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ediciones
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→Season 2025/26
==Season 2025/26==
*'''2025 Nov 26th to Dec 2nd / 6 hiking days & 1 zero day / SOBO / Hiking / RR / Michael and Kasia'''
Quick notes: A nice section, especially as a warmup. This was our first section of the season; it was out first section last season as well with almost the exact same dates, so it was interesting to compare the snow and water levels between the two years; noticeably less this year. No particular challenges. Water is easy to come by, all fords were easy and it is not hard to find a decent campsite. We forgot that we had noted last year that a NOBO direction would be more visually appealing and walked it SOBO again, but we still think NOBO would be preferable.
Camps:
Night 1: -44.28301, -71.86381 (nice space, flat area, good water access, minimal wind protection)
Night 2: -44.32904, -71.89183 (flat grassy area, some mountain view, no wind protection, far from water source)
Nights 3 & 4: -44.38007, -71.86852 (nice spot on a small island between a stream and the river, flat space for two or three tents, some wind protection, easy water access)
Night 5: -44.46429, -71.76716 (flat, grassy spaces for multiple tents, a mountain view, easy water access, close to the road)
Night 6: -44.55326, -71.72765 (flattish, grassy area, good water access about 30m away (-44.55356, -71.72763), view out on to mountains and river, right next to a dirt road, no wind protection)
Day 01 - Nov 26th
We had stayed the night in La Junta. We caught the Wednesday bus to Lago Verde that left the plaza at 15:00. We arrived at 16:30. We rearranged our bags and got water from the municipality building across the street from the plaza. They also had bathrooms free of charge. We hiked to the first place we had camped the previous year, only about 5.5 km.
Day 02 - Nov 27th
We found water at km 6.6 and km 7.5, then nothing but a few stagnant, muddy pools until Ford 13.3. There were some tábanos, though they seemed kind of lazy, slow, hardly biting and easy to kill. We hiked to the plateau. Last year had been windy and rainy so we camped in the forest. This year we had a still, clear night, so we camped out on the plateau around km 12.9.
Day 03 - Nov 28th
We woke up to a windless morning with full sun on the plateau. Ford 13.3 was easy, below calf and not much current, just very cold. The way up the hill was hot, full sun and almost no breeze the whole day. Good water spots at km 14.9, 16.3 and 20.2. We had to change into water shoes to cross the arroyo at 20.2, but one could probably get across dry-foot if they were determined. There is a camp site just beyond it which we used last season. This year we wanted to go a little further and camp by the river. We found a nice spot around km 22.2. The main challenge for the day was the tábanos which were a nightmare. We each had about 10 swarming us at any given time. I killed dozens and it made no difference at all.
A small variant proposal. At km 21.5, you can see a puesto down the hill to the right with a road leading down to it, part of which is underwater. If you go down to the puesto, then toward the clearing near the river, there is a fire circle. Ford the river and there is another fire circle with a sign that says Sector Fogato. You will also see a path leading upriver which passes an old corral on the right hand side. It reconnects with the main road after about a half km. It is a short variant, but it avoids some ups and downs, and it goes through the forest rather than on an exposed road grade.
Day 04 - Nov 29th
We took a zero day to relax and enjoy nature.
Day 05 - Nov 30th
Light rain throughout the morning. There were unmarked fords at km 22.1, 22.8, and 23.4, all easy. We knew about them from last year and since they were so close together we just kept our water shoes on between them. We were able to dry-foot cross Ford 28.2. There is another stream crossing at km 31.4 that last year we had to ford, but this year we were able to rock hop to get across dry-foot. Compared to last year the plateau is much drier and there was no residual snow along the path. At km 34 there is a puesto off to the right. Here the forest upend up into a field for about 600 m before the road heads back into the trees. Last year there was water everywhere there and this year it was completely dry. We also noticed some large tents off in the woods. We found out later in town that they are building a mine in the area and we suspect this is the camp for the construction crew. Fords 35.8 and 36 were both easy. At km 36.3 there is a new gate, easy to open, just a hook and wire loop. The road forks and the GPT track goes left. We recommend going right; it is a new road that reconnects with the track in a short distance, but there is a large blow-down across the old route close to the end. It's not that difficult to get around, but depending on the size of your pack might slow you down a bit. We camped around km 38 in a nice grassy area near the river. There was flat space for a few tents and easy water access.
Day 06 - Dec 1st
Cool, cloudy day. Last season we went through the gate and up onto the new road. This season we wanted to take the fords. They were all easy, below knee or mid calf, not too much current. The area through the woods was nice. Coming down the hill to Ford 51.5 across Río Cáceres there were four vehicles doing road repairs. We said hello as we passed them and continued down to the ford. We did a shoe change and just before we were about to cross, they all came down the hill to cross the river too. We waited for them then went ourselves. Crossing was easy. We walked to Camp 54.9, but there was no flat area for a tent there, so we walked back down the hill about 200 m, just before the gate and camped there. There was water access about 30 m back in.
Day 07 - Dec 2nd
Sun on and off throughout the day, sometimes kind of windy. The forest is really beautiful if you can ignore the dirt road. Everything seemed exceptionally green this year. We had to do a shoe switch just before Camp 54.9, though it might be possible to dry-foot across. At the final ford it was unclear how deep it would be, and it is also very wide. We were just about to attempt it when a guy driving a dump truck came to drive across and offered us a ride across. It is very hard to assess how deep water is based on appearances, but looking down from the cab it looked like it would maybe be mid-thigh, possibly hip height at one point (we're both about 165 cm). In town it was difficult to find a place to stay. There were three separate companies running big construction projects and the workers had rented most of the rooms in town. We ended up staying at Hospedaje Blanquita one block off the square, 20.000 for the room with breakfast (+56 9 3481 1014).
==Season 2024/25==