Cambios

There is a bus from Cochrane to Lago Brown twice a week (see transport section) Taking it to the junction with Route 901, a little after the bridge over Rio Tranquilo, will save a 30KM 34KM road walk.

Camped by a ruined shelter. I crossed the river on RR the next day. La Picota crossing is for horses & best avoided on foot. The RR crossing was easy. After the crossing continue straight ahead & go up the far hillside, pick up a small trail going left above a bluff about 70 metres up. Continued over the 2 border passes. There are some cliffs descending the first pass you need to go roundwhen descending the first pass . There will be snowfields early in the season also. I crossed Rio Bravo high up between two waterfalls, descended to cross it again by the lake, then stayed on LHS of Rio Bravo. No trail initially on LHS of river & a lot of bush bashing over bluffs but judging by later comments the route may now be improved. I continued down to Lago Alegre. There is a settler just as you reach Lago Alegre. She was friendly & allowed me to sleep in her barn. She radioed Ruben, the settler who lives on Lago Christie, to let him know I was coming. It's slow going round the lakes with lots of up & down over bluffs. The hut between the two lakes had been used by sheep & was not in v. good condition. I met Ruben about half way round the second lakeLago Christie. He invited me to stay was friendly but I continued on to camp by a ruined hut after descending from bluffs to the lake. I walked out the road to Padre Antonio Ronchi chapel & hitched from there to Villa O'Higgins. There is a good hut on the road at the junction with the X905 road. Another hut further on but it's dusty. All other huts marked on the route are in poor condition or ruined, they are mostly good for cooking & camping outside. The weather for the central section was good so I didn't have any problems. It's possible to hitch part of the road sections - traffic is sparse but they will usually stop. In both cases when you reach the road there is nothing, you need to walk out about 15KM & then start hitching.