrown section shortly after (-39.23189, -71.26735), so you might want to put in just after that (follow the 4x4 tracks visible on satellite). From then on, apart from two low lying bridges, no portages were needed (we shortly walked our boat once or twice through some narrow braided passages). We camped at -39.23857, -71.25184 just before a class 1 rapid (that turned out to be the biggest on the river). Tomáš left his scissors from his Victorinox card there, you might find them at the edge of grass.

Day 5 - Arroyo Calfiquiera to Vivac Malalco Chico - 18 km
In the morning, the rapid turned out to be dangerous only for one's knees. The bridges are here: -39.24453, -71.24944 and -39.24874, -71.21634. There is a creek with fresh water flowing in at -39.24601 -71. 21842. With all the packing and unpacking, it is for sure quicker to walk on HA (which leaves the road for a trail in the valley for at least a part of its length). However, packrafting is recommended as part of the arroyo flows through an aracauria forrest and all along you get nice views of surrounding mountains. It is also good practice for beginners, we thought, being beginners ourselves. Down at the lake, we ferried across an American who said she would climb a mountain north of the lake nearby using a trail disclosed by a local. We did not packraft across the lake and instead got out at the picnic area at the west end of the lake (small stream but walk up a bit bcs there is an outhouse in the stream) and then after lunch made a shortcut to the ridge. After about 500 metres along the lake on the road, we turned right uphill and soon found a trail used by horses recently here: -39.25142, -71.19640. It was easy to follow and joined HA here -39.25310, -71.18395. It would be great if somebody could investigate where in the valley (presumably further up) it originates. There are a few puestos high up on this side so more trails are expected. The HA itself then crosses a very attractive (old volcanic) plateau. It is probably (one of) the nicest part of the HA that we have seen so far (out of a half). We camped at a valley designated by the KMZ files as a bivauc and it is a good camping spot, but do not expect any facilities or people.

Natalie devised an idea where you would CC from here: -39.25687, -71.23304 onto the ridge, traverse Cerro Rucachoroi and join HA here: -39.31090, -71.20943. It all looked like well passable CC, but we never got a good view of the peak itself and are unsure if it can be sidehilled or crossed. Some of the sub-peaks obstructing the view were rather vertical, but ridges that we saw were passable.

Day 6 - Vivac Malalco Chico to Lago Quillèn - 21 km
Going down is straightforward. However, there are some fallen branches. About 200 metres of altitude above the valley, you hit a creek that you will cross several times downstream. After crossing Arroyo Malalco (which looks great for packrafting, but do your research), a local from Comunidad Laf Lefiman offered us a cabaña with Starlink internet for 60 thousand,but it was too early so we went on. When we reached the lake, we saw a family with a paddleboard and kayaks that we saw the previous day at Lago Rucachoroi. Park rangers were nowhere to be seen. It was quite windy and waves looked big, so we used our packraft to cross the outlet from the lake and walked along the beach to join MR that runs along the southern side of the lake until -39.43088, -71.2848, where we camped. We met a group of people fishing there but they soon left.

Day 7 - Lago Quillèn to Somewhere in bamboo - 13 km.
We started early (aiming for sunrise, we managed to be in the boat 45 minutes after it) and paddled on lake Quillèn to reach old buildings here: -39.42796, -71.42474. They were a (probably recentishly) abandoned border police station, as far as we could tell. The lake had some waves already in the morning but they were quite managable and it took us about 4 hours to paddle the 13 km or so. Along the way, there would be places to camp, especially on the beach here: -39.42164, -71.36282 where there is fresh water. After the police station, we got onto a beach here: -39.43593, -71.41508. We cleared a place for a tent and entry into the forest, did not check for water but satellite says there is a creek outlet about 50 m NW from there. Then the "fun" part started, at about 15:00. Natalie's many many warnings about the forest looking impenetrable turned out to be true. It is an ancient Chilean beech (Roble/Coigue) forest with a completely native understory of many shrubs but mainly just walls of bamboo. In the grand scheme of things, if we had stuck to the creek bed we would have made the crossing in two (long) days. But because we left the creekbed several times, this 5km crossing took us 3 days.

At the beginning, while we were not yet on a steep slope, we were moving at a healthy speed of maybe 400m an hour. We found a creek here: -39.43977, -71.41793 that allowed us to walk without obstruction for about 15m. It was turning into a canyon, which we did not like, so we continued to the east of it. Little did we know how foolish that was! In the beginning, as it got steeper, we would sometimes find an area full of flat dead woody bambo that would allow us to jump about twenty metres before fighting the green bamboo again. As we progressed (at a speed of maybe 250m per hour), we noticed we were on a side of a steep canyon made by erosion from water running down the slope. Details of the satellite map revealed that we were two such ravines removed from the main creek. We crossed one over a log, that was maybe 10 m long and was maybe 6 m high above the lowest point of the canyon. It was getting dark so we cleared a somewhat even spot for a camp (sorry forest). After six hours and some zigzagging caused by the canyons, we were about 1 km from where we started. Survey without a backpack (which makes moving around about three times easier) suggested we might be able to rejoin the main canyon the next day which was about 100 m far (and thirty metres below).

Day 8 - Somewhere in bamboo to dried creekbed - 1 km
New survey in the morning made us go backdown as the main canyon's wall seemed like a landslide and almost vertical. We started to follow down a ravine between us and the main creek, hoping it would join it. After three hours, 400 m of distance and two failed surveys in the direction of the main canyon, we finally manged to make a crossing. A rule for heavy duty bushbashing seems to be: always follow the water. It is not exactly quicker, but psychologically being able to see more than 5 metres in advance and not having to constantly put branches from one's face is a tremendeous benefit. It also helps with orientation and hopefully provides a possible passage. We of course set a turn-back time by which we would turn back if we did not reach the pass, but (Tomáš not being the responsible one), we failed to heed it after deciding we actually still had food for three more somewhat fasting days. We started to go up the creek at a speed of about 200 metres an hour, so after about 5-6 hours, we managed to get under the place where we slept. We agreed that we could have probably gone down there, saving us 5 hours of a detour, the canyon walls being steep, but in some places having enough bamboo to provide good (but never truly certain) holds. At about -39.44779, -71.41624, there was a confluence of two canyons, and we decided to go through a steep dry vegetation-wise more or less open slope to the right . After about 100m, we traversed back left to the main creek. It was now six in the evening. Still hoping to reach the pass (hey, just 500m of distance!) and facing somewhat overgrown waterfall in the main ravine roughly -39.45067, -71.41624, we again opted to go right, onto an even steeper slope. Somehow with the help of trees growing there, we reached a beech-bush combined with bamboo understory, slowing us down to maybe 50 m an hour. After an hour or so, we found a ravine that we partially followed and traversed back to the creek. It still had some waterfalls that turned out to be scalable and after 100 m (our speed returning to a solid 250 m per hour), it turned dry. It now being 9 PM, we built a camp inside of the creekbed. Looking back, especially the second diversion was a mistake and we should have stayed in the canyon (the waterfall was probably scalable with passing backpacks and such). The variety of plant and insect species that live in and around the creekbed was amazing. Luckily very little tabanos or other obnoxious insects, which was true for all these 5 km.

Day 9 - Dried creekbed to somewhere in bamboo II - 3 km
In the morning, Tomáš went exploring and found the other side of the pass much preferable, so around ten, we set off to continue. After an easy 40-minute 300m traverse to the pass (Lanin looks impressive even through the trees), the character of the valley changed a lot. Almost open beech forrest and relatively regular creekbed (with a creek) enabled us to reach -39.45964, -71.41716 in a superb speed of almost 600m/hour. From there, we followed the river through a dense old and amazing canopy. At about 400 m/ hour, we eventually got to a 20 m cascading (not vertical) waterfall here: -39.47088, -71.41775. To its left, we managed to cut a path with our machete, passing each other our backpacks on the not-entirely vertical somewhat crumbly climb-down. Unfortunately we do not think our holds will last long as we scaled it down in mainly mud and fragile rock (rope or bamboo bushing walkaround should do). Afterwards, our speed again decreased to about 200 m an hour, overcoming many logjams and much smaller waterfalls. We camped around -39.47449, -71.41901. Natalie somehow left her insoles there. All the scrambling we have done both up and down were mangeable (T4 to T5 on SAC scale), though a rope of 10 or 15 m or so would have been at certian moments quite useful.

Day 10 - Somewhere in bamboo II to Paso Mamuil Mamal - 17 km
In the morning, we took three hours mostly following the creek or bashing bamboo alongisde it to reach the shore (yay!), where Tomáš somehow left his beloved trusty headphones: -39.48276, -71.42544. Should you find them, give them a decent burial. We inflated our packraft and paddled across Lago Tromen (which offers tremendeous views) in about 2,5 hours to outlet of Rio Malleo, meeting people again after several days. Rio Malleo has probably too much of a drop to be packrafted safely but lookes tempting to Tomáš. After a long lunch, eating the last of our last food, we crossed the river and walked along the OSM trail to the National Park office near the border. Nobody paid attention to us there, so we walked to the Argentinian border control, from which we got a hitch all the way to Pucon, seeing Clara hitchhiking around the end of the Villarica Traverse. Pucon did not have Tomáš's favourite icecream like last year and in general did not feel as good as previous years (cherries were perfect though). We were very glad and maybe somehow euphoric we made it .

Overall, the forest was incredible. However, if we broke a limb or worse, we doubt help would come, so only do this if you are prepared for self-evacuation or face the consequences. We are however convinced that with good navigation, and staying mainly in the creek, it could take two long days to do the BB traverse, one for going up the pass and one down. The BB has difficulty 7 in GPT terms.

* '''17Dec2024 - 20dec2024 / hiking SOBO / RR from ~km30 - OH1 A/R (cumbre sollipulli) - RR - GPT15 OH1 / 4 days / Clara'''

Hitchhike from Icalma to Tracura and then Huechelepun (took me half day with multiple cars and still few km of road walking, not much cars)

OH1 (cumbre sollipulli by north side) : no one of conaf at park 31. It's written that they don't allow people to go up after 11am so may be a problem if they're here (maybe more during full turism season).
Very easy trail for 7km and 1000d+, steep and snow at the top but easy going slow. Really nice full snow cratere on the top !! Descent by same path cause low clouds comming (except took 1a short cut that is good).

Ruta de Baquedanos (RR) is easy dirt road walking. Camp spots with water almost everywhere (maybe less between 40 and 46). Not many nice views all along.

Then RR until GPT15 opt1 (a bit after settlment 51.7).
Sleep in hospedaje Veronica that is lower on 15-OH-1a. (15k for bed + private bathroom with cold water + breakfast). She and her husband are really nice. She used to have a cafeteria and sell honey, charcuterias and other products that she did. For now she has family issues so she only keep the hospedaje but she told me that she's thinking to reopen it in january or february.

* '''2024-dec-05 to 2024-dec-08 / 3.5 Days (1 day rest due to bad weather) / Hiking / SOBO / RR - D / Karin'''

I took the RR through the overgrown part. It was managable, but for some parts I had to look closly on the GPS not to loose track. There were lots of fallen trees/branches blocking the way. With the vegetation growing, I think it will become more difficult to get through.

Camp spot at km17.9 was very wet and swompy, due to the rain. But, I guess that it would be good on nice days.

On that kind of plateau (alt. 1500m) was still a bit of snow, but nothing to worry about.

Camp on km22.4 looked nice (lots of curious cows). After this camp, about 1km, was a locked gate, which was not so easy to climb.

As it was raining heavily (stronger than perdicted), I took var D in order to find a refuge. After a few km, I found cabañas (Santa Victoria) where I could stay for two nights ever that it is still off season. Very nice people working there.

At the park ranger km31.8, as I didn't see anybody so I just walked through.

The bridge at the Laguna (km33.5) was not there, but the river was easy to ford, so as well for the fords all the way up to the pass km41.5. The water was never higher than mid-calf/knee.

I camped at camp km46.9. Very nice and large spot.

The Ruta del Baqueano seems to be a high used biking or off road driving track. I meet a lot of cars and bikes.

As I did GPT 13-15 in one, I did not stop neither in Icalma nor in Reigolil, so I cannot say if there is enough for resupply.

* '''2024 nov 13 / 1 Day/ Hiking / SOBO/ hitchhiked to huechelepun + RR till reigolil/ Allie '''

I camped in camping Carilafquen in Huechelepun. I left early in the morning as it was 32km to get to Reigolil. I stopped by the lodge nevados for a coffee and stayed a bit, the place was so lovely. On the highest parts of the regular route there are some patches of snow to cross but nothing sketchy. Watch out for snow bridges though. The river fords are doable as well.

* '''5.-8.11.2024 / 4 hiking days / Daina and Arno'''

We did a combination of GPT 14 and 15, although we didn't have the files at this time.

We took a bus from Pucón to Flor del Valle and arrived later than expected at 1:30 pm. First we hiked into section 14 on the minor road with very few traffic. At -39.01943, -71.458341 we needed to cross a creek, that is not visible in our map. There are huge treetrunks like a natural bridge. Later at -39.014836, -71.456205 there was another wide stream of water at the road, but very easy to ford.
Later we dicided to turn around and hiked to the Laguna Huesquefilo instead, to find a nice campspot. The trail to the Laguna was very smooth, the Laguna itself was beautiful. Next day we continued to GPT 15.

==Season 2023/24==

* '''2024 Mar 24th to Mar 31st / 6 hiking days and 2 rest days / SOBO / Hiking / RR, Var C, E, H, G, Opt 1 and 1A, Opt 2 and 2A / Michael and Kasia'''

We did sections 14 and 15 together.

TL:DR: a nice section; the summit of Sollipulli is not to be missed!

Day 1 March 24th

We left Icalma at 08:30. It was a foggy morning and the air was still, very nice hiking weather and beautiful light. It had rained the day before so the road walk was thankfully not dusty. It was a Sunday morning and very few cars passed.

We left the highway to keep on RR. It is a dirt road for quite some time. We found a lot of piñones just lying on the ground. There was an unmarked ford at (-38.84187, -71.36345). After that the overgrown section began. It was somewhat challenging for us, not bush bashing per se, but definitely bush pushing. A lot of it was waist high and really slowed us down. Our plan had been to get to the laguna on Var C, but it became obvious that even if we did make it, it would be dark before we got there. Looking at the GPS I noticed what looked like a small laguna at (-38.86766, -71.38010). There was no OSM track for it, but when we got closer, we found a dirt road going to it. There was no sign and no fences. It was a lovely spot. There were a few araucarias dropping piñones, and the laguna was clear and glassy smooth. It was, however, definitely someone's campground. There are flat spots for tents, picnic tables, a shipping container turned into a bathroom (padlocked shut when we were there), and there were signs of more development planned. Point being, if you plan to camp here in future seasons, be aware that, at least during “la temporada”, there may be other people there, and it probably costs money.

Day 2 March 25th

We made it a short day. Our packs were extra heavy due to all the piñones we were harvesting. We kept trying to stop, but there is just something about their color and shape that makes them irresistible to pick up. The path from the campground to the laguna on 14-C is a dirt road the whole way. We had to check the GPS a few times as there are a few other roads that break off of it, but the route is easy walking. The laguna is very pretty and the campsite there is nice. It's fairly flat with plenty of space for multiple tents, under some trees, so mixed shade and sun, and easy water access. There was also a fire ring there. We had our first fire of the season and cooked a few batches of piñones. Some people on horseback came by looking for their cows. They said they are beginning the process of collecting the animals and moving them down to the invernadas for the winter. They mentioned that the laguna on 14-C is called Laguna Santa Olga.

Day 3 March 26th

Stayed at Laguna Santa Olga for a rest day.

Day 4 March 27th

We walked by (Camp 14 [17.9/1538]) on the way back to the road. We could hear a stream trickling in the opposite side of the road from it.

The forest along the way was beautiful. It was a great time of year to be there as well, sunny but not hot and the light was always nice. We collected another 2 kg of piñones. There were so many everywhere, we definitely could have bought less food and been okay.

We took Var E to bypass the road construction even though there was no one there by the time we arrived. It was mostly because we were looking for camping and knew there wouldn't be any good spots there. But if someone arrived there after work hours, the gate going SOBO was just closed with wire, and on the other end it was possible to just walk around the fence.

We then followed Var H on to Var G towards Var F. We camped at Camping Carilafquen (-38.91004, -71.49813) along Var F. We paid 10.000 for the tent space. There was no one else there. The campground was pleasant. It had plenty of space on the grass for tents, picnic tables, and bathrooms with showers, cold water only, no electricity. It was a good option for us because it was only 1.6 km from the CONAF office. If wanting to camp there, just up the road from the property there is a house. A couple who manages the campground lives there. They were very nice, they even gave us sopaipillas.

Day 5 March 28th

We arrived at the CONAF office around 09:00. There was no ranger on the office. We started moving things into a small backpack anticipating leaving our bags. By the time we were ready to hike, still no one had shown up. Fortunately a small tour group arrived and parked right next to the CONAF office. They said we could put out bags in their vehicle and they would leave them for us if they got back first.

The walk up through the forest was beautiful and peaceful. There were a lot of huge, old trees that were very impressive. The trail was well maintained and easy to follow. Higher up it switched to a more lunar landscape with multiple volcanoes and cordilleras of mountains appearing the higher up we got. Towards the top it got a little steep which was slower going. It took us 5 hours to the summit with photo breaks and a snack break. We spent about an hour at the summit with no one else there. The weather was impeccable, full sun and hardly a breeze. The only sound was the river below.
It took us about 3 hours to get back to the bottom.
We ended up camping across the path from the CONAF office next to the picnic tables. There was a facet outside the office and bathrooms.

Day 6 March 29

When the CONAF guard arrived in the morning, he came over to talk with us. He said it was fine that we camped for the night, but just asked us to take the tent down, and then we could take as much time as we needed. It seems that camping there is unofficially acceptable as long as you're there after closing and wrapped up before people start to show up in the morning.

We started to walk along RR. We had been walking less than 30 minutes when a truck stopped and offered us a ride. They were going to Paso Llaima and to collect piñones. We rode in the back with their two dogs getting to watch the beautiful misty forest go by around us.

From Paso Llaima we continued on RR, then took Opt 2 to Laguna Huequefilo. The trail up is easy to follow and well maintained. The sign at the front says no camping and no fires, but there was no CONAF office and no guardadaparques. When we got to the lake there were several groups camping and having fires. There are a huge number of araucarias there and it is a very popular spot with locals to go to collect them.

Going down Opt 2A to the SE end of the lake, there is a fairly large sand beach and a creek feeding into the lake that was a good place to get water from. A local family from Ragolil that was camping there suggested a good spot around (-39.05250, -71.43000) that was fairly wind protected but still close to the beach. But if it's not windy, that end of the lake has plenty of space for camping. The lake and the setting is beautiful and for us it was well worth the detour.

Day 7 March 30th

We stayed at Laguna Huequefilo for a rest day.

Day 8 March 31st

We left Laguna Huequefilo and headed back to finish 14 and start 15. We gathered more piñones along the way. At (-39.05455, -71.46918), around km 52.26 there was a sign for a minimarket. The woman who runs is, Viviana, is very nice. She and her family moved there a couple of years ago from Santiago. We suggested she carry gas for camping and she said she would try to get some to sell in the future. She had canned fish, pasta, rice, 200 g tomato sauce packets, bullion cubes, mermeladas, butter and margarine, and a variety of cookies and candy. Prices were reasonable. We bought some things and got back to the road. We almost immediately caught a hitch to the beginning of GPT15 Opt 1.

* '''2024-Mar-18 to 2024-Mar-19 / 1 day / SOBO / RR 01 01a/ Matthias de Austria'''

No snowfields, no Tabanos, no Mosquitos. Plenty of water except for the Sollipulli peak area.

Came from Lonquimay by bus at 12:00 to Icalma, arrival around 14:00. There is a minibus directly going a bit west, but only to the intersection at the end of the lake, so maybe like 3km for 500 peso.
Very little traffic, but luckily got 4 rides until the ranger at 31.8 in just 3 hours. I am a bit in a hurry as I want to hike Sollipulli but the weather turns bad next day evening. There is a minibus coming from Melipeuco to intersection end of Variant I. It turns to the bridge 30.6.

I did not visit the rangers, as I don't want to go back the same way. Looking for a hidden spot ro camp and early start to the peak the next day.

Don't camp at Hannes suggestion, every Hilux driver coming downhill will spot you easily. I am sure the actuall place he meant is -38.923355,-71.489118. Well hidden and flat, but the water on the other side of road dried up. There is water on your side too, but don't just follow your ears, you won't reach the water. Instead walk where it is relatively easy in south to south east, you may or may not see path like structure, but ca. in 200m you will reach a good path, just follow it uphill directly to the water at -38.924705,-71.489552. It is a 5 to 10min walk from camp. If you follow this path further it leads you to the OSM dirtroad, which is an offical marked hiking path of the park.

I am alone all the way, later I heard that the rangers closed the path due the upcoming bad weather. Very strong and cold winds at the peak, a few hours later it will be snowing, I would love to try the traverse, but it is too risky with that forecast. Nice CC back down to the pass 41.5.

First running water coming from the peak: -38.966463,-71.472000

Possible camp with water at 01: -38.971581,-71.465207

Only car on the road picks me up, a tourist couple from Santiago who stayed at the luxury lodge, and we drive to Pucón, while the rain starts.

Without summiting Sollipulli this would be a drive by section, but Sollipulli makes this section absolutely amazing and I strongly recommend the easy climb up just for those mind blowing views.

* '''From 2024-03-10 to 2023-03-11 // 2 day // Hiking // NOBO // RR + OPT1 (Summit) // Quentin Clavel'''

What a section !

After a very cold start, early in the morning at the bottom of the vallee of reigolil, you just go slowly but surely in the Villarica reserve.

The gravel road is transforming into a smaller 4WD track, and the path is lovely, going up gradually, passing threw a nice forest, with many amazing aucaria trees.

Lucky enough to arrive in this region at the time where piniones are still possible to pick. Didn't had to make a lot of effort, just harvesting the ground was enough to give me way more than what I needed !

I took the junction to reach the summit. At the very beginning I struggle a bit, when you reach a puesto, there's few possibility of track, I took the wrong one that result on a little fight with the bush, then I managed to come back on track, which is pretty clear until the volcanic plateau.

No trouble at all with water, as you'll have some along the path, from th beginning to the end.

Arriving to the plateau, then stick to the track, it will guide you to the summit and the outstanding view on the massive nevados de sollipulli ! That was sick, even with a looooooot of wind. I still stayed there for more than an hour, protected from the wind thanks to some bog rocks, contemplating this amazing landscape, some condors dancing around and the views over lanin and Llaima volcanoes.

It was finally time to leave this kind of parrallele world. The way down was very easy as the track is marqued. Some crazy views again with Llaima volcán + the aucaria trees around, then I reached the conaf desk. I arrived there late and no-one was still there.

(Didn't mentionned that going NOBO you don't have to respect a precise timing to go up, there's no conaf desk on that way).

Then continuing on the way to icalma, passing threw a private pipeline working area. But as it was late on the day, I haven't got any troubles (still easy to avoid, by taking the variant E).

After passing the Hot Spring {13} [#1/945] (PK28), you'll have to jump a gate, then few gates/fences, and continuing in the forest on a very well marked 4WD track, until the overgrown part, which is not difficult to pass.

It's overgrown, but nothing to be scared about ! The track is still visible, it's just that the nature want to give you some hugs, very nice and kind, I could even say cute. It's nothing like a fight with the bush !

Then you continue till reaching the gravel road until Icalma. There it's possible to resupply Ith multiple minimercado, you have some possibilities to sleep too, bit it's still a tiny city, don't expect a lot.

* '''2024-Feb-16 to 2024-Feb 18 / 3 days / Hiking / NOBO / RR /czimahi'''
from Reigolil - no good resupply, no pan- following RR, night camp 46,9; then no prob (cross rio Carilafquen just first bridge after camping, think it is 14E) till point S38°51.753` W71°23.062` where I follow wrong way- for sure this would lead to 14a and to the main road. I decided go back to RR and be hours in bush. At the end I missed the route once more but I found water which I needed (aprox S38°50.483` W71°21.907`) and then meet 14B and back to RR to the camp $ 13, and next day to Icalma pueblo.

* '''2024 Jan 30 to 2024 Feb 01 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + OH14-C + OH14-E + OH14-01 / Hannes'''

Hitchhiked to km 5,2. Then I went on RR, found last water at -38.841797 -71.363423, soon after the as overgrown marked trail starts. Trail actually not to bad overgrown, most of the time clearly visible, sometimes I had to stick to GPS, especially at the beginning, there are a few trails there… Till the Laguna {14C} I did not see water anymore, except close to Camp at km 17,9, around 50m down towards the puesto was running a little streamlet, maybe drying out? Laguna on OH 14-C is very nice! Good camping spot, but I headed on, still to early. Camped then at km 28,6. I loved this place! An open air cinema with all the green and birds flying and singing around. At -38.889097 -71.450367 you’ll find a locked? gate, barbed wire fence around. Check if it is really locked, I did not look accurately! I say this, because the next one I encountered outside this valley was just pseudolocked. Anyway, I passed the fence at around -38.889820 -71.449927, around 100ms to the left from gate beneath. Seemed to me the best option, but check out for yourself…Walked on. You’ll find another unlocked gate at -38.901269 -71.504529, private property with a sign that just authorised persons can pass, some company I suppose. I took a detour over OH14 E, but having seen the exit of this company road close to km 30, shortly before the bridge, I would have taken it. There a gate as well, but not locked and either entrance or exit nobody around. Went on to Conaf to take some water. Read about their rules and so I decided to take the unofficial trail up to the volcano shown on the OSMmap at 38.9238605S, 71.4873252W as some others already spotted. My plan was to do the Sollipulli-Traverse over the rim. The thing is: Where this trail (actually more an MR) starts, there is a nearly 100m long fence, hindering you to drop in directly, furthermore at the end of this fence there is an other cabaña, looks like an outpost of CONAF checking who is taking this trail. I do not know who sits in this shack, did not want to know either, did not want to explain my plans. So I went back were the fence starts. This is at -38.92315, -71.48867, there is a signboard with „Sollipulli Lodge, 500ms". There I dropped into the bushes. There would be actually a pretty nice camp spot for one to two tents at around -38.922156 -71.489928, around 30ms from the MR, but nobody sees you and water nearby at the other side of the road. From there I walked up (little CC) keeping in mind where the OSM trail goes, found a path and somewhere I got on this OSM trail. Went up to the summit. Looked over the rim, realized I had to descent for the next summit towards the south, impossible there to cross over the rim. Went down southeast of the summit to this two beautiful lakes, some bigger snowfields there, but could be done with afternoon sun. Camped at -38.971172 -71.489823, an amazing campsite! But realized there that without micro spikes or crampons I would have to detour some extended snowfields in the morning and loose a lot of time, not knowing what expects me after the next summit. So I skipped my plan for the traverse and went down over OH 14-01. Then all the way out to Reigolil. Difficult for me to hitch a car…

* '''2024-Jan-13 to 2024-Jan-15 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR - {14-A} - RR - {14-E} - RR - {14-01} - RR / Lilian'''

DON'T SKIP GPT14, the views on Nevados de Sollipulli is one of the most STUNNING views in my life!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND to you!

Here is the waypoint description:

RR road walking.

Km1.0 : a small shop.

Km1.1 : tiny shop, look like only have drinks and ice cream. It is closed when i was there at weekend.

Km5.2 : junction of RR and {14-A}, i go for {14-A} because i want to arrive ranger station RR[31.8/1141] before 11am, {14-A} is a dirt road, the time can be controlled and stable.

{14-A} km6.3 : ranger station, crowned when i pass here.

Lot of possible camping spot beside the dirt road of {14-A}, i think it is easy to find a spot here.

{14-A} km10.9 : water flowing, but it need some BB, about 10m for get close to stream.

Km11.4 : locked gate, go around itbon right side.

Km12.5 : huge blowdown, no more cars going up by this road.

Km13.0 : side trail on valley side, 30m for collecting water, flowing low.

Km13.3 : {14-A} end, connect with RR km15.7.

I find one more water spot nearby, at RR km15.6, also a side trail at valley side, a little overgrown about 10m to stream, better water at downstream 10m, you can cross 2 logs there, then you will find a very tiny waterfall, easy to collect.

Camp RR[17.9/1538] : tiny grassland, some muddy nearby. Water flowing at downstream of the muddy, but in steep valley look like very difficult to collect.

Camp[22.4/2158] : very beautiful grassland camping spot until km22.95.

Km23.45 : locked gate with barbed wire fence. Better climb at left side, just the top one is barbed wire, all the wire of right side is barbed.

Km24.6 : another beautiful grassland camping spot. I heard water flowing good at valley side, but I'm not sure can collect water or not. I think this is the last camping spot before you met settlement and climbing Sollipulli.

Km25.85 : crossing Estero Huechelepun on bridge, water flowing good under the bridge, it is a steep valley, I don't think it is possible to collect water here.

Km29.5 : junction of RR, {14-I} and {14-E}. RR is blocked by barbed wire fence. So i go for {14-E} then met RR.

Honestly, i don't think {14-F}, {14-G} and {14-H} is still usable now. At {14-E} km0.4, {14-F} is blocked by a barbed wire fence(no gate) that taller than human, only this spot the fence is such high, i think it means the owner not welcome other people to go in at here. Also bridge[31.0+0.2/1020] and ford[31.0/1034] is all blocked by gate or barbed wire fence. Even you can climb all over them, {14-F} is going just beside settlement, it will annoys the people there.

Lastly, ranger station is not at park ranger[31.8/1141], it is at (-38.91796, -71.49481), even you can sneak by {14-F}, rangers are still in front of you. There are no way to go around them, and their windows are towards the road, they see you before you get close (the only method is earlier or later than them at there).

So, i go for a round trip for Sollipulli, and put my backpack in ranger station.

For Sollipulli {14-01}:

Km0 : ranger station, car parking lot, some picnic table, food truck(not open on Sunday when i was there) and toilet. Also you can collect water by Río Carilafquén if need.

Km1.25 : official viewpoint, but surrounded by some trees taller than the viewpoint 5-20m, i saw nothing here. Some benches here too.

Km2.1 : junction of {14-01} and {14-01A} (CC route). For GPT hiker, both are in good condition, easy to follow and walk, but of course {14-01} is a little better condition, because of official route.

Km3.8 : sharp turning, a helipad nearby.

Km4.73 : official viewpoint.

Km5.3-km6.1 : snow valley, covered by snow now. Not too steep, no difficult climb up and go down, also there are some day hikers, mostly you can follow their steps or go by yourself.

Summit [6.3/2145] to km7.05, covered by snow ridge now, very easy to walk on. Km7.1 is a better point for rest, mort quite, more peaceful. Most of the day hikers would not come to here. km7.05, enjoy your moments here.

For my observation from high, km7.1 to km7.9 are all covered by snow, but easy to walk on. I didn't see any footprints or trace on the snow, so I don't know descent is still work or not. I need to get back my backpack at ranger station, so i didn't go down at here.

I take a long nap and some relax with amazing views at km7.05, such a good time.

I took 3 hours for climb up and 1.5 hour to go down.

Continues on RR :

Km32.2 : viewpoint of waterfall.

Bridge[33.5/1188] : no bridge here, wet feet crossing. From here to ford[37.0/1228] you need to cross the same river 6 times, all wet feet crossing but just above ankle, easy.

Km37.95: flat grassland beside a pond. I saw some people camping here, look nice.

Camp[39.3/1294] : grassland camping spot with 2 fire ring beside the river.

Km40.6 : an old dirt road leads you to a grassland beside the river.

Km43.0 : junction of RR and {14-01}, {14-01} at here is a clear road to west, also one more road is going west after here 80m.

Lot of small stream if flowing good with clear water across the road after the pass.

Km44.5 : road junction, a sign "Reigolil Paso Mallin Chileno" here. Nice seat with good view of Sollipulli too.

Km49 : wet feet or an exciting log crossing.

Shop[57.8/856] : it is a ferretería, with drinks and ice cream, friendly.

At last, I didn't cross bridge[59.8/835] to Reigolil and keep going south because i have enough food for GPT15.

* '''2023 28 - 31 dec / 3 days / NOBO/ Option 01B / Natalie & Tomáš'''

Last year we wondered if one can avoid roadwalking on GPT 14 and GPT15 by traversing Sollipulli (not the glacier) and it turns out it can be done and is quite a spectacular option (probably a lot more attractive then RR and when done right, not with too many people). The idea is, SOBO, to follow the rim of Sollipulli for about 4 km, then go to Laguna Cochor (14-01B), then to Laguna Isolda, Termas Rio Blanco and NP Huerquehue (15-01) and then Villarica Traverse (16-04). If you hitch (should be easy) or take a bus between the end of 15-01 and beginning of 16-04 through Pucon, you will get quite a nice trail without much roadwalking. See our notes to GPT15 and GPT16 for the rest of this option, here follows the Solipulli bit [November 2024: it is in our suggestions in the Track files].

Note: to do a one way traverse of Sollipulli, either walk through the CONAF station before about 8 AM or after about 7 PM when the guards should no longer be there or walk past it for about 1 km on the road and take a right at 38.9238605S, 71.4873252W where there is an OSM trail based on Strava heatmap; however that trail needs to be confirmed, but it is almost for certain there.

Since we climbed Sollipulli last year from the north, this year we opted to do a day trip from Laguna Cochor to the north summit via south summit of Sollipulli, thus proving the traverse is doable and not too hard. The following paragraph (Tl;DR: do not expect to get a ride easily on this road) is about access, so if you are coming from the north, skip it.

We took a bus from Temuco to Cunco, they go every half an hour and cost a few thousand pesos. There are many terminals, the company you look for is Nar Bus, find its terminal in google maps to save yourself 1 km of going to the rural bus terminal and back. The ride takes cca 80 minutes. From Cunco, there is a daily bus to Laguna Caburga that leaves everyday at 17:00. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, it should go all the way to Termas Rio Blanco (it probably goes back in the morning, do not remember time schedule but we just saw a bus in the morning in the direction of Cunco). In Cunco we missed that bus and had to hitch. It was very easy at the beginning to get to Lago Colico but after that it became extremely difficult all the way to the start of the hike. We had to sleep in the forest by the road that night because no cars were stopping. In the morning, we got a hitch of 3 km and then we walked a few more to the western end of Laguna Caburga. We bought some bread and chips there, waited for four hours for a hitch and killed about twenty horseflies. None of the 15 cars that passed took us. We then walked to the other end of the lake, where we got a hitch to the junction with access to Thermas Rio Blanco. From there, we walked to the start/end of GPT14 option 1B. It took us about 26 hours from Cunco.

At the entrance to the trail (it is open but seems to lead through private land), there is a sign saying it is not allowed to camp at Laguna Cochor (which is clearly being violated, on our second night there, there was a Chilean tent). Secondly, it says there is no estabilished access to Sollipulli, which is not true, the path leads well above the tree line. The trail is an old road for ~1 km and the rest is very clear, easy and pretty through sometimes dark forrest. At the laguna, there is a beach where one can camp, as we did. There is no good source of water on the way to the laguna or at the laguna (but some streams could be heard in the undergrowth), definitely treat the water in the laguna.

The next day, we hid our tent and set off to reach the south summit of Sollipulli and then to the northern summit via the ridge (or below the ridge). It was an extremely long day trip (~16hrs out and back) but it should not be a problem if doing a proper traverse, many camping options. If one does not want to camp at Laguna Cochor, first good place is right above the treeline where the TR section ends and CC section begins. A nicer place would be cca 1 km further on, where you traverse to a nice valley. The first cca 2 km of CC are actually more TR&CC, the trail comes and goes and follows the contour line, which is to be recommended. In the valley, there was a stream that can still be jumped in one place or could be easily forded. With less snow, it would probably be jumpable almost everywhere. The way to the summit is uneventful and a bit of a slog. No scrambling is needed (there is just one small rock obstacle, but one can walk through). Above around 1900 m., there was a lot of snow. If going early in the season, check the map where glaciers are and do not walk on them - you do not need to, they are fairly small. From the summit, we looked for several ways to go down and then retraced a bit and actually crossed what on a map is marked as a glacier here: 38.9963315S, 71.5233126W. Judging from satellite photos and our own survey, we think the western part of the glacier has melted and we walked over a snowfield to a soft ridge with a small tarn at the end of it. Getting down from this ridge sharply down left towards a plateau-like valley may or may not be difficult if there is "no" snow. We found a good way down on moderate snow slopes but considering the snow there is still very deep we do not know what the rock would be like, most likely it should be fine without snow. Here Natalie went back as it was already 1500, but Tomáš pressed on. He went across the valley and up the side of the next ridge at roughly 2000 m (there are two places that are not rocky, this one was the lower one, it was steep but fairly easy walking through loose stones and scree), then he went roughly half the way up the ridge, traversed above the two lakes on the way, then got to the rim and walked the ridge, then he got down to the other two lakes on the map and walked up to the summit.

It was six, so he ate and then spent 6 hours walking back, this time not going to the rim at all and staying under the two more southern lakes and then retracing his steps - this was a faster but less spectacular variant. There seemed to be many possible variants how to cross this six km between two endpoints of GPT, the best variant will depend on your mood, skill level, weather and snowncover. It is however possible to do the traverse without climbing or exposed scrambling (though to make sure, somebody should do this in February when there is no snow), Tomáš practically never used his hands. On the way back, he met a Chilean tent above the treeline.

Next day, we walked down to the road, walked about six km, got a hitch of 3 km to Reigolil, after 15 min there got a hitch of 5 km, waited for an hour and then got a hitch all the way to Pucón (about 75 min of driving).

* '''2023 23 - 25 dec / 3 days / SOBO / RR + D + Sollipulli summit / Frans'''

Trail is mildly overgrown going up to the first campsite but not as bad as expected. Usually until your knees but the trail is still visible, it just slows you down. Keep an eye on your GPS if you think you lost it, it's spot on with the GPX files. Camp 14 [22.4] is such a nice spot! Be aware that if you want to do the Sollipulli summit you have to there before 1100 (according to the sign) or the rangers won't let you up. Still a 2hr walk, but not difficult.

GPT14-I point there is a gate and private property sign if you want to continue RR. They are doing road construction, and there is a guard house at the end. I didn't see anyone there, but it was weekend. Just keep in mind you might need to do the detour which takes a bit longer to get to the ranger station.

At the park rangers place you can drop your backpack. I was not allowed to do a one-way trip. Needed to come back. It's definitely worth it! Amazing crater and nice views! Took me 2hrs to get up, 1.5 to get down.

I walked to Camp 14 [39.3] to spend the night. Also a nice spot. The rest of the trail is not super exiciting but 80% slowly downhill which is nice to speed up this part. I spend the night a few km's into GPT 15 next to the river. There are a few decent spots after about 4km.

==Season 2022/23==

* '''2023-Jan-31 to 2023-Feb-02/ 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / including the Sollipulli volcano / Johana & Matouš'''

One of the best sections so far for us thanks to the Sollipulli volcano. We started at the Icalma lake (the San Alfonso camp was great, 10 000 per two people, hot water (yes!) and access to the beach). There are some restaurants and minishops as well, enough to resupply I believe. The overgrown section had been cleared half a bamboo-metre ago, so sometimes it was tough and felt like the forest wants to suck you in. Nothing impassable, but the two kilometres took us two hours. Another thing - the river where the ascent starts in the forest is for long the only water source there if the weather is dry. There was a gate (S 38° 53.3570' W 071° 27.0191'); there's a hole in the fence on the left that we went under. We camped at a good spot on the right side of the road (S 38°53.4903' W 071° 27.8162'). The next day, we rushed to the CONAF station - we got there a little past 11 AM, but the ranger let us do the ascent anyway, we even had lunch before we went up (not from the stand, sadly, still operates only at the weekends). You can leave your backpacks with the ranger, which was great! We didn't pay anything to enter the park. It took us 5 hours there and back with a longer break at the top. The view from the top is indescribable plus the path leading up to it is also very nice with some snowpatches next to it that you can slide down as you please.
After that we continued further down the road. We tried to outsmart the three fords but ended up fording the river three times anyway since the number of the fences and gates had increased I guess and we got stuck on a private property with nowhere to go. The best option might be to just follow the regular route.
There's a beautiful camping spot that we highly recommend and had been told about by the ranger - a lot of free space, a laguna/pond, nice (not dense!) forest and several safe fireplaces. (S 38°56.3141' W 071°27.6738)
From there on it was easy walking until Reigolil. The shop before the bridge has not many things to resupply but is good to refresh. The shop near the bus stop tuna, rice, pasta, biscuits, chips, beverages, some vegetables as well, enough to resupply. Its owners were so nice that they took us to their lot near the river where they let us pitch our tent. It seems that you can freely camp by the river but there was some Mapuche festival going on at that time.
The bus schedule: 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. from the bus stop by the shop to Pucon.

* '''2023-Feb-18 to 2023-Feb-20 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR starting in Tracura (road to Sollipulli) / Natalie & Tomáš'''

We used Icalma as a resupply which worked well enough; many "mini- supermercados" and cheap accomodation (we had a cabana for 20mil/10mil each) but as a warning internet is awful! There is a nice pehuenche restaurant at the southern end of town on the main road and a little further than this on the main road you can get the best cell signal. Supposedly a bus goes to Lonquimay Mon-Wed-Fri but I forget the times, I think it was at 6am and 3pm.

We headed towards parque Sollipulli but hitching out of Icalma was slow, ~2hours combined waiting. We got off at Tracura and walked most of the way to CONAF (minus 4km hitch). Hitching was difficult even though it was a Saturday and there were cars, just no takers. No clean water sources until conaf but you could ask one of the cabana rentals along the way if needed.
No entrance fee at CONAF and although camping is not allowed the "senior" ranger told us we could camp behind the office (I may have persuaded him with piñones). The only thing is we had to wait until everyone was gone (~7-730pm) and then leave early the next day (~7-730am). He didn't want people to know so don't spread the word... There are water, toilets, cold showers and the next morning we were able to keep our things in the other building as we went up Sollipulli. Finally there was a food truck there with sopapillas and juice (it was a Saturday).

As for Sollipulli it has been the easiest summit so far, there is superb trail and it took ~2hrs up más o menos. There is one intersection where the trail tells you to go right but the climbers trail goes straight and is quicker (staying left is more quick: -38.93399, -71.49659).
The glacier is amazing, 4km in diameter and supposedly 200m deep. I would come back here with glacier gear to cross it and go down the south summit. However Tomáš has his eyes on a way to go around the crater without glacier gear, so it would be a mixture of walking the rim and traversing above treeline towards the south summit where there should be another trail. That would save one cca 20 km of road walking [Nov 2024: this has been proven, see above].

We wanted to go up the main route and down option 01 but CONAF still requests you come down the same way and since they helped us with camping I wanted to respect their wishes. If you wanted to avoid the rangers we both think you could easily go up before or after they arrive, we saw a few other parties doing this [they live somewhere else, this is just a day station]. Note that there is no water after CONAF, if you were doing the traverse, there are some lakes down to the east from the North summit. We think the traverse looks easy until the treeline. From the other end we later passed the trail going up which is in fact a road - not sure how far it goes as a road.

The summit was quick, so afterwards we started walking the road that skirts Sollipulli on its east. It was a peaceful road and I have no complaints until it became not fun anymore after the camping at ~46.9. There were two vehicles that passed (no room) but I have no idea how they drove past some of the downed trees, would be a dodgy ride.
The forests here are finally becoming alive! We saw tarantulas and a giant moth carcass and mushrooms finally! There are many fords at the beginning after the lodge so keep sandals on if you have them. It would be worth looking at Google Earth for an alternative trail because we met a guided horse group on GPt15 that told us they went from the south summit of Sollipulli to the lodge without going on the road. It is possible they meant "no road" as in "no asphalt road" but who knows.
We headed to routa S-965 to hitch to GPT15 PN Huerquehue (no cars passed until S-965).

* '''2023-Jan-23 to 2023-Jan-25 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Martin & Helena'''

This section took us 2 days. Unfortunately we didn’t go to the summit, because we needed to go quickly down to Curarrehue, but otherwise we wouldn’t skip it, just a few kms more and it looks incredible. About the trail, the beginning is a dirt road around the lakes and it continues until the start of overgrown section. That is a little more than 4kms, but from the start its a relatively normal trail, easy to follow. The overgrown part is mainly between km 2-3.5, but not so terrible overall following the gps. We camped at the end of this part that took us around 2 hrs, maybe less. After that you walk on a minor road all the time, in a really nice forrest. All the puestos were empty. Hot Spring waypoint is somewhere around houses so we didn’t even go there. To cross the river before CONAF station we used GPT14-E and the bridge. At the station was one guard, food truck closed, water available. The lodging after 1km is nice but it comes with higher prices, we stopped there to have some drink and beer + cola (cans) cost us 6k CLP. We spent the night in the forrest after the pass, but camp at km 46.9 looked great. The rest of the trail is still the same gravel road. Minishop at 57.8 has only basic food, but also some things for repairs etc. In Reigolil was only one shop on the main road open with very limited supplies, but we got from the lady pastel de choclo and some homemade bread, all delicious! Later we continued to GPT15.

Contact: @martin_hanzelka @helenneka

==Season 2021/22==

==Season 2020/21==

==Season 2019/20==

* '''2020-Feb / Hiking / NOBO / '''

From Reigolil to Solipulli it is a very easy forest road inside the reserva nacional. Carabineros asked some questions and said we could camp where we wanted. Arriving at the CONAF site at Solipulli, there is a small campground, free if you pay the entrance for the volcanoe (4000pp). There is a food truck with sopaipillas and jugos. We hiked the Solipulli and it is a must see. It is incredible and there are not that many people doing it. The CONAF ranger is very friendly. We did not hike from there to Icalma to avoid bushbashing and we wanted to see the big fiesta planned in Melipeuco (every year in late feb). It was worth it as we got to see a celebration of baqueanos. Melipeuco is not this nice but there are several supermarkets and restaurants to resupply. Easy hitch to Icalma (or there are 2 buses / day). We then hitched to Liucura to start section 12.

* '''2020-Jan-30 / 2.5 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Martina & Ivo '''

Nothing to add to the previous comments. We arrived at the pipeline construction site during working hours and just followed the indications of the workers, no detour, just some optional route. We spent the night at the CONAF campground and had one of the best breakfasts in Chile at the Sollipulli Lodge (13'000 p.P.). As the rain hasn't stopped by lunchtime we had lunch there too, it was excellent :-D We actually quite liked this section with all the trees. We directly added section 15 after this one. There are several busses per day from Reigolil to Curarrehue but we don't know the schedule.

* '''15-Jan-2020 / 4 days (GPT 14 + GPT 15) / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Matus & Anna '''

We combined sections 14 and 15. It took us 3 days and nero.
GPT14 - there are signs that someone tried to clear overgrown part of the trail on the begining and end but middle is still nicely overgrown. Though we didn't have problem to follow.
Part of minor road on regular trail is under construction. They are putting a huge pipe under it. It was evening and workers were not there se we managed to sneak through but I don't think they will let you pass during working hours. It's just before descending to the river before National reserve Villarrica.
In the Conaf campsite was food truck (it was weekend) with churasco, sopapillas, drinks... pure heaven. We paid 4000 per person at conaf.
They are building a dorm at Lodge. It will be ready for next years hikers ;)
Resuply in Reigolil - mini shop on trail seemed abandoned. We found best supplies in shop-4. There is one other shop directly after bridge.
GPT15 - road and trail in good condition. On the climb to the lake bit before last settler there are some wild cherry trees on the left. We stuffed ourselves and left for others too. Enjoy. Multiple shops, accomodation options and restaurants in Curarrehue.

* '''2020-Jan-18 / 1.5 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + optional summit up Volcán Sollipulli / Tom & Maddie '''

Overgrown trail towards the start is relatively easy to follow. Mostly overgrown around the middle but the tracks towards either end are in decent condition. The rest of the section is easy walking. I would strongly recommend taking a small detour to summit Volcán Sollipulli in the CONAF National park (~30km into the section). When we arrived at the park we had to pay a CLP 4000 fee per person. When speaking to the ranger about where we intended to walk, he advised that the optional route down from the Volcán we planned to take is in very poor condition and would not let us take it. We had to do an out and back. It took us around 3.5-4h to summit and return. The trail is in excellent condition (trail markers are present) and the view is spectacular!! Possibly the best thing I’ve seen on the GPT. We camped in the park for no charge and bought some hot food from the food truck in the evening on the weekend. No issues with the rest of the section.

* '''2020-Feb-02 / 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR including Sollipulli climb / Frank'''

2 long days including Sollipulli climb
They are building the pipeline under the dirt road, when they are finished they will bury the pipe & road should reopen. No issues going through there but it was Sunday & no one was around. You walk on a narrow track above ditch, when you reach a point where two big boulders block the path you need to go down into the ditch to go around them.
Climbing Sollipulli is highly recommended to see the huge summit crater filled with ice & snow. Easy & well marked ascent.
You are not allowed to do the ascent after about 11AM. The food truck 'Sabores de Sollipulli' at the Conaf campsite only operates on weekends, it was closed on Sunday. I believe there is another Conaf site a little off route at Laguna Huaquifilo where you can camp. Nowhere good to camp after that. It was raining so I continued to Reigolil. Just after you cross the bridge there is a shop, they have rooms & provide very basic food. Not recommended but will do if you are stuck.

A few minor corrections: There is no bridge @ Bridge 46, just ford the river easily. Gate @ far side of ford is marked no entry but walking through appears to be OK.
There is a gravel track that stays on the right side of the river & goes past Ford 133 & Ford 134 so you don't need to cross either of them. It leads to Ford 135 which you do cross.

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

=Transport to and from Route=

[[File:Reigolil.jpg|thumb|center|600px|Timetable January 2020]]

Bus goes from Reigolil to Curacautin & Pucon. When I was there it left Reigolil at 7 & 7:50 AM (different to timetable) Confirm times at the shop by the bridge in Reigolil. Frank

South Summit:
Temuco-->Cunco-->Lago Caburga-->Hitch/Walk. Or ask/phone the business at Termas Rio Blanco & Termas San Sebastián about their own chartered buses, from a brief conversation with an employee there sounded to be a bus every few days.What's app +56946809918, +56992318329

Temuco's Terminal de Buses Rurales (Balmaceda 1475) can be complicated since most buses have their own shop elsewhere. For Cunco go to office "IGI LLAIMA/ Nar Bus"; Balmaceda 997. The bus leaves every 30min.

From Cunco check with locals about bus to Lago Caburga. Supposedly a bus leaves everyday at 4 or 5pm from Balmaceda corner La Concepción. It will pass by the nice supermarket;Supermercado Hesis on "Colico Sur" aka the S-75. Confirm schedule in the municipality of Cunco before traveling at +56 45 2200147.

Hitchhiking is easy up until Lago Collico, after that there are cars but not many stop.

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

Retired Section Article [[GPT14 - Volcán Sollipulli]]

=Images=

[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109047041.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045479.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045586.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045611.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045628.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109045648.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109046479.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109046482.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109046483.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109047161.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]
[[File:GPT_8_Laguna_Icalma_and_Volcán_Sollipulli_109047207.jpg|thumb|center|1100px]]

GPT37H (Peninsula La Florida)

2024-12-30T02:21:39Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

GPT38 (Glaciar Chico)

2024-12-30T02:02:43Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

'''[[GPTs|List of all GPT sections]]'''

= How to a add new entry =
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Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

If you are packrafting, put the above info into HTML tags like this (if you follow a hiking route for part of the way, highlight only "packrafting", as above):


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''YYYY-MMM-DD / X days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Your name'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>.

Include remarks about your route useful for other hikers and packrafters, alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

=Overview=

== Notes ==
'''Note: the section was significantly redone around October 2023, so references to trails codes before that time are probably wrong.'''
[Tomáš]: Previously, the route initially followed the MR that goes to the Argentinian border before taking what is now RH-TL-V {38} [20.2/57.1+15.2] and RH-TL-V {38} [21.8/27.2+9.3], before crossing into Argentina over the pass near Refugio Diablo and then the option now called 39-01 that follows down along Rio Diablo to the Argentinian border control. See Anh's story below on how he was searched for when he took this alternative. However, later Tomáš alone and Juliette and Martin together managed to follow the original regular route without major issues. It seems it is still ok if you stamp your passport one day at the Chilian border control and the next day at the Argentinian ones, but more datapoints are needed.

Don Ricardo at Candelario Mancilla (WhatsApp +56 9 9126 7007) is very friendly and can help with logistics. Don Lucho at Ventisquero Chico can be a bit more difficult to interact with, and he currently appears to charge CLP 20.000 per person for the ferry back and forth the river (quadrupeling the price in one season).

Written by Tobi in Dec 2024, please keep edit this and keep it up to date.

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

* '''2024-dic-18 to 2024/ 5 days / Hiking / NOBO / RR + New opt + opt 1 + EXP 04A/ Celio '''

We did the península la Carmela and Glaciar chico traverse going NoBo starting south of desierto lake at the toro valley and we ended in north shore of desierto lake. Then we did RR to candelorio mancilla and crossed to Bahia Pescado and did the west traverse of península la florida.

This option involves bordercrossing, but for us it permitted to not go to the chilean border then back to la península. Since I did this hike couple years ago I wanted to discover another valley to arrived a the Glaciar chico, the Toro valley.

We started here 49°06.687′ S 72°54.982′ W and followed a decent trail going up the valley left of the river. It's alternate between a trail and some easy CC until a ford on a tree (49°03.954′ S 72°57.700′ W), 200m further there is a bridge on the other river on the right, we crossed it and went to the casa Toro (49°03.961′ S 72°57.468′ W), hoping it was a hut, but unfortunately it's a closed "luxury" one. So we camped close to it.
Next day we crossed again the bridge and find a decent trail going up the old, now forested, moraine, to arrive on open CC. You get good view of the lake and glaciar. From there it's easy CC until the actual climb of the pass. From 49°02.188′ S 73°00.044′ W to 49°02.306′ S 73°00.280′ W it's steep CC on loose rocks or snowfield, after this you get to the pass cañadon de los toros (49°02.347′ S 73°00.809′ W). The way down start with a moraine not very nice and then we arrived to the Glaciar lakes and the GPT38 EXP 04A. We forded the river just below the lakes and joined the GPT38 opt 4 at the refuge {38-04} [4.3/690] (Refugio Pantoja) (door is broken and exposed to the wind). Then we went down to the Glaciar chico and crossed it were there is nearly no crevasses (Glaciar experience recommended...). We joined and slept at the Refuge {38} [47.0/397] (Refugio Militar Valle Piramide), it's feel like your are on the moon there!
Next days we followed the GPT38 opt1, it's CC until Pass {38} [40.4/1225], then you follow a trail all the way. Lucho is still there at the estancia la Carmela with is son, but we had to wait the end of the day since they were working on the other side of the península. They made us crossed for 10000$ each (same as 10 years ago, no inflation!). We went back to the north shore of desierto lake by the diablo valley and went by the refuge (sleeping there is possible).
Puesto {38} [35.0/530] (abandoned, Mosquito) is a ruin and there is only flat spot for a tent and cows to warms you during the night!
At the desierto lake we got a food box sent from el chalten for the next 6 days for the GPT37H west traverse of península la florida.

*21-11-2024 to 25-11-2024 / 4 days / NOBO / RR / Sophie and Gaspar

After skirting Lago del Desierto with stunning views of Glacier Huemul, we crossed the border, passing an Argentine checkpoint at the lake's end and a Chilean checkpoint at Candelario Mancilla. There’s no other legal option but to go directly from one checkpoint to the other! In Candelario Mancilla, we were warmly hosted at the only available campsite by Don Ricardo and Doña María Luisa (you can purchase some basic provisions if needed, like tortillas, eggs, etc.).

We decided to circle the peninsula to reach La Carmela, located at Ventisquero Chico, where Don Lucho and his son David live. To do so, you must first check back in with the Carabineros and inform them of your planned itinerary. They’ll take your photo, ask about your gear and food supply to ensure you’re well-equipped (apparently, rescues are not uncommon). We were the first this season to take the trail around the peninsula, and it’s virtually impossible without a GPS, as the path is often overgrown with bush and misleading animal tracks. It took us 11.5 hours to cover just 35 km—but the views of the lake and the peninsula Florida across it are spectacular!

At Ventisquero Chico, to cross, you need to arrive before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. to be ferried across in their boat ($20/person).

Once at La Carmela, the route becomes easier—4 hours to reach the viewpoint of O’Higgins Glacier and another 4 to return, following relatively straightforward paths. On our way back to Candelario Mancilla, we took the trail over the pass, which posed no major difficulties apart from a 50-meter section of bush at the start of the ascent.

For the transfer from Candelario Mancilla to Villa O’Higgins, the best option is to speak with Don Ricardo or Doña María Luisa, who coordinate with the two companies that transport passengers. The service is not regular and depends heavily on weather conditions (especially wind) on the lake.

'''Note: the section was significantly redone around October 2023, so references to trails codes before that time are probably wrong.'''

==Season 2023/24==
* '''2024-Mar-30 to 2024-Apr-02 / 4 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + OH 1 + 2 + 3 / Joscha '''

I combined Section 37, 38 and 39. It took me 10.5 days including 2.5 days waiting at Bahia Pescado for the ferry. I left a bag with food in Villa O'Higgins which the ferry brought me. And I could store food at the chilenian Border station. Therefore I never had to cary food for more than 5 days.

Day 1: RR [0.0-23.5] + OH37P-16 [14.0-15.6]

After km 6.5 there is plenty of water. You have to do a few, easy fords before the Pass. At km 12.6 I stayed in the northern side of the Rio Bullicioso and rejoyned the RR st km 13.9. Therefore I avoided 2 Fords. The RR around the Pass was covered in a thin layer of snow. -48.902884, -72.929411 offers a nice view on Lago O'Higgins. I hiked on OH37P-16 to the strait of Lago O'Higgins and tried to get the attention of Don Lucho on the other side. But it didn't work. Its possible to camp on the shore there a little north of the trail, but without wind protection. Therefore I went back to the Settler at 23.5 and camped there. You have to hang your food, there are lots of mice here.

Day 2: RR [23.5-33.4] + OH38-03 [0.0-4.3]

I left my Tent at km 23.5 and hiked to the Glacier Chico Viewpoint and back. Plenty of water along this trail. I liked the views of glacier Chico on the first kilometer of OH38-03 more than those at the viewpoint. But the view of Lago Chico was pretty dope from the viewpoint. Trail was relatively easy to follow.

Day 3: OH37P-16 [14.0-15.6] + OH38-2 [25.7-3.1]

I hiked on OH37P-16 to the strait of Lago O'Higgins and tried to get the attention of Don Lucho on the other side. But it didn't work. Therefore I went back on OH38-02. I did not follow precisely the gpx track, because there are lots of trails. It worked out quite well. I only once came to close to the cliff coast and had to scramble up a little bit. I rejoyned the gpx track at around km 9.5. At 9.5 there is a flat meadow north of the trail for camping. I camped next to the abondend settler building at km 3.1. There was lots of water all allong the trail.

Day 4: OH38-2 [3.1-0.0] + RR [0.0-6.5] + OH38-01

I forgot to get the Certificado de Salvoconducto to leave Chile in advance. The border police let me use their wifi to apply for it. I had to wait about 90 minutes until I got the Certificado and than the exit stamp. There is plenty of water on the OH38-01. I camped right next to the argentinian border controll station. It is a really nice spot.

* '''2024 Ma 18 to 19/ 2 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Juliette and Martin '''

Day 1 : Candelario Mancilla (Poste frontière) - -48.91420, -72.96117 (Estancia ventsisquiro Chico, abandonned : NOT ABANDONNED

The ferry between villa O higgings and Candelario Mancilla (Chilean border crossing) costs 55,000 pesos per person and runs Monday/Thursday/Saturday from villa O higgings from 7am (subject to bad weather).

Arrival at Chilean border crossing at 11:30 am. We ask if it's possible to stop halfway and pitch the tent before the Argentinian border post. Apparently there's no problem if we camp after the border with Argentina, but the Chilean police advise us to arrive at the Argentinian border today anyway. We choose to do the RR, since apparently the police won't come and get us if we don't reach the border that evening.

There's snow quite early on at the first pass. Our feet are wet for the whole section. Before the pass, navigation is not too difficult, even if the path is full of water. After the pass, and before arriving at the puesto (which is not abandoned by the way), the paths no longer seem to be in use and the vegetation completely obscures the path. We arrive late at the camp. The puesto is by no means abandoned, but there's no possibility of sheltering in it, as it's locked with a padlock and belongs to someone.

WARNING: We pitch our tent in the rain next to the abandoned puesto. Bad idea. Mice attack at night. Apparently they love oats. A bag of oats (zip-lock bag) inside the tent is nibbled (and the wall of the tent too). The only solution seems to be to hang them up.

Day 2: -48.91420, -72.96117 (Estancia ventsisquiro Chico, abandoned: NOT ABANDONED - gendarmaria national argentina

A long day. Sometimes we can see the glaciar Chico, but there are clouds in the sky. The route is difficult to follow during the day and there's a lot of snow at the pass (at least 20 cm on the ground (plus water underneath sometimes). We didn’t have time to dry ourlselves during the night, so thé section appeard us as really cold. The refuge at Lake El Diablo is a real lifesaver under the snow. It allowed us to eat sheltered from the wind. We could sleep in it, but we weren't sure whether we'd be able to build a fire inside. We decide to finish the section during the day to get the stamp to enter Argentina later that day. The Argentinian border post closes at 8pm. Fortunately, we arrive a few minutes early. No worries with our exit stamp, which was dated yesterday, and we don't give it a second thought. Don't expect anything from the gendarmerie post: after spending two days in the rain, snow and wet feet, we thought we could ask them to let us sleep somewhere dry. They categorically refused, and we couldn't even pitch our tent under a garage or any of the small shelters they owned. We're a little frustrated with their inhospitality, while it’s raining for deux days and their seem to have enough places inside. But it's clear that's not why they're here, so we can't really blame them.

We recommend doing the trek in three days instead, as the path is difficult to follow, sometimes overgrown and in the water most of the time. Stop at the el diablo refuge to cut the second day into two. No need to worry about border stamps, apparently.

* '''2024-Mar-05 to Mar-07 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + Hiking to Mirador al Glaciar O`Higgins (RP km23.5 to 35.6) + Opt02 / Matthias'''

The route: (Villa O`Higgins -) Candelario Mancilla – RR to Peninsula/Estancia Ventisquiero Chico - Mirador al Glaciar O`Higgins - back to Ventisquiero Chico – Opt02 to Candelario Mancilla

I enjoyed the remote detour to the viewpoint of Glaciar O'Higgins and the icefield a lot! You have to be lucky to reach Don Luis for the short boat transfer from the peninsula (see below).

Day1 - RR

Arrived with the ferry around 9:00 am at Candelario Mancilla. At the border officials I had to fill in an “expedition” formular for my hiking specifying my route. They clearly pointed out I have to return before leaving to Argentina. I wanted to leave a bag there with stuff I didn`t need and asked them to radio to Don Luis for the boat transfer the next morning, but they denied both of my wishes. Hiking on the road on RR I was passed by Don Tito who is/was doing the taxi for the other tourists of the boat to the border. I could leave the bag with him :-), so continuing with lighter backpack.
Like written here before, the trail leading to the pensinsula (formed by the old terminal moraine) is marked partially and easy to follow until it reaches previously (>10 a) burned area when going downhill, then it is not clear and there is also partially bushbashing.
Camped for two nights behind the estancia among cherry and apple trees with ripe fruits! First night very windy and it was difficult to built up the tent, though at first sight the place seemed a bit wind-protected.

Day 2 - daytrip to the viewpoint of Glaciar O`Higgins

Stunning views, VERY windy. The path is named 38RP as well as 37RP-option16! At the end of the península you have to cross the lake/river. It is too deep to ford, so one needs the help of Don Luis (he introduced himself with that name and also the border official used Luis and not the nickname Lucho). The farmer lives on the other side but from inside his house he has no view to the river. I was lucky this morning was not very windy anymore, so his dogs were alarmed by my shoutings and also lucky that Don Luis was still at home and not off with his horse.
The path up to the next pass is again easy to find and sometimes marked. After that I partially followed the GPT track, partially other trails.

Day 3 – option 02 back to Candelario Mancilla:

I never used my GPS that constantly before on the GPT like on this trail. There is some bushbashing, overall the trail is okay. But there are very many other animal trails of same or better quality as an option… From Caleta Esmeralda onwards the trail is clear and easy. Stayed at the house of Don Tito (next to the campsite which is run by his brother Ricardo).

Side plot:
The first morning my gas cooker (MSR windburner) stopped working (and it still does not work). Probably because the jet is blocked. Changed to gas cooker with this GPT trip, before I was using gasoline cooker for years… They come with a filament to clean, for the gas cooker I could not find such a fine wire until now.

* '''24-Mar-02 to 2024-Mar-03 / 26 hours / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Tomáš'''

I arrived at port at around 9:40. I set off immediately to border control and so was the first, which ensured a speedy processing. However, I was given a stamp with date of the previous day, which I did not check. The carabiniero did not ask nor told me anything and I reciprocated.

I wanted to do the RR, figuring I would probably be able to do it in roughly 24 hours. Jan said we have 48 hours and I did not read Anh's report until midway, so I thought it would be fine. It was a very cold and superwindy morning walking up into snowy mountains, very pretty. There is a trail shortcut in the first zigzag of the MR. No further shortcuts found, one trail that looked promising turned into BB mid-way. After an hour, I turned off from the road. There used to be a bridge over Rio Obstaculo, but now it is an easy if freezing ford. The trail is initially marked with metal plates, but that soon stops. It feels like it used to be official but has since beem abandoned? However, the trail is mostly easy to follow. Once above the treeline, the wind was vicious. The valley was also quite marshy (after the rain?), I could not keep my shoes dry. Valley is faster going than the coastal traverse.

Going down to the lake to the landbridge I kept loosing the trail and ended up CCing the last 200 vertical meters to the left of the trail. From the landbridge, the trail is marked with big red circles and is probably occasionaly used by tourists brought by ferry. The moutains were unfortunately semi-clouded but the views were still splendid. No worthy sidetrip for me then though. I reached Refugio Diabolo at 34.4 at 2130 and it was occupied (the only people on the trail apart from the road) and asleep, so I slept nearby in a tent. In the morning they told me I should have gone in.

I started going down at 7:30 the next day (being a night owl, that is quite early for me). The first three km, I kept losing the trail, but it then improved. It is actually marked exactly like Huella Andina! I arrived at border control around eleven. Nobody seemed to be looking for me. The carabiniero noticed I had a date in my passport from two days ago. I tried explaining that it was a mistake of the Chilian side (I think - the date was wrong by one day), but I was almost ordered to walk back for a new stamp. In the end I softened him, showing him a picture from the port from the previous day. It was tense ten minutes. Seems to me the checking of people who crossed happens at least after noon? The regular route is perfectly doable by most people in 36 hours I think, so you might be fine as long as you arrive (at most in late afternoon) with no more than yesterday's stamp. It needs more datapoints I think. I would have preferred to be slower though.

* '''2024-Feb-24 to 2024-Feb-25 / 2 days / hiking / SOBO / option 1 / Andrew'''

In the morning I said goodbye to Nicole and Miseal, and took the ferry from Bahia Pescado to Candelario Mancela. Stamped out on the Chilean side, then started hiking. Dirt road until the border, then a nice trail through the woods to the Argentinian customs at the north end of Lago Desierto. Camped (free) at the north end of Lago Desierto, then hiked to the south end. Caught a bus to El Chalten at the south of the lake, at the time it was 13.000 pesos and you can pay with card at the kiosk near the south campground. It also seemed easy to hitchhike.

* '''2024-Feb-23 to 2024-Feb-23 / 1 day / Hiking / SOBO / option 1 / Yannick & Nolwenn'''

- Trail condition : gravel road and nice trail easy to follow in the forest
- Water : easy to find
- Camping spot : a camping in Candelario Mancela, a free camping just in front of the lake at the Argentinian border, a camping on the other side of the lake
- Weather : sunny
- Resupply : we left a bag of food in Villa O'Higgins at the ferry company and so had our ressuply back in Candelaria Mancela / at the end of the section in El chalten there is a little little 'shop' on the other side of the lake with crackers, cookies and some instant dishes, you can pay by card
- Overall : easy section, some nice views on the Fitzroy

* '''2024-Feb- 01 to 2024-Feb-02 / 2 days/hiking/ SOBO/38-01/Paulina'''

I wanted to do section 38, it seems complicated due to boarder crossing rules, but I don't think it's impossible, I did not do it more because very bad weather forecast for 2 next days.
Anyway, I met some people who tried to go from Lago Desierto to Paso Diabolo but they had to abondon their plan because of the very high level of the river to cross.

Day 1

A very easy walk mostly on a gravel road. Very nice campground ( free) at Lago Desierto

Day 2
Nice walk along Lago Desierto. No difficulties, nice path all the time. Once I reached the other siide of the Lago I hitch-hiked directly to El Chaiten ( very easy on this road)

* '''2023-Jan-6 / 7 day / Hiking + Packrafting / SOBO / RR + Option 2 + Option 1/ Tom Pieper'''

Not much to add to the previous posts. Stunning route. A packraft is indeed really useful here as Don Lucho was not around when I crossed the river at his farm the first time. I waited two days for wind to calm down at perfectly wind protected camp {38} [32.1/744] (which I found superior to the other nearby campspot) but strong gale did not allowed me to pass beyond Viewpoint {38} [35.6/874]. Absolut impossible in that conditions. So I returned on the 3 day. I asked Don Lucho if he can notify carabinieros via radio that I will be delayed, which worked. I toked option 2 to return to Candelario Manzillo. Track is not the best from time to time. Stay close to GPT route as off trail might take much more longer. Good camp spots at the two abandoned settlers places and a really beautiful one at a turquoise river at S 48° 50.470’ W 072° 51.272’. There is no water after Port {38-02} [7.1/270] (Bahia Esmeralda) including second abandoned settler place. You might consider climbing down to the lake here to get water. Got my exit stamp at candelario manzillo and toked expensive transit (30,000$) by car to the border (option 1)

* '''From 2024-01-01 to 2023-01-03 // 3 days // Hiking // NOBO // RR + OPT1 + OPT2 // Quentin Clavel'''

Same story as previous contributions here, the customs officers (who were very nice by the way) said it was impossible to do the RR as I will be in illegal situation.
If it would be only the illegality stuff, it wouldn't have been a problem, but the thing is that rhet communicate with the Chilean side, and if you're not on the other side after one day they engage research, what I absolutely want to avoid, that people have to commit material, technical or human resources simply for or because of me.

It means if you want to explore glaciar chico or around :
Going NOBO : you first have to go straight from ARG border to CH border, stamp your passport and then go explore the area.
Going SOBO : explaining your expedition to the border but don't stamp your passport. Do your exploration, then come back to the CH border, stamp your passport and then go straight to ARG border.

So from ARG border, I've been straight to the Chilean side. Then I said them that I wanted to explore the area near glaciar Chico. The carabineros agreed, but before letting me go, I had to fill a form to describe my expedition, my emergencies contacts, the number of days I planned to go, numbers of days of food I had, and took me in picture. I was surprised about the picture but he said to me that it was just in case of disappearance to be able to publish a wanted notice. Perfect aha !

Anyway, I backtracked until the junction tu "La península" then engage myself on this nice track. Had to cross 3 easy rivers, and have been scratched numerous times by the bush which took over at the end of the trail, which was not easy to follow by the way.

The views on Lago O'Higgins were absolutely outstanding ! Glaciar Chico was a bit faraway, but still nice to see as well!

I arrived to la peninsula and walked till the estencia la Carmelia, Trying to have the attention of the settler, at the estencia la Carmelia. But seems like that he was not there. So I had to backtrack and not go on the GPT37P option 16 to glaciar O'Higgins. Pretty disappointed about that, would have been amazing to have a packraft at this time.... Anyway.

I backtrack the peninsula, then took the option 2 (Lago Costa). That was a very good decision, the views are stunning (again more at the end, when you arrive near the border). But track is not easy to find at all. We must congratulate the wild animals who created an incredible labyrinth of trails up there !

The bridge announced as destroyed is the one 400m from the border, above Rio Obstaculo. I looked at its condition 3 days before when I was at the border, to find out if it was feasible. and it was, that's why I decided to take this route. And didn't regretted it.

* '''2024-Jan-02 / 1 day / Hiking / SOBO / RR+option 1 / Stiina & Kris'''

We arrived early morning at Candelario Manzilla, had no issues at the border control (we had our Salvaconducto). We did ask - just in case - if we could do the loop hike but the officer said the only way to hike the RR is to not exit Chile, hike out towards the west and then backtrack to the Chilean border control. The 21 km hike to the Argentinian border was easy, except for all the touristas with the bicycles😂. When it started chucking rain down we decided to camp there. Rained hard all night but no wind. There is a toilet for turistas and behind it a covered shelter with tables and benches, which was nice during rain.

* '''GPT38 / Option 4 (Campo Hielo Sur: Glaciar Chico to Circo de los Altares and back) / 6 days Hiking on Glaciers with Mountain Guide / 2023-Dec-29 to 2024-Jan-03 / Meylin, Masha, Misha, Jan'''

We planned this guided tour onto the Southern Patagonian Icefield several months in advance. We arranged this tour with the mountain guide Leo Muñoz (leoskatan@hotmail.com, WhatsApp +56 9 6904 9561) who knows the Northern and the Southern Patagonian Icefield very well and who lives with his family next to Glacier O’Higgins on the shore of Lago O’Higgins about 70 boat kilometers from Villa O’Higgins.

We agreed in November 2023 to make an attempt somewhen in the first half of January of 2024 as soon as the weather forecast promises a decent weather window. On December 25 Leo suggested to start on December 29 as wind and precipitation forecast predicted 6 decent days.

Day 1: We met in the afternoon at Lago Chico (where Lago Chico drains into Lago O’Higgins), continued by boat on Lago Chico to an island that is partially covered by Glacier Chico, pulled the boat up into a safe location and started right on Glacier Chico. We reached in the evening the first refuge (Refugio Pantoja). Starting right on the glacier avoided an otherwise demanding river crossing.

Day 2: In a long day we reached the third refuge (Refugio Garcia Soto). We walked mostly on Glacier Chico but in areas where this glacier is steep and with deep cracks we left the glacier and walked in rocky terrain. In this terrain is also the second refuge (Refugio Piedra Roja) where we stopped for lunch.

Day 3: In a demanding day we walked over the icefield to Circo los Altares. The wet snow covered all cracks of the icefield but made walking tiresome. For safety reasons we walked the entire distance roped together (2 groups of 3 persons linked together). We camped one night at Circo los Altares and enjoyed a good view of Cerro Torres in the evening and morning.

Day 4: In a similar tiresome day we returned to Refugio Garcia Soto. We arrived around 2 pm in afternoon what permitted a good rest. This refuge offers ample space and is a good place to wait a day or two if the weather makes this necessary.

Day 5: We returned to the first refuge (Refugio Pantoja). If necessary we might have returned to the boat on the sane day but the good weather forecast for the next day made such an effort unnecessary.

Day 6: On a short morning we returned on glacier Chico to the boat, packed our gear into the boat and travelled by boat to our guides home (Rio Condor). On the way we stopped briefly at a settlers home (La Carmela) to purchase a lamb for a Patagonian asado al palo.

Conclusions:

1. Leaving the exact start date open was perfect as it permitted our guide to choose a descent weather window.

2. In case of a shorter weather window a shorter route could have been chosen (in example to Refuigo Garcia Soto only.

3. This was our first experience walking on glaciers but this was perfectly feasible with our experienced guide.

4. Boat safety regulations on Lago O’Higgins required our mountain guide to do the boat trip with a second person that has motor boat license. Therefore a second guide accompanied us. This added safety but also cost.

5. Returning with the mountain guide to his home at Rio Condor before continuing by packraft is an experience on its own and lift the entire trip to a higher level.

6. We send some of the required equipment in advance to our mountain guide but he would have been able to equip up to 6 persons with his gear.

* '''Copied from Jan's Facebook post December 2023: "GPT38: Border Crossing: Candelario Mancilla (CL) - Lago El Desierto (AR)'''

We now learned that both border controls speak to each other and exchange how many persons crossed the border and are meant to arrive on the other side. If a person does not arrive within 2 days a search is initiated. Therefore it is not any more possible to hike the longer more scenic route between collecting the exit and entry stamps of both countries.

Therefore all hikers must take the direct route (see image red line) and visit the more scenic parts around Lago Chico and Peninsula La Carmela either before exiting Chile or after collecting the Chilean entry stamp.

Alternatively you might openly explain your plans and try to get an official approval but this seams quite unlikely."

* '''2023-Dec-20 to 2023-Dec-20 / 1 day/ NOBO / Lago del desierto - Candelario Mancilla/ Option 1/ Alex & Christophe'''

Since you have to collect your exit and entry stamp on the same day, we took the fastest way between the two border controls. Once we finished with the formalities on the chilean side, one boat for Villa O'Higgins was waiting for us. I think we got lucky.

If you want to go to glaciar chico, you have to go to Candelario Mancilla and then, go and back to the glacier, all on the chilean side. Passo del diablo is a forbidden pass to cross the border between Argentina and Chile.

* '''2023-12-10 to 13 Fangwen and Tobi / 4 days / NOBO / Hiking from Candelario Mansilla to Don Lucho peninsula and back'''

This was an enjoyable hike with good views! When we came from Argentina, it rained a lot, and was very muddy. We stayed at the campsite at Candelario Mansilla for one night and went Westbound on the regular route, crossing the river shortly after the beginning of the trail at km7. After the substantial rainfall, it was almost waist deep, but crossable with caution. The pass towards the abandoned settler home at km23.5 was quite muddy again, and in the last bit of the descent, the trail was overgrown and required attention to not lose. We camped outside the hut. The next day we went on part of Option 37P-16 as a day trip. We headed to the river (outflow of Lago Chico) and waited for the settler Don Lucho to notice us and to ferry us to the other side using his boat. This worked finally, after waiting for almost 3h. We did a nice trip up to the pass and followed one of the many horse trails to some mountain lakes and viewpoints. We let Don Lucho ferry us back to camp and headed back the next day. After two days of dry weather, the previously problematic river was now easily passable, with water at knee level.

Logistics: We combined sections 38 and 37 on our NOBO trip. We carried a lot of food with us from Argentina: enough for 38, 37 and to be able to spend a few days in Candelario Mansilla in case the ferry is delayed due to bad weather. We decided against road walking with heavy packs, and arranged for Ricardo (WhatsApp +56 9 9126 7007), who runs the campground at Candelario Mansilla, to pick us up from the border by car. Ricardo is a very nice guy, and we stayed in his hostel after registering at the border checkpoint. The hostel was 15.000 CLP per person, the pickup from the border 20.000 for two people and the drop-off at the junction (X {38-01} at km0) 10.000 for two people. In high season he might not have time or charge more. Don Lucho asked for 10.000 for the return trip for the two of us.
I believe that Ricardo puts you in the first-come-first-served queue for the ferry from Candelario Mansilla when you first arrive there -- but I'm not even sure if there is even an official queue (in our case, the ferry was not full, so it didn't matter). When Ricardo drove us to the junction, he also made us register our hiking plans with border guards. The guards wanted to see that we are sufficiently prepared. We showed them our GPS and inReach, but they were most wow-ed by the locus maps app with the GPT track files and kept asking where they could get such a detailed map of the area ;-).
For the logistics regarding section 37, see our trip report on [[GPT37H|that wiki page]].

* '''2023 Ahn, Warning between exit & entry:'''
You have to reach the other border control within one day, since recently both border controls compare the data every day.
If you do not arrive within one day, they (both border controls) will really go looking for you.

* '''2023-12-04 Anh / 3 days / NOBO / RR + OH-TL-V + RP-TL-V'''
Day 1: After the exit stamp from the Argentinian border control in Lago del Desierto, I turned left to RR to Lago Diablo. The path is sometimes hard to find and with my heavy backpack I couldn‘t hike fast. I had to cross the stream twice without shoes. But it was no problem (knee-deep, good weather). After Lago Diablo I turned left via OH-TL-V to Glacier Chico. I did not find the camp {38-03} [1.8/878].

Day 2: Back to RH-TL-V towards the connecting channel to Glaciar O'Higgins. The trail was a little easier to find, but not better to walk because hardly anyone had walked it in recent years.
Settler {38} [23.5/261] in the intersection is no longer inhabited, but the owner has a sign in front of the house. He allows free camping on his property and possibly even overnight stays in the house (with kitchen).
But I go on to Settler {38} [25.3/268] to cross the connecting channel by boat.

It was already 5:00PM and I just wanted to set up my tent & enjoy the evening quietly. At that moment, a motorboat with 3 men with backpacks arrived. They were not tourists, but border guards (carabineros). They were not pleasant at first. I understood from their Spanish that they were looking for me and that I was not allowed to be here. For the first time on this trip, I was lucky that I couldn't speak any Spanish and they couldn't speak any English. Otherwise they would be angry!

I was able to explain with place names that I was not a criminal but a hiker. They had a long discussion in the house and in the end they said that I didn't have to come to the border station right now, but that they would come with me to Glaciar O'Higgins immediately!
After a long day from Glaciar Chico, I didn't want to hike 7km up with 600Hm, but I had no other choice. So we started at 6:00 PM, the settler owner went ahead and the 3 young border guards climbed the mountain with full energy ahead, me behind. It was good that I don't usually run at my limit and still had a day's reserve at that moment. The 3 carabineros asked me from time to time how I was doing and whether I needed help -> very nice.

After 4km, the settler owner explained that it would soon be dark and he had to go back. He showed the Carabineros the way back on the (somewhat outdated) paper map. The Carabineros have the best modern equipment (GoreTex, expedition tent...) but no GPS navigation device and don't know the way. With my GPS navigation device, we became a team and had a lot of fun all the way to camp.
The atmosphere around the campfire was much more relaxed. It turned out that they had taken a lot of food with them to look for me, but had left it behind in the settler. So of course I had cooked for them, it was really delicious and after a hike it was even better than usual. The 3 Carabineros said they had never eaten so well. We enjoyed the sunset at Glaciar O'Higgins together and laughed into the night.

Day 3: At 7:00 AM, just like the military, we continued on RP-TL-V towards the pass. It was great fun with my 3 new friends and the views with the best weather were simply magnificent. However, 2km before the pass, my Carabineros wanted to go back because they now consider the hike to be strenuous and with respect. It's a pity but they are in charge despite their new friendship! I'm still very happy that they found me, it was an unforgettable experience! We were able to help each other, they are 3 cool and very very helpful Carabinos.
RP-TL-V is easy for GPT hikers, much easier than the other two sections.

Back to the settler they had called the patrol boat by radio and we went to Candelario Mancilla with the very modern and super stable HiTech boat. I got my entry stamps and was even invited to dinner at the border control station. After that I ended up in Villa O'Higgins.
It was a bit of a shame to break off GPT38 like that, but I will never forget the best moments and the 3 new Carabineros friends. I'm starting to love GPT now!!!

==Season 2022/23==

* '''2023-Apr-19 to 2023-Apr-21 / 3 days / RR / SOBO / Martin & Helena'''

Beautiful section! The detour to Glaciar Chico is definitely worth it, and so is the viewpoint.

On the first day, starting around 8 AM, we passed the border control without any problem, and followed the trail in quite good pace to the pass. It was very windy there in our case, but there are places to hide. The trail is pretty clear all the time. This changes during the descent down to the peninsula, where you need to look carefully at the navigation as the path divides into different directions. Marked camp on the peninsula looked like a good place to stay, but we decided to do some more and continued for about 4 km. We camped in the forest, where we were able to find a few spots almost without wind, but in more extreme conditions it might be harder to find a 100% safe place.

On the next day we continued and left our backpacks in the forest to go check the viewpoint. It took us a little over 3 hrs + some time for the photos etc. The trail is very easy to follow and except of the beginning and end its not even that windy. If the weather is not the best or you don’t have time, we would recommend to do at least first few hundred meters of the optional trail to get better view of the glacier and floating icebergs. Back on the RR we made a little less than half of the way to the border control and again camped in the forest.

The last day was all about forest walking. First views of the Fitz Roy on the way to the border control. There, the officer noticed the old stamp and asked where we stayed, but was probably just curious and had no problem with our honest answer about doing the detour and camping in the forest.

Contact: @martin_hanzelka @helenneka

* '''2023-Mar-20 to 2023-Mar-22 / SOBO / RR + option 4 / Villa O'Higgins - Lago del Desierto / Anna & Christopher'''

Amazing section, one of our favourites so far!

In march and april the ferry that crosses Lago O'Higgins only leaves twice a week, which is mondays and thursdays at 8 a.m. (company Las Ruedas, reservation possible via whatsapp +56 966278836).

We started with seven days worth of food, because we planned to go to El Chaltén without a resupply (GPT 38+39 with all options).
The weather was great on our first day and after we got through the border control we started walking around 11:15 a.m.
The trail is in a pretty good condition. Your feet will get wet though. With the nice weather and the good trail we camped at km 21 in the forest close to the stream.

Then the trail becomes gradually a bit worse and we had to do some BB and CC along the lake. At the junction with option 4 we left our packs and went to the mirador. We had good weather and the view from up there is amazing. We highly recommend doing it, if the weather is good. Then we went back down again and camped in the forest at the junction. There is a stream close by to fetch water.

The trail becomes super good again once you reach the settler at Lago del Desierto. The border control was fast and the staff was really friendly. We continued along the lake. At some point it started to rain, so we camped next to a stream at approx. km 4.6. At km 4.3 there would have been a more rain and wind protected camp.

The next day we had a great view of Fitz Roy in the morning sun. We arrived at the other side around 10 a.m. There is no bus leaving around this hour, opposite of what the gendarm at the border told us. All the buses/cars leave in the afternoon around 4 p.m.
We made a break at the restaurant and enjoyed a warming mate tea before we continued to section 39.

* '''2023-Mar-16 to 2023-Mar-20 / 4 days / SOBO / RR + option 5 / Louis & Rémi'''

We started at Candelario Mansilla and we wanted to go in front of the Glaciar O'Higgins following the lake with option 5 and then option 2. Option 5 is really worth it, views all along the lake are incredible, I highly recommend it. We slept near the Settler @km 17.8, nobody was there.

The next day we tried to cross this water canal between Lago O'Higgins and Lago Chico, but it is unfordable, you have to yell for the settler who lives on the other side. We did, we saw him, but he didnt come... So we slept next to the settler @km 23.5 on RR and we tried the 3rd day too but still nobody to help us to cross. Well, I think this settler isnt reliable if you wanna do option 2 without a packraft.

So we continued our way to Argentina, sleeping @km 31.4 (the puesto is more than abandonned, it is destroyed but it is flat and there is no wind).

This portion provide a nice view of the Glaciar Chico.

Next we went directly to the Argentinian border and we didn't have any problem to get the stamp on our passports. We slept there, it is free, there is nobody and the view of the Fitz Roy above the Lago del Desierto is definitely worth it !

* '''2023-Mar-04 to 2023-Mar-07 / 3.5 days / SOBO / RR + Option 4 / Candelario Mansilla - Lago Desierto / Ondrej'''

I wasn’t lucky with the weather so this section turned out into rainy, muddy and snowy feat for me. It felt remote and adventurous. If I could choose I would do at least the second day in a good weather to enjoy the views.

On the first day, I got dropped of by the boat at Candelario Marcilla around 10am. Getting the stamp from Chilean carabineros took longer than expected, around one hour. A number of hikers accumulated there and the carabineros said that we have wait for them to upload our names to the system(?). Then they just asked for my occupation and gave me the exit stamp. I then hiked the stretch on the main road, forded Rio Obstaculo right after (the deepest ford on the section I would say, it was easy even after a day of rain) and then over the pass. At the pass you will come into a long flat valley which in my case started turning into a big muddy/swampy plain. It also started snowing. The falling wet snow and the soaky trails pushed the hike to the boundaries of my comfort limits (but still manageable). I camped at the Settler waypoint (km23.5). According to a person running a hostel in villa o higgins, the Settler’s place has been abandonded for a while now (presumably someone other bought the land) and both locals and international hikers are now using the garden of the settler’s house to camp. The area around the house features thick tall trees that provide a good shelter from wind and rain, some open sheds with a good roof (but all looked uncomfortable for sleeping) and a dry toilet. The house itself is locked with a padlock and cannot be used by visitors. I stayed in a tree covered area next to the house for two nights as the next day was raining all day. Foxes, various birds and wild cows kept me a company.

From the settler, it is a relatively easy trail up to the crossroad at km33.4. The trail is ocassionaly overgrown and muddy but nothing dramatic. Nice views over the lake Chico and the glacier. I was impressed by a floating iceberg that made its way slowly across the lake. I had my lunch at the crossroad (km33.4) and decided to leave my backpack there and hike/jog to the glaciar viewpoint (Option 4). It took me about 2:10 hours there and back to the crossroad. I jogged parts of it. The weather got bad during the loop (clouds and rain/snow) so I unfortnunately saw nothing but a bit more of the Glaciar Chico once reaching the viewpoint. All distant peaks were obscured in clouds. My recommendation is to do the Option 4 only if the visibility is good, otherwise the detour might be not worth it. Once finished with the loop, I hiked over the Argentinian border and slept inside Refugio Diablo at km34.4. It is in good shape overall. Just the fireplace might not run well (i have not tried) as the chimney is broken. The refugio has two elevated platforms for sleeping (easily fits 4-8 people), a table and stools, and a dry toilet nearby. If staying there, I recommend to take water from a stream flowing into the lake Diablo before reaching the refugio. There is no quick water access from the building - one must go down to one of the lakes.

From Refugio Diablo it took me about 5 hours to reach the argentinian police checkpoint at Lago Desierto. The part is relatively straightforward, again a bit swampy in my case. At he Argentinian police checkpoint I was actually asked why I had a three day old stamp. I wanted to avoid problems, so I said that I took a slow pace and did not walk on some days because it was raining constantly (which was true). I said that I built my tent, read a book and trying to wait out the rain. This (in a hindsight really poor) excuse was fortunately enough for the officer. He nodded and gave me the stamp. Maybe the policeman was simply curious and even if I told him where I came from he would be eventually fine with that. I didn’t want to take my chances though.

* '''2023-Jan-10 / 2 days / Helen and Craig'''

>Lago Desertio ferry cost about 50 dollars (we didn't take it)

>O'Higgins ferry cost 60 dollars and they give you a lift to V O'Higgins at the other end

>We took the lake side trail. Beautifull veiws over Fitzroy range. Campsite at the border crossing is exposed but harbours some of the best campside veiws. 2nd best camp of GPT for us (but would be unpleasant in high winds)

Border crossing was very easy with no proplems or searches either side. Had to take shorter route due to higher winds coming in and the O'Higgins ferry not due to run for the next week after. Shorter variation was very easy trail markings. Easy to walk in 4-5 hours
Was sad to miss the extended route.

* '''2023-Feb-13 to 2023-Feb-17 / 5 days / RR / SOBO / also Option 2 to Glaciar O'Higgins / Véronica & Zach '''

Route: Candelario Mancilla - Río Bullicioso - Lago Chico - Mirador Glaciar O'Higgins - Glaciar Chico - Lago Diablo - AR Border Control

This may have been my favourite section of the GPT yet this year. After 4 days waiting in Villa Ohiggins for a calm ferry day, we waited at the Chilean carabineros post because the computer systems were down and it was lunchtime so everyone seemed to be on break. They asked everyone only occupations and marital status, nothing about our planned route. We were able to start walking only around 3 p.m. although we arrived at Candelario Mancilla around 1 p.m.

The trail that veers off the minor road was clearly marked and easy to follow. Tons of crowberries/murtillas up in the alpine. We camped before the pass at km 14.5 when the trail was still going through sheltered forests. Up on the pass the next day, it was very cold and exposed and windy, with some snow on the ground. The trees start appearing again much later, when you can see Lago O'Higgins again. The trail switchbacks down to the settler's house at km 23.5 (Estancia Ventisquero Chico) were overgrown and confusing, branching into many paths.

We wanted to take Option 2 in order to see Glaciar O'Higgins. This detour took us an extra day and a half. We crossed the narrow channel at km 25.1 in Zach's packraft quite easily, even though the wind was gusty from the south. There were virtually no waves and the water was flat. We met the settler Luis at km 25.3 (Estancia La Carmela), who was friendly and indicated the trail toward Glaciar O'Higgins. Both waypointed campsites on the west side of the peninsula are great and sheltered from the fierce west wind in the forest. The views of the lake and mountains and glaciers on this section of trail are beyond words beautiful.

The way up the pass at km 40.5 is straightforward despite the lack of trail. The descent into the next valley is steep and somewhat tiring, but not dangerous, down a mountainside covered with murtilla plants. We stopped at the orange refugio (km 47.3) late in the afternoon. It is in great condition. The only thing deteriorated is the missing battery from the solar system. Feels like an airplane fusilage with some loud resonance when the wind is strong. Perfect place to shelter from the wind.

We stayed mostly in the left side of the river as we traveled cross-country to the put-in at Lago Chico. The packrafting back to the east shore of the lake was wavy and windy, the wind coming strong off Glaciar Chico (southerly), requiring a hearty ferry crossing in front of the hanging ice. From the put-in, the island (which appears on sattelite but not maps) looks like a peninsula, but if you paddle into what looks like a cove, you'll see the gap. We went around south of the island, then rode the wind northward to the takeout in a small cove.

The refuge {38} [52.9+0.3/297] was clipped closed with two padlocks as chain links. Someone left clothes hanging and a plastic chest full of food which mice seem to have enjoyed. The floor was literally covered in mouse poop. Seemed hanta-ed. 👻 The climb back up to the regular hiking route was long but pleasant, and mostly cross-country across rock slabs and brushy fields.

Back on the regular route, Refugio Diablo on the Argentine side of the border has a wooden table and platforms that could sleep four. When we got to the Argentine border control with a three-day-old Chilean exit stamp, the friendly border agent gave us our entry stamp without question. When asked about the wind on Lago Del Desierto, he walked Zach to the Gendarmeria boat captain who gave useful advice.

* '''2023-Jan / SOBO / Yannic & Mirjam'''

The exit on the Chilean side worked without any problems and the officials did not ask about our route.

No one was at home at the Estancia Ventisquiero Chico settler. We spent the night a little further away by the stream.

The hike along Lago Chico was nice and easy. We made a detour via option 4. It is worth going almost to the end to the viewpoint at 1104 m a.s.l. The view of the glacier and the ice field was unique and one of the best viewpoints on the whole GPT.

The next day we went to the Argentine border authorities. The officials were relaxed and since we wanted to spend the night there anyway, we agreed to do the stamp the next day.

The exit stamp, which was 4 days old in the meantime, was no problem at all...

* '''2022-Dec-09 / half a day / SOBO / Frank'''

The first 12KM of the direct route from Candelario Mansilla is on a road. There is a guy with a jeep who meets the ferry & may offer to take luggage or even passengers along the road. At the pass a trail continues down to the Argentine border post.

I continued around Laguna del Desierto the same day.

==Season 2021/22==

* '''2022-Jan / NOBO / Alexis y Iris'''

Took 4 days between the two stamps without issues. The Chilean carabineros just asked our route and we said we hiked through Refugio Diablo.

To ressuply in Candilla Mancilla, it is possible to ask Maria Louisa at the camping. There are more items than you could imagine but it's a bit expensive.

Of note, it is possible to arrange a transfer directly to Bahia Pescado on the same boat that goes to Villa O'Higgins to hike the GPT37H, just ask the captain directly.

The fare for a complete transfer is 60k CLP or 70 USD. We don't know the price for a drop off in Bahia Pescado.

==Season 2020/21==

==Season 2019/20==

* '''2019-Dec-12 / SOBO / Arnaud et Adriane'''

According to the team of our hotel in Villa O'Higgins, we officially have 24h to cross the 2 borders.

So we prefered not to take risks with customs of Chile and Argentina and walked directly from Mancilla (chilean border) to punta Norte (argentinien border). There is 21km to walk and it is very easy.

After the argentinian border, we walked to the mirador on the glaciar chico. It is the last 15kms of the real section 38. The view on the glaciar is amazing there and really worth the effort. After just walked back to the argentinian border. The walk is easy with some elevation but easy. We took a path that was marked but differed a little with the gps track (maybe sometimes 300m away) and had only one easy riverford.

Don't say to the argentinian customs that you were there because the mirador is officially in chile (200m after the border but without any puesto) just say that you walked to the refugio del Diablo which is on the path and 200m before the border. This refugio is very basic in metal and can help in case of rain but is not cosy at all.

It is a total of 51kms and without any risk with the 2 borders but you maybe miss some other highlights of the real section 38.

We did it in 1 day and a half.

Comment Jan Dudeck: In recent years we and other hikers had no issues staying several days between the Chilean and Argentine border post. Some years ago the situation was different but both sides seams more relaxed now as long as you arrive on the other side with an exit stamp.

* '''2019-Nov-10 / 1 day / Regular hiking route / NOBO / Lea Geibel, Kevin Moe '''

We chose to do this hike in one long day, but were told we could camp near the Argentinian passport control, or in the sort of no-mans-land up the trail further between borders. Make sure you know what day the ferry is leaving before hiking or you could end up waiting in Candelaria a couple days! There aren't any stores in Candelaria, though we heard the lady at the campground might sell you some eggs or some other supplies.

* '''2019-Nov-10 / Jan Dudeck '''

The regular hiking and packrafting route passes the Chilean border control post in Candelario Mansilla and the Argentine border control post at the northern end of Lago el Desierto. These posts are 26 km apart (shortest distance) and if you do not walk into these two border controls posts yourself you will not get the required exit and entry stamp and become an “illegal immigrant” in the neighboring country. Don’t expect anything at the border itself or to get stopped by the police in the corresponding places.

Be aware that the GPT route takes a significant detour between these border controls and crosses the actual border at an non-officil location at the Refugio el Diabolo. If you ask the border police for permission to cross the border in this location than your request will probably be denied so better don’t ask and just tell that you are on the way to the Chile/Argentina without specifying the exact route (when asking for your exit stamp).

We have taken this non-official route twice in January 2017 and January 2019 without any issue.

Worst case scenario is that you arrive with a several days old exit stamp on the other side and the border control police becomes upset and ask you to walk back on the shortest route (Option 1) to get a fresh stamp but I have not heard this happening in recent years.

==Season 2018/19==

==Season 2017/18==

*'''Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18'''

Notes to consider before beginning: At Calendario Mancilla, there is a Carabineros border control outpost. They asked that we fill out an expedition hiking form since the GPT follows a little used route. After discussing the route, the Carabineros informed us that entering Argentina at Lago Diablo, which is the current GPS route, is illegal. There is an alternate route, as described below, which remains in Chile that we decided to take instead.

From the Chilean border control, follow the gravel road for a short distance and turn onto a trail marked by white sign with green lettering that says “Rio Obsticulos” as shown by the current GPS track (hikers may want to consider following the alternate listed at the end of this section description to and from Glacier O’Higgins because that trail is of much higher quality, more scenic, and more pleasant than the one that follows the bank of Lago O’Higgins/San Martin).

After crossing the wooden bridge, hike along an ill-defined track that winds up and down the shoreline of Lago O’Higgins/San Martin to the land bridge north of Lago Chico. There is one residence as well as the occasional small camp spot along this route.

There is another residence located on the east side of the land bridge, and hikers may pass through a wire gate on north side of the corral. A faint trail heads west and terminates at the bank of the narrow channel that connects Lago O’Higgins/San Martin and Lago Chico. A packraft is required to cross this channel.

There is another residence on the west side of the channel. When the large ferry out of Villa O’Higgins is functional, it drops people off near this residence so they may hike the Sendero a Candelario Mancilla which is marked with orange and white blazes. This trail is well-formed and climbs the hill south of the residence. After exiting the treeline, be aware that there is limited camping for many kilometers. From this point, the route is very exposed and there is no cover until the route re-crosses Lago Chico.

Glacier O’Higgins is beautiful; it is composed of glistening blue ice that terminates into the lake. Sadly, as the University of Valdevía has documented, the glacier is receding at an alarming rate and is in danger. As you enjoy the views, the trail continues to wind up and down above the lake but eventually disappears. Navigation is easy due to a lack of vegetation, but camping is poor due to exposure and the steep terrain.

An orange refugio is located 2 km from Lago Chico on the glacial moraine. It is equipped with solar panels and is a good place to ride out a storm. The route continues down rocks and sand to the lake edge. The lake paddle is very pleasant, and depending on the season, it may involve weaving through icebergs to get to open water. Be careful not to get too close to the icebergs! Many of them are unstable and falling ice is common.

Alternate:
The GPS route indicates a northbound float on Lago Chico for approximately 4 km until take-out, but high winds forced us off of the lake early. We exited at the southern end of Lago Chico and from there faced a very difficult, brushy, and steep climb up to a trail at about elevation 750 m. Weather permitting, it may be easier to packraft all the way back to the land bridge between Lago Chico and Lago O’Higgins/San Martin. The trail on east side of the lake is well-formed, however, and there is one established campsite near a run down shack at the Lago Diablo turn off.

In order to avoid the illegal Lago Diablo crossing into Argentina, just after passing a large wooden sign that says “Sendero de Chile,” turn off to the east on a well-formed track and climb up through the forest. The track is well-formed, easy to follow, and passes by several good places to camp. There are some orange and white blazes which are hard to spot because they mark the track in the opposite direction. There is a brief cross-country section over the pass through open tundra, but the trail reappears as the route renters the trees. There are a couple river crossing, and the trail ends at the gravel road. Follow the road north back to the Carabineros outpost to inform them you made it back safely and to obtain an exit stamp.

==Season 2016/17==

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

=Transport to and from Route=

*2023 / Anna & Christopher
In march and april the ferry that crosses Lago O'Higgins only leaves twice a week, which is mondays and thursdays at 8 a.m. (company Las Ruedas, reservation possible via whatsapp +56 966278836).

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

* 2023 December / Anh

Warning between exit & entry:
You have to reach the other border control within one day, since recently both border controls compare the data every day.
If you do not arrive within one day, they (both border controls) will actually go looking for you.

*Permit for Gpt38
For glaciers Chico and O'Higgins you can apply for an "Expedition Paper" at the Chilean border control. However, this does not allow you to cross the border to Argentina.
At the argentinian border control, you can ask for the route Lago del Desierto - Lago Diablo (with return / no border crossing).
Conclusion: there is currently no standard procedure for GPT38 with border crossing. The two border controls check by radio whether all persons arrive on the other side within one day (and start search operations if necessary)!

*2023 / Ondrej
At he Argentinian police checkpoint I was actually asked why I had a three day old stamp. I wanted to avoid problems, so I said that I took a slow pace and did not walk on some days because it was raining constantly (which was true). I said that I built my tent, read a book and trying to wait out the rain. This (in a hindsight really poor) excuse was fortunately enough for the officer. He nodded and gave me the stamp.

*2019 / Jan Dudeck
Be aware that the GPT route takes a significant detour between these border controls and crosses the actual border at an non-officil location at the Refugio el Diabolo. If you ask the border police for permission to cross the border in this location than your request will probably be denied so better don’t ask and just tell that you are on the way to the Chile/Argentina without specifying the exact route (when asking for your exit stamp).
We have taken this non-official route twice in January 2017 and January 2019 without any issue.
Worst case scenario is that you arrive with a several days old exit stamp on the other side and the border control police becomes upset and ask you to walk back on the shortest route (Option 1) to get a fresh stamp but I have not heard this happening in recent years.

*Comment Jan Dudeck: In recent years we and other hikers had no issues staying several days between the Chilean and Argentine border post. Some years ago the situation was different but both sides seams more relaxed now as long as you arrive on the other side with an exit stamp.

*2019 / Arnaud et Adriane

According to the team of our hotel in Villa O'Higgins, we officially have 24h to cross the border.(...) Don't say to the argentinian customs that you were there because the mirador is officially in chile (200m after the border but without any puesto) just say that you walked to the refugio del Diablo which is on the path and 200m before the border.

=Links to other Resources=

Retired Section Article [[GPT38 - Glaciar Chico]]

=Images=

GPT42 (Glaciar Upsala)

2024-12-11T17:54:06Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

GPT67 (Dientes de Navarino)

2024-12-04T02:30:25Z

Celio: /* Transport to and from Route */

'''[[GPTs|List of all GPT sections]]'''

= How to a add new entry =
Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

If you are packrafting, put the above info into HTML tags like this (if you follow a hiking route for part of the way, highlight only "packrafting", as above):


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''YYYY-MMM-DD / X days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Your name'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>.

Include remarks about your route useful for other hikers and packrafters, alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

=Overview=

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

==Season 2023/24==

* '''April 16 2024 / 2.5 days / Sendero Windhond and Option 1 Dientes Paso Australia / Tanja'''

Took advantage of a 3 days good weather window. Trail is officially closed since April 1 (until October). When you register at the Carabinieros (recommended), you have to sign a paper that you do it at your own risk and pay potential rescue cost yourself.

Followed OSM after the destroyed refugio as suggested by Frank below. Saw some cute beavers swimming. Lovely autumn colors all around. Had a late start and did not make it all the way to Refugio Charles. Also daylight only from roughly 8am to 7pm these days. Found a dry and flat area within a small forest approx 1km south from the OSM river crossing.

Next day, instead of going to the refugio, I went up directly to Monte Bettinelli as was a sunny day that promised good views from up there. Crossed a dam over a beaver lake and the river at a shallow spot slightly further north from where OSM suggests. Not even knee deep but ice cold without shoes, ouch!

Beautiful views from Laguna Bettinelli and the Monte towards Bahia Windhound and the islands north of Cabo de Hornos. Snow from the previous week had almost entirely melted (saw that already from plane). Easy walk of passes Dientres and Australia but a different game if snow or rain (talked to a couple in the hostel that got snowed in over night the previous week, knee deep snow, stayed in their tent for a day).

Campsites on eastern side at Laguna del Salto were all pretty humid, found a small dry spot further up just below the trees.

Took high route back to town, nice views over the Beagle channel and Ushuaia from Cerro la Bandera. Saw no one else.

* '''31-march to 4-april 2024 / 5 days / Option 2 puerto Torro- Lake Navarino - Bahia Windhond - Lake Windhond (east shore) - sendero Windhond / Matthieu'''

Started in Puerto Toro after taking the ferry at Puerto williams ( once a month on Sunday). Initial plan was to come back by Montes Miseria and Caleta Eugenia in 3 days (passing a night on the east shore of lake Navarino first so not on the GPT track). For hard snowy and windy conditions I had to reroute to stay at low altitude and decided to change the hole plan.
This section is a little bit monotonic with a lot of turbia but the views on the differents parts are amazing. Tried to go back by the Cerro Betinelli and the initial part of the dientes but the pass Betinelli was blocked by snow, had to go back to the swampy sendero Windhond. Note that there is a path going from the MR of the forest south of Puerto williams, crossing the river Ukika and arriving directly into PW without taking the big detour by the road (on OSM).

Note on climate : More and more snow days at end MArch and April, and temperature at night are lowering, so better have some backup plans. Walking with a bit of snow in the turbia is really difficult because it hides the waterpoints and holes. The first part of my first day was really physically demanding, with very slow progression, at around 300m, reason of my reroute to go lower far from snow. With more snow and proper winter material going in the montes miseria could be a good adventure though.

Terrain : Mostly hard and green Turbia until Windhond Bay, easy progression. After crossing the river before the bay it becomes swampy with cowpoop, progression more difficult. What I recommend is to go to the bay staying at east shore of the river (green turbia) and crossing it directly on the beach (sand, not mud, so easy crossing). This way you avoid high river crossing and the cow swamps. After leaving the bay for the eats shore of lake Windhond, mostly Red turbia, softer. The east shore of lake windhond is really easy to walk, mostly sand or rocks, I had to walk on the lakes for a few meters sometimes but there is no deepness (ankle level). or the sendero Windhond, the part betweem the separation of the trails (one going up to Betinelli, the other staying low in the sendero Windhond) and the ancient refuge Beauchef (destroyed) is really hard, progression slow and tricky with trees and swamp. AFter the refuge there is a good old trail, between forest and turbia, until puerto williams.

Rivercrossing : I crossed The river before Bahia Windhond on the GPT track that I joined after Lake Navarino, between 2 tiny beaches, Hip level with very few current. I do not recommend to pass this way though (see before), prefering crossing directly at the bay. NO other notable rivers.

* '''09-March to 15-March-2024 / 7 short days (late morning starts) / Sendero Lago Windhund + Big dientes trail + last camp at lake Sirra next to cascada de oro south of Laguna Maku / Matthieu'''
Amazing section with diversity of landscapes and incredible views (you can see the cape horn from Monte Betinelli). Possibility of fishing at lago windhond (ask locals for secrets good places ) , some stuff in the refugio to cook the fishes. We added Laguna Sirra for the last night, by the OSM track that goes to Laguna Maku. Then the trail is marked by pink stripes on the way. We tried to go to Laguna Turquesa the next day, but we were taken in a little snow storm almost at the end, so we got back before getting lost.

Difficulties : Good old Patagonia. Lots of fallen trunks on the way to Windhond, turbia, so very slow progression on some parts. On the sendero de Windhond, better follow the GPT track than the OSM one, much more logic, better the flat turbia than the fallen trees. In the mountain parts with good conditions no difficulties except the descent to lago Guanaco, the very first and short part staying up is really steepy, better do it with good conditions. Going down is then much easier than expected, lots of sand its like skiing.

Water supply : rivers everywhere. Lots of birds and beavers though, and brown color, so I prefered using a filter in the low parts.

Camps : 1.In the forest next to Lake Alinghi (north east shore) where you can also fish 2. Some tent places around the windhond refuge 3. After monte betinelli in the tress next to a river. Then you have a lot of tent spaces along the lakes. Know that the wind can be extremely strong, better keep your tent safe hidden in the trees that break it for a perfect view in the morning. 5. After laguna Guanaco. Go to the right side of the very exposed campsite, in the bushes and you will find incredible and protected spots with better views on the Beagle. 6. Laguna Sirra at its south shore, didn´t find a really good spot but there were beavers swimming that was really a nice evening. I think that there are good spots but I lost the stripes to find it.

Weather conditions : very lucky, no snow and casi no rain. Neither big wind. Know that some passes on the way can be extremely dangerous after snow and cold air from the south, the rocks can be icy and the trail hidden.

River crossings: no special danger. Better cross after the big beaver dams, flow and depth really reduced.

Accomodation : Camping Il padrino in Puerto Williams, the best camping I’ve ever been to, meet the incredible Cecilia who runs the thing with her extreme energy. Nice evenings in perspective there. 15 000 pesos per night, but you can sleep in the house on the couches or the floor if you want with a comfy fire. She has a refuge to with dormitorios, little bit more expensive.
Hitchhiking to come back from the dientes can be very uncertain, and above all in late march season. We had chance after 1 hour on the road. Didn´t have this chance on my way back from GPT 66 (see the post).
To have a good idea of the campsites and fishing places on the way, a recent map has been made of the zone by a group named Kanasaka (see internet site to), can buy it in a view shops of puerto Williams and in the camping.

* '''Frank 16-18 January 2024 / 3 long days / Windhond Circuit'''

1. I walked from Puerto Williams to Refugio Charles near Lago Windhond in one long day (11 hours) via ex Refugio Beaucheff.
Leaving Puerto Williams don't follow the track file but go up Calle Prat to the end then into the forest on a trail, turning left.
Go along the river until you cross it on an old bridge & return to track file route, saves 2K. Trail is OK to the pass, then deteriorates. Don't follow the track file route where it fords the river, stay on the near side following the Windhond trail which is marked on OSM. There is no trail on the far side of the river until much later.

Refugio Beaucheff is completely ruined. There is a marked route crossing the river a bit after the refuge but I've been told it's rough. I stayed on the OSM route which is now CC in open terrain & forded the river where the OSM route crosses it. Then you soon rejoin the RR & cross a bog (easy walking, you wind around the swampy bits) to get to Refugio Charles. Two small trees fell on the hut but it's still intact & in good condition, sleeps 6. It has mattresses & a woodstove, useful as my feet were soaking wet.

2. I walked around the east side of Lago Windhond in 3.5 hours. Easy walking mostly along the beach. 50 metres after track EXP-RP-CC-A I walked to a bone shaped lake & continued along its south side. Go to the river a bit more downstream than EXP-RP-CC-A. The river runs chest deep out of the lake but a bit further I found a ford that was knee deep (should be available on 2024 track file) Continued in open terrain. The last 500M down to Windhond Bay was rough in dense forest with small cliffs near the bay.
Returned to Charles Hut on the same route (10 hours round trip)

3. I went back across the bog then crossed the river on a logjam. Steeply up through forest to treeline, then CC following cairns. There were two big snowfields on Monte Bettinelli but the RR went around both of them. Easy going but early in the season snow can make the Bettinelli traverse difficult or impassible. Great views of Lago Windhond & the Cape Horn archipelago from Bettinelli. I joined the Dientes circuit & went out over pasos Dientes & Australia to Laguna Salto. Snow on paso Australia but easy to cross. I've been told the low route out via Laguna Robalo is poor (beaver country with lots of fallen trees) so I continued on the high route back to Puerto Williams in one long day (12 hours walking)

==Season 2022/23==
* '''Iris, Alexis / Dec 17-21 2022 / 4.5 days'''
We started our trip on the GPT by the famous Dientes de Navarino, option Lago Windhond.
The first part until the Refugio Bauchef is well marked but after the trail has disappeared and the marks should not be trusted. We have been told it has not been serviced and the fallen trees make everything quite difficult. We left the track to walk in the valley which was much easier but decided to not go to the lake.
The next part of the tour is much more frequented and it is much easier to find the trail. However, in difficult weather as some parts are dangerous, even with clean weather.
Nonetheless, the hikers are gratified with stunning views and landscapes!

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==
2024 info: You can get camping gas in Puerto Williams at Comercial Antarctica & a bike rental shop, both near the fire station. Small supermarket & 2 shops nearby.
Camping El Padrino is a good place to meet hikers. 15,000 pesos for camping. Hikers often leave partly used gas canisters there.

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

=Transport to and from Route=

News from november 2024 : the connection between Ushuaia and puerto williams is open again. There is now two compagnies operating. The one operating before covid, onashaga expedition doing Ushuaia to puerto navarino by boat, then a bus is taking you to puerto williams. Price is 130$ one way.

DAP fly Punta Arenas-Puerto Williams
In January 2024 there was still no scheduled boat connecting Williams & Ushuaia.
There is a ferry from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams.
About once a week there is a boat from Williams to Puerto Toro.

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

=Images=

GPT46 (Seno Ultima Esperanza)

2024-12-04T02:26:46Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

'''[[GPTs|List of all GPT sections]]'''

= How to a add new entry =
Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

If you are packrafting, put the above info into HTML tags like this (if you follow a hiking route for part of the way, highlight only "packrafting", as above):


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''YYYY-MMM-DD / X days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Your name'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>.

Include remarks about your route useful for other hikers and packrafters, alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

=Overview=

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

* 30-11-2024 to 02-12-2024 / 3 days / SOBO / RR / Celio, Amalia and Isabelle

We did what it's now the regular route on the newest gpt track files from 2024 ( the one not crossing paso byron and the cerro Chacabuco glaciar).
There is still some snowfield on top of the section, but not much. We had some frech snow from the previous day (around 10/20cm). The traverse is easy to follow with all the blue stick from the old fjord trail. The long forest section after the mountain pass is very muddy and wet! Also crossing a lot of fallen trees, it became quite unfunny until you get out and finnally see the beautiful fjord!

To get there :
We try to do it NOBO but in puerto natales we couldn't find someone to bring us there. We ask at the office of turismo 21 de mayo and they propose us a transfert for 180k pesos. And apparently there workers bus is full when going there. So finally we decided going SOBO.
To leave in estancia perales there is a catamaran running every day during the high season and leaving around 15h30, ask directly the captain of the boat when you get there and it's 20k pesos for puerto natales and it takes 1 hour.

==Season 2023/24==

* '''march-3-2024 to march-5-2024 / 2.5 days (with hitchhike) / SOBO / Oh3 - RR / Matthieu'''

What an amazing section. The diversity of terrain is what you're looking for here. Lakes hidden in the woods, rocky pass with blue lagoons, glaciar, broken forest, swamps, pastures, big lakes... and the fauna that comes with it !
I didn't see any human from rio serrano to estancia perales... what a relief after the parc !

I connected trek O of torres del Paine with GPT46, hitchhiked and hiked a bit from the campamiento central sur to rio serrano by the road in half a day. I had schedule obligation but otherwise OH2 on GPT45 to rio serrano would have been an amazing hike.
I hitchhiked back to natales from the private road a little bit after Ea Perales, for the same schedule reason, but the minor road was really nice I would gladly have stayed on it a day more. It was an estancia worker minibus around 17h20 (so probably leave at 17h at the estancia), I expect there is one every day for them to get back home. It turns left to join the road before the cuevas de milodon.

Trecking difficulties :
As previously said, the terrain after the pass is of hard progression between swamps and clambering of big tree trunks. I would say about 25kms of it, and you find the good trail 6.5 kms from the estancia perales. It is all marked with blue sticks to the end, that is actually game changing, much less GPS demanding.
Between Rio serrano and the pass, the trail is clear and easy.
At this time of year, the river crossings were easy and I didnt have to cross any snowfield (on Oh3).

Camps :
Big arrieros flat spot at the big lake just before the pass. River going off the lake 50m after, and a little trail to go bath in the lake. All protected by the trees, amazing. - multiple flat areas after in the valley going down after the pass, along the river.

Water : everywhere on the way, no need to carry in the bag.

Resupply problems : ¡WARNING! Rio serrano is a VERY UNCERTAIN resupply city. There are only hotels with restaurants, and no minimarkets (for probable commercial reasons...). I was very lucky to see a paper in the wall of the bus stop with the phone number of a local house unofficially selling simple minimarket things (fidellos, puree, cafe, galletas, cigarettes... but sometimes already opened or almost finished !). It saved my trek so I was very glad, but this plan is really unsure, I understood that there wasn't much left to sell.
If you connect SOBO with the parc, you can buy what you need (simple minimarket things) in the campings before going on GPT46 (warning again : camping central sur only have expensive prepared sport meals, better buy in the other campings).

Notes to jan : I did a few GPS waypoints for campsites and water spot.

* '''Frank / 7-9 Jan 2024 / 3 days / Option 3 then RR SOBO'''

Walked in 2 half days & 2 full days:

1. I went by Uber to Estancia Puerto Consuelo (the end of the public road) & walked back easily to Puerto Natales in 4 hours.
2. I came from Torres del Paine & took a small trail marked on OSM which leads from trail Option 1 to Option 3 without going into Villa Rio Serrano. Good horse trail initially. After 3KM it's marked with blue sticks. Just above treeline the route divides into Option 3 & Option 3A. 3A soon leads to a pass @ 850 metres. Just after the pass there was a big snowfield on steep ground bordered by cliffs. It was not safe to traverse so I went above it & soon joined Option 3 which led to a pass @ 900M. I marked the passes for 2024 track file update. The blue sticks reappeared @ Pass 900M. I slid down 2 snowfields a bit to the right of the blue stick route which goes down more steeply. The slides were OK using walking pole to brake. After about 1.5 hours you near treeline again. Here the blue stick route crosses a river & starts to ascend again. It's best to leave the blue sticks here & continue on RR CC & initially unmarked. Then you have less ascent & only need to cross the river once. Went down between two small snowfields on RR, it's muddy then @ the river blue sticks reappear & you ford easily (knee deep) with a rope to help. A few minutes after the ford is a camp made by the ultra trail organizers & I camped there.

3. I continued past a sign that says No Pasar & then the trail is marked with blue sticks all the way. Going becomes slower with lots of fallen trees. At a junction an alternative route with blue sticks leads out left to Ea. Perales. It fords the river which was running fast & deep. I didn't ford but stayed on the RR which remains rough until 6.5KM before Ea. Perales, then goes out easily on good trails & in meadows. Just as the trail improved I saw a puma. From Ea. Perales you are on a private estancia road & it's a 5 hour walk to the start of the public road @ Ea. Puerto Consuelo. I camped in open forest a bit back from the road.

4. I continued easily along the road to Ea. Puerto Consuelo in 3.5 hours. Very little traffic on the public road, I walked out 7KM then hitched to Natales.

* '''From 2023-11-28 to 2023-11-30 / 3 days / Hiking / NOBO / Option3 cordon cerro Chacabuco / Quentin Clavel'''

Another amazing section, but quite challenging as well. The conditions to pass cordon cerro Chacabuco were pretty rude, wind, snow and glacial temperature. Patagonia at its best !

Started from Puerto Natales, following the road then the gravel road, then enter in nice tracks. You enter place where there's some hotels with views on fjords. I've seen only workers there, said hello to them and continue the way.

Pass threw shelters with people. Asked for the autorisations and they nicely allowes me to pass.
I camped along the beautiful fiord and the morning was epic with views, rainbows ...

Arrived at the Estencia Perales then begin the good part, your GPS will be your best friend on some parts.

That's a long walk to Rio Serrano by cerro Chacabuco.
Fortunately the trail has been marked few years ago for ultra fiord. Easy to follow the blue sticks, even if on some parts the nature took control on the trail.

Passing from deep forest to wetland. The race is not passing here since few years. They even left the refueling station with whole barrels of instant noodles, cake, gas, machetes and so on. If you're really in need, you can take some, bit the expiration date is from 2019.

Cerro Chacabuco was wild ! Big amount of snow and unpredictable weather (should I mention it again ? We're in Patagonia).

Then go down to Rio Serrano ! Love this itinerary, pretty wild, and some hidden gem like waterfalls that you heard easily !

==Season 2022/23==

* '''9 to 12 April 2023 / Ishay / Route from Rio serrano to connect to GPT 46 RR sobo / 4 days'''

Overall - Beautiful and remote section with great scenery and colors. unused trails, snow, cold, wetness, mud and fallen trees slowed me down and made it a little harder. was worth the effort though. I got lucky and had good weather. would have been miserable otherwise.

I saw no one but cows until i reached Estancia Perales.

Following the post of Anna and Christopher (which i also met in el chalten!) and in order to avoid crossing Glacier Chacabuco on the RR i decided to take the OSM path that is climbing directly from Rio serrano and then reconnect with the RR on the way down.

The trail is marked with blue sticks (see pictures) throughout the whole way. I think that all of the trails in this area are built for the 'Ultra Fiord' - an annual, and apparently quite popular trail running race that takes place in the beginning of February.

from the beginning and on the pass the sticks are well placed and quite easy to follow. It seems like they put them up recently. on the way down it gets a little less clear. where i saw a lot of broken and out of place ones.

above the treeline all is covered with snow now. below the treeline it is super wet and muddy with some overgrown parts and a lot of fallen trees which makes progress slow and at times frustrating.I imagine it will be much more convenient during "high season".

From Puerto Natales i hitched a ride to the junction that leads to Rio Serrano. I then walked the 2 km on the road to the place. From my impression It's just hotels and cabins there so i wouldn't count on it if you need to resupply.

followed the osm track to the woods and started walking. Really nice and easy walk. In the beginning there are some junctions leading to different trails. I got confused so just pay attention to the GPS. Then you start climbing.

The Torres del Paine range opens up to your back as you climb. with the afternoon autumn colors it is super pretty.

soon it started snowing so i found a little spot in the trees and crawled into my sleeping bag.

woke up with bright sky and climbed towards the pass. all of this strech was covered in snow, so the blue sticks were really helpful in following the trail. in a clear day the pass has really nice views. quite windy tho. walking freely in an untouched snow in such an open terrain was super fun!! a lot of postholing but nothing dangerous really. just tiring.

When getting towards the downhill to the valley the trail is merging with the RR.

to go down the sticks are leading you to the right which looked like they went up and down again going over another small laguna and then to the woods.

The RR seemed shorter but i didn't find any signage.. better off follow the sticks. I spent as much time figuring out the best and safest way to go down then i would've spend following the longer signed route.

Back to the woods on the RR.. the trail roughly follows the river all the way down. from here on the trail is little more harder to follow. many cow tracks that seem like the trail but lead you nowhere. the annoying part was the mud and ponds on the trail that leave you constantly wet without any opportunity to dry because of the low temperatures.

Rather then that the forest is nice and change its face as you walk. every now and then you go out of the woods and get a nice look to the surrounding mountains to keep your morals high. saw some stations of trail crews along the way. many freaked out cows as well (;

10 km before estancia perales there is a junction. two trails following the river from both sides. The RR is staying on the west side of the river but it might be worth checking out the other one that also take a turn and go over Paso Victor Álvarez and down directly to ruta Y-290 which gives some interesting hiking options.

Arrived at Estancia Perales around 13:00. really nice people there, spoke with them a little and they invited me to eat a delicious soup and bread with the workers in the backroom. awesome stuff.

They were preparing the tables for a group that is coming back from a boat tour of glaciers balmaceda and serrano and stop for lunch in the estancia on the way back to town. You can hop on the boat for 20k clp. 45 minutes. no other transporte to town from there as far as I'm concerned. since it was a beautiful day i opted for walking on the dirt road. was nice walking along the lake. cars didn't pass me. The day after i arrived to ruta Y-290 and hitched back to Puerto Natales.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck November 2023''': With the glacier changed it might be better to take GPT46 Option 3 (Cordon Cerro Chacabuco) that avoids the glacier crossing and goes directly to the Settlement Rio Serrano.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck December 2023''': For the Track Files 2024 if have re-routed the Regular Route along Option 3 and Option 3 becomes the demanding glacier traverse.

* '''SoBo/January 2023 /Tobias Schorcht and Caterina Bormioli / 7 Days /Hiking '''

One of the most challenging Trails for me on the GPT so far (Crossing Glaciar Chacabuco is dangerous by now). Probably have to change the main route. The trail from Río Serrano to Puerto Toro is good visible, because they use the trail for horseback riding. Some parts of were very muddy even though we went in dry conditions. The estancia puerto toro has been abounded since 2 years. They use to have a ultra trail race to estancia perales. Last time when the race took place was 4 years ago.

All the trails around are mostly marked with blue sticks. It seems that the cows are chewing on them. Crossed glacier Chacabuco in perfect conditions. BUT: It is very difficult by now. The Glaciar shrinked so much much, that the original access is the ice can not be used by now (very steep morain). Took us 1.5hours to find an alternative, which was not safe as as well. I spotted a alternative and discuss it with Jan. The glaciar was still partly covered with snow (20/01/23). Most of the glacier columns were good visible. I recommend crampons and a rope. From how the glaciar has been changed, I guess it has been much easier to cross some years ago. Arrived at Estancia Perales after 5 days and had the best Coca Cola of our life. Took the Catamaran back to Puerto Natales (20 000 CPS, 3p.m. every day in high season). I returned 2 days later by bus (10 000 CLP, “Tourismo 21 de Mayo”, every day 12a.m.) and completed by by gravel road walking. Packrafting might be possible (SoBo). There are many camping spots among the coast. Wind is getting stronger towards Natales and appears usually from the north.

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

Beginning and end of the section (Rio Serrano and Puerto ?tales) between them, nothing, just nourish yourself with the beauty of mother nature !

=Transport to and from Route=

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

=Images=

GPT46 (Seno Ultima Esperanza)

2024-12-04T02:25:29Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

'''[[GPTs|List of all GPT sections]]'''

= How to a add new entry =
Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

If you are packrafting, put the above info into HTML tags like this (if you follow a hiking route for part of the way, highlight only "packrafting", as above):


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''YYYY-MMM-DD / X days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Your name'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>.

Include remarks about your route useful for other hikers and packrafters, alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

=Overview=

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

* "'30-11-2024 to 02-12-2024 / 3 days / SOBO / RR / Celio, Amalia and Isabelle"'

We did what it's now the regular route on the newest gpt track files from 2024 ( the one not crossing paso byron and the cerro Chacabuco glaciar).
There is still some snowfield on top of the section, but not much. We had some frech snow from the previous day (around 10/20cm). The traverse is easy to follow with all the blue stick from the old fjord trail. The long forest section after the mountain pass is very muddy and wet! Also crossing a lot of fallen trees, it became quite unfunny until you get out and finnally see the beautiful fjord!

To get there :
We try to do it NOBO but in puerto natales we couldn't find someone to bring us there. We ask at the office of turismo 21 de mayo and they propose us a transfert for 180k pesos. And apparently there workers bus is full when going there. So finally we decided going SOBO.
To leave in estancia perales there is a catamaran running every day during the high season and leaving around 15h30, ask directly the captain of the boat when you get there and it's 20k pesos for puerto natales and it takes 1 hour.

==Season 2023/24==

* '''march-3-2024 to march-5-2024 / 2.5 days (with hitchhike) / SOBO / Oh3 - RR / Matthieu'''

What an amazing section. The diversity of terrain is what you're looking for here. Lakes hidden in the woods, rocky pass with blue lagoons, glaciar, broken forest, swamps, pastures, big lakes... and the fauna that comes with it !
I didn't see any human from rio serrano to estancia perales... what a relief after the parc !

I connected trek O of torres del Paine with GPT46, hitchhiked and hiked a bit from the campamiento central sur to rio serrano by the road in half a day. I had schedule obligation but otherwise OH2 on GPT45 to rio serrano would have been an amazing hike.
I hitchhiked back to natales from the private road a little bit after Ea Perales, for the same schedule reason, but the minor road was really nice I would gladly have stayed on it a day more. It was an estancia worker minibus around 17h20 (so probably leave at 17h at the estancia), I expect there is one every day for them to get back home. It turns left to join the road before the cuevas de milodon.

Trecking difficulties :
As previously said, the terrain after the pass is of hard progression between swamps and clambering of big tree trunks. I would say about 25kms of it, and you find the good trail 6.5 kms from the estancia perales. It is all marked with blue sticks to the end, that is actually game changing, much less GPS demanding.
Between Rio serrano and the pass, the trail is clear and easy.
At this time of year, the river crossings were easy and I didnt have to cross any snowfield (on Oh3).

Camps :
Big arrieros flat spot at the big lake just before the pass. River going off the lake 50m after, and a little trail to go bath in the lake. All protected by the trees, amazing. - multiple flat areas after in the valley going down after the pass, along the river.

Water : everywhere on the way, no need to carry in the bag.

Resupply problems : ¡WARNING! Rio serrano is a VERY UNCERTAIN resupply city. There are only hotels with restaurants, and no minimarkets (for probable commercial reasons...). I was very lucky to see a paper in the wall of the bus stop with the phone number of a local house unofficially selling simple minimarket things (fidellos, puree, cafe, galletas, cigarettes... but sometimes already opened or almost finished !). It saved my trek so I was very glad, but this plan is really unsure, I understood that there wasn't much left to sell.
If you connect SOBO with the parc, you can buy what you need (simple minimarket things) in the campings before going on GPT46 (warning again : camping central sur only have expensive prepared sport meals, better buy in the other campings).

Notes to jan : I did a few GPS waypoints for campsites and water spot.

* '''Frank / 7-9 Jan 2024 / 3 days / Option 3 then RR SOBO'''

Walked in 2 half days & 2 full days:

1. I went by Uber to Estancia Puerto Consuelo (the end of the public road) & walked back easily to Puerto Natales in 4 hours.
2. I came from Torres del Paine & took a small trail marked on OSM which leads from trail Option 1 to Option 3 without going into Villa Rio Serrano. Good horse trail initially. After 3KM it's marked with blue sticks. Just above treeline the route divides into Option 3 & Option 3A. 3A soon leads to a pass @ 850 metres. Just after the pass there was a big snowfield on steep ground bordered by cliffs. It was not safe to traverse so I went above it & soon joined Option 3 which led to a pass @ 900M. I marked the passes for 2024 track file update. The blue sticks reappeared @ Pass 900M. I slid down 2 snowfields a bit to the right of the blue stick route which goes down more steeply. The slides were OK using walking pole to brake. After about 1.5 hours you near treeline again. Here the blue stick route crosses a river & starts to ascend again. It's best to leave the blue sticks here & continue on RR CC & initially unmarked. Then you have less ascent & only need to cross the river once. Went down between two small snowfields on RR, it's muddy then @ the river blue sticks reappear & you ford easily (knee deep) with a rope to help. A few minutes after the ford is a camp made by the ultra trail organizers & I camped there.

3. I continued past a sign that says No Pasar & then the trail is marked with blue sticks all the way. Going becomes slower with lots of fallen trees. At a junction an alternative route with blue sticks leads out left to Ea. Perales. It fords the river which was running fast & deep. I didn't ford but stayed on the RR which remains rough until 6.5KM before Ea. Perales, then goes out easily on good trails & in meadows. Just as the trail improved I saw a puma. From Ea. Perales you are on a private estancia road & it's a 5 hour walk to the start of the public road @ Ea. Puerto Consuelo. I camped in open forest a bit back from the road.

4. I continued easily along the road to Ea. Puerto Consuelo in 3.5 hours. Very little traffic on the public road, I walked out 7KM then hitched to Natales.

* '''From 2023-11-28 to 2023-11-30 / 3 days / Hiking / NOBO / Option3 cordon cerro Chacabuco / Quentin Clavel'''

Another amazing section, but quite challenging as well. The conditions to pass cordon cerro Chacabuco were pretty rude, wind, snow and glacial temperature. Patagonia at its best !

Started from Puerto Natales, following the road then the gravel road, then enter in nice tracks. You enter place where there's some hotels with views on fjords. I've seen only workers there, said hello to them and continue the way.

Pass threw shelters with people. Asked for the autorisations and they nicely allowes me to pass.
I camped along the beautiful fiord and the morning was epic with views, rainbows ...

Arrived at the Estencia Perales then begin the good part, your GPS will be your best friend on some parts.

That's a long walk to Rio Serrano by cerro Chacabuco.
Fortunately the trail has been marked few years ago for ultra fiord. Easy to follow the blue sticks, even if on some parts the nature took control on the trail.

Passing from deep forest to wetland. The race is not passing here since few years. They even left the refueling station with whole barrels of instant noodles, cake, gas, machetes and so on. If you're really in need, you can take some, bit the expiration date is from 2019.

Cerro Chacabuco was wild ! Big amount of snow and unpredictable weather (should I mention it again ? We're in Patagonia).

Then go down to Rio Serrano ! Love this itinerary, pretty wild, and some hidden gem like waterfalls that you heard easily !

==Season 2022/23==

* '''9 to 12 April 2023 / Ishay / Route from Rio serrano to connect to GPT 46 RR sobo / 4 days'''

Overall - Beautiful and remote section with great scenery and colors. unused trails, snow, cold, wetness, mud and fallen trees slowed me down and made it a little harder. was worth the effort though. I got lucky and had good weather. would have been miserable otherwise.

I saw no one but cows until i reached Estancia Perales.

Following the post of Anna and Christopher (which i also met in el chalten!) and in order to avoid crossing Glacier Chacabuco on the RR i decided to take the OSM path that is climbing directly from Rio serrano and then reconnect with the RR on the way down.

The trail is marked with blue sticks (see pictures) throughout the whole way. I think that all of the trails in this area are built for the 'Ultra Fiord' - an annual, and apparently quite popular trail running race that takes place in the beginning of February.

from the beginning and on the pass the sticks are well placed and quite easy to follow. It seems like they put them up recently. on the way down it gets a little less clear. where i saw a lot of broken and out of place ones.

above the treeline all is covered with snow now. below the treeline it is super wet and muddy with some overgrown parts and a lot of fallen trees which makes progress slow and at times frustrating.I imagine it will be much more convenient during "high season".

From Puerto Natales i hitched a ride to the junction that leads to Rio Serrano. I then walked the 2 km on the road to the place. From my impression It's just hotels and cabins there so i wouldn't count on it if you need to resupply.

followed the osm track to the woods and started walking. Really nice and easy walk. In the beginning there are some junctions leading to different trails. I got confused so just pay attention to the GPS. Then you start climbing.

The Torres del Paine range opens up to your back as you climb. with the afternoon autumn colors it is super pretty.

soon it started snowing so i found a little spot in the trees and crawled into my sleeping bag.

woke up with bright sky and climbed towards the pass. all of this strech was covered in snow, so the blue sticks were really helpful in following the trail. in a clear day the pass has really nice views. quite windy tho. walking freely in an untouched snow in such an open terrain was super fun!! a lot of postholing but nothing dangerous really. just tiring.

When getting towards the downhill to the valley the trail is merging with the RR.

to go down the sticks are leading you to the right which looked like they went up and down again going over another small laguna and then to the woods.

The RR seemed shorter but i didn't find any signage.. better off follow the sticks. I spent as much time figuring out the best and safest way to go down then i would've spend following the longer signed route.

Back to the woods on the RR.. the trail roughly follows the river all the way down. from here on the trail is little more harder to follow. many cow tracks that seem like the trail but lead you nowhere. the annoying part was the mud and ponds on the trail that leave you constantly wet without any opportunity to dry because of the low temperatures.

Rather then that the forest is nice and change its face as you walk. every now and then you go out of the woods and get a nice look to the surrounding mountains to keep your morals high. saw some stations of trail crews along the way. many freaked out cows as well (;

10 km before estancia perales there is a junction. two trails following the river from both sides. The RR is staying on the west side of the river but it might be worth checking out the other one that also take a turn and go over Paso Victor Álvarez and down directly to ruta Y-290 which gives some interesting hiking options.

Arrived at Estancia Perales around 13:00. really nice people there, spoke with them a little and they invited me to eat a delicious soup and bread with the workers in the backroom. awesome stuff.

They were preparing the tables for a group that is coming back from a boat tour of glaciers balmaceda and serrano and stop for lunch in the estancia on the way back to town. You can hop on the boat for 20k clp. 45 minutes. no other transporte to town from there as far as I'm concerned. since it was a beautiful day i opted for walking on the dirt road. was nice walking along the lake. cars didn't pass me. The day after i arrived to ruta Y-290 and hitched back to Puerto Natales.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck November 2023''': With the glacier changed it might be better to take GPT46 Option 3 (Cordon Cerro Chacabuco) that avoids the glacier crossing and goes directly to the Settlement Rio Serrano.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck December 2023''': For the Track Files 2024 if have re-routed the Regular Route along Option 3 and Option 3 becomes the demanding glacier traverse.

* '''SoBo/January 2023 /Tobias Schorcht and Caterina Bormioli / 7 Days /Hiking '''

One of the most challenging Trails for me on the GPT so far (Crossing Glaciar Chacabuco is dangerous by now). Probably have to change the main route. The trail from Río Serrano to Puerto Toro is good visible, because they use the trail for horseback riding. Some parts of were very muddy even though we went in dry conditions. The estancia puerto toro has been abounded since 2 years. They use to have a ultra trail race to estancia perales. Last time when the race took place was 4 years ago.

All the trails around are mostly marked with blue sticks. It seems that the cows are chewing on them. Crossed glacier Chacabuco in perfect conditions. BUT: It is very difficult by now. The Glaciar shrinked so much much, that the original access is the ice can not be used by now (very steep morain). Took us 1.5hours to find an alternative, which was not safe as as well. I spotted a alternative and discuss it with Jan. The glaciar was still partly covered with snow (20/01/23). Most of the glacier columns were good visible. I recommend crampons and a rope. From how the glaciar has been changed, I guess it has been much easier to cross some years ago. Arrived at Estancia Perales after 5 days and had the best Coca Cola of our life. Took the Catamaran back to Puerto Natales (20 000 CPS, 3p.m. every day in high season). I returned 2 days later by bus (10 000 CLP, “Tourismo 21 de Mayo”, every day 12a.m.) and completed by by gravel road walking. Packrafting might be possible (SoBo). There are many camping spots among the coast. Wind is getting stronger towards Natales and appears usually from the north.

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

Beginning and end of the section (Rio Serrano and Puerto ?tales) between them, nothing, just nourish yourself with the beauty of mother nature !

=Transport to and from Route=

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

=Images=

GPT46 (Seno Ultima Esperanza)

2024-12-04T02:24:52Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

'''[[GPTs|List of all GPT sections]]'''

= How to a add new entry =
Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

If you are packrafting, put the above info into HTML tags like this (if you follow a hiking route for part of the way, highlight only "packrafting", as above):


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''YYYY-MMM-DD / X days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Your name'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>.

Include remarks about your route useful for other hikers and packrafters, alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

=Overview=

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

* "'30-11-2024 to 02-12-2024 / 3 days / SOBO / RR / Celio, Amalia and Isabelle "'

We did what it's now the regular route on the newest gpt track files from 2024 ( the one not crossing paso byron and the cerro Chacabuco glaciar).
There is still some snowfield on top of the section, but not much. We had some frech snow from the previous day (around 10/20cm). The traverse is easy to follow with all the blue stick from the old fjord trail. The long forest section after the mountain pass is very muddy and wet! Also crossing a lot of fallen trees, it became quite unfunny until you get out and finnally see the beautiful fjord!

To get there :
We try to do it NOBO but in puerto natales we couldn't find someone to bring us there. We ask at the office of turismo 21 de mayo and they propose us a transfert for 180k pesos. And apparently there workers bus is full when going there. So finally we decided going SOBO.
To leave in estancia perales there is a catamaran running every day during the high season and leaving around 15h30, ask directly the captain of the boat when you get there and it's 20k pesos for puerto natales and it takes 1 hour.

==Season 2023/24==

* '''march-3-2024 to march-5-2024 / 2.5 days (with hitchhike) / SOBO / Oh3 - RR / Matthieu'''

What an amazing section. The diversity of terrain is what you're looking for here. Lakes hidden in the woods, rocky pass with blue lagoons, glaciar, broken forest, swamps, pastures, big lakes... and the fauna that comes with it !
I didn't see any human from rio serrano to estancia perales... what a relief after the parc !

I connected trek O of torres del Paine with GPT46, hitchhiked and hiked a bit from the campamiento central sur to rio serrano by the road in half a day. I had schedule obligation but otherwise OH2 on GPT45 to rio serrano would have been an amazing hike.
I hitchhiked back to natales from the private road a little bit after Ea Perales, for the same schedule reason, but the minor road was really nice I would gladly have stayed on it a day more. It was an estancia worker minibus around 17h20 (so probably leave at 17h at the estancia), I expect there is one every day for them to get back home. It turns left to join the road before the cuevas de milodon.

Trecking difficulties :
As previously said, the terrain after the pass is of hard progression between swamps and clambering of big tree trunks. I would say about 25kms of it, and you find the good trail 6.5 kms from the estancia perales. It is all marked with blue sticks to the end, that is actually game changing, much less GPS demanding.
Between Rio serrano and the pass, the trail is clear and easy.
At this time of year, the river crossings were easy and I didnt have to cross any snowfield (on Oh3).

Camps :
Big arrieros flat spot at the big lake just before the pass. River going off the lake 50m after, and a little trail to go bath in the lake. All protected by the trees, amazing. - multiple flat areas after in the valley going down after the pass, along the river.

Water : everywhere on the way, no need to carry in the bag.

Resupply problems : ¡WARNING! Rio serrano is a VERY UNCERTAIN resupply city. There are only hotels with restaurants, and no minimarkets (for probable commercial reasons...). I was very lucky to see a paper in the wall of the bus stop with the phone number of a local house unofficially selling simple minimarket things (fidellos, puree, cafe, galletas, cigarettes... but sometimes already opened or almost finished !). It saved my trek so I was very glad, but this plan is really unsure, I understood that there wasn't much left to sell.
If you connect SOBO with the parc, you can buy what you need (simple minimarket things) in the campings before going on GPT46 (warning again : camping central sur only have expensive prepared sport meals, better buy in the other campings).

Notes to jan : I did a few GPS waypoints for campsites and water spot.

* '''Frank / 7-9 Jan 2024 / 3 days / Option 3 then RR SOBO'''

Walked in 2 half days & 2 full days:

1. I went by Uber to Estancia Puerto Consuelo (the end of the public road) & walked back easily to Puerto Natales in 4 hours.
2. I came from Torres del Paine & took a small trail marked on OSM which leads from trail Option 1 to Option 3 without going into Villa Rio Serrano. Good horse trail initially. After 3KM it's marked with blue sticks. Just above treeline the route divides into Option 3 & Option 3A. 3A soon leads to a pass @ 850 metres. Just after the pass there was a big snowfield on steep ground bordered by cliffs. It was not safe to traverse so I went above it & soon joined Option 3 which led to a pass @ 900M. I marked the passes for 2024 track file update. The blue sticks reappeared @ Pass 900M. I slid down 2 snowfields a bit to the right of the blue stick route which goes down more steeply. The slides were OK using walking pole to brake. After about 1.5 hours you near treeline again. Here the blue stick route crosses a river & starts to ascend again. It's best to leave the blue sticks here & continue on RR CC & initially unmarked. Then you have less ascent & only need to cross the river once. Went down between two small snowfields on RR, it's muddy then @ the river blue sticks reappear & you ford easily (knee deep) with a rope to help. A few minutes after the ford is a camp made by the ultra trail organizers & I camped there.

3. I continued past a sign that says No Pasar & then the trail is marked with blue sticks all the way. Going becomes slower with lots of fallen trees. At a junction an alternative route with blue sticks leads out left to Ea. Perales. It fords the river which was running fast & deep. I didn't ford but stayed on the RR which remains rough until 6.5KM before Ea. Perales, then goes out easily on good trails & in meadows. Just as the trail improved I saw a puma. From Ea. Perales you are on a private estancia road & it's a 5 hour walk to the start of the public road @ Ea. Puerto Consuelo. I camped in open forest a bit back from the road.

4. I continued easily along the road to Ea. Puerto Consuelo in 3.5 hours. Very little traffic on the public road, I walked out 7KM then hitched to Natales.

* '''From 2023-11-28 to 2023-11-30 / 3 days / Hiking / NOBO / Option3 cordon cerro Chacabuco / Quentin Clavel'''

Another amazing section, but quite challenging as well. The conditions to pass cordon cerro Chacabuco were pretty rude, wind, snow and glacial temperature. Patagonia at its best !

Started from Puerto Natales, following the road then the gravel road, then enter in nice tracks. You enter place where there's some hotels with views on fjords. I've seen only workers there, said hello to them and continue the way.

Pass threw shelters with people. Asked for the autorisations and they nicely allowes me to pass.
I camped along the beautiful fiord and the morning was epic with views, rainbows ...

Arrived at the Estencia Perales then begin the good part, your GPS will be your best friend on some parts.

That's a long walk to Rio Serrano by cerro Chacabuco.
Fortunately the trail has been marked few years ago for ultra fiord. Easy to follow the blue sticks, even if on some parts the nature took control on the trail.

Passing from deep forest to wetland. The race is not passing here since few years. They even left the refueling station with whole barrels of instant noodles, cake, gas, machetes and so on. If you're really in need, you can take some, bit the expiration date is from 2019.

Cerro Chacabuco was wild ! Big amount of snow and unpredictable weather (should I mention it again ? We're in Patagonia).

Then go down to Rio Serrano ! Love this itinerary, pretty wild, and some hidden gem like waterfalls that you heard easily !

==Season 2022/23==

* '''9 to 12 April 2023 / Ishay / Route from Rio serrano to connect to GPT 46 RR sobo / 4 days'''

Overall - Beautiful and remote section with great scenery and colors. unused trails, snow, cold, wetness, mud and fallen trees slowed me down and made it a little harder. was worth the effort though. I got lucky and had good weather. would have been miserable otherwise.

I saw no one but cows until i reached Estancia Perales.

Following the post of Anna and Christopher (which i also met in el chalten!) and in order to avoid crossing Glacier Chacabuco on the RR i decided to take the OSM path that is climbing directly from Rio serrano and then reconnect with the RR on the way down.

The trail is marked with blue sticks (see pictures) throughout the whole way. I think that all of the trails in this area are built for the 'Ultra Fiord' - an annual, and apparently quite popular trail running race that takes place in the beginning of February.

from the beginning and on the pass the sticks are well placed and quite easy to follow. It seems like they put them up recently. on the way down it gets a little less clear. where i saw a lot of broken and out of place ones.

above the treeline all is covered with snow now. below the treeline it is super wet and muddy with some overgrown parts and a lot of fallen trees which makes progress slow and at times frustrating.I imagine it will be much more convenient during "high season".

From Puerto Natales i hitched a ride to the junction that leads to Rio Serrano. I then walked the 2 km on the road to the place. From my impression It's just hotels and cabins there so i wouldn't count on it if you need to resupply.

followed the osm track to the woods and started walking. Really nice and easy walk. In the beginning there are some junctions leading to different trails. I got confused so just pay attention to the GPS. Then you start climbing.

The Torres del Paine range opens up to your back as you climb. with the afternoon autumn colors it is super pretty.

soon it started snowing so i found a little spot in the trees and crawled into my sleeping bag.

woke up with bright sky and climbed towards the pass. all of this strech was covered in snow, so the blue sticks were really helpful in following the trail. in a clear day the pass has really nice views. quite windy tho. walking freely in an untouched snow in such an open terrain was super fun!! a lot of postholing but nothing dangerous really. just tiring.

When getting towards the downhill to the valley the trail is merging with the RR.

to go down the sticks are leading you to the right which looked like they went up and down again going over another small laguna and then to the woods.

The RR seemed shorter but i didn't find any signage.. better off follow the sticks. I spent as much time figuring out the best and safest way to go down then i would've spend following the longer signed route.

Back to the woods on the RR.. the trail roughly follows the river all the way down. from here on the trail is little more harder to follow. many cow tracks that seem like the trail but lead you nowhere. the annoying part was the mud and ponds on the trail that leave you constantly wet without any opportunity to dry because of the low temperatures.

Rather then that the forest is nice and change its face as you walk. every now and then you go out of the woods and get a nice look to the surrounding mountains to keep your morals high. saw some stations of trail crews along the way. many freaked out cows as well (;

10 km before estancia perales there is a junction. two trails following the river from both sides. The RR is staying on the west side of the river but it might be worth checking out the other one that also take a turn and go over Paso Victor Álvarez and down directly to ruta Y-290 which gives some interesting hiking options.

Arrived at Estancia Perales around 13:00. really nice people there, spoke with them a little and they invited me to eat a delicious soup and bread with the workers in the backroom. awesome stuff.

They were preparing the tables for a group that is coming back from a boat tour of glaciers balmaceda and serrano and stop for lunch in the estancia on the way back to town. You can hop on the boat for 20k clp. 45 minutes. no other transporte to town from there as far as I'm concerned. since it was a beautiful day i opted for walking on the dirt road. was nice walking along the lake. cars didn't pass me. The day after i arrived to ruta Y-290 and hitched back to Puerto Natales.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck November 2023''': With the glacier changed it might be better to take GPT46 Option 3 (Cordon Cerro Chacabuco) that avoids the glacier crossing and goes directly to the Settlement Rio Serrano.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck December 2023''': For the Track Files 2024 if have re-routed the Regular Route along Option 3 and Option 3 becomes the demanding glacier traverse.

* '''SoBo/January 2023 /Tobias Schorcht and Caterina Bormioli / 7 Days /Hiking '''

One of the most challenging Trails for me on the GPT so far (Crossing Glaciar Chacabuco is dangerous by now). Probably have to change the main route. The trail from Río Serrano to Puerto Toro is good visible, because they use the trail for horseback riding. Some parts of were very muddy even though we went in dry conditions. The estancia puerto toro has been abounded since 2 years. They use to have a ultra trail race to estancia perales. Last time when the race took place was 4 years ago.

All the trails around are mostly marked with blue sticks. It seems that the cows are chewing on them. Crossed glacier Chacabuco in perfect conditions. BUT: It is very difficult by now. The Glaciar shrinked so much much, that the original access is the ice can not be used by now (very steep morain). Took us 1.5hours to find an alternative, which was not safe as as well. I spotted a alternative and discuss it with Jan. The glaciar was still partly covered with snow (20/01/23). Most of the glacier columns were good visible. I recommend crampons and a rope. From how the glaciar has been changed, I guess it has been much easier to cross some years ago. Arrived at Estancia Perales after 5 days and had the best Coca Cola of our life. Took the Catamaran back to Puerto Natales (20 000 CPS, 3p.m. every day in high season). I returned 2 days later by bus (10 000 CLP, “Tourismo 21 de Mayo”, every day 12a.m.) and completed by by gravel road walking. Packrafting might be possible (SoBo). There are many camping spots among the coast. Wind is getting stronger towards Natales and appears usually from the north.

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

Beginning and end of the section (Rio Serrano and Puerto ?tales) between them, nothing, just nourish yourself with the beauty of mother nature !

=Transport to and from Route=

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

=Images=

GPT46 (Seno Ultima Esperanza)

2024-12-04T02:23:07Z

Celio: /* Season 2024/25 */

'''[[GPTs|List of all GPT sections]]'''

= How to a add new entry =
Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''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'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>

If you are packrafting, put the above info into HTML tags like this (if you follow a hiking route for part of the way, highlight only "packrafting", as above):


<nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''YYYY-MMM-DD / X days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP / Your name'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>.

Include remarks about your route useful for other hikers and packrafters, alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties. Try to be specific. Do not be shy to fix obvious mistakes.

=Overview=

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

30-11-2024 to 02-12-2024 / 3 days / SOBO / RR / Celio, Amalia and Isabelle

We did what it's now the regular route on the newest gpt track files from 2024 ( the one not crossing paso byron and the cerro Chacabuco glaciar).
There is still some snowfield on top of the section, but not much. We had some frech snow from the previous day (around 10/20cm). The traverse is easy to follow with all the blue stick from the old fjord trail. The long forest section after the mountain pass is very muddy and wet! Also crossing a lot of fallen trees, it became quite unfunny until you get out and finnally see the beautiful fjord!

To get there :
We try to do it NOBO but in puerto natales we couldn't find someone to bring us there. We ask at the office of turismo 21 de mayo and they propose us a transfert for 180k pesos. And apparently there workers bus is full when going there. So finally we decided going SOBO.
To leave in estancia perales there is a catamaran running every day during the high season and leaving around 15h30, ask directly the captain of the boat when you get there and it's 20k pesos for puerto natales and it takes 1 hour.

==Season 2023/24==

* '''march-3-2024 to march-5-2024 / 2.5 days (with hitchhike) / SOBO / Oh3 - RR / Matthieu'''

What an amazing section. The diversity of terrain is what you're looking for here. Lakes hidden in the woods, rocky pass with blue lagoons, glaciar, broken forest, swamps, pastures, big lakes... and the fauna that comes with it !
I didn't see any human from rio serrano to estancia perales... what a relief after the parc !

I connected trek O of torres del Paine with GPT46, hitchhiked and hiked a bit from the campamiento central sur to rio serrano by the road in half a day. I had schedule obligation but otherwise OH2 on GPT45 to rio serrano would have been an amazing hike.
I hitchhiked back to natales from the private road a little bit after Ea Perales, for the same schedule reason, but the minor road was really nice I would gladly have stayed on it a day more. It was an estancia worker minibus around 17h20 (so probably leave at 17h at the estancia), I expect there is one every day for them to get back home. It turns left to join the road before the cuevas de milodon.

Trecking difficulties :
As previously said, the terrain after the pass is of hard progression between swamps and clambering of big tree trunks. I would say about 25kms of it, and you find the good trail 6.5 kms from the estancia perales. It is all marked with blue sticks to the end, that is actually game changing, much less GPS demanding.
Between Rio serrano and the pass, the trail is clear and easy.
At this time of year, the river crossings were easy and I didnt have to cross any snowfield (on Oh3).

Camps :
Big arrieros flat spot at the big lake just before the pass. River going off the lake 50m after, and a little trail to go bath in the lake. All protected by the trees, amazing. - multiple flat areas after in the valley going down after the pass, along the river.

Water : everywhere on the way, no need to carry in the bag.

Resupply problems : ¡WARNING! Rio serrano is a VERY UNCERTAIN resupply city. There are only hotels with restaurants, and no minimarkets (for probable commercial reasons...). I was very lucky to see a paper in the wall of the bus stop with the phone number of a local house unofficially selling simple minimarket things (fidellos, puree, cafe, galletas, cigarettes... but sometimes already opened or almost finished !). It saved my trek so I was very glad, but this plan is really unsure, I understood that there wasn't much left to sell.
If you connect SOBO with the parc, you can buy what you need (simple minimarket things) in the campings before going on GPT46 (warning again : camping central sur only have expensive prepared sport meals, better buy in the other campings).

Notes to jan : I did a few GPS waypoints for campsites and water spot.

* '''Frank / 7-9 Jan 2024 / 3 days / Option 3 then RR SOBO'''

Walked in 2 half days & 2 full days:

1. I went by Uber to Estancia Puerto Consuelo (the end of the public road) & walked back easily to Puerto Natales in 4 hours.
2. I came from Torres del Paine & took a small trail marked on OSM which leads from trail Option 1 to Option 3 without going into Villa Rio Serrano. Good horse trail initially. After 3KM it's marked with blue sticks. Just above treeline the route divides into Option 3 & Option 3A. 3A soon leads to a pass @ 850 metres. Just after the pass there was a big snowfield on steep ground bordered by cliffs. It was not safe to traverse so I went above it & soon joined Option 3 which led to a pass @ 900M. I marked the passes for 2024 track file update. The blue sticks reappeared @ Pass 900M. I slid down 2 snowfields a bit to the right of the blue stick route which goes down more steeply. The slides were OK using walking pole to brake. After about 1.5 hours you near treeline again. Here the blue stick route crosses a river & starts to ascend again. It's best to leave the blue sticks here & continue on RR CC & initially unmarked. Then you have less ascent & only need to cross the river once. Went down between two small snowfields on RR, it's muddy then @ the river blue sticks reappear & you ford easily (knee deep) with a rope to help. A few minutes after the ford is a camp made by the ultra trail organizers & I camped there.

3. I continued past a sign that says No Pasar & then the trail is marked with blue sticks all the way. Going becomes slower with lots of fallen trees. At a junction an alternative route with blue sticks leads out left to Ea. Perales. It fords the river which was running fast & deep. I didn't ford but stayed on the RR which remains rough until 6.5KM before Ea. Perales, then goes out easily on good trails & in meadows. Just as the trail improved I saw a puma. From Ea. Perales you are on a private estancia road & it's a 5 hour walk to the start of the public road @ Ea. Puerto Consuelo. I camped in open forest a bit back from the road.

4. I continued easily along the road to Ea. Puerto Consuelo in 3.5 hours. Very little traffic on the public road, I walked out 7KM then hitched to Natales.

* '''From 2023-11-28 to 2023-11-30 / 3 days / Hiking / NOBO / Option3 cordon cerro Chacabuco / Quentin Clavel'''

Another amazing section, but quite challenging as well. The conditions to pass cordon cerro Chacabuco were pretty rude, wind, snow and glacial temperature. Patagonia at its best !

Started from Puerto Natales, following the road then the gravel road, then enter in nice tracks. You enter place where there's some hotels with views on fjords. I've seen only workers there, said hello to them and continue the way.

Pass threw shelters with people. Asked for the autorisations and they nicely allowes me to pass.
I camped along the beautiful fiord and the morning was epic with views, rainbows ...

Arrived at the Estencia Perales then begin the good part, your GPS will be your best friend on some parts.

That's a long walk to Rio Serrano by cerro Chacabuco.
Fortunately the trail has been marked few years ago for ultra fiord. Easy to follow the blue sticks, even if on some parts the nature took control on the trail.

Passing from deep forest to wetland. The race is not passing here since few years. They even left the refueling station with whole barrels of instant noodles, cake, gas, machetes and so on. If you're really in need, you can take some, bit the expiration date is from 2019.

Cerro Chacabuco was wild ! Big amount of snow and unpredictable weather (should I mention it again ? We're in Patagonia).

Then go down to Rio Serrano ! Love this itinerary, pretty wild, and some hidden gem like waterfalls that you heard easily !

==Season 2022/23==

* '''9 to 12 April 2023 / Ishay / Route from Rio serrano to connect to GPT 46 RR sobo / 4 days'''

Overall - Beautiful and remote section with great scenery and colors. unused trails, snow, cold, wetness, mud and fallen trees slowed me down and made it a little harder. was worth the effort though. I got lucky and had good weather. would have been miserable otherwise.

I saw no one but cows until i reached Estancia Perales.

Following the post of Anna and Christopher (which i also met in el chalten!) and in order to avoid crossing Glacier Chacabuco on the RR i decided to take the OSM path that is climbing directly from Rio serrano and then reconnect with the RR on the way down.

The trail is marked with blue sticks (see pictures) throughout the whole way. I think that all of the trails in this area are built for the 'Ultra Fiord' - an annual, and apparently quite popular trail running race that takes place in the beginning of February.

from the beginning and on the pass the sticks are well placed and quite easy to follow. It seems like they put them up recently. on the way down it gets a little less clear. where i saw a lot of broken and out of place ones.

above the treeline all is covered with snow now. below the treeline it is super wet and muddy with some overgrown parts and a lot of fallen trees which makes progress slow and at times frustrating.I imagine it will be much more convenient during "high season".

From Puerto Natales i hitched a ride to the junction that leads to Rio Serrano. I then walked the 2 km on the road to the place. From my impression It's just hotels and cabins there so i wouldn't count on it if you need to resupply.

followed the osm track to the woods and started walking. Really nice and easy walk. In the beginning there are some junctions leading to different trails. I got confused so just pay attention to the GPS. Then you start climbing.

The Torres del Paine range opens up to your back as you climb. with the afternoon autumn colors it is super pretty.

soon it started snowing so i found a little spot in the trees and crawled into my sleeping bag.

woke up with bright sky and climbed towards the pass. all of this strech was covered in snow, so the blue sticks were really helpful in following the trail. in a clear day the pass has really nice views. quite windy tho. walking freely in an untouched snow in such an open terrain was super fun!! a lot of postholing but nothing dangerous really. just tiring.

When getting towards the downhill to the valley the trail is merging with the RR.

to go down the sticks are leading you to the right which looked like they went up and down again going over another small laguna and then to the woods.

The RR seemed shorter but i didn't find any signage.. better off follow the sticks. I spent as much time figuring out the best and safest way to go down then i would've spend following the longer signed route.

Back to the woods on the RR.. the trail roughly follows the river all the way down. from here on the trail is little more harder to follow. many cow tracks that seem like the trail but lead you nowhere. the annoying part was the mud and ponds on the trail that leave you constantly wet without any opportunity to dry because of the low temperatures.

Rather then that the forest is nice and change its face as you walk. every now and then you go out of the woods and get a nice look to the surrounding mountains to keep your morals high. saw some stations of trail crews along the way. many freaked out cows as well (;

10 km before estancia perales there is a junction. two trails following the river from both sides. The RR is staying on the west side of the river but it might be worth checking out the other one that also take a turn and go over Paso Victor Álvarez and down directly to ruta Y-290 which gives some interesting hiking options.

Arrived at Estancia Perales around 13:00. really nice people there, spoke with them a little and they invited me to eat a delicious soup and bread with the workers in the backroom. awesome stuff.

They were preparing the tables for a group that is coming back from a boat tour of glaciers balmaceda and serrano and stop for lunch in the estancia on the way back to town. You can hop on the boat for 20k clp. 45 minutes. no other transporte to town from there as far as I'm concerned. since it was a beautiful day i opted for walking on the dirt road. was nice walking along the lake. cars didn't pass me. The day after i arrived to ruta Y-290 and hitched back to Puerto Natales.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck November 2023''': With the glacier changed it might be better to take GPT46 Option 3 (Cordon Cerro Chacabuco) that avoids the glacier crossing and goes directly to the Settlement Rio Serrano.

* '''Comment Jan Dudeck December 2023''': For the Track Files 2024 if have re-routed the Regular Route along Option 3 and Option 3 becomes the demanding glacier traverse.

* '''SoBo/January 2023 /Tobias Schorcht and Caterina Bormioli / 7 Days /Hiking '''

One of the most challenging Trails for me on the GPT so far (Crossing Glaciar Chacabuco is dangerous by now). Probably have to change the main route. The trail from Río Serrano to Puerto Toro is good visible, because they use the trail for horseback riding. Some parts of were very muddy even though we went in dry conditions. The estancia puerto toro has been abounded since 2 years. They use to have a ultra trail race to estancia perales. Last time when the race took place was 4 years ago.

All the trails around are mostly marked with blue sticks. It seems that the cows are chewing on them. Crossed glacier Chacabuco in perfect conditions. BUT: It is very difficult by now. The Glaciar shrinked so much much, that the original access is the ice can not be used by now (very steep morain). Took us 1.5hours to find an alternative, which was not safe as as well. I spotted a alternative and discuss it with Jan. The glaciar was still partly covered with snow (20/01/23). Most of the glacier columns were good visible. I recommend crampons and a rope. From how the glaciar has been changed, I guess it has been much easier to cross some years ago. Arrived at Estancia Perales after 5 days and had the best Coca Cola of our life. Took the Catamaran back to Puerto Natales (20 000 CPS, 3p.m. every day in high season). I returned 2 days later by bus (10 000 CLP, “Tourismo 21 de Mayo”, every day 12a.m.) and completed by by gravel road walking. Packrafting might be possible (SoBo). There are many camping spots among the coast. Wind is getting stronger towards Natales and appears usually from the north.

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

Beginning and end of the section (Rio Serrano and Puerto ?tales) between them, nothing, just nourish yourself with the beauty of mother nature !

=Transport to and from Route=

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

=Images=

Greater Patagonian Trail track files

2024-07-21T10:03:29Z

Celio: /* List of requests */

[[category:Greater Patagonian Trail]]
The track files of the [[Greater Patagonian Trail]] are provided on personal request by [[user:Jandudeck|the author]] free of charge but not unconditionally. Read in the Hiker's Manual chapter '''1.15 Terms and Conditions for Using the Hiker’s Manual and the Trail Files''' to review these conditions and to understand why these conditions were put in place.

GPT Hikers's Manual: http://bit.ly/GPTmanual

==Create an account in Wikiexplora (compulsory)==
[[File:create account wikiexplora.png|frame|Six (very standard) steps to create an account in Wikiexplora]]
To request the files you must first [http://wikiexplora.com/index.php?title=Especial:Entrar&type=signup create a Wikiexplora account]. It really takes less than a minute. The form is in spanish, but it's very standard and simple:
#User name
#Password
#Confirm password
#Email. Not compulsory but highly recommended to give us the chance to reach you. Wikiexplora has sent only '''one''' non personal email in 13 years.
#Real name (optional)
#On the final line type '''wikiexplora''', all in lower case

==List of requests==


Please type your name (or your new Wikiexplora user name or alias) and explain your plan for the GPT that requires the GPT Track Files. Put yourself on top of the list.

Don't forget to send the email after adding yourself to the list as described in the GPT Hikers' Manual (1.15.7 Access to the GPT Track Files).

Use the format:

*'''''Celio''''' Hola, first thing, thank you very much for the passionate job you made in creating this Hiker's manual, it's a gold mine of infos! We are a french couple living in the alps and planning to do the GPT, starting november and going up north. Having worked 4 years in Tierra del fuego in guiding i'll be very happy to help in contribute and support the job you made ! Thank a lot.

*'''''TiMa''''' Hi, we are a german couple planning to hike various treks in Patagonia roughly during Jan+Feb 2025. We didn't decide yet on specific sections of the GPT. Thank you and the contributors for all the work!
*""Morliz"" Hi Jan, I am planning on hiking sections of the GPT from 11/24-5/25, am experienced in long distance (US), alpine (alps, andes, pamir) and would be happy to support the wiki explorer homepage for the GPT during and after the hike. Thank you for the support.
*'''''LukSara''''' Hello Jan, we are Lukas and Sarah, two hikers from the Alps and woud like to hike the first part of the GPT. We are planning to travel to Chile in November 2024. It would be great to hike with your GPS Track Files and of course we would be happy to contribute to your work with your experience. Thank you and everybody who made this possible.

*'''''ErJo''''' Hello Jan, we are passionate hikers that would like to hike parts of the Greater Patagonian Trail in January and February of 2025. We don`t plan on doing packrafting. We are very grateful for your absolutely awesome work and thank you for making such a trip possible! :)

*'''''Mathilde and Jordan''''' Hello Jan, first of all thank you very much for your huge and impressive work. We are two frenchies who would like to participate to this adventure and start in november. We'll be happy to share our experience, help with the tracks and give some updates. Passionate about nature, hike and new culture, The GPT is an adventure that we have in mind for a long time. Thank you very much :)

*'''''Elio''''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for the work you're doing mapping out the most remote parts of Patagonia. I'm a seasoned hiker from France and I'm starting planning my next project (hopefully for December 2024, depending on finance and wife approval :). I would be very interested in the data you've collected over the years to help me come up with a route. I would gladly contribute to this wiki as soon as I find relevant data to provide. Thanks!

*'''''Stefan''''' Hi Jan, we, my wife and I, are experienced hikers from Germany and are looking for a new long-distance hiking trail that is scenically impressive, remote and not overcrowded. We don't have a concrete schedule yet (probably in a few years, for a few months). In our search we finally came up with GPT and your manual. Both are really impressive! Thank you for your work so far! We would be happy to help supplement the manual and keep it up to date. However, we are still at the very beginning of the planning and would therefore like to use the tracks for further information and preparation.

*'''''Keili100''''' Hi Jan, we are Kathrin and Matthias from Germany (40yrs/42yrs) and we are both passionate hikers and have already visited lots of countries and its mountains. Since we have a kind of sabbatical in 2025/2026 we are planning to spend around 4 to 5 months on the GPT. My wife is fluent in Spanish and we are both fascinated of exploring remote areas and getting in touch with the locals combined with challenging navigation in barely untouched regions.
Thanks for your unbelievable huge amount of work you are putting on the GPT

*'''''Karin'''''Hi Jan, I am Karin. I have had the dream of visiting and hiking Patagonia since many years. I am in Latin America for roughly a year for work and I would like to take advantage of being in Latin America to hike in November - December 2024 parts of the GPT. Thank you vera much for your incredible work!

*'''''Charlie''''' Hi Jan! I'm Charlie. I'm planning to hike either two (7-8) of the northern sections or 32 and 33h in the first two weeks of april. I'm an experienced hiker, have led trips and organized my own in the us and recently completed a 3 week thruhike of sicily. beyond excited to get to patagonia - has been a dream for years.

*'''''Marion y Augustin''''' Hello Jan, we are a french couple wich aim to try to hike some sections of the GPT beteen April 2024 and July 2024, mixed with bus travel to join Perù. We are reading the Hikers'Manual, thanks a lot for that huge job !
*'''''Sophie y Gaspar (Dr Jabali)''''' Hello Jan, we are a franco-spanish couple wich aim to try to complete the GPT beteen November 2024 and May 2025 and discover these beautiful landscapes and cultures. Thanks
*'''''Paulus''''' Hey Jan, im very impressed by your detailed planning and knowledge of the patagonian mountains. I really enjoyed reading your short manual for the trail even though I should have actually studied for my exams. In Autumn I will finish university and now have finally the time to do a longer hiking trip again. Since im a biology student, the GPT is extremely interesting, since it would serve me as a transect to observe to Vegetation change from the north to the south. Ive always dreamed of seeing Araucarias!
*'''''gitano''''' Hi Jan I enjoy hiking and I have a lot of expirience hiking patagonia for the last 6 years. I grow up in Osorno and i would like to hike my own land. I will love to cooperate and keep up this exelent job!
*'''''Maxfelis''''' Hi Jan, I'm a hiking enthusiast living in Santiago. I recently did "Sendero del Condor", and I met someone that was doing the GPT06. I would love to collaborate with the GPT project, and explore other sections. Thank you so much for all your work!

*'''''txrx''''' Hello Jan, I'm a hiking enthusiast living in Bariloche. I am always researching new routes and many times I end up scanning the GPT Hikers Manual. I can't believe how much work and love has been put by all the contributors to build this, thank you very much! I would love to help to keep the GPT growing responsibly.

*'''''Benoît'''' Hello Jan, I started the GPT from Santiago at the end of 2018, but because of covid I did not continue afterwards. Your resources and your work gave me an incredible experience... I would like to continue from the Antuco Volcano where I left off, and go south! Thanks again for all your work!

*'''''Bebo'''' Hello Jan, I First heard of GPT while traveling through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina by bike. Rightnow I meet with my Brother in Buenos Aires and we want to hike remote trails for the coming 2 months. The GPT sounds just perfect, so we really would love to get the GPX files. We are aware of the fact that the trails lead through privat Land and nature. We treat both with hugh respect! Thanks for your work! Greetings from germany!

*'''''Marilynemg''''' Hi Jan! I have been discussing the GPT with hiker friends for the last ten years and I finally will be able to visit Chile in March and April. I want to start with sections 1-8 and I have a couple more on the radar, time and weather dependent. Thank you so much for all your work!

*'''''Retezepe''''' Hey Jan, we are very grateful for the invaluable resources you have compiled for the GPT. We're looking forward to being a part of this project! My partner and I are currently in Chile and interested in hiking a couple of sections of the GPT. The sections that currently interest us the most are sections 19 and 37H. We will be in Greater Patagonia from February to March.

*'''''TrailsOfWander''''' Hi Jan. Thank you very much for your envaluable work for the GPT and for your guidance. I am traveling to Chile on Feb 11 to hike GPT06 and partial GPT08 and 09. Unfortunately I don’t have much time for this trip but I will plan future trips for other sections so the Track Files of GPT will be very valuable as the Manual is. Thanks again!

*'''''AlexNecky''''' Hello Jan, thank you for all the work you've done putting this trail together!! My friend and I have been eyeing the GPT for a while. After much researching using your information and additional sources, we have tickets to Santiago for the beginning of March. Our plan is to start with GPT06 and going SOBO thru GPT10 or as far as we can for the month that we have. We're both super excited about this adventure and look forward to contributing back to the community with our experience!! Thanks again!

*'''''Dueser''''' Hi Jan. I am deeply impressed by your work. Not only the time you spent on the GPT, but also all the documentation and the manual. During reading the manual I realized that 10 years ago I explored a few GPT stages in the north without knowing about the GPT. This time I'm deliberately heading south. I'll certainly put my experience to good use for the project.

*'''''CharlieGardner101''''' Hey there Jan! Charlie here! Wow, what an incredible community you've created here. I couldn't be more excited to explore this wonderful and wild part of the world and to become a contributing member of this initiative you've begun! I will be flying into El Chalten in the first week of February and, along with a few friends, hope to hike a variation of GPT sections 38-40. Later on (mid-late march), we hope to move further North to try our hands at a section somewhere between GPT 6 and 12. Thanks for everything you do! Cheers!

*'''''Zsu''''' Hi Jan! I would like to hike parts of GPT32-40 in the upcoming weeks. More details in the email. Thank you very much!

*'''''Fernanda''''' Hi Jan! First and foremost, a sincere thank you for your impressive work. It is so valuable to have this type of initiatives in Patagonia. I am Chilean and mountains have been my backyard since I was a kid. I am planning to do GPT35 and GPT 36H with my brother Francisco. He is also close to nature and a entrepreneur based partially on Puerto Bertand since 2020. I've shared the hikers manual with him and he was very thankful and impressed with this initiative. I would also be interested in contributing with adding highlights and changes to the track. Global warming is slowly but steadily modifying nature.

*'''''Daemos''''' Hi Jan! My name is Andrew, and I am a Canadian travelling in Patagonia for the next two months. I was planning to hike the Condor Circuit, but I've read online of some difficulties lately and am interested in investigating one of the variations of GPT6 as an alternative. I would also be interested in adding some highlights of the GPT to my plans as well.

*'''''PauMau2024''''' Hello Jan! My name is Paulina and I thank you so much for your work. It´s an impressive work that you have done! From february on my partner Flo and I want to explore and hike from Futaleufu to O'Higgins, GPT 71 and GPT35-39. Beginning in Futaleufu we will take around 5 days to get to Chaiten where we will have a resupply and then continue hiking down until the end of the carretera Austral. We are happy to share our GPS log and further information&experience, hopefully support future travelers.

*'''''madnomad''''' Hi! My name is Elias. We are a couple from Greece travelling around the American continent on a campervan, motorcycle, packraft and hiking equipment! We are already on the road for 5 months and we are currently in the Argentinian part of Patagonia. We love it here and it would be great to try a few sections of the GPT. We are not planning to do anything extreme, just enjoy a few highlights of the GPT at first!

*'''''acivs''''' Hi! My name is Agnes. I'm from Switzerland and love trekking. I did several hikes in the Alps, the Andes and in Patagonia. In August 2022 I started backpacking through South America and got trapped in Tortel about a year ago. Last March I read for the first time about the GPT and was fascinated by it. For the moment I am planning on doing my first to sections, GPT36H and GPT35.

*'''''wandering_guanaco''''' Hey all! My name is Jack and I am an American outdoors-person interested in hiking sections 16-23 this austral summer, and hope to continue to complete sections of the GPT as I continue to work in Chile for a few months of the year every year. This project is amazing and I am stunned by the thoroughness of the documents I have read so far. From the intentions of the project as a hike undertaken only by those who are prepared, to the particular comments on the links between fundraising and the inevitable outcome of the trip itself, I really appreciate the time and thought that has been put in to not just the adventure portion, but also the preparation, reputation, and impact of the hike. I feel lucky to have explored chunks of Patagonia in my past and cannot wait to broaden my experiences through these sections and information in the future.

*'''''bistarai.bistarai''''' Hello! My name is Susie, I’m French-Canadian and planning on hiking sections 6 to 18 (although very flexible) as a first attempt on the GPT which I have been eyeing for a while now. Eventually I’d love to try packrafting in more southern sections in a couple of years!

*'''''mollycargill''''' Hello, my name is Molly and I am a medical doctor from Australia with a lifelong love of the outdoors and an interest in wilderness medicine. As a part of an Expedition Medicine course I am currently undertaking I need to create an in depth logistics plan for a trip which I want to go on, which I have chosen as packrafting sections 16-25 of the GPT. I have had my eye on the GPT for a while, and hopefully can use the finished product of this assignment to help me finally attempt some of the GPT in the 2024/25 season.

*'''''HHGTPE''''' (Hitchhikers guide to planet earth) Hey, I am Felix. I hitchhiked around the globe for three years some time ago and now I am doing a semester abroad in Buenos Aires for my uni. While looking for long distance tracks in Patagonia, I came across the GPT and very much fell in love with the whole concept. This year I would like to do some of the shorter and easiest hiking parts of the GPT but hopefully come back in the future to do some longer and connected parts.

*'''''fabianundcecile''''' Hola de San Rafael, Argentina. We are travelling to southern Patagonia and thought we could hike some sections of the PGT along the way. Maybe starting with GPT 7 southbound. Saludos Cécile y Fabian

*'''''czimahi'''''Hola Jan, por favor me podrías enviar el file para ir alguna parte entre GPT18 a GPT5? Muchas gracias

*'''''nico142857''''' Hola desde Chile!. Escribo en español por razones políticas más que practicas. Primero que todo, gracias por recolectar, sintetizar y compartir la información. Me interesa recorrer la parte norte de los 'senderos' y me interesan tener los .kmz para 1) tener una ayuda, 2) no abrir mas senderos y respetar la naturaleza y 3) dar feedback a la comunidad. Saludos

*'''''Ggeoff88''''' Hello everybody ! My name is Guillaume from France and I'm actually in Bariloche preparing my adventure to go to El Chalten by foot. You guys did an incredible Job of research, documentation and exploration... Today I'd like to inspire of your work in order to prepare my road. It's normal for me and will be a pleasure to share my experience after it.

*'''''MysticalMarauder''''' Hi my name is Misha and I'm in Chile with an old friend about to the depart on a greand adventure December 2023 onwards. Heading south in the coming days with the zenith of our travels the Punta Arenas/Puerto Natales area. Then turning around and heading back north after a month or 2. Eager to get on the GPT in either direction in the coming months/years? Not sure how long this adventure will last but hopeful to hike many kilometers on this network. Thank yiou to Jan and this commmunity for establishing this route and creating this excellent resource for those excited to get off the well-traveled roads and disappear into the wild for a bit.

*'''''Lazy_Lemon''''' Kia ora! Looking to get amongst the Patagonia trails so thanks so much for putting all this information together!

*'''''Sam Odin'''''' Hello! Thank you so much for this impressive work. The detail and love put into the GPT manual is truly a gift to us all. Between January 15 and February 5, my partner Sara and I are planning to explore as much of GPT33 as possible. Beginning in Villa Cerro Castillo we will take 8 to 10 days to get to Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez (where we will have a resupply) and then take about the same time to get back to Villa Cerro Castillo. We would love to share our log and GPS information, hopefully further illuminating future travelers to the less frequented routes and parts of this section

*'''''Jonathan Mudde'''''' Hi Jan, I'm planning to walk a few sections of the GPT in the very south and in the north. I'll start on the first of January around Ushuaia. And after that I like to use the border close to O'Higgins and hike some parts around Laguna de la laja I'm looking forward to use the gpx files. Thanks in advance! I have read many parts with great respect for your work and honering the lokal people. Regards Jonathan Mudde/Abishaloom

*'''Matthias''' Küme naqün antü! I've been following this fascinating idea for years, and now I can hopefully explore a small part of it myself and contribute to its long-term existence. I will arrive in Santiago in January, then I would like to follo'''w the GPT southwards, walking until about GPT20. But I am flexible in my plans on the ground, I am open to spontaneity and ever-changing challenges. Alles Leben ist Problemlösen.

*'''Carina''' Hi! Thank you so much for the detailed GPT resource you have created. It's been a dream of mine to hike/trail run through parts of Patagonia, and it would be really helpful to see the GPT track files to help with my route planning. I'm planning to go in 1-2 years from now, so plenty of time to plan still. Very happy to contribute / provide feedback on route sections once I'm there myself. Thank you :)

*'''Paulina''' Hello everybody. First of all, I would like to thank you for all the huge job you put into this projekt. I'm really amased. I will start a part of GPT in January, I'm especially interested in GPT because it seems wild, unspoilt and very interesting from cultural point of view. I also love the idea that everyone can create its own trail and that three is no one and the best option. Living in Europe where in some parts of the mountain we focus maybe too much on kilometers and speed, it seems that GPT offers something much more important. I will be more than happy to contibute to this beautiful projekt.

*'''Mitschu''' Hello, after spending 9 weeks in Patagonia (pre pandemic) I am back with the aim to explore even more :) I thought about starting in Bariloche, explore the lake area going north (following part of Huella Andina) and finally cross over to chile and start at section 16 southbound mid/end of december. I used the pandemic for some long distance hikes in europe (GR5, half of GR10/11 and TMB) and cant wait to enjoy the beauty of patagonia. I will hike solo but open to meet up with fellow hikers if someone happen to be in the area :) I am following the project since 2 years... impressive work. Happy to contribute as well! Looking forward hearing from you! Thanks

*'''Rainbow16''' Hi Jan & fellow hikers! My name is Tanja and I am currently planning to walk Sections 6-22 starting end of December 2023. Still a bit dizzy from reading the hikers manual (what a great documentation!), I am excited to further explore this Patagonian trail network via the track files. A huge thanks to Jan and Meylin for their adventurous spirit and dedication as well as all other collaborators (what a cool community!). Looking forward to contributing myself once I put my feet on GPT grounds.

*'''Frans van Driel''' Hi Jan, first and foremost I would like to thank you for all the work you put into the GPT. Truly impressive to read the manual! I'm planning to walk a few sections of the GPT. I'll explain more in detail in the upcoming email. My timeframe will be half December 2023 till half January 2024. I'm looking forward to this amazing experience and would like to start some more detailed planning using the gpx files. Thanks in advance! Sincerely, Frans van Driel

*'''Owen Hutchison (elhutcho)''' Hey Jan! Am incredibly impressed with what you have been able to put together with the GPT - it’s an amazing achievement for which I’m sure many are thankful. I have been reading through the manual in preparation for a trip in February and March 2024. My partner and I will make our way down from Lago Puelo (GPT 22/23) to El Chalten via a mix of different segments and pack rafting. To assist in planning and preparation, I’d be really grateful to receive the the KMZ/GPX Files. I am very happy to contribute back to the project in anyway I can. Thanks again! Owen

*'''Piotr Szatkowski''' Hello Jan, primarily I would like to say thank you for the massive amount of dedication you put into creating the whole guide. The quality of it, the precision everything is described with is very impressive.I would like to kindly ask you if you could share with me the KMZ/GPX Files. I am incredibly humbled to be able to discover the beauty of the regions of Patagonia. Can't wait into immerse in to this journey of solitude. I will be starting in end of December for section and or 2 heading south. Will probably hike for 2 months. I am not sure how long exactly.

*'''Ella Meyer''' Hi Jan, I am planning to walk parts of the GPT as part of a project studying and documenting people's relationships to water along long-distance trails. As per your suggestion when we talked on the phone one year ago, I would like to hike Sections 1-12. I may also skip to Sections 21, 22, 63 and 69. I am hoping to depart Southbound around late December (2023). I am very excited to embark on this journey, and welcome anyone else planning on hiking these sections to connect with me (contact info can be found on my website https://ellameyer.com/)

*'''Vlad Ivanchuk (vladdi)''' I'm planning to walk some southern sections of GPT northbound from Ushuaia starting in December 2023 for just over a month. I look forward to immersing myself in the landscapes and culture of Patagonia, and I'd appreciate access to GPS files to enable this adventure.

*'''Robin Marcille''' Hi Jan, hi all, thank you for this immense amount of work. After sailing from France to Ushuaïa, we are planning to walk parts of the GPT norhbound from Puerto Williams on November 2024 for approx. 3 months. We would be very grateful to access the GPS files to prepare our trip ! We are especially interested in the various options between Puerto Williams and Cochrane. We're super excited to participate to this project and would like to propose some mountaineering options !

*'''Cyril AC'H (Cy)''' Hi, can't wait more to get back with GG on the GPT after 2 years break, from El Bolson southbound toward Cochrane and El Chalten in a packrafting mode for those sections. No rush, side trips to fjords, we will see how far we get ! Thx for the KMZ/GPX Files !

*'''Martin_crgt''' Hi all, thanks for your work Jan, and for everyone's contributions to this adventure, My sister and I are planning to do the GPT in February 2024 from section 6 down south. Having the GPS data would be a great help to help us plan.

*'''maddidunster''' Hi Jan, Tom and I are two Australians planning to hike northbound from El Chalten to wherever we make it with the time we have from February to April 2024. Super excited, can't wait!

*'''guswimbo''' Hello Jan, thank you for all of your and others' work on putting together this incredible wealth of information! I'm planning on backpacking/packrafting from Cochamo to El Chalten in January/February 2023.

* '''Oscar Crassous''' Hello Jan, I'm a french men who will travel northbound during 9 months in South America, between november and august. I have planned to walk most of the time and I am very excited to hike some parts of the GPT during my trip. Thanks for your work.

* '''Matthieu''' Hello Meylin and Jan, former hiker on the GPT (season 2019-2020, northbound), would gladly go back on trail this year to hike some other parts southbound (Santiago-Antuco, Puyehue - Coyhaique)!

* '''GriffinWagner13''' Hello Jan, planning to travel to Chile/Argentinia in 2025. I'll be doing some of the sections between GPT01 and GPT40, bussing between routes as possible. I definitely want to hit some of the northern volcanoes as well as the southern routes! Super excited to hike it.

* '''edwinb''' Hello Jan, planning to fly to Santiago in 2 weeks. Thinking about gpt2/3 to do something close to Santiago and especially want to do the tracks in the araucania this time. gpt33h and gpt37h look very attractive to. Thanks again for all the work! Edwin

* '''lilian''' Hello Jan, i'm planning to have a 3-4 months hike through Greater Patagonia, I will travel to Santiago in mid-November 2023 and maybe end my hike about March to April at somewhere south. I would be interested in the trackfiles from 1 to 69, would be incredibly grateful to have the files for further research and planning. Thank you in advance!

* '''zipgerm''' Hey Jan, Thank you for your work and contributing the route information to the world! I'll be in Chile/Argentina from beginning of December until April. If my feet are willing, I want to walk parts of the GPT starting with section 05 or 06 southwards. I read a great part of your guide and already bought a GPS with satellite pager - alhough I never used neither of them on my off-track hiking tours before. Looking forward to Chile and the Andes. Matthias

* '''JordanJennings''' Hi Jan, my plan is to packraft soundbound sections 17-30 over the season, but will likely begin with a few (conditions appropriate) sections between 30-40 from November after completing some packrafting training around Puerto Río Tranquilo. I would like to also thank you for dedication so much time and energy into making this possible for all of us

*'''LottiRummel''' Hi Jan, thank you for all your fantastic work! We are planning to spend January 2024 in Chile and want to hike starting from around GPT 06 southwards. I hope the gpx tracks will help us decide which sections to plan. Thanks! Alex and Lotti

*'''Rowe99''' Hi Jan, first of all, many thanks to you and everyone else who contributed to the manual. I have never seen so much information about such a large network for any other region in an open-source manner. I am planning to hike this year (2023) from December to mid-February starting from El Chaltén northwards with a pakraft. Thanks for all the information so far! Cheers Roman!

*'''Jonas._____''' Hi Jan, I'm planning to hike through Patagonia from December to February/March. I will start in Puerto Montt and then go south from there as far as time and terrain permits. The great GPT Hikers' Manual did already give me a really good insight in what to expect and I would really appreciate having the GPT Track Files as well to prepare for my trip as much as possible! Thanks for your help!

*'''ColineW''' Hi Jan ! Thank you a lot for the amazing work you did with the "Great Patagonian Trail, Hikers Manual" ! It's full of wize advices and ideas I maybe would havenot find myself. I will go in Chili from mid-december to mid-march, meet up with my father who is currently wandering in the south. We'd like the hike northbound from GPT20 to GPT01. The GPS files would be a great help for you, since I tried my plan an itinerary on Google Earth and, as you know, I lost sight of some roads in the forest. My father has a Garmin66i, so we'll be able to send the datas of our trail to you. Have a nice day !

*'''Roi Keler''' Hello Jan, First of all, thank you for the amazing work you did and still do, it's a great inspiration for me. I plan to spend 3-4 months in Patagonia and I want to combine several walking sections of the GPT between section GPT01 - GPT16 & GPT32 - GPT46. After reading the hikers' manual and completing the preparations, I decided not to focus on a meticulous plan because it is important for me to be spontaneous and keep the options open. The GPS files in combination with the hikers' manual will allow me to choose the hiking sactions that suit me and then send the information to you and share with the community. Thanks for everything!

*'''Marmur''' Hi Jan! We are a couple and are planning to hike the GPT from start to end, in 2 seasons (hopefully) starting next season. We have visited Patagonia in the past and can't wait to get to know it more intimately, as we loved it so much. hiking in remote locations with unmarked trails is not new to us, but we are exited about the challenges that are waiting for us at this epic terrain. this is a great chance to thank you for all this impressive work that you've been doing, and you can count on us that after all this ends for us, we will share all inputs and updates with you and the community.

*'''Lukas Deleu''' Hi Jan, my girlfriend and I are planning to do 3-4 months of hiking through Greater Patagonia starting this december. We chose some of the sections that most appealed to us and hope to connect them by public transport. Gpt 6-12, 16-19, 32-40 is what we have in mind for the moment. Having the trackfiles would be a great help offcourse. Cheers.

*'''Huemul''' Hello Jan, I'm Frank from Irlanda. I hope to continue southbound in November from El Chalten to Isla Navarino. Thanks for all your help & advice so far.

*'''RoshiJ''' Hi Jan, what an amazing piece of work you've established in the GPT hiker's manual, and its amazing to see how many people are inspired by it. I am planning on exploring Patagonia starting in November, with no end date as of yet. My only goal is to wander and wonder but I'd like to do so well-informed and as prepared as possible. I already feel so after reading the manual but it would be even better to set out armed with your GPS files. I also love the idea of using wikiexplora as a platform to communicate within a like-minded community with similar goals so am enthusiastic to share my own experiences and read those of others.

*'''Pieper92''' Holá Jan, Thank you for providing this comprehensive manual. I will travel to Patagonia in November 2023 and want to make my way from santiago to tierra del fuego by feet, on my beloved packraft but also longer sections by bus transport. Have not picked all sections but Lagos Chilenos/argentinos, parts of fjord area and tierra del fuego are in focus. Especially I want to circumvent the spoiled national parks in the south. Your guide has already been a great help up to know but the GPT track files would be extraordinary helpfull. I will especially try to provide novel exploration data by packraft.

*'''nickcarter884''' Dear Jan, Thank you so much for all the work you have done on this manual and the route, it's fantastic! Some friends and I are planning to do the section around El Chalten in February 2024 and would really like to follow your routes rather than the roads. Please could I have access to the GPS files so we can be in the real nature, not just the road? :-)

*'''delabien''' Dear Jan, I am very inspired by your manual. My partner and I plan to travel for 4 months starting from the capital Santiago going slowly to the south (starting in November 2023). Thus we would like to hike some of the sections you and the other collaborators assembled. In order to make the expedition more feasible for us we intent to use the local public transportation for some parts. Really looking forward to experience the changing landscapes during the route. Thank you

*'''wbarab''' Hi Jan, thank you for all the extensive and detailed work put into this manual. My partner and I (American & Spanish)plan to hike the GPT from mid November 2023 until late February or March 2024. So far GPT 6-12, 14-16, 19, and 32-40 have stood out to us as a start, but our investigations continue and we plan to add at least another half dozen sections (plus some "maybes" if time permits)! To continue we would really appreciate access to the trackfiles.

*'''ranulph24''' Hi Jan, great manual! Thank you for putting so much passion in this project. I consider hiking on the GPT in November 2024 - April 2025. I am mainly aiming for the northern part 5 - 30 and add a smaller section in the south. For refining my plans I would like to study the GPS Track Files in detail.

*'''MMartinez''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for this incredible amount of work. It is really inspiring and exciting. We are a couple (American and Polish) and we are interested in hiking some of the sections of the GPT later this year. We have been reading the manual and adjusting and readjusting plans the more we learn (there's so much to learn!) We would really appreciate access to the track files to help with the planning. Thank you so much again!

*'''SeanMaskill''' Hi Jan, Thanks for all of your work! I've wanted to hike sections of the GPT for a few years. I've now started the research seriously and tracks would help me decide which sections I'd like to hike. Cheers Sean.

*'''MarmotAndBear''' Dear Jan, Thank you for putting in so much dedicated work, to create the Hiker’s Manual, and in doing so helping others to hike and appreciate this part of the world. We are a German-Singaporean couple and we have been following the GPT community for almost one year now. We have quit our jobs not long ago and have started visiting Central Asia, where we’ve been able to do some amazing hikes. Before setting foot on the GPT this coming (southern) summer, we are planning to improve our Spanish in other South American countries. We hope a few weeks of dedicated learning will do the trick. Once on the trail, we are planning to hike and packraft as much of the GPT as we can during the coming season. Let’s see how far our feet and boat will carry us :)

*'''guaraches80''' Hello and good afternoon Jan. I have been reading and preparing for some sections of the trail you have put together. I, a Mexican American, and a Colombian friend will be backpacking through Brazil and later to Argentina in the coming months and we would love to see some of the wonderful trails you and others have experienced. Obviously, because of our backgrounds we both speak fluent Spanish and have years of backpacking, hiking and bushcrafting experience. This is something I look forward to with the uptmost energy and so will eagerly await the track files to begin further in-depth planning. Thank you for your time. Until next time!

*'''blissfulmisgivings''' Hi Jan, Thank you for providing so much detailed and helpful information about the GPT! We (two Americans) are excited to try packrafting portions of the GPT beginning in November 2023. The guidance you've provided in the manual has already been invaluable to our preparations, and we look forward to reviewing and using the GPT track files in our journey. Thanks again!

*'''YannickCOLL''' Hi Jan, Thank you very much for your work and your dedication to the GPT. We are immersing in the GPT universe with pleasure and a growing sense of adventure. We are a couple (French and Belgian) and we’re looking to hike some sections of the GPT between mid-November 2023 until April 2024 (Sections: 1-12 / 16 / 19 / 32-40). These are the sections that we selected so far and that we are more attracted to, knowing that of course it can change. We were wondering if you could grant us access to the GPS tracks in order for us to prepare for the GPT. We understand that this is an unofficial trail and that it is still a work in progress and we are eager to help in any way we can to continue to build this ‘trail’. Nolwenn & Yannick

*'''daniel.s''' Hi Jan, amazing work with the Hiker's Manual! I hope to meet some of you on the trail next season. I'm planning to do some of the packrafting sections starting at GPT 17. The track files would be very helpful to make it an unforgettable experience. Greetings from Austria, Daniel

*'''hevike''' Hello fellow hiking community, I'm Jens from Germany looking into hiking sections of the GPT this November until the end of February. Thanks for the amazing work you all have put into this project and I'm looking forward to contribute myself.

*'''MartinGilles''' Hola Jan, soy Martin de Belgica y estoy planeando hacer una parte del GPT al principio de noviembre hasta el 20 de diciembre. Me gustaria tener the GPS tracks para organisarme y ver lo que me conviene mas. Muchas gracias por lo que hiciste y para permitir la exploracion de esta parte del mundo. Un placer, Martin.

*'''Marc Altena''' Hi Jan, thanks for all your hard work exploring the hidden trails of Patagonia. I'm hoping to do sections 6 to 10, 16 to 22 and 32 to 40 early next year. The GPS tracks would be helpful. Tanks in advance for sending them. Kind regards, Marc

*'''Lorenzo''' Hi Jan, I don't have specific plans concerning the GPT yet, but that might change soon. After the reading the first 300 pages of your guidebook it seems to me like a real challenge and an unforgettable experience at the same time. I'll call it a dream to hike at least parts of it, and extensive planning is the first step to make your dreams come true.

*'''Joscha97''' Hi Jan, I gonna travel to Chile in the beginning of next year and I am really fascinated by the idea of the GPT. I would love to hike some parts of it, starting in Santiago. Thanks for all the work you put into this project. Greetings

*'''Larix84''' Hello Jan, he hablado contigo con whatsapp hace 2 semanas Mi proyecto de trail para el ano que viene se confirma, un saludo'''

*'''Noemie''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for making us discover those incredible paths and landscapes in an ethical way. I have been hiking in Chilean Patagonia for a few months now and I wish to keep discovering the region more deeply by hiking through a few sections of the GPT, especially GPT36H (ruta de los Pioneros). Depending on how this goes, and on the weather conditions, I may try to go further north around sections 08-09. Thanks for all your work, the resources you provided have been super helpful!

*'''TheRebel''' Hey Jan thanks for the big package of information you provide with tha website/pdf I'm in Argentina since 3 months and hiked many km in the official and more marked areas (bariloche, bolson, esquel, el Chaltén, El Calafate, Ushuaia and more) and now I'm on the way back north and wanna end up in Bolivia or maybe even Columbia in the next 6 months... I've heard about your site from a Canadian guy who did some sections more north and I thought it would be nice to do some more trails in a little more remote areas on my way north
Greatings TheRebel

*'''Jen''' Hi Jan and so, so many thanks for all the incredible work you have done here. I am currently in Peru and planning to fly south to begin the beginning of GPT01 in the next few weeks and see how long I can walk for before things become too off season. I will halt and recommence when the season comes back in. If I manage to journey to Punta Arenas in the end, whenever this might be, then I am happy! Thank you, Jen.

*'''Ollie''' Hello Jan. I am from Wales and currently is
Brazil after sailing here from Europe. My plan is to work my way towards southern Argentina where I will stop and work for a while. Hopefully improving my Spanish, get to know the culture more and spend my weekends in the mountains to prepare. The idea is to start from Tierra Del Fuego, head north and just take it step by step. The manual has been a great read thank you for being so thorough. Love it. Cheers.

*'''Silke & Hans''' Hello, We are a Belgian couple currently on a multiyear bikepacking, trekking & mountaineering trip through South-America. We'd been looking forward to do some sections of the GPT for a long time. We are currently in Chile Chico, and planning to do the GPT35 section. We probably want to do some more sections further South.

*'''Jakub+Veronika''' Hi Jan, we're a couple from Czechia, currently almost one month in Chile getting to know the country, it's history and it's people's culture. We'd like to hike some parts of the GPT south from Puerto Montt, where we are based right now. Thanks for this awesome work!

*'''Alan''' Hola Jan! I'm Alan from California. I'm interested in doing GPT32 and GPT33H. Thanks for all the resources you have provided so far!

*'''Diegoara''' Hi! My name is Diego and I am from Chile and I'm interested in the GPT to do de GPT18 & GPT19, i would be a little more than a week, i think that is amazing the work that you do making this GPT in my country.Thanks!

*'''Jess&Paco''' Hey Jan ! We are from France and we would love to hike the GPT between march and april 2023. We plan to connect a few sections in the great lakes region (between section GPT45 and GPT35, south to north) for about a month. And if the weather is favorable, we would explore in april a little bit of the nothern parts of the GPT (volcanos region) but without necessarily connecting steps, while being around for a workaway. Thanks a lot for all this work !

*'''blklb''' Hi Jan! I'll be leaving for Chile in a few days and would like to do bits and pieces of the sections between Curico and Conaripe, perhaps farther south. I'll be combining trekking with time spent in towns/cities. This is going to be a leisurely exploration of the GPT, with the possiblity of a longer GPT-specific trip in the future. Thanks!

*'''Joachim''' Holà Jan! I'm Joachim from France. I'm coming to Chile in a few weeks, and found your website with a lot of valuable informations on this beautiful itinerary! I don't have a fixed plan yet but my idea is to start around Santiago and go South until winter begins. I'd love to get a hand on those gpx files to help me plan properly, I'll be happy to share feedback when coming home. Many thanks for all the work you put in!

*'''Johnny1968''' Hi Jan! We are a couple from Italy and want to to start mid february 2023 from Santiago for the GPT. We have 2 months of time and want to see how far we get, without hurry, soaking up nature and culture. Thanks for the manual and creating the track files, great respect for the ethics!

*'''derameisenbaer''' Hi, two people from Germany. We'll be hiking part of the GPT (GPT06-GPT12) in February. If there's time left we might be able to hike part of the more southern sections as well. Really looking forward to it and really aprreciate the great work on this page and the Hikers Manual!

*'''ebse''' Hello, I'm Ed from England. Would love to help contribute to this mammoth project by hopefully walking GPT01 - GPT20ish in late 2023. Looks like a remarkable experience all round; I'd be very grateful to be part of it.

*'''Martio''' Saludos, soy Martial ! landing on jan. 14th for a 2 month journey into Chilean natural wonders. I plan to hike a selection of northern GPT sections between 1 and 22. Plans purposely open for this first experience and can't wait to get involved in the community. Ps: Jan, you rock !

*'''Clemgbl''' I'm Clement from France. Currently hiking in Chile from month, I would like to continue my trek on the GPT next month (january and February 2023). I plan to start in Coyhaique and hike until El Chalten (GPT 31 to GPT 40).

*'''Jcoxxx''' I'm Jeff from Alaska. Hopefully I'll be hiking and packrafting section 17 to 39, starting this January. I'm really excited to be a part of this project and share my trackfiles.

*'''Eleebeatriz''' Hi, I'm Elena from Chile. On the 27th of this month we are going to carry out the Gpt7, we will enter through the "Puente Ingles" , in San Fabian de Alico, up to the Polcura mountain range, in Antuco. Greetings and I hope in January I will be editing what I have done to share it with you!

*'''MarcGPT''' Hola! Last year while hiking around Cochrane, I learned about the GPT. Looking forward to return and contribute to the GPT manual.

*'''Franzz''' Hi! I'm Franzz from Switzerland. I'm planning to thru-hike my own version of the GPT next year. Using your tracking files would be a great help planning the itinerary :) I would be more than happy to share back my own track files and experiences once I'm back.

*'''Nicktravels_''' Hey mate, I'm Nick - i'm planning on a hike/packraft of mumtiple segments with my three amigos. Leave only footprints is a big part of our travelling philosophy and I have a lot of respect for the ethos you carry through the information provided.

*'''Timo''' Hi, I'm Timothée. I'm French but also from Munich Germany! I plan on being in Chile beginning of next year and on doing someof the sections (probably 6-22, 32-40 more or less). I'm super impressed by all the gathered and explained documentations and advices form the Manual and would love to contribute !

*'''zozo''' Hi, my name is Zohar. I'm from Israel and plan on doing some trekking in Patagonia in January 2023. planning to do parts of the GPT from south to north starting at section 46.

*'''florianluca''' Hi, my name is Florian. I'm from Germany and plan on doing some trekking in Chile at the Beginning of next year (2023). I appreciate the work that went into this project and would like to use some of it for planning some of our tour.

*'''willcampbell444''' Hi, I'm Will from Canada. I'm interested in hiking some of the trail as I make my way south through Chile! I was thinking of starting at section 6 in mid December, depending on the weather. I really appreciate all the work done putting together the trail, and I hope to contribute with my track files and notes.

*'''Dallas''' Hi, I´m Dallas, from Berkeley, California, USA. I am interested in planning a trip in early 2023 to explore the beauty of Patagonia and indulge in my passion for slow, human-powered travel. This trip is open-ended and intentionally meandering, and the GPT looks like an excellent basis of exploration.

*'''Nicopo''' Hi, I´m Nicolás, from Buenos Aires. My girlfriend and I have been hiking in Patagonia for the last few years and we are planning on hiking sections of the GPT from December to February. We are already getting started with our planning and are looking forward to contributing with what we can. Thank you!

*'''Newt, Birdie, and Possum''' Hi! We are on our way back to Patagonia for the third time. The three of us have hiked in Patagonia and many other places in the world together. We will have 1 month to hike a portion of the GPT, specifically focusing on 33H -38H going northbound. We are inspired by this document and we can't wait to become contributing members of this community. Thank you!

*'''pgantier''' Hi, I'm Pierre from France. I discovered Chile and South America 5 years ago during an exchange semester and look forward to going back there for a long trip (within the next 5 years for around 12 months). I would love to do some part of the Greater Patagonian trail during this future gap year and I want to prepare well it advance to continue to get experience to be ready for this gread adventure !

*'''Jonny6k''' Hi, im planning on hiking some sections of the GPT from late December until March (or until i get tired!) I am planning on sections 6-22, but nothing is certain yet. I hope to add to the track files and contribute with some notes regarding the trails. i look forward to arriving in chile! Jonny

*'''felagund''' Hello, I would like to hike the GPT in December-February, from Santiago till as far as I can get and as long as a I enjoy it. So I would be interested in the trackfiles from 1 till about 40, even though I probably won't reach that far. I am a contributor to OSM so I was thinking that would be my main form of contribution, though I would not want to put paths that are disputed there of course. Tomas

*'''Arnaudlacoste''' Hello Jan! I have been a big fan of the GPT for some years now. I just moved back to Chile after living for the past 8 years in Europe and would love to discover a few sections of the GPT. I will be settling in Araucania region so I would love to have access to the track files and plan which sections I will immerge myself into. I hope I can also contribute to it and meet some of the community in the following months/years. Thanks you and the community for this marvelous work! Cheers, Arnaud.

*"ChristopherT"Hello! Christopher from Austria here. My girlfriend Anna from Germany and I are planning to do the gpt. We are still trying to figure out which sections we would like to trek.We definetly want to explore and hike in Feuerland though.We would very much appreciate the track files to help us with our decision and on our journey. I hope we can contribute a bit as well. Thank you!
Cheers,
Christopher and Anna

* '''Matous'''Hi everyone! Here Matous and Johana. Couple from Czechia. We are planning to hike some sections on GPT at the beginning of next year. We are interested in GPT06 - 22. The track files would be great help in planning. And thank you for amazing work. We´ll be happy to contribute.

* '''guilhermealexs''' Hi! Guilherme Alexsander here from Brazil. Me and some friends are planning to walk some parts of the GPT. We are currently interested in the Los Quenes - Central Cipreces section. I'd like to get the track files to help us with planning. Thanks!

*"nmakepeace" Hello everyone, Natalie here from Canada, thank you to Jan and everyone for their contributions! My plan is to hike southbound on the GPT starting at Termas del Flaco (connect@ GPT05) because I want to do some specific mountains in Central Chile first. I may also look into connecting Volcán Maipo to coya. To make this all easier and more safe I would be not only grateful for the GPS files but honored! Start: mid/late December until begining of March. Hope to hear tales from you all soon!

* '''rom1dwker''' My girlfriend and I will cycle southward patagonian roads and ripio from mid december 22 to mid february 23, and we plan to maybe hike some sections of the GPT, especially the ones in Jenimeini where we have already been a few years ago, dependind on how everything goes with the cycling and and the roads we will actually take.

* '''gornik''' Me and my grilfriend Gabi would like to hike on GPT from January till March 2023. We are on a gap year after our studies, and during that time we would love to enjoy the wilderness of Patagonia. We are planning to first do some singular sections and after gaining some knowledge and experience in Patatagonia hiking, we would like to do some longer distances. We are also exited to combine it with hitchhiking to minimalize environmental impact.

* '''hannahp24''' My partner Eric & I will hike GPT 32-36 in Dec-Jan 2022/2023. Excited to explore new places and give guidance to what we find here.

* '''Jmcantin''' Hi Jan, thanks for the hard work in this awesome guide! I am planning a Southbound hike of the GPT from Santiago de Chile in January 2023 for a couple of months. I would love to have the track files to properly plan my route. Thank you for your help :)

* ''' bforselv''' Hello guys, my wife and I live north of the Artic Circle in Norway and we are planing to go to Chile for hiking January and February. We want to do sections of the GPT.

* ''' Ishaysachs(Ishay)''' Hello Jan! Ishay from Israel here. Just finished the PCT and looking forward to do some sections of the GPT this January-March. Would love to get access to the files in order to plan my route (: thank you for putting so much effort into this. That's an incredible project and I can't wait to start hiking and share the journey with this great community.

*''' greenh3624 (Helen and Craig)''' Hello Hello Jan. Thank you so much for providing all this incredible information from the manual, we are both super grateful and are looking forward to contributing. Looking in to sections GPT 16- 05/06 for 2023 and hopefully some southern route sections from there. Just a quick comment to request track files. Your manual is incredible by the way. Mil gracias!

* ''' Christophe (Alex & Christophe)''' Hi Jan! Thanks a lot for all this informations and for your work. We are now travelling in south America with our van and are planning to sell it and start to hike the GPT in December 2023 for 2 or 3 month. This track files would help us a lot to plan this incredible adventure.

*'''miguelvdvelden (Miguel)''' Hola Jan! I’m in awe of everything you’ve put together for the GPT. It’s so comprehensive and as a sustainability student I am grateful for the focus on both the environmental and social sustainability of the region and its communities. I am hoping to hike or packraft a part of the GPT over six weeks or so in Jan-Feb 2023. I am in full planning mode now, hence my request here. Muchas gracias por todo. Abrazo.

*'''nico142857''' Hola Jan! Hace un tiempo habia leido parte del manual y veo que ahora esta actualizado. Desde ese momento que quede maravillado con la rigurosidad de tu trabajo y lo sigo haciendo ahora. Me suscribo a esta lista para poder obtener los track files, pues me interesa recorrer algunas secciones en las proximas vacaciones de verano 2022/2023. Estare muy agradecido si lo puedes mandar. Saludos desde Chile!. nicolas.

*'''Lore Olivares''' Hola Jan, gracias por compartir esta valiosa información. Soy de Chile y junto a mi amigo queremos hacer la parte norte del GPT desde Santiago. Te agradeceré mucho si nos puedes compartir los datos GPX. Muchas gracias de antemano.
*'''annéesympathique;) (Rémy D.)''' Hi guys, I‘m a student from Belgium and I plan to walk the GPT from december to march. That’s why having the GPX track files would help me realize this project. A big respect about all the work behind the GPT.
* ''' TOBEL ''' Congratulations to the GPT Hikers Manual. I am from Germany and a bit older then the most here. This year I will hike some parts of the GPT, so I would like to get the gpx files.

* ''' Michaelstabile (Mike & Avery) Hi, Thanks for compiling all of this information. We are Backpacking and Pack rafting Guides in Alaska. We are planning to start in 2023 and Continue through all the way back to Alaska. Hiking, bike packing, Packrafting and sea kayaking. Having this track files would be incredible for us helping with planning for this section of our journey.

* ''' Martin&Helena (Martin.h)''' Hello guys! Thanks for the amazing work you’re doing with the GPT. We are a couple from Prague, Czech republic, planning to start hiking from the beginning of December, most likely until the end of March. We would use the track files for planning our hike and navigation. Thank you, Martin&Helena

* '''EDAWILSON (Ed)''' Hello! We are a couple from Scotland who are heading to Patagonia for a couple of months hiking this October/ November, and we are looking to incorporate some elements of the GPT into our trip. 2022 conditions permitting, we will likely explore some sections of the Fjord route; as well as Glacier Chica to El Chaltén; and fingers crossed some sections south of here. I would love to overlay the track files over GE for a better planning experience. We love the spirit of the community you are building here! Great work!

* '''Ridgepathpictures (Jani)''' Hi! Myself and a couple of friends are planning a packrafting trip in Patagonia at the start of 2023. We will be dipping in and out of the regular packrafting route, so sections 17 to 39. The aid of the track files would be greatly appreciated. I'm honestly astounded by the work you have put into this trail, it's truly very inspiring.

* '''Slingshot (Jeremy)''' Hi! My soon to be wife and I are planning a 3 month trek from GPT05 southbound and would greatly benefit from the GPT track files. Thank you so much for your hikers manual and for providing access to these files. It has already greatly benefited us.

* '''Alexis (dm) & Iris''' Hello! We are a 29/28 years old couple from France and are starting a sabbatical in South America for a year in December. We are landing in Puntas Arenas and would like to hike our way, on the GPT or not, through Chile up to the Ecuador. To better plan our trip, we would like to access the GPT track files and are obviously willing to contribute to the initiative. Many thanks.

*'''Max''': Hello, I am from Germany and I really like to hike. Next year, I plan to hike from Santiago de Chile all the way down to Ushuaia with a Packraft. To do that, I would like to get the gpx files, so I can choose from the routes. Thank you for all of this.

*'''Ted''': Hi guys, I'm a 33 year old austrian guy and I plan to hike a few sections of the GPT in October and November. it would be great if i could have the gpx data so i can plan the routes better. great community

*'''Chris and Tara''': Hello!!! We are husband and wife, being 33 and 26 years old respectively. We plan to walk from Barilloche to Santiago incorporating large sections of the GPT. There are no fixed plans for sections and times, just to fully immerse our selves in Patagonia, it’s people and way of life. Thank you and all those who have contributes for your incredible work so far, I look forward to being able to contribute for others to enjoy!

**'''Wannes''': Hello, I'm a 31 year old belgian who plans a two week trek/run in the beginning of November. I would love to do a part of the GPT. Could I receive the gpt tracks to decide which part would be ok to do? Kind regards. Wonderfull work!

*'''Yannic & Mirjam''': Hello together. We are Yannic and Mirjam and since one year on a world trip. We plan to spend a few months in Patagonia next and hike parts of the GPT. Which parts exactly we are currently still working out. Would it be possible to get the GPS tracks? Thank you for you incredible work !

*'''AdriKunz''': Hello, first of all, a huge thank for all your amazing work. I am so grateful for this sharing which will allow me I hope to live a unique experience. I'm a actually working in French Guyana, but were looking for an immersive hick before living this continent. I finally came across this extraordinary adventure, which I think corresponds to me in every way. I plan to try the GTP from Santiago to part 14 or 15 of the GPT in a month and a week. I intend to start the hike in mid november. May i aske you the GPT track of thoses parts ?

*'''Avisito''': Finally going for it - December 2022! Plan to start at GPT05 and go south for several weeks - would love to start exploring the GPS track files. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

*'''Veronica''': Hello, I am Canadian and will be spending six months in South America from October 2022 to March 2023. While I am there I would love to spend a few of these months hiking various portions of the GPT, which is why I would love to obtain the GPS track files. Thank you so much for all this work and to all those who have compiled all this information. I am very much appreciative of all of this!

*'''Andes et Tentes''': Hello, we are 3 french students taking a year off to explore South America. We are planning to explore Patagonia between February and April 2023 by hiking on some specific sections of the GPT. That's why we are asking for the GPS tracks. Many thanks for the huge work achieved ! It is impressively detailed and complete !

*'''ondra''': Hello! My name is Ondrej and I am from the Czech Republic. I have been reading about Jan's and others' experiences on the GPT for the past two years. I will finally have a chance to walk a part of the trail myself in January - March 2023. I am adding myself to the list to kindly request the track files. Thank you Jan for putting this together.

*'''Mat''': Hi! from France. I’m planning a few months hiking trip to discover south America. I’ll most probably walk parts of the Gpt (as much as I can). I would be grateful to receive the necessary gpx files. Thank you for the this very huge and inspiring work.

*'''Alice & Florian''': Hola! We are Alice & Florian, a french couple who love hiking. We who will travel in South America and especially in Chile in September and October this year (2022), and we read about the GPT and some blogs, which really peaked our interest. Our project is to walk going south along the GPT for about a month, somewhere between September and November. After reading the hiker's manual, we came here in order to do access the GPX files and prepare deeper our project. Muchas Gracias para todo este trabalho.

*'''Thomas - Chilzin, Brah!''': Hola! I'm a thru hiker planning to do a large part of the GPT mostly continuously before heading north on a huge trip to explore South America. I really appreciate this resource and will do my best to contribute before and while I'm on trail. Thank you!

*'''Aneso''': Hola! I'm Aneso, a French woman who loves hiking. I heard about the GPT while doing research following my plan to go to South America for 1 year.
My project on the GPT being to leave from the south in the direction of the north, over a period of 1 month (or even a little more) from January 2023.
In my research I am missing the exact GPX files for my GPS.
Thank you in advance and congratulations again for all the work provided and to which we have access.

*'''Ariane''': Hola! I'm French and I will be hiking in Patagonia in April (and perhaps May); my plans are not yet well defined but I'd like to follow parts of the GPT on my way northward. Thanks for your super useful work!

*'''OriolGirona''': Hola! I'm from Barcelona but living at nearby Girona. Love hiking and cycling, being my longer tours so far between 4 and 6 weeks on the trail. I hear about the GPT two years ago while looking for new ideas during covid lockdown. I already read the manual a couple of times, and I am thrilled to travel to Santiago next November / December for a couple of month, probably starting from section 1. And at this point of planning I will apreciate to have the GPX tracks to get deeper into this process. Awesome work. Thanks a lot!!!

*'''JuanchoUgarte''': Hola! I'm a Chilean guy that loves hiking. I hear about the GPT a few years ago. This year while doing the Travesia Cerro Castillo realized that it was part of the GPT and decided to start planning to do it on summer 2023. During 2021 did the GR11 in Spain and want to do something in Chile this time (the GPX tracks would be very useful for all the planning) Probably will start near Parque Inglés. Thanks a lot!!!

*'''LeanderDc''': Hey hey, we're a crew of 3 hiking-friends from Belgium and Chile. We're planning on walking a part of the GPT starting from around Cochamó till O'Higgins, probably taking some ferries and hitchhikes in between. We're starting to refine our exact route, by reading the manual and analyzing google earth, and would hugely benefit from the exact GPX files. Thanks in advance!

*'''rowanl''': Hello, I'm an avid hiker from Canada looking to explore trails along the carretera austral especially around Cerro Castillo National Park. I hope to use the track files to help refine my plans. I appreciate all the information provided, Thank you!

*'''meotr''': Hi! I'm a french engineer planning to hike some parts of the main route between mid-february and mid-march during a 3-4 months period in Chile and Argentina. Thank you for you incredible work !

*'''Sergio''': Hi! I live in Santiago and I'm planning on hiking some of the first GPTs on early February and hopefully some of the southern parts later on. Thank you very much for all the work you have put into this, it's an incredible thing what you have done!!

*jdhanlon/Jen and Vince''': Hi! I am planning to hike and packraft a number of sections this season, from Jan - March 2022. Thank you for all your efforts and guidance in sharing information about the trail network!

*'''Gianluca/Cerna_Beltz''': Salve a tutti, Hi!! I'm italian and I'm planning to hike some part of the GPT from the end of january to mars/avril. Thank you so much for all this information and for your attitude!

*'''José''': Hi!!. I'm chilean and im planning to hike the GPT05 - 22 southbound. I would really apreciate to have access to the track files. Thank you so much for doing this, its awesome!

*'''Carlos and Ivan''': Hellow. We'll be in Chile in january and february. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike. Thank you for your great work!

*'''Mariia and Misha''': Hi! We are two Russian flying to Argentina in end of December. Fully equipped for packrafting. Planed start January 5, 2022 from Lago Puelo southbound. Sections: 1. GPT23-25P Rio Frey and Lago Amutui Quimei. 2. Then flying to Chile and resume GPT26-28P 3. GPT30P-32 4. GPT33H-35 5. GPT36P 6. 36H Northbound. End before March 25. I would be very greatful for the track files. Thank you so much for your awesome guide and work!

*'''Mawel''': Hello, I'm planning to hike the GPT or at least a part of it. Idealy, I'd like to start from Ushuaïa and travelling up north along the cordilliera. Anything concrete yet but I'm sure the track files will be very helpful to prepare this journey as best as I can.

*'''Alexey''': I will start my trip on 29.11.2021 from Lago Todos Los Santos to the North, until Lago Ranco.

*'''Matthias&Janna''': We will hike parts of the GPT in december - february. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike. Thanks for the enormous work done!

*'''Franck''': I will hike parts of the GPT with a friend in december and january, we're interested in GPT05 to 12, 19 to 22 and 32 to 36. Thanks for the great work !! Can't wait to put my shoes on : D

*'''Nathaniel''': I will be in Chile for a few months starting in December 2021. I am considering packrafting in the vicinity of the Western Fjord Traverse (GPT90P-GPT92P) as well as hiking/packrafting a section of the main route of the GPT in Zones H and I (possibly including GPT32-40).

*'''Laurent and Maxime''': Hi there! We are two Canadians flying to Chile in January. We are fully equiped with lightweight equipment for packrafting, endure all sorts of weather and accomplish a great trip on the greater patagonian trail! We have 3 months to travel and we are very grateful of all the precious information you offer us ! Thank you very much !

*'''Rebeca y Cristián''': Buenas tardes Jan! Estuvimos conociendo distintos lugares de la décima región desde inicios del 2021, "aprovechando" las cuarentenas. Ahora estamos planeando un viaje más largo, el cual incluye packraft. Nos encantaría acceder a los archivos para planificar mejor. Desde ya, muy agradecidos.

*'''David Batguano''': Good day all. I am heading to Chile at the end of November 2021 to get some hiking in, obviously. Fist I am completing the O circuit at Torres del Paine, then will hopefully complete some of the easier sections of the GPT(I do not wish to bushwack or prove a point). I have no time constraints and will just go where I wish at a leisurely pace. I am on page 400 of the hikers manual working on routing. Though difficult, Jan's work so far is an unbelievable resource.

*'''Vera & James''': Hi all! We are planning to head over to Chile for 3 months Jan - Mar 2022 and plan to hike on the GPT. Planning is ongoing but current thinking is start at Puyehue and work north. The main motivation is to be in the mountains/wilderness for a period of time. The manual is an incredible resource! Thanks!

*'''Tobias''': Hi Jan, I'm flying into Chile on the 1 of November. My plan is to hike southwards from Frutillar to El Chaltén and visit Schools along the way. I would be very greatful for the track files GPT 22-40. Thank you so much for your amazing work!

*'''Kris&Stiina''': Greetings, we are going to Chile in November and we plan to hike some sections of the GPT. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike and logistics. Thanks for the enormous work done!

*'''Helmut and Beatrice''': Hi JAN, we are planning to spend two months in Patagonia at the beginning of next year. We want to hike around 1000 km and the tracking data would be a great help for us to choose appropriate sections and plan our hiking adventure. High praise for the great manual!

*'''HolKann & Peanutje''': Hey all, we're planning to visit Chile in January 2022, and hope to hike parts of the GPT for the better part of (at least) 3 months. Our most recent hiking experience was the [https://thepindosway.com Pindos way] in Greece, which consisted of finding "the shadow of an old mule path" to get up or down a mountain ridge, which taught us how to handle packs of angry shepherd dogs, and which forced on us a crash course in rudimentary Greek (as we would have gone hungry otherwise). We hope to get to know Patagonia and its people in the same way, except that our Spanish skills should be a bit better.

*'''Stephan''': Hi folks, Hi Jan, i'm planning to do the GPT 22,Lago todos los santos, from Petrohue to Cochamo, hiking and packrafting. I have planned to go on October 2021. Thanks for the great work!
*'''Stéphane''': Hi folks, Hi Jan, planing a trail trip next summer in Patagonia walking from Villa Cerro Castillo to Villa o Higgins. Could you please Jan send mi the track files beetween Villa Cerro Castillo and Pto Ibanez passing through Torres el Avellano ? GPT33H. Thx a lot and long life to yout project ! Hug

*'''Martin and Kim''': Hi, we are planning to spend two oder three months next year in Patagonia. We want to hike round about 1200 km there and the track file would be very helpful to choose sections and plan our adventure. Thanks for the great manual!

*'''Vicente''': Hi, I'm planning on doing the GPT this spring of 2021, I've done other long trails through Patagonia so I want to take it to the next level. I believe this trail has a great potential to become an icon for my country and its beautiful mountains. I need the track files to prepare the adventure.

*'''Marc''' : We are two guys from Denmark who are hoping to spend a couple of months on the GPT, if possible we will begin this december. We are eager to get our hands on the track files to help us plan which sections to hike. We have a great amount of respect for all the work you have done to make this adventure possible!

*'''Simoncashyt''' : Me and my friend are Planning to spend 2.5 months in the area this December. Hoping to get this Track file and review the trail in gis with other historic route databases to really understand the sections topography, climates and route options to explore off the track file.

*'''Bastian Klein''' : I am a university student from Germany and currently only have vague plans for my hike. With the Covid situation still going on its still to be determined when I will actually get to go hiking, but I think the track files will help me a lot with planing. Greatly appreciate the work done on the GPT manual !.

*'''Tim''' : We are a couple from Germany and around new year we plan to spend a few weeks in the area around GPT05 to GTP07. If possible we might return some time to see southern patagonia as well for multiple months.

*'''Léo''' : I plan to travel one year in Chile from sept 2021 ; I want to start from Puertomontt to reach Santiago (in a whole year, so taking my time), and hike some sections of the GPT ! I have not chosen which exacts sections yet.

*'''Nadfero''': Mi plan is to divide the route in two or three sections, and hike it in the 2021-2022-2023 summers. Obviously it all depends on the covid situation. There is no harm in planning!

*'''Cristóbal''': Estoy aprovechando la cuarentena para estudiar la ruta y comenzar a hacer tramos en la medida que se levanten las restricciones sanitarias este 2021 y 2022.

*'''Jo and Ty''': We are a couple planning to trekk for 3 months or so on the GPT. 2021/2022 depends on Covid 19 situation. Propably starting somewhere at GPT08. We are still in the beginning of planning. We require the track files for a lot of planning and for navigating on the trek it self. We are pretty excited!

*'''Molly og Melissa''': We are two friends, from Denmark. We plan to hike most parts of group B, C and D in December 2021 - February 2022

*'''Patagonico''': Years ago i did the ruta de los pioneros now i would like to complete the GPT in the next few years.

*'''Les Amériques au fil de l'eau''': We are a french couple, planning to use the trail from Puerto Montt to Santiago in 2021-2022 and to realize two short documentary films about wetlands and about the women of America
*'''O Bicho Geográfico''': Para fines de investigación científica, Abril de 2021.
*'''Max Nemeth''': November to Mid-March 21/22, sections to be determined. Thank you for the amazing work on this route!
*'''Memo mcrash''': GPT10 and GPT11. I plan to do it in March with some friends. We are very grateful for the work you have done. Thank you! Guillermo.
*'''nico142857''': GPT01 and GPT02. Im planning to hike these 2 sections on March, and gpx's routes surely will help a lot. Thanks!
*'''MauricioDM''': I am planning to hike the whole trail in parts, but I am not sure where to begin, the GPX will help . Thanks.
*'''Nico busch''': GPT33H. Planning on doing the Torres del Avellano hike. Thanks.
*'''Bjornsether''': GPT 01 to 40. I've been planning a long-distance hike in Chile for some time. February-April 2021 might allow me to spend time on the GPT.
*'''AJForno''':, GPT 01 to 40, I live in Chile and have done some sections, and plan to keep exploring, Thank you! Andres
*'''Thom&Miky''': Hi, we are two friends planning to walk from febrary to april 2021 and we will try to reach from south to north the GPT 14 to GPT 01. Thank you! Thomas and Michael

*'''WhatDoesMyHeartTellMe''': I am very much interested in GPT 01 to 40. I plan to trek in 2021-2022. This endeavor requires a tremendous amount of planning. I hope you can grant me the track files. Thanks very much!

*'''Tom Corbett''': Januray 2021, hiking and packrafting sections of GPT 26 to GPT 33.

*'''Rperezdearce ''': Hi, With my girlfriend we will leave the first days of Nov 2020 from Santiago with the intention of reaching GPT12, then we will try to continue further south.

*'''Tobi & Fang''': Hiking and potentially packrafting in the <s>2021/2022, 2022/2023</s> 2023/2024 season.

*'''Freek van Keulen (Freek)''': Plan to hike 2021-2022 season, starting preparations and research now

*'''Joaquin Munoz (jqnmunozdiaz)''': Plan to hike sections GPT32-40 southbound on summer 2020-2021 if covid allows. I will likely hike some northern sections as well.

*'''Quamen''': I am dreaming to hike the GPT01-16 and to hiking/packrafting GPT17-40 southbound this austral summer 2020-2021 season.

*'''Frambues''': Starting at the end of 2020 if Covid lets. Not sure yet which part to do in one season, but probably start in Santiago.

*'''Ferdinand''': Hi, Ferdinand from germany, I'd like to hike southbound starting from GPT 05 from Dec 2020 - Apr 2021 and see how far I can get. The GPS files would help a lot planning everything more in detail, thanks!

*'''Víctor Valenzuela''': GTP 05-19: Planning on starting end of 2021 with GPT 05-19 and further on. Got one season to explore the GPT.

*'''Isaac Garza (Try431)''': Planning to hike southbound GPT season from ~December 2020 through ~March/April 2021 (weather/COVID permitting). At the moment, planning to do GPT17P - GPT39, and track files will be very helpful in planning out in more detail :)

*'''Pipers''': Hi, I'm from Valdivia, chile, and I am planning to hike or ride in my bike the closest parts of the route, as soon as coronavirus lockdown finishes

*'''Patagoniandreams''': Planning to hike the standard route soundbound, starting at GPT10 until GPT23 and looping back nordbound via the Huella Andina. Due to the Corona crisis we postpone this endeavour to the 2021-2022 season. The hike will be done in family. We will have a 6 year old girl and a 3 year old boy with us. We have 4 months. We have been doing GPT sections back in 2008 - 2010 - 2013.

*'''Olivier1''': Planning to hike the standard route northbound, starting at GPT 40 for the 2021-2022 season.

*'''David Brophy (d.brophy)''': Planning to hike the standard route GPT01-GPT40 over two seasons starting as soon as COVID permits. Will use a pack-raft for the second season.

*'''Peter Mican (ElCondor)''': Planning to hike the GPT in 2020/2021, starting at section 01 and hike as far south as I can, depending on the weather and situations on the track. I am planning to go solo but would be happy to join with a fellow hiker(s) ;-)

*'''jojohoughton''': Planning on hiking/packrafting southbound to section 40, starting either from section 1 or section 13 depending on the conditions. Will be exploring the GPT for the summer 2020-2021 season.

*'''Leonhard''': GTP 1-16: Planning on starting end of 2021 with GPT 1-16 and further on. Got one season to explore the GPT.

*'''Aligator''': GTP 40 to GPT32: Plannning to explore that part of the GPT in February (from 03/02) and March (flexible) with my girlfriend (we both live in Santiago). Thank you for the incredible work you've achieved gathering and updating all those information!

*'''ConnyPflaume''': GTP 14 & 15 or the area between lago Conguillo and Lago Tinquilco. We will start this weekend, 11.1.20 - would be nice we could be supplied with the map so shorthanded.

*'''felixrulz''': Will be in the Andes for around 4 months. Have already completed 3 sections, but looking to do more. Joined specifically for the Puyehue section (GPT 19)

*'''Kelly Swanson''': I plan to solo trek starting at GPT06 in January 2020, continuing till mid March.

*'''phil ro''': i will start in coihayque in mid-january and will head south for more than 4 weeks with a packraft.

*'''johannsteffen''': Going to make a backpack trip starting in February on Ushuaya and going to Bariloche in June.

*'''Claudio Miranda''': Starting from Santiago in January 2020 until April, planing to arrive at least to Chile Chico.

*'''Trinity''': Travelling to SA for 2 years and plan exploring Patagonia.

*'''pirre''': Starting in January 2020 on GPT32 and planning to hike south for 6-8 weeks. Thanks!

*'''Shn0rhelez''': Hi,I am Anton from Sofia,Bulgaria...me and my girlfriend are starting from sec6 in the middle of January...we have around four months...thank you for your remarkable work!!!

*'''Gatodelmonte''': Starting on 2 January from Santiago, planning to hike South for about 45 days & exit near Pucon (sections 1 to 15)

*'''Fedepatagon''': Like to pack raft on the area between Bariloche-Osorno and P.N Los Alerces

*'''Vincent Paquet''': My girlfriend and I are planning to spend 3 weeks walking from december 18 2019 to Jan 10 2020. We're still selecting the exact sections. Cheers!!

*'''Tmattson425''': Plan for this year is to solo trek sections 1 through 19 (southbound) starting in mid-January 2020. I'm an American expat living in Buenos Aires and plan on returning in following seasons to complete the GPT, try packrafting, and explore alternate routes. Extremely excited an grateful that this trek is possible. Thank you!

*'''SalomeS''': Planning for a 6 month trip with my husband starting in Nov/Dec 2020. Planning to hike the sections 40 to 16. We would be incredibly grateful to receive the gps track files. Thank you!

*'''Ianhikes'''* Leaving for Chile in 1 week and looking to spend a month on GPT hiking southbound.

*'''zc0rp10''': Hi! Planning and preparing for an extended hike together with two friends from November 2020 - Feb 2021.

*'''ELLI''': together with a friend we plan to hike the sections of the main route but in opposite direction starting in the area around Lago viedma in first days of January 2020, we have approx. 4 month time

*'''gorskial''': plan to bike/packraft along the carretera austral from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins with hiking side trips. Jan/feb 2020

*'''pitney''': Solo hiking GPT sections 6-22 Southbound beginning early January, 2020.

*'''dirtmonger''': GPT sections 1-24; planning underway for an immersion solo hike ‘20 November to ‘21 February.

*'''bob451''': Planning on solo hiking 2 or 3 sections of the GPT northbound March/April 2019.

*'''Mgabenesch''' : Planning on hiking most parts of the GPT, starting in Ushuaïa then going North. I have on year off. Starting Dec 2019

*'''Family Size''': Planning on hiking parts of the GPT southbound. Starting end of November 2019.

*'''shaunchurch''': Hope to solo hike/packraft a few sections southbound. Section 15 or 17 in Dec 2019. Then maybe a couple more from among sections 21-31 in Jan and Feb 2020.

*'''iank''':2 months jan and feb 2020. Hope to hike isla navarino, cirque of huemuls and then cochrane to chile chico. More northerly secions maybe 2021.

*'''dsmit3000''': Solo hiker planning on hiking GPT40-31 northbound November-January 2019.

*'''2As''': We plan to walk in Chile and Argentina from mid October 2019 to mid march 2020. We don't have precisely planned our trip but the root of our trip is to go by foot through Patagonia and also discover Chile and his people and culture.
*'''A pat''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT (Need to confirm but we are interesting in sections 08-22 and 35- 40) from January to early March 2020.
*'''Aceestrin''': We'll be exploring for 4 weeks in Los Lagos region December-January.
*'''Andrealopezb''': I plan on doing individual sections for the time being, mostly between Santiago-El Maule
*'''annbrnn''': Heya, a friend and I are planning on hiking several sections of the GPT beginning end of December 2019 and are currently in the process of determining our route.
*'''AlexEdge''': Hi, i am planning to hike the lower sections of this route with a couple friends, possibly febuary 2020. thank you!
*'''Arno507''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT starting fom November/December 2019 till early April 2020.
*'''Birdy ''': I plan to mostly walk from Lake Titicaca to Ushuaia starting November 2019.
*'''David''': Hello!! This is David from Barcelona and I'm planning to walk through the Patagonia for 4 month from January 2020. I would love to do all de GPT, but I'm not sure if it's too ambitious... For sure, I'll try it!! :-) I would really appreciate if you can provide me the gps track files. Many thanks!!
*'''Dubrovskiy''': 2 people, January 2020, Foot hiking southern parts, likely around GPT40-33.
*'''Edwinb''': I will be arriving in Chile in Nov and plan to cherry pick parts of the GPT and mix it with other trekking, basically like I did last year. Always interested in a bit of exploring, providing it doesn't get to extreme!
*'''Hendrik Niehaus''': We arrive in Chile early Oktober 2019. From November until January we plan to be on the GPT. Due to the recommendations of the hikers manual we are mainly interested in section 5-16. However, plans might still change and are not too fixed yet. Thank you in advance!
*'''Herman van Horssen''': We plan to do section 47 to 69 of the GPT in 2020.
*'''johansonst333''': Hi! I am planning the sections 30 - 40 during this hiking season, would be incredibly grateful to have the GPS files for further research and planning. Thank you in advance!
*'''Jose Barros''' Hello !Im jose from Santiago de Chile, i will do the sections from Conquillio national park to Puyehue national park, its aprox. 15 days in January, i think it will be great ! If you can provide the track files i will be very thankfull.
*'''Jose Roman''': Hi, my plan is to several sections by bike or hiking staring September 2019 until Abril 2020.
*'''JUNHUI SON''': Hi, I'm from South Korea, I plan to do section 1 to 40 of the GPT in September 2019 till November.
*'''Kendon''': I cycled Patagonia many year ago and have always wanted to return for an extended walk through this wonderful area. I am in preliminary stages of my planning and thank you for your efforts in providing such a great resource. I am looking at the 2020 summer.
*'''Martín H.I.''': Hello, I´m planning to make an attempt to hike from sections GPT01 to GPT22 this summer from December 2019 to February 2020, still deciding on the exact sections, but southbound is my direction. I´m a chilean 25 year old architect who will humbly try to hike this unique trail. Thank you Jan for the amazing creation.
*'''Martin Lizondo''': I will be hiking southbound from Anticura (GPT20) to El Chaltén (GPT39), between December 2019 and February 2020. It's my second season in the GPT, after hiking from Santiago (GPT01) to Anticura (GPT19) in 2018-2019.
*'''martinahaller''': We will be arriving in Chile in Nov and plan to hike parts of the GPT during the next 6 Month, starting in Santiago.
*'''Maturin''': Hi, I am currently figuring out the details to hike GPT06 to GPT08 from the 27th of December 2019 until mid January. I will be doing the Horseriding tour before. I speak fluent spanish and the idea is to go southbound. Thank you!
*'''Matúš Lašan''': We plan to do as much as possible from December 2019 till March 2020.
*'''msantelli''': Hi, Melissa, plan to trek sections 05-22 taking a chance to start mid-late Nov. of ‘19 may need to backtrack and cut a few sections out, if rivers can’t be ford/crossed-flexible schedule
*'''Meylin Ubilla and Jan Dudeck''': We plan to investigate new packrafting and hiking routes in more remote areas between Puerto Montt and El Chalten without making a single long traverse (GPT21 to GPT40, GPT90P to GPT 92P). We will depart in November 2019 and plan to finish in February 2020. Experienced packrafts may join us for these investigations.
*'''Lauric Olrik''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT starting from November 2019, we have a whole year off.
*'''Lea Geibel''': Hi, my plan is to do several sections of the GPT starting fom October/November 2019 until beginning of January 2020 and need to figure out which ones are suitable for such an early start.
*'''Linda''': Hi, I am planning to hike alone southbound the GPT from beginning of December 2019 to mid-February 2020, probably from GPT06 to GPT22, but I am still studying the routes and the sections. I spoke quite good spanish, at least, it will come back there, practicing ! Thank you !
*'''Oreste Marquis''': Hello, i'm planning to hike sections 06-22 and 32-40 if time allows it. My trip will be from January to Abril 2020.
*'''Sanita Heinz''': We plan to do section 1 to 40 of the GPT in December 2019 till March 2020.
*'''Selma''': We are planning to packraft some sections of the GPT during our stay in Nov/Dez '19
*'''Staci Garcia''': Hello, I am planning on doing several sections of the GPT in 2020. I am still in research on what sections.
*'''TrashPanda''': Hi, we plan to do several sections from the end of November 2019 till February 2020.
*'''tom347''': Hola, I plan to do part of parts 1 to 40 with a friend, starting mid october. We will be hitchhiking the parts that are not recomended in particular months. We will be travelling for aproximately 2 months. Gracias.
*'''Tombartlett''': Hello I am planning on hiking many sections over a three month period from November 2019 to February 2020.
*'''Wanderwood18 ''': We plan to make it to El Chalten/Fitz Roy in one season from Santiago. This means I’ll probably skip recommended sections to skip/do what I need to do to make it. I’m flexible, we will see how it goes. My girlfriend, America, and I are planning on starting around Nov. 10th….
*'''LieberWeiter''' Hi, I do not know yet if I ever dare to walk the GPT but meanwhile I would like to plan therefore!
*'''Jarek Wątroba''' Hey, I will spend several months in Patagonia starting in Jan 2024. The information you provided in the Hiker's Guide is already immensely helpful, but the track files would make planning our route so much easier. Thanks.
*'''Wolke7net''' Hi, could you please send me the track without packrafting. Thanks!

*'''''DoloresMonika''''' Hi,my name is Dorota and I am from Poland. This year I would like to go through all GPT trail. Thanks for preparing this manual and description of trail.

'''wikiexplora'''

Greater Patagonian Trail track files

2024-07-21T10:02:53Z

Celio: /* List of requests */

[[category:Greater Patagonian Trail]]
The track files of the [[Greater Patagonian Trail]] are provided on personal request by [[user:Jandudeck|the author]] free of charge but not unconditionally. Read in the Hiker's Manual chapter '''1.15 Terms and Conditions for Using the Hiker’s Manual and the Trail Files''' to review these conditions and to understand why these conditions were put in place.

GPT Hikers's Manual: http://bit.ly/GPTmanual

==Create an account in Wikiexplora (compulsory)==
[[File:create account wikiexplora.png|frame|Six (very standard) steps to create an account in Wikiexplora]]
To request the files you must first [http://wikiexplora.com/index.php?title=Especial:Entrar&type=signup create a Wikiexplora account]. It really takes less than a minute. The form is in spanish, but it's very standard and simple:
#User name
#Password
#Confirm password
#Email. Not compulsory but highly recommended to give us the chance to reach you. Wikiexplora has sent only '''one''' non personal email in 13 years.
#Real name (optional)
#On the final line type '''wikiexplora''', all in lower case

==List of requests==


Please type your name (or your new Wikiexplora user name or alias) and explain your plan for the GPT that requires the GPT Track Files. Put yourself on top of the list.

Don't forget to send the email after adding yourself to the list as described in the GPT Hikers' Manual (1.15.7 Access to the GPT Track Files).

Use the format:

*'''''Celio'''' Hola, first thing, thank you very much for the passionate job you made in creating this Hiker's manual, it's a gold mine of infos! We are a french couple living in the alps and planning to do the GPT, starting november and going up north. Having worked 4 years in Tierra del fuego in guiding i'll be very happy to help in contribute and support the job you made ! Thank a lot.

*'''''TiMa''''' Hi, we are a german couple planning to hike various treks in Patagonia roughly during Jan+Feb 2025. We didn't decide yet on specific sections of the GPT. Thank you and the contributors for all the work!
*""Morliz"" Hi Jan, I am planning on hiking sections of the GPT from 11/24-5/25, am experienced in long distance (US), alpine (alps, andes, pamir) and would be happy to support the wiki explorer homepage for the GPT during and after the hike. Thank you for the support.
*'''''LukSara''''' Hello Jan, we are Lukas and Sarah, two hikers from the Alps and woud like to hike the first part of the GPT. We are planning to travel to Chile in November 2024. It would be great to hike with your GPS Track Files and of course we would be happy to contribute to your work with your experience. Thank you and everybody who made this possible.

*'''''ErJo''''' Hello Jan, we are passionate hikers that would like to hike parts of the Greater Patagonian Trail in January and February of 2025. We don`t plan on doing packrafting. We are very grateful for your absolutely awesome work and thank you for making such a trip possible! :)

*'''''Mathilde and Jordan''''' Hello Jan, first of all thank you very much for your huge and impressive work. We are two frenchies who would like to participate to this adventure and start in november. We'll be happy to share our experience, help with the tracks and give some updates. Passionate about nature, hike and new culture, The GPT is an adventure that we have in mind for a long time. Thank you very much :)

*'''''Elio''''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for the work you're doing mapping out the most remote parts of Patagonia. I'm a seasoned hiker from France and I'm starting planning my next project (hopefully for December 2024, depending on finance and wife approval :). I would be very interested in the data you've collected over the years to help me come up with a route. I would gladly contribute to this wiki as soon as I find relevant data to provide. Thanks!

*'''''Stefan''''' Hi Jan, we, my wife and I, are experienced hikers from Germany and are looking for a new long-distance hiking trail that is scenically impressive, remote and not overcrowded. We don't have a concrete schedule yet (probably in a few years, for a few months). In our search we finally came up with GPT and your manual. Both are really impressive! Thank you for your work so far! We would be happy to help supplement the manual and keep it up to date. However, we are still at the very beginning of the planning and would therefore like to use the tracks for further information and preparation.

*'''''Keili100''''' Hi Jan, we are Kathrin and Matthias from Germany (40yrs/42yrs) and we are both passionate hikers and have already visited lots of countries and its mountains. Since we have a kind of sabbatical in 2025/2026 we are planning to spend around 4 to 5 months on the GPT. My wife is fluent in Spanish and we are both fascinated of exploring remote areas and getting in touch with the locals combined with challenging navigation in barely untouched regions.
Thanks for your unbelievable huge amount of work you are putting on the GPT

*'''''Karin'''''Hi Jan, I am Karin. I have had the dream of visiting and hiking Patagonia since many years. I am in Latin America for roughly a year for work and I would like to take advantage of being in Latin America to hike in November - December 2024 parts of the GPT. Thank you vera much for your incredible work!

*'''''Charlie''''' Hi Jan! I'm Charlie. I'm planning to hike either two (7-8) of the northern sections or 32 and 33h in the first two weeks of april. I'm an experienced hiker, have led trips and organized my own in the us and recently completed a 3 week thruhike of sicily. beyond excited to get to patagonia - has been a dream for years.

*'''''Marion y Augustin''''' Hello Jan, we are a french couple wich aim to try to hike some sections of the GPT beteen April 2024 and July 2024, mixed with bus travel to join Perù. We are reading the Hikers'Manual, thanks a lot for that huge job !
*'''''Sophie y Gaspar (Dr Jabali)''''' Hello Jan, we are a franco-spanish couple wich aim to try to complete the GPT beteen November 2024 and May 2025 and discover these beautiful landscapes and cultures. Thanks
*'''''Paulus''''' Hey Jan, im very impressed by your detailed planning and knowledge of the patagonian mountains. I really enjoyed reading your short manual for the trail even though I should have actually studied for my exams. In Autumn I will finish university and now have finally the time to do a longer hiking trip again. Since im a biology student, the GPT is extremely interesting, since it would serve me as a transect to observe to Vegetation change from the north to the south. Ive always dreamed of seeing Araucarias!
*'''''gitano''''' Hi Jan I enjoy hiking and I have a lot of expirience hiking patagonia for the last 6 years. I grow up in Osorno and i would like to hike my own land. I will love to cooperate and keep up this exelent job!
*'''''Maxfelis''''' Hi Jan, I'm a hiking enthusiast living in Santiago. I recently did "Sendero del Condor", and I met someone that was doing the GPT06. I would love to collaborate with the GPT project, and explore other sections. Thank you so much for all your work!

*'''''txrx''''' Hello Jan, I'm a hiking enthusiast living in Bariloche. I am always researching new routes and many times I end up scanning the GPT Hikers Manual. I can't believe how much work and love has been put by all the contributors to build this, thank you very much! I would love to help to keep the GPT growing responsibly.

*'''''Benoît'''' Hello Jan, I started the GPT from Santiago at the end of 2018, but because of covid I did not continue afterwards. Your resources and your work gave me an incredible experience... I would like to continue from the Antuco Volcano where I left off, and go south! Thanks again for all your work!

*'''''Bebo'''' Hello Jan, I First heard of GPT while traveling through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina by bike. Rightnow I meet with my Brother in Buenos Aires and we want to hike remote trails for the coming 2 months. The GPT sounds just perfect, so we really would love to get the GPX files. We are aware of the fact that the trails lead through privat Land and nature. We treat both with hugh respect! Thanks for your work! Greetings from germany!

*'''''Marilynemg''''' Hi Jan! I have been discussing the GPT with hiker friends for the last ten years and I finally will be able to visit Chile in March and April. I want to start with sections 1-8 and I have a couple more on the radar, time and weather dependent. Thank you so much for all your work!

*'''''Retezepe''''' Hey Jan, we are very grateful for the invaluable resources you have compiled for the GPT. We're looking forward to being a part of this project! My partner and I are currently in Chile and interested in hiking a couple of sections of the GPT. The sections that currently interest us the most are sections 19 and 37H. We will be in Greater Patagonia from February to March.

*'''''TrailsOfWander''''' Hi Jan. Thank you very much for your envaluable work for the GPT and for your guidance. I am traveling to Chile on Feb 11 to hike GPT06 and partial GPT08 and 09. Unfortunately I don’t have much time for this trip but I will plan future trips for other sections so the Track Files of GPT will be very valuable as the Manual is. Thanks again!

*'''''AlexNecky''''' Hello Jan, thank you for all the work you've done putting this trail together!! My friend and I have been eyeing the GPT for a while. After much researching using your information and additional sources, we have tickets to Santiago for the beginning of March. Our plan is to start with GPT06 and going SOBO thru GPT10 or as far as we can for the month that we have. We're both super excited about this adventure and look forward to contributing back to the community with our experience!! Thanks again!

*'''''Dueser''''' Hi Jan. I am deeply impressed by your work. Not only the time you spent on the GPT, but also all the documentation and the manual. During reading the manual I realized that 10 years ago I explored a few GPT stages in the north without knowing about the GPT. This time I'm deliberately heading south. I'll certainly put my experience to good use for the project.

*'''''CharlieGardner101''''' Hey there Jan! Charlie here! Wow, what an incredible community you've created here. I couldn't be more excited to explore this wonderful and wild part of the world and to become a contributing member of this initiative you've begun! I will be flying into El Chalten in the first week of February and, along with a few friends, hope to hike a variation of GPT sections 38-40. Later on (mid-late march), we hope to move further North to try our hands at a section somewhere between GPT 6 and 12. Thanks for everything you do! Cheers!

*'''''Zsu''''' Hi Jan! I would like to hike parts of GPT32-40 in the upcoming weeks. More details in the email. Thank you very much!

*'''''Fernanda''''' Hi Jan! First and foremost, a sincere thank you for your impressive work. It is so valuable to have this type of initiatives in Patagonia. I am Chilean and mountains have been my backyard since I was a kid. I am planning to do GPT35 and GPT 36H with my brother Francisco. He is also close to nature and a entrepreneur based partially on Puerto Bertand since 2020. I've shared the hikers manual with him and he was very thankful and impressed with this initiative. I would also be interested in contributing with adding highlights and changes to the track. Global warming is slowly but steadily modifying nature.

*'''''Daemos''''' Hi Jan! My name is Andrew, and I am a Canadian travelling in Patagonia for the next two months. I was planning to hike the Condor Circuit, but I've read online of some difficulties lately and am interested in investigating one of the variations of GPT6 as an alternative. I would also be interested in adding some highlights of the GPT to my plans as well.

*'''''PauMau2024''''' Hello Jan! My name is Paulina and I thank you so much for your work. It´s an impressive work that you have done! From february on my partner Flo and I want to explore and hike from Futaleufu to O'Higgins, GPT 71 and GPT35-39. Beginning in Futaleufu we will take around 5 days to get to Chaiten where we will have a resupply and then continue hiking down until the end of the carretera Austral. We are happy to share our GPS log and further information&experience, hopefully support future travelers.

*'''''madnomad''''' Hi! My name is Elias. We are a couple from Greece travelling around the American continent on a campervan, motorcycle, packraft and hiking equipment! We are already on the road for 5 months and we are currently in the Argentinian part of Patagonia. We love it here and it would be great to try a few sections of the GPT. We are not planning to do anything extreme, just enjoy a few highlights of the GPT at first!

*'''''acivs''''' Hi! My name is Agnes. I'm from Switzerland and love trekking. I did several hikes in the Alps, the Andes and in Patagonia. In August 2022 I started backpacking through South America and got trapped in Tortel about a year ago. Last March I read for the first time about the GPT and was fascinated by it. For the moment I am planning on doing my first to sections, GPT36H and GPT35.

*'''''wandering_guanaco''''' Hey all! My name is Jack and I am an American outdoors-person interested in hiking sections 16-23 this austral summer, and hope to continue to complete sections of the GPT as I continue to work in Chile for a few months of the year every year. This project is amazing and I am stunned by the thoroughness of the documents I have read so far. From the intentions of the project as a hike undertaken only by those who are prepared, to the particular comments on the links between fundraising and the inevitable outcome of the trip itself, I really appreciate the time and thought that has been put in to not just the adventure portion, but also the preparation, reputation, and impact of the hike. I feel lucky to have explored chunks of Patagonia in my past and cannot wait to broaden my experiences through these sections and information in the future.

*'''''bistarai.bistarai''''' Hello! My name is Susie, I’m French-Canadian and planning on hiking sections 6 to 18 (although very flexible) as a first attempt on the GPT which I have been eyeing for a while now. Eventually I’d love to try packrafting in more southern sections in a couple of years!

*'''''mollycargill''''' Hello, my name is Molly and I am a medical doctor from Australia with a lifelong love of the outdoors and an interest in wilderness medicine. As a part of an Expedition Medicine course I am currently undertaking I need to create an in depth logistics plan for a trip which I want to go on, which I have chosen as packrafting sections 16-25 of the GPT. I have had my eye on the GPT for a while, and hopefully can use the finished product of this assignment to help me finally attempt some of the GPT in the 2024/25 season.

*'''''HHGTPE''''' (Hitchhikers guide to planet earth) Hey, I am Felix. I hitchhiked around the globe for three years some time ago and now I am doing a semester abroad in Buenos Aires for my uni. While looking for long distance tracks in Patagonia, I came across the GPT and very much fell in love with the whole concept. This year I would like to do some of the shorter and easiest hiking parts of the GPT but hopefully come back in the future to do some longer and connected parts.

*'''''fabianundcecile''''' Hola de San Rafael, Argentina. We are travelling to southern Patagonia and thought we could hike some sections of the PGT along the way. Maybe starting with GPT 7 southbound. Saludos Cécile y Fabian

*'''''czimahi'''''Hola Jan, por favor me podrías enviar el file para ir alguna parte entre GPT18 a GPT5? Muchas gracias

*'''''nico142857''''' Hola desde Chile!. Escribo en español por razones políticas más que practicas. Primero que todo, gracias por recolectar, sintetizar y compartir la información. Me interesa recorrer la parte norte de los 'senderos' y me interesan tener los .kmz para 1) tener una ayuda, 2) no abrir mas senderos y respetar la naturaleza y 3) dar feedback a la comunidad. Saludos

*'''''Ggeoff88''''' Hello everybody ! My name is Guillaume from France and I'm actually in Bariloche preparing my adventure to go to El Chalten by foot. You guys did an incredible Job of research, documentation and exploration... Today I'd like to inspire of your work in order to prepare my road. It's normal for me and will be a pleasure to share my experience after it.

*'''''MysticalMarauder''''' Hi my name is Misha and I'm in Chile with an old friend about to the depart on a greand adventure December 2023 onwards. Heading south in the coming days with the zenith of our travels the Punta Arenas/Puerto Natales area. Then turning around and heading back north after a month or 2. Eager to get on the GPT in either direction in the coming months/years? Not sure how long this adventure will last but hopeful to hike many kilometers on this network. Thank yiou to Jan and this commmunity for establishing this route and creating this excellent resource for those excited to get off the well-traveled roads and disappear into the wild for a bit.

*'''''Lazy_Lemon''''' Kia ora! Looking to get amongst the Patagonia trails so thanks so much for putting all this information together!

*'''''Sam Odin'''''' Hello! Thank you so much for this impressive work. The detail and love put into the GPT manual is truly a gift to us all. Between January 15 and February 5, my partner Sara and I are planning to explore as much of GPT33 as possible. Beginning in Villa Cerro Castillo we will take 8 to 10 days to get to Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez (where we will have a resupply) and then take about the same time to get back to Villa Cerro Castillo. We would love to share our log and GPS information, hopefully further illuminating future travelers to the less frequented routes and parts of this section

*'''''Jonathan Mudde'''''' Hi Jan, I'm planning to walk a few sections of the GPT in the very south and in the north. I'll start on the first of January around Ushuaia. And after that I like to use the border close to O'Higgins and hike some parts around Laguna de la laja I'm looking forward to use the gpx files. Thanks in advance! I have read many parts with great respect for your work and honering the lokal people. Regards Jonathan Mudde/Abishaloom

*'''Matthias''' Küme naqün antü! I've been following this fascinating idea for years, and now I can hopefully explore a small part of it myself and contribute to its long-term existence. I will arrive in Santiago in January, then I would like to follo'''w the GPT southwards, walking until about GPT20. But I am flexible in my plans on the ground, I am open to spontaneity and ever-changing challenges. Alles Leben ist Problemlösen.

*'''Carina''' Hi! Thank you so much for the detailed GPT resource you have created. It's been a dream of mine to hike/trail run through parts of Patagonia, and it would be really helpful to see the GPT track files to help with my route planning. I'm planning to go in 1-2 years from now, so plenty of time to plan still. Very happy to contribute / provide feedback on route sections once I'm there myself. Thank you :)

*'''Paulina''' Hello everybody. First of all, I would like to thank you for all the huge job you put into this projekt. I'm really amased. I will start a part of GPT in January, I'm especially interested in GPT because it seems wild, unspoilt and very interesting from cultural point of view. I also love the idea that everyone can create its own trail and that three is no one and the best option. Living in Europe where in some parts of the mountain we focus maybe too much on kilometers and speed, it seems that GPT offers something much more important. I will be more than happy to contibute to this beautiful projekt.

*'''Mitschu''' Hello, after spending 9 weeks in Patagonia (pre pandemic) I am back with the aim to explore even more :) I thought about starting in Bariloche, explore the lake area going north (following part of Huella Andina) and finally cross over to chile and start at section 16 southbound mid/end of december. I used the pandemic for some long distance hikes in europe (GR5, half of GR10/11 and TMB) and cant wait to enjoy the beauty of patagonia. I will hike solo but open to meet up with fellow hikers if someone happen to be in the area :) I am following the project since 2 years... impressive work. Happy to contribute as well! Looking forward hearing from you! Thanks

*'''Rainbow16''' Hi Jan & fellow hikers! My name is Tanja and I am currently planning to walk Sections 6-22 starting end of December 2023. Still a bit dizzy from reading the hikers manual (what a great documentation!), I am excited to further explore this Patagonian trail network via the track files. A huge thanks to Jan and Meylin for their adventurous spirit and dedication as well as all other collaborators (what a cool community!). Looking forward to contributing myself once I put my feet on GPT grounds.

*'''Frans van Driel''' Hi Jan, first and foremost I would like to thank you for all the work you put into the GPT. Truly impressive to read the manual! I'm planning to walk a few sections of the GPT. I'll explain more in detail in the upcoming email. My timeframe will be half December 2023 till half January 2024. I'm looking forward to this amazing experience and would like to start some more detailed planning using the gpx files. Thanks in advance! Sincerely, Frans van Driel

*'''Owen Hutchison (elhutcho)''' Hey Jan! Am incredibly impressed with what you have been able to put together with the GPT - it’s an amazing achievement for which I’m sure many are thankful. I have been reading through the manual in preparation for a trip in February and March 2024. My partner and I will make our way down from Lago Puelo (GPT 22/23) to El Chalten via a mix of different segments and pack rafting. To assist in planning and preparation, I’d be really grateful to receive the the KMZ/GPX Files. I am very happy to contribute back to the project in anyway I can. Thanks again! Owen

*'''Piotr Szatkowski''' Hello Jan, primarily I would like to say thank you for the massive amount of dedication you put into creating the whole guide. The quality of it, the precision everything is described with is very impressive.I would like to kindly ask you if you could share with me the KMZ/GPX Files. I am incredibly humbled to be able to discover the beauty of the regions of Patagonia. Can't wait into immerse in to this journey of solitude. I will be starting in end of December for section and or 2 heading south. Will probably hike for 2 months. I am not sure how long exactly.

*'''Ella Meyer''' Hi Jan, I am planning to walk parts of the GPT as part of a project studying and documenting people's relationships to water along long-distance trails. As per your suggestion when we talked on the phone one year ago, I would like to hike Sections 1-12. I may also skip to Sections 21, 22, 63 and 69. I am hoping to depart Southbound around late December (2023). I am very excited to embark on this journey, and welcome anyone else planning on hiking these sections to connect with me (contact info can be found on my website https://ellameyer.com/)

*'''Vlad Ivanchuk (vladdi)''' I'm planning to walk some southern sections of GPT northbound from Ushuaia starting in December 2023 for just over a month. I look forward to immersing myself in the landscapes and culture of Patagonia, and I'd appreciate access to GPS files to enable this adventure.

*'''Robin Marcille''' Hi Jan, hi all, thank you for this immense amount of work. After sailing from France to Ushuaïa, we are planning to walk parts of the GPT norhbound from Puerto Williams on November 2024 for approx. 3 months. We would be very grateful to access the GPS files to prepare our trip ! We are especially interested in the various options between Puerto Williams and Cochrane. We're super excited to participate to this project and would like to propose some mountaineering options !

*'''Cyril AC'H (Cy)''' Hi, can't wait more to get back with GG on the GPT after 2 years break, from El Bolson southbound toward Cochrane and El Chalten in a packrafting mode for those sections. No rush, side trips to fjords, we will see how far we get ! Thx for the KMZ/GPX Files !

*'''Martin_crgt''' Hi all, thanks for your work Jan, and for everyone's contributions to this adventure, My sister and I are planning to do the GPT in February 2024 from section 6 down south. Having the GPS data would be a great help to help us plan.

*'''maddidunster''' Hi Jan, Tom and I are two Australians planning to hike northbound from El Chalten to wherever we make it with the time we have from February to April 2024. Super excited, can't wait!

*'''guswimbo''' Hello Jan, thank you for all of your and others' work on putting together this incredible wealth of information! I'm planning on backpacking/packrafting from Cochamo to El Chalten in January/February 2023.

* '''Oscar Crassous''' Hello Jan, I'm a french men who will travel northbound during 9 months in South America, between november and august. I have planned to walk most of the time and I am very excited to hike some parts of the GPT during my trip. Thanks for your work.

* '''Matthieu''' Hello Meylin and Jan, former hiker on the GPT (season 2019-2020, northbound), would gladly go back on trail this year to hike some other parts southbound (Santiago-Antuco, Puyehue - Coyhaique)!

* '''GriffinWagner13''' Hello Jan, planning to travel to Chile/Argentinia in 2025. I'll be doing some of the sections between GPT01 and GPT40, bussing between routes as possible. I definitely want to hit some of the northern volcanoes as well as the southern routes! Super excited to hike it.

* '''edwinb''' Hello Jan, planning to fly to Santiago in 2 weeks. Thinking about gpt2/3 to do something close to Santiago and especially want to do the tracks in the araucania this time. gpt33h and gpt37h look very attractive to. Thanks again for all the work! Edwin

* '''lilian''' Hello Jan, i'm planning to have a 3-4 months hike through Greater Patagonia, I will travel to Santiago in mid-November 2023 and maybe end my hike about March to April at somewhere south. I would be interested in the trackfiles from 1 to 69, would be incredibly grateful to have the files for further research and planning. Thank you in advance!

* '''zipgerm''' Hey Jan, Thank you for your work and contributing the route information to the world! I'll be in Chile/Argentina from beginning of December until April. If my feet are willing, I want to walk parts of the GPT starting with section 05 or 06 southwards. I read a great part of your guide and already bought a GPS with satellite pager - alhough I never used neither of them on my off-track hiking tours before. Looking forward to Chile and the Andes. Matthias

* '''JordanJennings''' Hi Jan, my plan is to packraft soundbound sections 17-30 over the season, but will likely begin with a few (conditions appropriate) sections between 30-40 from November after completing some packrafting training around Puerto Río Tranquilo. I would like to also thank you for dedication so much time and energy into making this possible for all of us

*'''LottiRummel''' Hi Jan, thank you for all your fantastic work! We are planning to spend January 2024 in Chile and want to hike starting from around GPT 06 southwards. I hope the gpx tracks will help us decide which sections to plan. Thanks! Alex and Lotti

*'''Rowe99''' Hi Jan, first of all, many thanks to you and everyone else who contributed to the manual. I have never seen so much information about such a large network for any other region in an open-source manner. I am planning to hike this year (2023) from December to mid-February starting from El Chaltén northwards with a pakraft. Thanks for all the information so far! Cheers Roman!

*'''Jonas._____''' Hi Jan, I'm planning to hike through Patagonia from December to February/March. I will start in Puerto Montt and then go south from there as far as time and terrain permits. The great GPT Hikers' Manual did already give me a really good insight in what to expect and I would really appreciate having the GPT Track Files as well to prepare for my trip as much as possible! Thanks for your help!

*'''ColineW''' Hi Jan ! Thank you a lot for the amazing work you did with the "Great Patagonian Trail, Hikers Manual" ! It's full of wize advices and ideas I maybe would havenot find myself. I will go in Chili from mid-december to mid-march, meet up with my father who is currently wandering in the south. We'd like the hike northbound from GPT20 to GPT01. The GPS files would be a great help for you, since I tried my plan an itinerary on Google Earth and, as you know, I lost sight of some roads in the forest. My father has a Garmin66i, so we'll be able to send the datas of our trail to you. Have a nice day !

*'''Roi Keler''' Hello Jan, First of all, thank you for the amazing work you did and still do, it's a great inspiration for me. I plan to spend 3-4 months in Patagonia and I want to combine several walking sections of the GPT between section GPT01 - GPT16 & GPT32 - GPT46. After reading the hikers' manual and completing the preparations, I decided not to focus on a meticulous plan because it is important for me to be spontaneous and keep the options open. The GPS files in combination with the hikers' manual will allow me to choose the hiking sactions that suit me and then send the information to you and share with the community. Thanks for everything!

*'''Marmur''' Hi Jan! We are a couple and are planning to hike the GPT from start to end, in 2 seasons (hopefully) starting next season. We have visited Patagonia in the past and can't wait to get to know it more intimately, as we loved it so much. hiking in remote locations with unmarked trails is not new to us, but we are exited about the challenges that are waiting for us at this epic terrain. this is a great chance to thank you for all this impressive work that you've been doing, and you can count on us that after all this ends for us, we will share all inputs and updates with you and the community.

*'''Lukas Deleu''' Hi Jan, my girlfriend and I are planning to do 3-4 months of hiking through Greater Patagonia starting this december. We chose some of the sections that most appealed to us and hope to connect them by public transport. Gpt 6-12, 16-19, 32-40 is what we have in mind for the moment. Having the trackfiles would be a great help offcourse. Cheers.

*'''Huemul''' Hello Jan, I'm Frank from Irlanda. I hope to continue southbound in November from El Chalten to Isla Navarino. Thanks for all your help & advice so far.

*'''RoshiJ''' Hi Jan, what an amazing piece of work you've established in the GPT hiker's manual, and its amazing to see how many people are inspired by it. I am planning on exploring Patagonia starting in November, with no end date as of yet. My only goal is to wander and wonder but I'd like to do so well-informed and as prepared as possible. I already feel so after reading the manual but it would be even better to set out armed with your GPS files. I also love the idea of using wikiexplora as a platform to communicate within a like-minded community with similar goals so am enthusiastic to share my own experiences and read those of others.

*'''Pieper92''' Holá Jan, Thank you for providing this comprehensive manual. I will travel to Patagonia in November 2023 and want to make my way from santiago to tierra del fuego by feet, on my beloved packraft but also longer sections by bus transport. Have not picked all sections but Lagos Chilenos/argentinos, parts of fjord area and tierra del fuego are in focus. Especially I want to circumvent the spoiled national parks in the south. Your guide has already been a great help up to know but the GPT track files would be extraordinary helpfull. I will especially try to provide novel exploration data by packraft.

*'''nickcarter884''' Dear Jan, Thank you so much for all the work you have done on this manual and the route, it's fantastic! Some friends and I are planning to do the section around El Chalten in February 2024 and would really like to follow your routes rather than the roads. Please could I have access to the GPS files so we can be in the real nature, not just the road? :-)

*'''delabien''' Dear Jan, I am very inspired by your manual. My partner and I plan to travel for 4 months starting from the capital Santiago going slowly to the south (starting in November 2023). Thus we would like to hike some of the sections you and the other collaborators assembled. In order to make the expedition more feasible for us we intent to use the local public transportation for some parts. Really looking forward to experience the changing landscapes during the route. Thank you

*'''wbarab''' Hi Jan, thank you for all the extensive and detailed work put into this manual. My partner and I (American & Spanish)plan to hike the GPT from mid November 2023 until late February or March 2024. So far GPT 6-12, 14-16, 19, and 32-40 have stood out to us as a start, but our investigations continue and we plan to add at least another half dozen sections (plus some "maybes" if time permits)! To continue we would really appreciate access to the trackfiles.

*'''ranulph24''' Hi Jan, great manual! Thank you for putting so much passion in this project. I consider hiking on the GPT in November 2024 - April 2025. I am mainly aiming for the northern part 5 - 30 and add a smaller section in the south. For refining my plans I would like to study the GPS Track Files in detail.

*'''MMartinez''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for this incredible amount of work. It is really inspiring and exciting. We are a couple (American and Polish) and we are interested in hiking some of the sections of the GPT later this year. We have been reading the manual and adjusting and readjusting plans the more we learn (there's so much to learn!) We would really appreciate access to the track files to help with the planning. Thank you so much again!

*'''SeanMaskill''' Hi Jan, Thanks for all of your work! I've wanted to hike sections of the GPT for a few years. I've now started the research seriously and tracks would help me decide which sections I'd like to hike. Cheers Sean.

*'''MarmotAndBear''' Dear Jan, Thank you for putting in so much dedicated work, to create the Hiker’s Manual, and in doing so helping others to hike and appreciate this part of the world. We are a German-Singaporean couple and we have been following the GPT community for almost one year now. We have quit our jobs not long ago and have started visiting Central Asia, where we’ve been able to do some amazing hikes. Before setting foot on the GPT this coming (southern) summer, we are planning to improve our Spanish in other South American countries. We hope a few weeks of dedicated learning will do the trick. Once on the trail, we are planning to hike and packraft as much of the GPT as we can during the coming season. Let’s see how far our feet and boat will carry us :)

*'''guaraches80''' Hello and good afternoon Jan. I have been reading and preparing for some sections of the trail you have put together. I, a Mexican American, and a Colombian friend will be backpacking through Brazil and later to Argentina in the coming months and we would love to see some of the wonderful trails you and others have experienced. Obviously, because of our backgrounds we both speak fluent Spanish and have years of backpacking, hiking and bushcrafting experience. This is something I look forward to with the uptmost energy and so will eagerly await the track files to begin further in-depth planning. Thank you for your time. Until next time!

*'''blissfulmisgivings''' Hi Jan, Thank you for providing so much detailed and helpful information about the GPT! We (two Americans) are excited to try packrafting portions of the GPT beginning in November 2023. The guidance you've provided in the manual has already been invaluable to our preparations, and we look forward to reviewing and using the GPT track files in our journey. Thanks again!

*'''YannickCOLL''' Hi Jan, Thank you very much for your work and your dedication to the GPT. We are immersing in the GPT universe with pleasure and a growing sense of adventure. We are a couple (French and Belgian) and we’re looking to hike some sections of the GPT between mid-November 2023 until April 2024 (Sections: 1-12 / 16 / 19 / 32-40). These are the sections that we selected so far and that we are more attracted to, knowing that of course it can change. We were wondering if you could grant us access to the GPS tracks in order for us to prepare for the GPT. We understand that this is an unofficial trail and that it is still a work in progress and we are eager to help in any way we can to continue to build this ‘trail’. Nolwenn & Yannick

*'''daniel.s''' Hi Jan, amazing work with the Hiker's Manual! I hope to meet some of you on the trail next season. I'm planning to do some of the packrafting sections starting at GPT 17. The track files would be very helpful to make it an unforgettable experience. Greetings from Austria, Daniel

*'''hevike''' Hello fellow hiking community, I'm Jens from Germany looking into hiking sections of the GPT this November until the end of February. Thanks for the amazing work you all have put into this project and I'm looking forward to contribute myself.

*'''MartinGilles''' Hola Jan, soy Martin de Belgica y estoy planeando hacer una parte del GPT al principio de noviembre hasta el 20 de diciembre. Me gustaria tener the GPS tracks para organisarme y ver lo que me conviene mas. Muchas gracias por lo que hiciste y para permitir la exploracion de esta parte del mundo. Un placer, Martin.

*'''Marc Altena''' Hi Jan, thanks for all your hard work exploring the hidden trails of Patagonia. I'm hoping to do sections 6 to 10, 16 to 22 and 32 to 40 early next year. The GPS tracks would be helpful. Tanks in advance for sending them. Kind regards, Marc

*'''Lorenzo''' Hi Jan, I don't have specific plans concerning the GPT yet, but that might change soon. After the reading the first 300 pages of your guidebook it seems to me like a real challenge and an unforgettable experience at the same time. I'll call it a dream to hike at least parts of it, and extensive planning is the first step to make your dreams come true.

*'''Joscha97''' Hi Jan, I gonna travel to Chile in the beginning of next year and I am really fascinated by the idea of the GPT. I would love to hike some parts of it, starting in Santiago. Thanks for all the work you put into this project. Greetings

*'''Larix84''' Hello Jan, he hablado contigo con whatsapp hace 2 semanas Mi proyecto de trail para el ano que viene se confirma, un saludo'''

*'''Noemie''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for making us discover those incredible paths and landscapes in an ethical way. I have been hiking in Chilean Patagonia for a few months now and I wish to keep discovering the region more deeply by hiking through a few sections of the GPT, especially GPT36H (ruta de los Pioneros). Depending on how this goes, and on the weather conditions, I may try to go further north around sections 08-09. Thanks for all your work, the resources you provided have been super helpful!

*'''TheRebel''' Hey Jan thanks for the big package of information you provide with tha website/pdf I'm in Argentina since 3 months and hiked many km in the official and more marked areas (bariloche, bolson, esquel, el Chaltén, El Calafate, Ushuaia and more) and now I'm on the way back north and wanna end up in Bolivia or maybe even Columbia in the next 6 months... I've heard about your site from a Canadian guy who did some sections more north and I thought it would be nice to do some more trails in a little more remote areas on my way north
Greatings TheRebel

*'''Jen''' Hi Jan and so, so many thanks for all the incredible work you have done here. I am currently in Peru and planning to fly south to begin the beginning of GPT01 in the next few weeks and see how long I can walk for before things become too off season. I will halt and recommence when the season comes back in. If I manage to journey to Punta Arenas in the end, whenever this might be, then I am happy! Thank you, Jen.

*'''Ollie''' Hello Jan. I am from Wales and currently is
Brazil after sailing here from Europe. My plan is to work my way towards southern Argentina where I will stop and work for a while. Hopefully improving my Spanish, get to know the culture more and spend my weekends in the mountains to prepare. The idea is to start from Tierra Del Fuego, head north and just take it step by step. The manual has been a great read thank you for being so thorough. Love it. Cheers.

*'''Silke & Hans''' Hello, We are a Belgian couple currently on a multiyear bikepacking, trekking & mountaineering trip through South-America. We'd been looking forward to do some sections of the GPT for a long time. We are currently in Chile Chico, and planning to do the GPT35 section. We probably want to do some more sections further South.

*'''Jakub+Veronika''' Hi Jan, we're a couple from Czechia, currently almost one month in Chile getting to know the country, it's history and it's people's culture. We'd like to hike some parts of the GPT south from Puerto Montt, where we are based right now. Thanks for this awesome work!

*'''Alan''' Hola Jan! I'm Alan from California. I'm interested in doing GPT32 and GPT33H. Thanks for all the resources you have provided so far!

*'''Diegoara''' Hi! My name is Diego and I am from Chile and I'm interested in the GPT to do de GPT18 & GPT19, i would be a little more than a week, i think that is amazing the work that you do making this GPT in my country.Thanks!

*'''Jess&Paco''' Hey Jan ! We are from France and we would love to hike the GPT between march and april 2023. We plan to connect a few sections in the great lakes region (between section GPT45 and GPT35, south to north) for about a month. And if the weather is favorable, we would explore in april a little bit of the nothern parts of the GPT (volcanos region) but without necessarily connecting steps, while being around for a workaway. Thanks a lot for all this work !

*'''blklb''' Hi Jan! I'll be leaving for Chile in a few days and would like to do bits and pieces of the sections between Curico and Conaripe, perhaps farther south. I'll be combining trekking with time spent in towns/cities. This is going to be a leisurely exploration of the GPT, with the possiblity of a longer GPT-specific trip in the future. Thanks!

*'''Joachim''' Holà Jan! I'm Joachim from France. I'm coming to Chile in a few weeks, and found your website with a lot of valuable informations on this beautiful itinerary! I don't have a fixed plan yet but my idea is to start around Santiago and go South until winter begins. I'd love to get a hand on those gpx files to help me plan properly, I'll be happy to share feedback when coming home. Many thanks for all the work you put in!

*'''Johnny1968''' Hi Jan! We are a couple from Italy and want to to start mid february 2023 from Santiago for the GPT. We have 2 months of time and want to see how far we get, without hurry, soaking up nature and culture. Thanks for the manual and creating the track files, great respect for the ethics!

*'''derameisenbaer''' Hi, two people from Germany. We'll be hiking part of the GPT (GPT06-GPT12) in February. If there's time left we might be able to hike part of the more southern sections as well. Really looking forward to it and really aprreciate the great work on this page and the Hikers Manual!

*'''ebse''' Hello, I'm Ed from England. Would love to help contribute to this mammoth project by hopefully walking GPT01 - GPT20ish in late 2023. Looks like a remarkable experience all round; I'd be very grateful to be part of it.

*'''Martio''' Saludos, soy Martial ! landing on jan. 14th for a 2 month journey into Chilean natural wonders. I plan to hike a selection of northern GPT sections between 1 and 22. Plans purposely open for this first experience and can't wait to get involved in the community. Ps: Jan, you rock !

*'''Clemgbl''' I'm Clement from France. Currently hiking in Chile from month, I would like to continue my trek on the GPT next month (january and February 2023). I plan to start in Coyhaique and hike until El Chalten (GPT 31 to GPT 40).

*'''Jcoxxx''' I'm Jeff from Alaska. Hopefully I'll be hiking and packrafting section 17 to 39, starting this January. I'm really excited to be a part of this project and share my trackfiles.

*'''Eleebeatriz''' Hi, I'm Elena from Chile. On the 27th of this month we are going to carry out the Gpt7, we will enter through the "Puente Ingles" , in San Fabian de Alico, up to the Polcura mountain range, in Antuco. Greetings and I hope in January I will be editing what I have done to share it with you!

*'''MarcGPT''' Hola! Last year while hiking around Cochrane, I learned about the GPT. Looking forward to return and contribute to the GPT manual.

*'''Franzz''' Hi! I'm Franzz from Switzerland. I'm planning to thru-hike my own version of the GPT next year. Using your tracking files would be a great help planning the itinerary :) I would be more than happy to share back my own track files and experiences once I'm back.

*'''Nicktravels_''' Hey mate, I'm Nick - i'm planning on a hike/packraft of mumtiple segments with my three amigos. Leave only footprints is a big part of our travelling philosophy and I have a lot of respect for the ethos you carry through the information provided.

*'''Timo''' Hi, I'm Timothée. I'm French but also from Munich Germany! I plan on being in Chile beginning of next year and on doing someof the sections (probably 6-22, 32-40 more or less). I'm super impressed by all the gathered and explained documentations and advices form the Manual and would love to contribute !

*'''zozo''' Hi, my name is Zohar. I'm from Israel and plan on doing some trekking in Patagonia in January 2023. planning to do parts of the GPT from south to north starting at section 46.

*'''florianluca''' Hi, my name is Florian. I'm from Germany and plan on doing some trekking in Chile at the Beginning of next year (2023). I appreciate the work that went into this project and would like to use some of it for planning some of our tour.

*'''willcampbell444''' Hi, I'm Will from Canada. I'm interested in hiking some of the trail as I make my way south through Chile! I was thinking of starting at section 6 in mid December, depending on the weather. I really appreciate all the work done putting together the trail, and I hope to contribute with my track files and notes.

*'''Dallas''' Hi, I´m Dallas, from Berkeley, California, USA. I am interested in planning a trip in early 2023 to explore the beauty of Patagonia and indulge in my passion for slow, human-powered travel. This trip is open-ended and intentionally meandering, and the GPT looks like an excellent basis of exploration.

*'''Nicopo''' Hi, I´m Nicolás, from Buenos Aires. My girlfriend and I have been hiking in Patagonia for the last few years and we are planning on hiking sections of the GPT from December to February. We are already getting started with our planning and are looking forward to contributing with what we can. Thank you!

*'''Newt, Birdie, and Possum''' Hi! We are on our way back to Patagonia for the third time. The three of us have hiked in Patagonia and many other places in the world together. We will have 1 month to hike a portion of the GPT, specifically focusing on 33H -38H going northbound. We are inspired by this document and we can't wait to become contributing members of this community. Thank you!

*'''pgantier''' Hi, I'm Pierre from France. I discovered Chile and South America 5 years ago during an exchange semester and look forward to going back there for a long trip (within the next 5 years for around 12 months). I would love to do some part of the Greater Patagonian trail during this future gap year and I want to prepare well it advance to continue to get experience to be ready for this gread adventure !

*'''Jonny6k''' Hi, im planning on hiking some sections of the GPT from late December until March (or until i get tired!) I am planning on sections 6-22, but nothing is certain yet. I hope to add to the track files and contribute with some notes regarding the trails. i look forward to arriving in chile! Jonny

*'''felagund''' Hello, I would like to hike the GPT in December-February, from Santiago till as far as I can get and as long as a I enjoy it. So I would be interested in the trackfiles from 1 till about 40, even though I probably won't reach that far. I am a contributor to OSM so I was thinking that would be my main form of contribution, though I would not want to put paths that are disputed there of course. Tomas

*'''Arnaudlacoste''' Hello Jan! I have been a big fan of the GPT for some years now. I just moved back to Chile after living for the past 8 years in Europe and would love to discover a few sections of the GPT. I will be settling in Araucania region so I would love to have access to the track files and plan which sections I will immerge myself into. I hope I can also contribute to it and meet some of the community in the following months/years. Thanks you and the community for this marvelous work! Cheers, Arnaud.

*"ChristopherT"Hello! Christopher from Austria here. My girlfriend Anna from Germany and I are planning to do the gpt. We are still trying to figure out which sections we would like to trek.We definetly want to explore and hike in Feuerland though.We would very much appreciate the track files to help us with our decision and on our journey. I hope we can contribute a bit as well. Thank you!
Cheers,
Christopher and Anna

* '''Matous'''Hi everyone! Here Matous and Johana. Couple from Czechia. We are planning to hike some sections on GPT at the beginning of next year. We are interested in GPT06 - 22. The track files would be great help in planning. And thank you for amazing work. We´ll be happy to contribute.

* '''guilhermealexs''' Hi! Guilherme Alexsander here from Brazil. Me and some friends are planning to walk some parts of the GPT. We are currently interested in the Los Quenes - Central Cipreces section. I'd like to get the track files to help us with planning. Thanks!

*"nmakepeace" Hello everyone, Natalie here from Canada, thank you to Jan and everyone for their contributions! My plan is to hike southbound on the GPT starting at Termas del Flaco (connect@ GPT05) because I want to do some specific mountains in Central Chile first. I may also look into connecting Volcán Maipo to coya. To make this all easier and more safe I would be not only grateful for the GPS files but honored! Start: mid/late December until begining of March. Hope to hear tales from you all soon!

* '''rom1dwker''' My girlfriend and I will cycle southward patagonian roads and ripio from mid december 22 to mid february 23, and we plan to maybe hike some sections of the GPT, especially the ones in Jenimeini where we have already been a few years ago, dependind on how everything goes with the cycling and and the roads we will actually take.

* '''gornik''' Me and my grilfriend Gabi would like to hike on GPT from January till March 2023. We are on a gap year after our studies, and during that time we would love to enjoy the wilderness of Patagonia. We are planning to first do some singular sections and after gaining some knowledge and experience in Patatagonia hiking, we would like to do some longer distances. We are also exited to combine it with hitchhiking to minimalize environmental impact.

* '''hannahp24''' My partner Eric & I will hike GPT 32-36 in Dec-Jan 2022/2023. Excited to explore new places and give guidance to what we find here.

* '''Jmcantin''' Hi Jan, thanks for the hard work in this awesome guide! I am planning a Southbound hike of the GPT from Santiago de Chile in January 2023 for a couple of months. I would love to have the track files to properly plan my route. Thank you for your help :)

* ''' bforselv''' Hello guys, my wife and I live north of the Artic Circle in Norway and we are planing to go to Chile for hiking January and February. We want to do sections of the GPT.

* ''' Ishaysachs(Ishay)''' Hello Jan! Ishay from Israel here. Just finished the PCT and looking forward to do some sections of the GPT this January-March. Would love to get access to the files in order to plan my route (: thank you for putting so much effort into this. That's an incredible project and I can't wait to start hiking and share the journey with this great community.

*''' greenh3624 (Helen and Craig)''' Hello Hello Jan. Thank you so much for providing all this incredible information from the manual, we are both super grateful and are looking forward to contributing. Looking in to sections GPT 16- 05/06 for 2023 and hopefully some southern route sections from there. Just a quick comment to request track files. Your manual is incredible by the way. Mil gracias!

* ''' Christophe (Alex & Christophe)''' Hi Jan! Thanks a lot for all this informations and for your work. We are now travelling in south America with our van and are planning to sell it and start to hike the GPT in December 2023 for 2 or 3 month. This track files would help us a lot to plan this incredible adventure.

*'''miguelvdvelden (Miguel)''' Hola Jan! I’m in awe of everything you’ve put together for the GPT. It’s so comprehensive and as a sustainability student I am grateful for the focus on both the environmental and social sustainability of the region and its communities. I am hoping to hike or packraft a part of the GPT over six weeks or so in Jan-Feb 2023. I am in full planning mode now, hence my request here. Muchas gracias por todo. Abrazo.

*'''nico142857''' Hola Jan! Hace un tiempo habia leido parte del manual y veo que ahora esta actualizado. Desde ese momento que quede maravillado con la rigurosidad de tu trabajo y lo sigo haciendo ahora. Me suscribo a esta lista para poder obtener los track files, pues me interesa recorrer algunas secciones en las proximas vacaciones de verano 2022/2023. Estare muy agradecido si lo puedes mandar. Saludos desde Chile!. nicolas.

*'''Lore Olivares''' Hola Jan, gracias por compartir esta valiosa información. Soy de Chile y junto a mi amigo queremos hacer la parte norte del GPT desde Santiago. Te agradeceré mucho si nos puedes compartir los datos GPX. Muchas gracias de antemano.
*'''annéesympathique;) (Rémy D.)''' Hi guys, I‘m a student from Belgium and I plan to walk the GPT from december to march. That’s why having the GPX track files would help me realize this project. A big respect about all the work behind the GPT.
* ''' TOBEL ''' Congratulations to the GPT Hikers Manual. I am from Germany and a bit older then the most here. This year I will hike some parts of the GPT, so I would like to get the gpx files.

* ''' Michaelstabile (Mike & Avery) Hi, Thanks for compiling all of this information. We are Backpacking and Pack rafting Guides in Alaska. We are planning to start in 2023 and Continue through all the way back to Alaska. Hiking, bike packing, Packrafting and sea kayaking. Having this track files would be incredible for us helping with planning for this section of our journey.

* ''' Martin&Helena (Martin.h)''' Hello guys! Thanks for the amazing work you’re doing with the GPT. We are a couple from Prague, Czech republic, planning to start hiking from the beginning of December, most likely until the end of March. We would use the track files for planning our hike and navigation. Thank you, Martin&Helena

* '''EDAWILSON (Ed)''' Hello! We are a couple from Scotland who are heading to Patagonia for a couple of months hiking this October/ November, and we are looking to incorporate some elements of the GPT into our trip. 2022 conditions permitting, we will likely explore some sections of the Fjord route; as well as Glacier Chica to El Chaltén; and fingers crossed some sections south of here. I would love to overlay the track files over GE for a better planning experience. We love the spirit of the community you are building here! Great work!

* '''Ridgepathpictures (Jani)''' Hi! Myself and a couple of friends are planning a packrafting trip in Patagonia at the start of 2023. We will be dipping in and out of the regular packrafting route, so sections 17 to 39. The aid of the track files would be greatly appreciated. I'm honestly astounded by the work you have put into this trail, it's truly very inspiring.

* '''Slingshot (Jeremy)''' Hi! My soon to be wife and I are planning a 3 month trek from GPT05 southbound and would greatly benefit from the GPT track files. Thank you so much for your hikers manual and for providing access to these files. It has already greatly benefited us.

* '''Alexis (dm) & Iris''' Hello! We are a 29/28 years old couple from France and are starting a sabbatical in South America for a year in December. We are landing in Puntas Arenas and would like to hike our way, on the GPT or not, through Chile up to the Ecuador. To better plan our trip, we would like to access the GPT track files and are obviously willing to contribute to the initiative. Many thanks.

*'''Max''': Hello, I am from Germany and I really like to hike. Next year, I plan to hike from Santiago de Chile all the way down to Ushuaia with a Packraft. To do that, I would like to get the gpx files, so I can choose from the routes. Thank you for all of this.

*'''Ted''': Hi guys, I'm a 33 year old austrian guy and I plan to hike a few sections of the GPT in October and November. it would be great if i could have the gpx data so i can plan the routes better. great community

*'''Chris and Tara''': Hello!!! We are husband and wife, being 33 and 26 years old respectively. We plan to walk from Barilloche to Santiago incorporating large sections of the GPT. There are no fixed plans for sections and times, just to fully immerse our selves in Patagonia, it’s people and way of life. Thank you and all those who have contributes for your incredible work so far, I look forward to being able to contribute for others to enjoy!

**'''Wannes''': Hello, I'm a 31 year old belgian who plans a two week trek/run in the beginning of November. I would love to do a part of the GPT. Could I receive the gpt tracks to decide which part would be ok to do? Kind regards. Wonderfull work!

*'''Yannic & Mirjam''': Hello together. We are Yannic and Mirjam and since one year on a world trip. We plan to spend a few months in Patagonia next and hike parts of the GPT. Which parts exactly we are currently still working out. Would it be possible to get the GPS tracks? Thank you for you incredible work !

*'''AdriKunz''': Hello, first of all, a huge thank for all your amazing work. I am so grateful for this sharing which will allow me I hope to live a unique experience. I'm a actually working in French Guyana, but were looking for an immersive hick before living this continent. I finally came across this extraordinary adventure, which I think corresponds to me in every way. I plan to try the GTP from Santiago to part 14 or 15 of the GPT in a month and a week. I intend to start the hike in mid november. May i aske you the GPT track of thoses parts ?

*'''Avisito''': Finally going for it - December 2022! Plan to start at GPT05 and go south for several weeks - would love to start exploring the GPS track files. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

*'''Veronica''': Hello, I am Canadian and will be spending six months in South America from October 2022 to March 2023. While I am there I would love to spend a few of these months hiking various portions of the GPT, which is why I would love to obtain the GPS track files. Thank you so much for all this work and to all those who have compiled all this information. I am very much appreciative of all of this!

*'''Andes et Tentes''': Hello, we are 3 french students taking a year off to explore South America. We are planning to explore Patagonia between February and April 2023 by hiking on some specific sections of the GPT. That's why we are asking for the GPS tracks. Many thanks for the huge work achieved ! It is impressively detailed and complete !

*'''ondra''': Hello! My name is Ondrej and I am from the Czech Republic. I have been reading about Jan's and others' experiences on the GPT for the past two years. I will finally have a chance to walk a part of the trail myself in January - March 2023. I am adding myself to the list to kindly request the track files. Thank you Jan for putting this together.

*'''Mat''': Hi! from France. I’m planning a few months hiking trip to discover south America. I’ll most probably walk parts of the Gpt (as much as I can). I would be grateful to receive the necessary gpx files. Thank you for the this very huge and inspiring work.

*'''Alice & Florian''': Hola! We are Alice & Florian, a french couple who love hiking. We who will travel in South America and especially in Chile in September and October this year (2022), and we read about the GPT and some blogs, which really peaked our interest. Our project is to walk going south along the GPT for about a month, somewhere between September and November. After reading the hiker's manual, we came here in order to do access the GPX files and prepare deeper our project. Muchas Gracias para todo este trabalho.

*'''Thomas - Chilzin, Brah!''': Hola! I'm a thru hiker planning to do a large part of the GPT mostly continuously before heading north on a huge trip to explore South America. I really appreciate this resource and will do my best to contribute before and while I'm on trail. Thank you!

*'''Aneso''': Hola! I'm Aneso, a French woman who loves hiking. I heard about the GPT while doing research following my plan to go to South America for 1 year.
My project on the GPT being to leave from the south in the direction of the north, over a period of 1 month (or even a little more) from January 2023.
In my research I am missing the exact GPX files for my GPS.
Thank you in advance and congratulations again for all the work provided and to which we have access.

*'''Ariane''': Hola! I'm French and I will be hiking in Patagonia in April (and perhaps May); my plans are not yet well defined but I'd like to follow parts of the GPT on my way northward. Thanks for your super useful work!

*'''OriolGirona''': Hola! I'm from Barcelona but living at nearby Girona. Love hiking and cycling, being my longer tours so far between 4 and 6 weeks on the trail. I hear about the GPT two years ago while looking for new ideas during covid lockdown. I already read the manual a couple of times, and I am thrilled to travel to Santiago next November / December for a couple of month, probably starting from section 1. And at this point of planning I will apreciate to have the GPX tracks to get deeper into this process. Awesome work. Thanks a lot!!!

*'''JuanchoUgarte''': Hola! I'm a Chilean guy that loves hiking. I hear about the GPT a few years ago. This year while doing the Travesia Cerro Castillo realized that it was part of the GPT and decided to start planning to do it on summer 2023. During 2021 did the GR11 in Spain and want to do something in Chile this time (the GPX tracks would be very useful for all the planning) Probably will start near Parque Inglés. Thanks a lot!!!

*'''LeanderDc''': Hey hey, we're a crew of 3 hiking-friends from Belgium and Chile. We're planning on walking a part of the GPT starting from around Cochamó till O'Higgins, probably taking some ferries and hitchhikes in between. We're starting to refine our exact route, by reading the manual and analyzing google earth, and would hugely benefit from the exact GPX files. Thanks in advance!

*'''rowanl''': Hello, I'm an avid hiker from Canada looking to explore trails along the carretera austral especially around Cerro Castillo National Park. I hope to use the track files to help refine my plans. I appreciate all the information provided, Thank you!

*'''meotr''': Hi! I'm a french engineer planning to hike some parts of the main route between mid-february and mid-march during a 3-4 months period in Chile and Argentina. Thank you for you incredible work !

*'''Sergio''': Hi! I live in Santiago and I'm planning on hiking some of the first GPTs on early February and hopefully some of the southern parts later on. Thank you very much for all the work you have put into this, it's an incredible thing what you have done!!

*jdhanlon/Jen and Vince''': Hi! I am planning to hike and packraft a number of sections this season, from Jan - March 2022. Thank you for all your efforts and guidance in sharing information about the trail network!

*'''Gianluca/Cerna_Beltz''': Salve a tutti, Hi!! I'm italian and I'm planning to hike some part of the GPT from the end of january to mars/avril. Thank you so much for all this information and for your attitude!

*'''José''': Hi!!. I'm chilean and im planning to hike the GPT05 - 22 southbound. I would really apreciate to have access to the track files. Thank you so much for doing this, its awesome!

*'''Carlos and Ivan''': Hellow. We'll be in Chile in january and february. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike. Thank you for your great work!

*'''Mariia and Misha''': Hi! We are two Russian flying to Argentina in end of December. Fully equipped for packrafting. Planed start January 5, 2022 from Lago Puelo southbound. Sections: 1. GPT23-25P Rio Frey and Lago Amutui Quimei. 2. Then flying to Chile and resume GPT26-28P 3. GPT30P-32 4. GPT33H-35 5. GPT36P 6. 36H Northbound. End before March 25. I would be very greatful for the track files. Thank you so much for your awesome guide and work!

*'''Mawel''': Hello, I'm planning to hike the GPT or at least a part of it. Idealy, I'd like to start from Ushuaïa and travelling up north along the cordilliera. Anything concrete yet but I'm sure the track files will be very helpful to prepare this journey as best as I can.

*'''Alexey''': I will start my trip on 29.11.2021 from Lago Todos Los Santos to the North, until Lago Ranco.

*'''Matthias&Janna''': We will hike parts of the GPT in december - february. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike. Thanks for the enormous work done!

*'''Franck''': I will hike parts of the GPT with a friend in december and january, we're interested in GPT05 to 12, 19 to 22 and 32 to 36. Thanks for the great work !! Can't wait to put my shoes on : D

*'''Nathaniel''': I will be in Chile for a few months starting in December 2021. I am considering packrafting in the vicinity of the Western Fjord Traverse (GPT90P-GPT92P) as well as hiking/packrafting a section of the main route of the GPT in Zones H and I (possibly including GPT32-40).

*'''Laurent and Maxime''': Hi there! We are two Canadians flying to Chile in January. We are fully equiped with lightweight equipment for packrafting, endure all sorts of weather and accomplish a great trip on the greater patagonian trail! We have 3 months to travel and we are very grateful of all the precious information you offer us ! Thank you very much !

*'''Rebeca y Cristián''': Buenas tardes Jan! Estuvimos conociendo distintos lugares de la décima región desde inicios del 2021, "aprovechando" las cuarentenas. Ahora estamos planeando un viaje más largo, el cual incluye packraft. Nos encantaría acceder a los archivos para planificar mejor. Desde ya, muy agradecidos.

*'''David Batguano''': Good day all. I am heading to Chile at the end of November 2021 to get some hiking in, obviously. Fist I am completing the O circuit at Torres del Paine, then will hopefully complete some of the easier sections of the GPT(I do not wish to bushwack or prove a point). I have no time constraints and will just go where I wish at a leisurely pace. I am on page 400 of the hikers manual working on routing. Though difficult, Jan's work so far is an unbelievable resource.

*'''Vera & James''': Hi all! We are planning to head over to Chile for 3 months Jan - Mar 2022 and plan to hike on the GPT. Planning is ongoing but current thinking is start at Puyehue and work north. The main motivation is to be in the mountains/wilderness for a period of time. The manual is an incredible resource! Thanks!

*'''Tobias''': Hi Jan, I'm flying into Chile on the 1 of November. My plan is to hike southwards from Frutillar to El Chaltén and visit Schools along the way. I would be very greatful for the track files GPT 22-40. Thank you so much for your amazing work!

*'''Kris&Stiina''': Greetings, we are going to Chile in November and we plan to hike some sections of the GPT. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike and logistics. Thanks for the enormous work done!

*'''Helmut and Beatrice''': Hi JAN, we are planning to spend two months in Patagonia at the beginning of next year. We want to hike around 1000 km and the tracking data would be a great help for us to choose appropriate sections and plan our hiking adventure. High praise for the great manual!

*'''HolKann & Peanutje''': Hey all, we're planning to visit Chile in January 2022, and hope to hike parts of the GPT for the better part of (at least) 3 months. Our most recent hiking experience was the [https://thepindosway.com Pindos way] in Greece, which consisted of finding "the shadow of an old mule path" to get up or down a mountain ridge, which taught us how to handle packs of angry shepherd dogs, and which forced on us a crash course in rudimentary Greek (as we would have gone hungry otherwise). We hope to get to know Patagonia and its people in the same way, except that our Spanish skills should be a bit better.

*'''Stephan''': Hi folks, Hi Jan, i'm planning to do the GPT 22,Lago todos los santos, from Petrohue to Cochamo, hiking and packrafting. I have planned to go on October 2021. Thanks for the great work!
*'''Stéphane''': Hi folks, Hi Jan, planing a trail trip next summer in Patagonia walking from Villa Cerro Castillo to Villa o Higgins. Could you please Jan send mi the track files beetween Villa Cerro Castillo and Pto Ibanez passing through Torres el Avellano ? GPT33H. Thx a lot and long life to yout project ! Hug

*'''Martin and Kim''': Hi, we are planning to spend two oder three months next year in Patagonia. We want to hike round about 1200 km there and the track file would be very helpful to choose sections and plan our adventure. Thanks for the great manual!

*'''Vicente''': Hi, I'm planning on doing the GPT this spring of 2021, I've done other long trails through Patagonia so I want to take it to the next level. I believe this trail has a great potential to become an icon for my country and its beautiful mountains. I need the track files to prepare the adventure.

*'''Marc''' : We are two guys from Denmark who are hoping to spend a couple of months on the GPT, if possible we will begin this december. We are eager to get our hands on the track files to help us plan which sections to hike. We have a great amount of respect for all the work you have done to make this adventure possible!

*'''Simoncashyt''' : Me and my friend are Planning to spend 2.5 months in the area this December. Hoping to get this Track file and review the trail in gis with other historic route databases to really understand the sections topography, climates and route options to explore off the track file.

*'''Bastian Klein''' : I am a university student from Germany and currently only have vague plans for my hike. With the Covid situation still going on its still to be determined when I will actually get to go hiking, but I think the track files will help me a lot with planing. Greatly appreciate the work done on the GPT manual !.

*'''Tim''' : We are a couple from Germany and around new year we plan to spend a few weeks in the area around GPT05 to GTP07. If possible we might return some time to see southern patagonia as well for multiple months.

*'''Léo''' : I plan to travel one year in Chile from sept 2021 ; I want to start from Puertomontt to reach Santiago (in a whole year, so taking my time), and hike some sections of the GPT ! I have not chosen which exacts sections yet.

*'''Nadfero''': Mi plan is to divide the route in two or three sections, and hike it in the 2021-2022-2023 summers. Obviously it all depends on the covid situation. There is no harm in planning!

*'''Cristóbal''': Estoy aprovechando la cuarentena para estudiar la ruta y comenzar a hacer tramos en la medida que se levanten las restricciones sanitarias este 2021 y 2022.

*'''Jo and Ty''': We are a couple planning to trekk for 3 months or so on the GPT. 2021/2022 depends on Covid 19 situation. Propably starting somewhere at GPT08. We are still in the beginning of planning. We require the track files for a lot of planning and for navigating on the trek it self. We are pretty excited!

*'''Molly og Melissa''': We are two friends, from Denmark. We plan to hike most parts of group B, C and D in December 2021 - February 2022

*'''Patagonico''': Years ago i did the ruta de los pioneros now i would like to complete the GPT in the next few years.

*'''Les Amériques au fil de l'eau''': We are a french couple, planning to use the trail from Puerto Montt to Santiago in 2021-2022 and to realize two short documentary films about wetlands and about the women of America
*'''O Bicho Geográfico''': Para fines de investigación científica, Abril de 2021.
*'''Max Nemeth''': November to Mid-March 21/22, sections to be determined. Thank you for the amazing work on this route!
*'''Memo mcrash''': GPT10 and GPT11. I plan to do it in March with some friends. We are very grateful for the work you have done. Thank you! Guillermo.
*'''nico142857''': GPT01 and GPT02. Im planning to hike these 2 sections on March, and gpx's routes surely will help a lot. Thanks!
*'''MauricioDM''': I am planning to hike the whole trail in parts, but I am not sure where to begin, the GPX will help . Thanks.
*'''Nico busch''': GPT33H. Planning on doing the Torres del Avellano hike. Thanks.
*'''Bjornsether''': GPT 01 to 40. I've been planning a long-distance hike in Chile for some time. February-April 2021 might allow me to spend time on the GPT.
*'''AJForno''':, GPT 01 to 40, I live in Chile and have done some sections, and plan to keep exploring, Thank you! Andres
*'''Thom&Miky''': Hi, we are two friends planning to walk from febrary to april 2021 and we will try to reach from south to north the GPT 14 to GPT 01. Thank you! Thomas and Michael

*'''WhatDoesMyHeartTellMe''': I am very much interested in GPT 01 to 40. I plan to trek in 2021-2022. This endeavor requires a tremendous amount of planning. I hope you can grant me the track files. Thanks very much!

*'''Tom Corbett''': Januray 2021, hiking and packrafting sections of GPT 26 to GPT 33.

*'''Rperezdearce ''': Hi, With my girlfriend we will leave the first days of Nov 2020 from Santiago with the intention of reaching GPT12, then we will try to continue further south.

*'''Tobi & Fang''': Hiking and potentially packrafting in the <s>2021/2022, 2022/2023</s> 2023/2024 season.

*'''Freek van Keulen (Freek)''': Plan to hike 2021-2022 season, starting preparations and research now

*'''Joaquin Munoz (jqnmunozdiaz)''': Plan to hike sections GPT32-40 southbound on summer 2020-2021 if covid allows. I will likely hike some northern sections as well.

*'''Quamen''': I am dreaming to hike the GPT01-16 and to hiking/packrafting GPT17-40 southbound this austral summer 2020-2021 season.

*'''Frambues''': Starting at the end of 2020 if Covid lets. Not sure yet which part to do in one season, but probably start in Santiago.

*'''Ferdinand''': Hi, Ferdinand from germany, I'd like to hike southbound starting from GPT 05 from Dec 2020 - Apr 2021 and see how far I can get. The GPS files would help a lot planning everything more in detail, thanks!

*'''Víctor Valenzuela''': GTP 05-19: Planning on starting end of 2021 with GPT 05-19 and further on. Got one season to explore the GPT.

*'''Isaac Garza (Try431)''': Planning to hike southbound GPT season from ~December 2020 through ~March/April 2021 (weather/COVID permitting). At the moment, planning to do GPT17P - GPT39, and track files will be very helpful in planning out in more detail :)

*'''Pipers''': Hi, I'm from Valdivia, chile, and I am planning to hike or ride in my bike the closest parts of the route, as soon as coronavirus lockdown finishes

*'''Patagoniandreams''': Planning to hike the standard route soundbound, starting at GPT10 until GPT23 and looping back nordbound via the Huella Andina. Due to the Corona crisis we postpone this endeavour to the 2021-2022 season. The hike will be done in family. We will have a 6 year old girl and a 3 year old boy with us. We have 4 months. We have been doing GPT sections back in 2008 - 2010 - 2013.

*'''Olivier1''': Planning to hike the standard route northbound, starting at GPT 40 for the 2021-2022 season.

*'''David Brophy (d.brophy)''': Planning to hike the standard route GPT01-GPT40 over two seasons starting as soon as COVID permits. Will use a pack-raft for the second season.

*'''Peter Mican (ElCondor)''': Planning to hike the GPT in 2020/2021, starting at section 01 and hike as far south as I can, depending on the weather and situations on the track. I am planning to go solo but would be happy to join with a fellow hiker(s) ;-)

*'''jojohoughton''': Planning on hiking/packrafting southbound to section 40, starting either from section 1 or section 13 depending on the conditions. Will be exploring the GPT for the summer 2020-2021 season.

*'''Leonhard''': GTP 1-16: Planning on starting end of 2021 with GPT 1-16 and further on. Got one season to explore the GPT.

*'''Aligator''': GTP 40 to GPT32: Plannning to explore that part of the GPT in February (from 03/02) and March (flexible) with my girlfriend (we both live in Santiago). Thank you for the incredible work you've achieved gathering and updating all those information!

*'''ConnyPflaume''': GTP 14 & 15 or the area between lago Conguillo and Lago Tinquilco. We will start this weekend, 11.1.20 - would be nice we could be supplied with the map so shorthanded.

*'''felixrulz''': Will be in the Andes for around 4 months. Have already completed 3 sections, but looking to do more. Joined specifically for the Puyehue section (GPT 19)

*'''Kelly Swanson''': I plan to solo trek starting at GPT06 in January 2020, continuing till mid March.

*'''phil ro''': i will start in coihayque in mid-january and will head south for more than 4 weeks with a packraft.

*'''johannsteffen''': Going to make a backpack trip starting in February on Ushuaya and going to Bariloche in June.

*'''Claudio Miranda''': Starting from Santiago in January 2020 until April, planing to arrive at least to Chile Chico.

*'''Trinity''': Travelling to SA for 2 years and plan exploring Patagonia.

*'''pirre''': Starting in January 2020 on GPT32 and planning to hike south for 6-8 weeks. Thanks!

*'''Shn0rhelez''': Hi,I am Anton from Sofia,Bulgaria...me and my girlfriend are starting from sec6 in the middle of January...we have around four months...thank you for your remarkable work!!!

*'''Gatodelmonte''': Starting on 2 January from Santiago, planning to hike South for about 45 days & exit near Pucon (sections 1 to 15)

*'''Fedepatagon''': Like to pack raft on the area between Bariloche-Osorno and P.N Los Alerces

*'''Vincent Paquet''': My girlfriend and I are planning to spend 3 weeks walking from december 18 2019 to Jan 10 2020. We're still selecting the exact sections. Cheers!!

*'''Tmattson425''': Plan for this year is to solo trek sections 1 through 19 (southbound) starting in mid-January 2020. I'm an American expat living in Buenos Aires and plan on returning in following seasons to complete the GPT, try packrafting, and explore alternate routes. Extremely excited an grateful that this trek is possible. Thank you!

*'''SalomeS''': Planning for a 6 month trip with my husband starting in Nov/Dec 2020. Planning to hike the sections 40 to 16. We would be incredibly grateful to receive the gps track files. Thank you!

*'''Ianhikes'''* Leaving for Chile in 1 week and looking to spend a month on GPT hiking southbound.

*'''zc0rp10''': Hi! Planning and preparing for an extended hike together with two friends from November 2020 - Feb 2021.

*'''ELLI''': together with a friend we plan to hike the sections of the main route but in opposite direction starting in the area around Lago viedma in first days of January 2020, we have approx. 4 month time

*'''gorskial''': plan to bike/packraft along the carretera austral from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins with hiking side trips. Jan/feb 2020

*'''pitney''': Solo hiking GPT sections 6-22 Southbound beginning early January, 2020.

*'''dirtmonger''': GPT sections 1-24; planning underway for an immersion solo hike ‘20 November to ‘21 February.

*'''bob451''': Planning on solo hiking 2 or 3 sections of the GPT northbound March/April 2019.

*'''Mgabenesch''' : Planning on hiking most parts of the GPT, starting in Ushuaïa then going North. I have on year off. Starting Dec 2019

*'''Family Size''': Planning on hiking parts of the GPT southbound. Starting end of November 2019.

*'''shaunchurch''': Hope to solo hike/packraft a few sections southbound. Section 15 or 17 in Dec 2019. Then maybe a couple more from among sections 21-31 in Jan and Feb 2020.

*'''iank''':2 months jan and feb 2020. Hope to hike isla navarino, cirque of huemuls and then cochrane to chile chico. More northerly secions maybe 2021.

*'''dsmit3000''': Solo hiker planning on hiking GPT40-31 northbound November-January 2019.

*'''2As''': We plan to walk in Chile and Argentina from mid October 2019 to mid march 2020. We don't have precisely planned our trip but the root of our trip is to go by foot through Patagonia and also discover Chile and his people and culture.
*'''A pat''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT (Need to confirm but we are interesting in sections 08-22 and 35- 40) from January to early March 2020.
*'''Aceestrin''': We'll be exploring for 4 weeks in Los Lagos region December-January.
*'''Andrealopezb''': I plan on doing individual sections for the time being, mostly between Santiago-El Maule
*'''annbrnn''': Heya, a friend and I are planning on hiking several sections of the GPT beginning end of December 2019 and are currently in the process of determining our route.
*'''AlexEdge''': Hi, i am planning to hike the lower sections of this route with a couple friends, possibly febuary 2020. thank you!
*'''Arno507''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT starting fom November/December 2019 till early April 2020.
*'''Birdy ''': I plan to mostly walk from Lake Titicaca to Ushuaia starting November 2019.
*'''David''': Hello!! This is David from Barcelona and I'm planning to walk through the Patagonia for 4 month from January 2020. I would love to do all de GPT, but I'm not sure if it's too ambitious... For sure, I'll try it!! :-) I would really appreciate if you can provide me the gps track files. Many thanks!!
*'''Dubrovskiy''': 2 people, January 2020, Foot hiking southern parts, likely around GPT40-33.
*'''Edwinb''': I will be arriving in Chile in Nov and plan to cherry pick parts of the GPT and mix it with other trekking, basically like I did last year. Always interested in a bit of exploring, providing it doesn't get to extreme!
*'''Hendrik Niehaus''': We arrive in Chile early Oktober 2019. From November until January we plan to be on the GPT. Due to the recommendations of the hikers manual we are mainly interested in section 5-16. However, plans might still change and are not too fixed yet. Thank you in advance!
*'''Herman van Horssen''': We plan to do section 47 to 69 of the GPT in 2020.
*'''johansonst333''': Hi! I am planning the sections 30 - 40 during this hiking season, would be incredibly grateful to have the GPS files for further research and planning. Thank you in advance!
*'''Jose Barros''' Hello !Im jose from Santiago de Chile, i will do the sections from Conquillio national park to Puyehue national park, its aprox. 15 days in January, i think it will be great ! If you can provide the track files i will be very thankfull.
*'''Jose Roman''': Hi, my plan is to several sections by bike or hiking staring September 2019 until Abril 2020.
*'''JUNHUI SON''': Hi, I'm from South Korea, I plan to do section 1 to 40 of the GPT in September 2019 till November.
*'''Kendon''': I cycled Patagonia many year ago and have always wanted to return for an extended walk through this wonderful area. I am in preliminary stages of my planning and thank you for your efforts in providing such a great resource. I am looking at the 2020 summer.
*'''Martín H.I.''': Hello, I´m planning to make an attempt to hike from sections GPT01 to GPT22 this summer from December 2019 to February 2020, still deciding on the exact sections, but southbound is my direction. I´m a chilean 25 year old architect who will humbly try to hike this unique trail. Thank you Jan for the amazing creation.
*'''Martin Lizondo''': I will be hiking southbound from Anticura (GPT20) to El Chaltén (GPT39), between December 2019 and February 2020. It's my second season in the GPT, after hiking from Santiago (GPT01) to Anticura (GPT19) in 2018-2019.
*'''martinahaller''': We will be arriving in Chile in Nov and plan to hike parts of the GPT during the next 6 Month, starting in Santiago.
*'''Maturin''': Hi, I am currently figuring out the details to hike GPT06 to GPT08 from the 27th of December 2019 until mid January. I will be doing the Horseriding tour before. I speak fluent spanish and the idea is to go southbound. Thank you!
*'''Matúš Lašan''': We plan to do as much as possible from December 2019 till March 2020.
*'''msantelli''': Hi, Melissa, plan to trek sections 05-22 taking a chance to start mid-late Nov. of ‘19 may need to backtrack and cut a few sections out, if rivers can’t be ford/crossed-flexible schedule
*'''Meylin Ubilla and Jan Dudeck''': We plan to investigate new packrafting and hiking routes in more remote areas between Puerto Montt and El Chalten without making a single long traverse (GPT21 to GPT40, GPT90P to GPT 92P). We will depart in November 2019 and plan to finish in February 2020. Experienced packrafts may join us for these investigations.
*'''Lauric Olrik''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT starting from November 2019, we have a whole year off.
*'''Lea Geibel''': Hi, my plan is to do several sections of the GPT starting fom October/November 2019 until beginning of January 2020 and need to figure out which ones are suitable for such an early start.
*'''Linda''': Hi, I am planning to hike alone southbound the GPT from beginning of December 2019 to mid-February 2020, probably from GPT06 to GPT22, but I am still studying the routes and the sections. I spoke quite good spanish, at least, it will come back there, practicing ! Thank you !
*'''Oreste Marquis''': Hello, i'm planning to hike sections 06-22 and 32-40 if time allows it. My trip will be from January to Abril 2020.
*'''Sanita Heinz''': We plan to do section 1 to 40 of the GPT in December 2019 till March 2020.
*'''Selma''': We are planning to packraft some sections of the GPT during our stay in Nov/Dez '19
*'''Staci Garcia''': Hello, I am planning on doing several sections of the GPT in 2020. I am still in research on what sections.
*'''TrashPanda''': Hi, we plan to do several sections from the end of November 2019 till February 2020.
*'''tom347''': Hola, I plan to do part of parts 1 to 40 with a friend, starting mid october. We will be hitchhiking the parts that are not recomended in particular months. We will be travelling for aproximately 2 months. Gracias.
*'''Tombartlett''': Hello I am planning on hiking many sections over a three month period from November 2019 to February 2020.
*'''Wanderwood18 ''': We plan to make it to El Chalten/Fitz Roy in one season from Santiago. This means I’ll probably skip recommended sections to skip/do what I need to do to make it. I’m flexible, we will see how it goes. My girlfriend, America, and I are planning on starting around Nov. 10th….
*'''LieberWeiter''' Hi, I do not know yet if I ever dare to walk the GPT but meanwhile I would like to plan therefore!
*'''Jarek Wątroba''' Hey, I will spend several months in Patagonia starting in Jan 2024. The information you provided in the Hiker's Guide is already immensely helpful, but the track files would make planning our route so much easier. Thanks.
*'''Wolke7net''' Hi, could you please send me the track without packrafting. Thanks!

*'''''DoloresMonika''''' Hi,my name is Dorota and I am from Poland. This year I would like to go through all GPT trail. Thanks for preparing this manual and description of trail.

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