6
ediciones
Cambios
→Season 2024/25
Easy walk out, camp 136.9km looked nice we debated staying but walked out instead.
Trail condition is really good after 139.1km so is pretty fast
*'''2025 Jan / 5 days / SOBO / RR + 35-06 alternative to Fachinal / Al & Bee'''
The alternative route to Fachinal is a beautiful and adventurous route, the glacier lakes are particularly stunning. However, the bushbashing part is quite demanding and time-consuming.
Day 01
Transport from Chile Chico to trailhead (X at 8.1) with Pamela. At the settler's property, we passed through a closed iron gate. Easy walking on MR to the Puesto with beautiful views of the lake when looking back. Hiked up through hills past sheep, horses and cattle to the pass. On the plateau it was extremely windy but stunning, with CC being easy due to minimal vegetation. Saw numerous curious guanacos and gorgeous flamingos on a lagoon. Followed OSM rather than GPT track. The marked camp spot was very exposed, so we continued downhill to find a relatively protected flat spot by the riverbed. Met a fellow GPT hiker which was great.
Day 02
CC down the hill to MR, encountering a fence and following a small trail to an empty puesto. Many areas were boggy. Spotted Ibis and numerous other birds. Reached the road in the afternoon with no cars heading our direction. Walked to the park entrance, but the ranger station was already closed (open until 6pm). Caterpillars abounded. Walking along the shore of Lago Jeinimeni instead of the trail is often more interesting.
Day 03
Hiked on good trails through the national park. The view from the pass, which we ascended quickly, of the turquoise Lago Verde was beautiful. The caterpillar situation improved somewhat on the other side of the pass. Descended to Lago Verde and hiked up the broad river valley of Vallehermoso. All river fords were easily manageable. Weather was poor - rainy, windy and cold. After Refugio Vallehermoso, we left the RR for the optional route (in a north-west direction. The valley was extremely windy at first, but we found a relatively protected campsite at the forest edge in a kind of recess of the valley (close to -46.82125, -72.17825)
Day 04
Hiked up the beautiful valley in north-west direction towards the two beautiful glacier lakes. River crossings were easy, at one the water was thigh-high. At the second lake there’s a mountain hut (-46.79241, -72.20793). Rocky path next to lake up to beginning of high plateau valley. Parts are boggy, otherwise easy CC. Potential wind sheltered campsite with flat spots at -46.76511, -072.21924. Hiked up along (and in) creek to third lagoon and the pass at 35-6 15.0, lot’s of suitable campsites there. Hiked down from the pass into a forest. Trail finding was initially manageable but became very difficult, with the path extremely overgrown or non-existent. Sometimes there were cow tracks, sometimes broken off branches to indicate the direction. Don’t underestimate the amount of time you will need for this part. Hut at -46.69930, -72.22469 right before the first river crossing. Some suitable campsites in vicinity to hut. Crossing was easy right next to the zipline at 19.9, water about knee high. We camped at a camp without water in old corral ca. 15 minutes before second zipline at 24.0, carried water from river crossing at 19.9.
Day 05
Crossing was easy right next to the second zipline at 24.0, water was even lower than at the first. The trail continued up and down, often well above the beautiful turquoise Río Aviles, which flows through the valley, sometimes between narrow rocks, sometimes in a wider valley. The environment became drier and warmer, with evidence of past forest fires in some areas. We reached the road at the Río Aviles bridge. Initially no cars stopped, with little traffic passing. Eventually a small bus from Coyhaique heading to Chile Chico picked us up.