19
ediciones
Cambios
→Season 2023/24
==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 3 days 7-9 Jan 2024 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
==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=
