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GPT29P - Valle Picacho

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Página redirigida a GPT29P (Valle Picacho)
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==Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions==
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* Section start date and finish date (use format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Names or alias / Travel direction (southbound or northbound) / Chosen route and/or options (regular hiking or packrafting route and/or Option 1, 2, 3, …) / Travel duration (without rest days and waiting time)
 
Alerts and suggestions explained in detail
 
Personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties
 
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* 2022-Jan-04 to 2022-Jan-06 / Tobias Schorcht / Northbound / Regular Packrafting Route from Picaflor to Puerto Cisnes / 2.5 days
Exploring this Remote Valley was one of my favourite parts of the southern GPT. Since there were some days with heavy rain before I went, water levels were high. Many rapids class 2 let me enjoy the Rio Picacho a lot. Such a wild and mystic place! The first rapid of Lago Copa could be packrafted as well, the 3 other rapids I needed to bypass, which was VERY challenging, because I didn‘t bring a machete (stupid me). It took me 4 hours to bypass the second rapid of Lago copa (only 2,5 Kilometers!). Don’t ask how I managed to get through that dense Jungle, but there was also no way back. I looked very funny afterwards. The third Rapid on Lago copa is „easy“ to Bypass. Thanks to Tobias Hellwig, Ricardo Campos , Jen Ni and Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González for cleaning up the last bypass from Lago Copa to Lago Escondido in 2019!! The Trail is still visible, only some parts are overgrown. I highly recommend to read there well written and detailed Report below.
* 2018-Jan-11 to 2018-Jan-14 / Meylin Ubilla, Jen Ni, Tobias Hellwig, Ricardo Campos, Jan Dudeck / Northbound / Regular Packrafting Route from Picaflor to Puerto Cisnes / 3.5 days
* 2020-Jan-28 to 2020-Jan-29 / Southbound / Regular Packrafting Route from Picaflor to Puente Mañihuales / 3.5 days
AttractivenessFrom the crossing “Picaflor” on the Carratera Austral, follow the dirt road and Rio Picaflor for roughly 11km until you meet Rio Mañihuales.
This packrafting section I wanted to put in further upstream on Rio Picaflor, which is a hidden treasure for experienced packrafters that enjoy particularly remote areas pretty-looking small river, but there are too many fallen trees accross the water and don’t mind it didn't seem to bushwhack through dense forestbe worth the effort. Very few people The Upper Mañihuales, then, is a narrow, shallow, slow-moving river. Some parts are already so shallow in this region even heard January that you'll touch bottom regardless of your skills at reading rivers. It's a nice little stroll for about 10km. While the scenery is not impressive at the start it improves dramatically as you progress.After paddling for about these places making this traverse 12km, you hit a journey first, fun rapid. Quickly, a second rapid that you should scout first (impressive drop). Then quickly a third, scary-looking one. It might not be very technical but it sure looks like the kind of rapid you don't wanna go into mystic placesolo. It marks the start of a long, Class-IV section. Fortunately, you can easily take out and reach the Carretera Austral nearby. You have about 6km left to reach Villa Mañihuales.I would strongly advise against going solo from there on.This first section takes about 3 hours.
You can of course easily resupply and camp in Villa Mañihuales, which is a pretty little town.
History You can then get back into Rio Mañihuales from Puente Mañihuales II, roughly 22km south of this routeVilla Mañihuales on the Carretera Austral.The road from Villa Mañihuales to the bridge is stunning and so is the Rio, with crystal clear water. Experienced paddlers should not have any problems. Others should proceed with caution in the first few rapids (one that you should scouted first, I think it was the third one). Quite a few dead trees and branches are stuck in the rapids. Again, proceed with caution.
The No hazard once you've paddled accross the first documented traverse of this route was made by the explorer Augusto Grosse in 1944. Grosse with a couple of man explored this valley all the way to the port town Puerto Cisnes at the Pacific Ocean with a wooden boatkm.
One or two decades later On the first settlers attempted to “hacer patria” along day of that trip, head winds were getting quite strong while approaching the lakes and rivers of this valleywhere Puerto Aysen lies. At both sides of Rio Picacho you still find cattle pastures and a couple of houses but all settlers left Lago Copa and only one settler remains on the more accessible side of Lago Escondido (Don Transito Lopez). A last visible reminder of the settling attempt Taking out at Lago Copa are two abandoned fishing lodges; one smashed by landslide and Puente Mañihuales I, I covered the other one still standing offering some shelter before it will collapse 20km in a couple of yearsroughly 3,5 hours.
We heard that occasionally motor boats travel on Rio Picacho to Lago Copa for exclusive fishing tours but they probably do no pass the first rapid on Lago Copa and certainly not the second rapid.
* 2018-Jan-11 to 2018-Jan-14 / Meylin Ubilla, Jen Ni, Tobias Hellwig, Ricardo Campos, Jan Dudeck / Northbound / Regular Packrafting Route from Picaflor to Puerto Cisnes / 3.5 days
 
Attractiveness
 
This packrafting section is a hidden treasure for experienced packrafters that enjoy particularly remote areas and don’t mind to bushwhack through dense forest. Very few people in this region even heard about these places making this traverse a journey into mystic place.
Difficulty
Packrafting was not excessively demanding but only if the lake rapids are portered along the regular packrafting route. Wind on Lago Copa was as expected against the travel direction but manageable.
After heavy rain the lake level rises levels rise quickly, therefore camping close to water should be avoided in rain or instable weather. We noticed a 0.3 m rise in one night. Driftwood in elevated areas indicates seasonal water level changes of up to 3 m! Also, the rapids along Lago Copa appear to change significant depending on the lake water level. We have seen the final rapid where Lago Copa drains into Lago Escondido from Lago Copa Escondido once after weeks of heavy rain (Jan in January 2018) and a second time now after average summer weather (Jan in January 2019) and the situation was completely different.
The 2 km of bush-bashing are very slow going. This is probably the most overgrown piece of regular route of the entire GPT. Machetes are required.
History of this route
SurprisesThe first documented traverse of this route was made by the explorer Augusto Grosse in 1944. Grosse with a couple of man explored this valley all the way to the port town Puerto Cisnes at the Pacific Ocean with a wooden boat.
We slept one night on One or two decades later the terrace under first settlers attempted to “hacer patria” along the roof lakes and rivers of the abandoned building at Kilometer 47this valley.8 (was a luxury fishing lodge, located right after where At both sides of Rio Picacho flow into you still find cattle pastures and a couple of houses but all settlers left Lago Copa and only one settler remains on the right Lake shoremore accessible side of Lago Escondido (Don Transito Lopez). Having a roof A last visible reminder of the settling attempt at Lago Copa are two abandoned fishing lodges; one smashed by landslide and the other one still standing offering some shelter before it will collapse in rain was a delight but it remains unclear when this building collapsescouple of years.
We slept one night on the terrace under the roof of the abandoned building at Kilometer 47.8 (was a luxury fishing lodge, located right after where Rio Picacho flows into Lago Copa on the right Lake shore). Having a roof in rain was a delight but it remains unclear when this building collapses.
 
We heard that occasionally motor boats travel on Rio Picacho to Lago Copa for exclusive fishing tours but they probably do no pass the first rapid on Lago Copa and certainly not the second rapid.
Timing
The traverse from the first put in is nearly completely on water with: 42 km on rivers 18 km on lakes 3 km on a fjord and 2 km demanding bush-bashing.
 
Arrival to Trail Head
We went by car to the first river put in. Public transportation gets you the crossing “Picaflor” on the Carratera Austral from where it is a 14 km walk on a dirt road to the Rio Picacho put in.
 
Resupply on the Trail
There is no resupply all the way to Puerto Cisnes but the high packrafting ratio permits carrying lots of food (and beer and wine?) without a significant weight penalty. Therefore pack plenty of food to have a contingency reserve in this difficult to predict terrain.
 
Part 1: Rio Picacho
At the first put in the river water level was just sufficient to mostly avoid ground contacts. This was after some rain in the days before our trip. So in a dry period it might be advisable to hike further downstream on the left or right side of the river before starting to packraft. A couple of easy to moderate rapids can either be paddled or portered. This conclusion is based on the moderate river water level when we packrafted Rio Picacho.
 
Part 2: Lago Copa
Third Rapid: The third rapid appeared as unsafe to paddle as the second rapid so we searched a portage. We found about 100 m to the right of the rapid a wooden boat tight to a tree and there a still visible trail started. We opened this 100 m long trail by machete and ported the packrafts without deflating them.
 
Part 3: Lago Copa to Lago Escondido
This roughly 1 km long portage trail was in parts still visible but completely overgrown. In order to reopen this route for future packrafters we made the effort to search and thoroughly clean this portage trail. With 5 people and 4 machetes we were working our way to Lago Escondido in about 5 to 6 hours leaving a now well visible and open route through the dense forrest. But the rapidly growing vegetation makes it necessary that any packrafter carries a machete to keep the passage open and visible.
 
Part 4: Lago Escondido
Paddling this pristine mountain lake on the evening of the 3rd day was our premium after nearly one day of bushwhacking.
 
Part 5: Rio Cisnes and Puerto Cisnes
The paddle on Rio Cisnes and through the fjord to Puerto Cisnes is easy as long not facing heavy head wind.
 
We highly enjoyed researching and reopening this section with Tobias Hellwig and Ricardo Campos, two Chileans living in Coyhaique and with Jenni, a GPT hiker of the “GPT class 2018/19”. Without them we would have struggled much more and much longer on this particular depopulated section.
Felagund
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