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→Season 2023/24
Together they are 24 km return and with a daypack it could work.
The EXP-OH-TL-I trail is very well maintained and relatively well marked. There is even a very nice Refugio Puesto Rivera + campsite for tents along the way. BUT from km 7 the trail is damaged by landslides and the section after that is overgrown. I tried the last km via BB through the forest. After that everything should be clear and only CC to the Mosco glacier. Unfortunately, I make very slow progress with BB, it simply takes too much time and with a temperature of 15°C the river crossing afterwards would be dangerous. Unfortunately I have to abort (safety first) & return.
2023-12-10 to 2023-12-13 / 4 days / RR + OH-TL-V / SOBO / Anh
A very experienced hiker/local in Villa O'Higgins advised me against NoBo due to high water levels in the next few days regarding river crossings.
Day 1: With a private transfer to Laguna Calluqueo I had to hike a few more kilometers to the end of Ruta X-901 because it is private land closed by a gate. The first two river crossings were a bit above knee and sometimes strong current. The trail after that in the forest is actually made for horses, there are a lot of obstacles like fallen trees, overgrown bush, swampy paths. It is particularly misleading when the RR and horse path separate because it is suddenly very strange without horse tracks. It has rained and with the snow melting, the paths and streams are almost indistinguishable. I make very slow progress through the obstacles.
The river crossing (Ford km 66.5) was long but in the evening without any problems (knee-deep). The path afterwards RR-CC-A to the camp was steep uphill, but more pleasant than in the forest. As you can see, this trail is only for hikers and it was very rarely used.
Day 2: It was CC up, across the border from Argentina & back into Chile. At this time there are still many snowfields to cross and therefore Ford (km 71.8) was under the snowfield, which made it very precarious for me. The river crossing Ford (km 77.4) was up to my hips with a strong current, but is not dangerous. Overall, I was much faster because there were hardly any obstacles (only Fords and completely swampy meadow).
Day 3: The way back from yesterday + 250m river crossing should be easy and pleasant like yesterday! But there was a strong headwind & snow = snow confusion. Then there was the fog and the infamous white-out. My footprints from yesterday were already filled with fresh snow, but still recognizable. I didn't have a long break, so I reached the day's destination very quickly.
Bored, I just carried on hiking and didn't find the way back in the forest from day 1 so bad. I got through all the obstacles surprisingly quickly with the following strategy:
- I had put on remedies on the way out, it had helped a lot. And I run like a horse, don't think twice, just jump over obstacles. The path is made for horses.
- The way back is from the top, the path is much easier to recognize.
- New strategy: just follow the horse tracks, even if I leave the RR.
In the end, I had completed the entire way back from two days earlier in one day. It was about 27km, only possible because it was mostly downhill (450m uphill, 700m downhill).
The price for this strategy was scratches and mini cuts from knees to shoes, very unpleasant at every river crossing.
Day 4: OH-TL-V to the glacier at Laguna Calluqueo. You have to cross the river right at the beginning, it was a bit over your knees but easy. After that it's a slow climb of almost 700m. There were only a few tricky places: mini path on the precipice or slippery downhill. Overall, the path was very easy to recognize and very pleasant to run. Water is only available again at km 3.5, so you should take your time and enjoy the trail at a leisurely pace.
During the night, a tent pole broke and the tent was damaged. There are no outdoor stores in Cochrane and you can't buy a new tent. In addition, a section on RR-GPT35 from Tamango entrance through Patagonia Park was not yet open.
==Season 2022/23==