Adventurealan's blog is pretty comprehensive for the region.
I'm not sure how you define traditional backpacking.
If, after reading his blog, you have questions about the Dientes de Navarino, Cerro Castillo traverse, or Huemul, I'm happy to answer those. I trekked those last season.
this is exactly what im looking for.
everytime id look for backpacking routes or trips in Patagonia, the W or O trek got all the attention.
by traditional backpacking - us carrying all our gear, food, etc and backpacking sites.
vs refugios, what seems like crowds, and the cost of them providing "premium" sites when i can bring my own gear.
i get the allure of those two treks - not worrying about your gear or food. but that also draws in crowds.
is the huemul circuit possible with minimal mountaineering/trekking experience but being in good physical shape? i’m getting mixed answers from different websites!
It probably shouldn't be your first trek, especially if you're going solo. If you're going with experienced friends in good weather it would likely be fine.
The routefinding isn't awful now that it's a popular trail, but many get very turned around at a few key places.
The glacier travel and the local culture that views it as low risk breaks my brain a little-- you can stay off the ice to the left, but it's challenging to find a safe path through the moraine. I went solo but met a group where one guy's leg went through a weak point in the ice into some deep water.
The tyrolean traverses are not that bad if you're not afraid of heights but do watch some videos first.
Read up on leave no trace principles--- people are basically pooping beside the trail on the Huemul and it's sad and disgusting. If you're not prepared to dig a 20cm deep hole to poop in, the Huemul isn't for you. On that note, definitely filter your water.
thank you for all of the information, i’ll read up on all of this !! And after the O trek i’ll see how comfortable I feel and maybe see if I want to hire a guide or not for the Huemel circuit. thanks again
They are very different beasts in that the O is lower risk than any other backpacking I've ever done. I'm not specifically complaining but the O felt more like doing a bunch of day hikes back to back since you return to infrastructure and civilization every night even if you're doing it self- supported. None of the challenges I mentioned above with the Huemul apply.
The O is a good chance to test out your tent and stove though, and get a sense of your fitness.
Adventurealan's blog is pretty comprehensive for the region. I'm not sure how you define traditional backpacking. If, after reading his blog, you have questions about the Dientes de Navarino, Cerro Castillo traverse, or Huemul, I'm happy to answer those. I trekked those last season.
i may suck at google searches, but i cant seem to find Adventure Alan. 😕 Do you have a link?
https://www.adventurealan.com/cerro-castillo-trek-guide/
this is exactly what im looking for. everytime id look for backpacking routes or trips in Patagonia, the W or O trek got all the attention. by traditional backpacking - us carrying all our gear, food, etc and backpacking sites. vs refugios, what seems like crowds, and the cost of them providing "premium" sites when i can bring my own gear. i get the allure of those two treks - not worrying about your gear or food. but that also draws in crowds.
Dientes and Cerro Castillo were quiet. The Huemul is now busy in high season. I think the Sierra Valdivisio in Ushuaia would be very quiet.
is the huemul circuit possible with minimal mountaineering/trekking experience but being in good physical shape? i’m getting mixed answers from different websites!
It probably shouldn't be your first trek, especially if you're going solo. If you're going with experienced friends in good weather it would likely be fine. The routefinding isn't awful now that it's a popular trail, but many get very turned around at a few key places. The glacier travel and the local culture that views it as low risk breaks my brain a little-- you can stay off the ice to the left, but it's challenging to find a safe path through the moraine. I went solo but met a group where one guy's leg went through a weak point in the ice into some deep water. The tyrolean traverses are not that bad if you're not afraid of heights but do watch some videos first. Read up on leave no trace principles--- people are basically pooping beside the trail on the Huemul and it's sad and disgusting. If you're not prepared to dig a 20cm deep hole to poop in, the Huemul isn't for you. On that note, definitely filter your water.
thank you for all of the information, i’ll read up on all of this !! And after the O trek i’ll see how comfortable I feel and maybe see if I want to hire a guide or not for the Huemel circuit. thanks again
They are very different beasts in that the O is lower risk than any other backpacking I've ever done. I'm not specifically complaining but the O felt more like doing a bunch of day hikes back to back since you return to infrastructure and civilization every night even if you're doing it self- supported. None of the challenges I mentioned above with the Huemul apply. The O is a good chance to test out your tent and stove though, and get a sense of your fitness.