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→Route description
==Route description==
===Tortel - Steffen fjord===
The sailing begins at the pier
nex t to the Chilean Nav y Por t
Captaincy where you will have to go
through all the previous sailing
procedures. Not long from there, one
crosses Baker rivers delta being able
to observe, on the east side, the
different channels that land on the
Pacific ocean and the west, first
Morgan Island and then the coasts
of Teresa Island. This one being
bigger than the first one. Here it is
possible to admire the dense
formation of the evergreen forest in
all its splendour. Among others, some
of these species stand out, such as,
Coigües, Mañios and Canelos, that
together with the Tepu, stick their
roots to the rocky slopes, getting to
touch the sea.
After a bit more than three miles
of sailing, one leaves behind the
delta of Baker river. The crossing of
the continental shore is favoured by
the stream, in front of Steffen point,
passing by the area called Irenio
Hotel named like this in the memory
of an old sailor, who, according to
the legend, stayed on his own for a
long time due to sea storms until he
had no food nor shelter.
Following the coast for not more
than half a mile, you will find TARGET
Nº 2, corresponding to a place called
by the locals as La Turbina. This is the
entry door to Steffen fiord.
TARGET Nº 2 is a site of great
historical interest, surrounded by
coasts ruled by an exuberant
e ve rg r e e n ve g e t a t i o n o f g r e a t
development.
N e x t t o TA R G E T N º 2 , i t i s
possible to see an old abandoned
sawmill. It was built under wits and
huge sacrifice, more than twenty-five
years ago, by Juan Manuel Vargas, a
pioneer of the area of Steffen fiord. It
was used for the extraction of wood,
specially Mañio. The waters of a small
stream were used as the propelling
energy for the saws. Today there is
only one mill resting among the
vegetation as a kind of monument
that resists to disappear and that tells
us of those times when buzz saws did
not disturb the singing of the
southern forest.
Sailing along, less than a mile
along the east coast of Steffen fiord,
you will pass Punta Lucia, a rocky
edge which constitutes a difficult
point in local sailing due to the
difficulties it brings when crossing it
under sea storm. Passing that edge,
the landscape becomes ruled by a
surrounding typical of the fiords of
these latitudes. Rocky mountains
covered by a dense forest, tell us about
a millennial backing of the ice into
the depths of the valley, giving way to
the pacific sea that invites us to visit
its glacial fusion.
A couple of miles north from
Punta Lucia, you will be able to observe,
towards the east, the mouth of
Alvarado river. This is a beautiful site
with an old settlement that has served
for many years as a stop for the people
who travel along these coasts. From
this last place, less than a mile, and
following the same coast, you will
arrive to the next rocky edge that
indicates you have arrived to the area
of Morro Quemado (Burnt Headland).
As its name tells us, it corresponds to
an area affected by old fires, showing
huge contrast with the non altered
vegetation, seen all along the way.
From this last headland, Steffen
fiord drifts gradually towards the east.
The last sailing bit begins going past
the edge La Bombilla, discovering a
wide panoramic view of the delta of
Huemules river and with wonderful
view of Steffen glacier. Its outstanding
beauty invites us to land and to begin
an interesting journey coming closer
to these millennial icefields.
The landing takes place on the
eastern river bank of Huemules river
on the area of the mouth of Steffen
fiord, corresponding to TARGET Nº3.
This is the point where the walking
part of the journey begins, or if
appointed by previous notice in
Tortel Cove, one could go horse
riding along the main valley towards
Steffen glacier.
===Steffen fjord - Huemules River===
The journey begins from
TARGET Nº 3 with an interesting
glacial view towards the end of the
valley. Carry on walking between the
upper end of the tide in the coast area,
and the lower end of thickets, taking
the left, straight to the north along
firm ground and having the
possibility, not long from there to see
some settlement related to the first
colonists who populated this valley.
Make sure to follow the stony
path after crossing a group of Ñires
- that goes along the area of low
thickets. Part of the road is covered by
varied and colourful moss and lichen.
Carry on until you meet the landmark
that indicates the crossing area of the
drainage of Los Patos lagoon.
From there you will be able to see
TARGET Nº 4, a few metres on the
other side of the stream. If the high
level of the waters, either because of
tides, rain or ice melting, does not
allow you to cross on foot, we advice
you to go along the lagoon, and
through some settlers land among
high Ñires. In TARGET Nº 4, you will be
able to observe Los Patos lagoon,
name given long ago to this body of
water corresponding to an old
channel of Huemules river, in which,
if you are lucky, it is possible to observe
different bird species, including the
Quetru duck.
From TARGET Nº 4 take the
lagoon on its western side bank, and
walk along a stony field, until you
reach the end of the lagoon on the
north. There you will be able to see a
small ascent towards settlers houses,
who will be able to give you some
services such as crossing Huemules
river, renting horses and selling
traditional products from the area. We
recommend you the visit.
In order to continue with the
journey from the northern side of the
lagoon, follow the clearest path along
the stony field, going along a small
Ñires forest, straight to the north,
finding, not more than 200 m. away,
TARGET Nº 5, corresponding to the
area called El Galpon (The Shed).
Here you will be able to visit, some
metres away on the east, this shed
which is the only trace left of what used
to be the old instalments for the Wood
exploitation.This building corresponds
to the last try of massive extraction of
the native forest, which finally, could
never take place in this wild area. It
would be important to mention that
the Huemules river torrent full of
stones, trunks and floating ice, forced
the pioneers to settle on the higher
parts of the valley.
From TARGET Nº 5 one should
go back to the well traced path,
observing, about 50 meters away
towards the northwest a landmark
that will indicate the right path to
follow. Go along the edge of the stream
of quiet waters, located at the feet of
the rocky slope. It is an area combining
thickets with the predominance of low
Coigüe trees and open fields with
stones covered with basic flora which
calls for a stop in order to admire its
details.
Not more than 300 m. away, you
will find a new landmark indicating a
junction on the way, just when entering
a dense renewing Coigües forest. Take
the left path, always on the main track
at the valley level, without going up
the slope. After a short walk you will
be faced with Quetru lagoon that
corresponds to TARGET Nº 6, having
a wide view of the valley and Steffen
glacier.
We would recommend this last
site as an ideal short stop of this second
section of the Road. Here you could
combine, if the weather allows it, both
a well deserved rest with observation
of the Quetru duck, having for a drop
curtain the ice of Steffen glacier.
In order to follow the road from
Quetru lagoon, continue going along
the western edge of the lagoon, across
a sandy field with no path on it. Due
to the floodings of Huemules river, it
is an area where the path disappears
in some parts. The important thing is
to go along the lagoon until its end on
the northern end of it. A few meters
away you will be able to observe a
landmark upon one level of the upper
terrace, with wide views over Steffen
glacier. If you pay a bit of attention you
will be able to spot the next TARGET.
We recommend you to avoid
turning away from the path which is
very clear on this part of the road, not
only for a good orientation but also
to avoid interfering an important
community of moss and lichen that
you will be able to observe along this
part of the road. Follow the main path
across stony fields for about 350 m.
On your right, you will be able to see
the rocky slopes covered by a dense
forest, and on your left a wide valley
of incipient formation, until arriving
to another crossing of the stream.
Take your left in direction
towards TARGET Nº 7 easy to reach
by sight, where it becomes possible
to easily cross the stream. It is
important to mention that only
during times without heavy rain or
ice melting, becomes possible to
cross it on foot. We would advice to
previously enquire about the state
of the crossing area in order to get a
crossing service either by boat or on
foot, if necessary.
When reaching TARGET Nº 7
you will be able to observe different
species of basic flora, outstanding,
because of its shape and beauty, the
Flor de Piedra (Stone Flower). At this
point, the periglacial thicket shows
small areas of moss of the
Sphagnum type, species that
d e ve l o p u n d e r ve r y h u m i d
conditions and where the nutrients
are scarce, especially nitrogen. Once
they die they are used as the soil for
the new generation. With the
passing of time several metres of
successive generations of moss,
giving origin to what is known as
turbera.
In the areas where the ice has
backed up, soils are rocky and some
very curious structures appear, with
a wide diversity of colour, shape and
size. We find them mastering the
landscape and they are known as
lichens. They are the symbiotic union
of a fungus and an algae, turning
them into the best colonists for
inhospitable places. They have this
capacity because the fungus keeps
water and absorves nutrients while
the algae does the photosynthesis.
They play a fundamental
ecological role because they help to
incorporate nitrogen into the forest
and form the soil, two very
important activities in vegetational
succession.
You will have to pay extra
attention from TARGET Nº 7 on
because, in the next two km. there is
either no clear path or no path at all
to follow. However, it is a flat and
open field, stony in some parts, that
does not represent great difficulty
during the walk. You should just
follow the landmarks and TARGETS
as a reference on the way to follow.
In order to get to TARGET Nº 8,
take as reference a small Coigüe tree
next to this TARGET, immediately
on the right of Steffen glacier that
can be easily seen for being located
on an open field, only with some low
thicket around. It belongs to the
periglacial thicket, a transitional
formation that evolved due to the
glacial backing, from the fluvio-
glacial deposits, going through the
lichen and moss colonization, until
finally turning into grown up forests.
These characteristics are clearly
differentiated at the different
terrace levels of Huemules river and
the channels it has used throughout
the years.
Pay special attention from
TARGET Nº 8 to avoid following the
path leading to the north. This path
is used by the settlers mostly for the
extraction of dead Cypress tree
wood. It is important to take the
northwest direction where you will
clearly see, TARGET Nº 9, towards
this direction.
If you were not able to see
TARGET Nº 9, keep in mind that this
one is located 300 m. up river from
the junction, where its main bottom
derives towards the west,
corresponding to a small backwater
with very quiet water next to a small
stony slope, only adequate place for
the crossing of Huemules river by
boat and the crossing of the
animals.
You will have to arrange the
crossing of the river with the
villagers beforehand so that you can
be crossed by one of them. Observe
the difference in vegetation with the
previous target. It shows a clear
manifestation of a particular
evolution of the periglacial soils
under the fluvial influence.
It would be a good advice, at
this point, to compare the time you
have spent until now with the
estimated times in this topoguide, in
order to estimate the returning time
to this same crossing. Do not return
a t n i g h t t i m e, u n d e r a n y
circumstances. Always leave some
spare time for the unexpected.
===Huemules River - Steffen Glacier ===
After crossing Huemules river,
walk along a flat field with no
path, corresponding to the part
of the river bed occupied during
sporadic flood. You will have
Steffen glacier as a reference for
t h e wa y t o f o l l o w. G o o n f o r
about 700 m. until you reach the
highest part of the stony fields of
Huemules river. It corresponds to
TA R G E T N º 1 0 . I t w o u l d b e
important to consider that,
depending on the rivers water
level, this part of the journey,
before coming to the well marked
path, may suffer temporary
changes that would modify the
general way among the
TARGETS.
After considering the above
mentioned, carry on from TARGET
Nº 10 towards the north along a
stony field with no visible track,
until you find the east shore of
El Quince stream, named in this
way by the colonists in honour of
a dog under this name, that when
attempting to cross the river it did
not return ever again. Consider
this part of the road as easy to
orientate, and where you will
easily spot TARGET Nº 11 from
a distance.
I t would be impor tant to
mention that from this TARGET
Nº 11 and until the end of the
road, the footpath is well marked
over flat fields, giving no problems
at all to follow. We recommend
you to provide yourself with some
water before continuing the
journey because you will not be
able to get it, only until the end
of the road.
From TARGET Nº 11 follow
the main path crossing a low
thicket area passing, after a short
walk, by a Ñires area, always
having Steffen glacier as a
reference point for the way to
follow. You will slowly approach
a great isolated Coigüe tree,
surrounded by a community of
s m a l l e r C o i g ü e t r e e s, t h a t i s
possible to see from a great
distance. You will find yourself at
t h i s p o i n t a t TA R G E T N º 1 2 .
The Coigüe from Magallanes
tree ( Nothofagus betuloides),
grows in some valleys or over
glacial moraines (material
deposited by the processes of
glaciation that occurred in the
past) being the most common
species of the evergreen forests.
You could identify them because
its branches grow in horizontal
direction and their evergreen
leaves concentrate at the end of
the branches, being jagged and
elliptical.
From TARGET Nº 12 always
take the main path which is an
area surrounded mostly by
periclacial thicket, standing out,
200m. next to a landmark, species
such as Chaura, accompanied by
scattered Notros. Go along the
same direction until arriving to a
Ñires community corresponding
to TARGET Nº 13.
From TARGET Nº 13 the path
comes very clear along open fields
where Chaura is still predominant in
the lower soil level with scattered
Notros and Coigües accompanying,
which makes it possible to have
interesting views of the snowy mount
from the eastern area among which
we could mention Bonete hill. We
would advice you to have a short
stop in TARGET Nº 14 to take, if the
weather allows it, photographs of
this beautiful mountain chain
enjoying a well deserved rest before
starting the last section of the road.
TARGET Nº 15, apart from
signaling the only way across an
area with a more dense vegetation,
it is an ideal place for observing
typical periglacial species such as
Chaura (Pernettya mucronata). This
is a short and branchy plant with
small and abundant leaves, with
flowers of a light colour and edible
fruit. Chaura belongs to the colonist
species that conform the next stage
from the moss and lichen following
an interesting vegetational
succession.
Restarting the road , always
towards the same direction and
surrounding, not more than 250m
you will pass a landmark that
indicates you are on the right path.
Always follow the main road without
diverting from the general direction
taken until finding a low Coigües
community becoming more dense
every time. The path is clear so there
should be no doubts of how to enter
this road properly. Take TARGET Nº
15 as reference.
TA R G E T N º 1 5 s e t s t h e
beginning of an area of abundant
short a Coigües, not taller than six
meters high, allowing you to observe,
not far away from there, an area of
adult forest associated to an elevation
of the valley level, between the road
and Huemules river.
This particular phenomenon
clearly shows the non-existence of
adult forests on the lower part of the
valley of Huemules river. It is not the
result of man exploitation but a
natural phenomenon in which the
river terraces show soils of not
sufficient development and very much
exposed to strong winds coming from
North Icefield. This situation becomes
lessened at this point because of the
protection of the central island of
Huemules river.
At the end of the journey
along the forest, you will arrive to
TARGET Nº 16 in which a very
interesting panoramic view
towards the north is open, making
possible to see Steffen glacier
much closer. It would be good to
emphasize that for the first time,
you will be able to see the frontal
moraine of Steffen glacier and the
central island of Huemules river
at its best.
It stands out, for the nature
watcher, the beautiful forests next
to the western bed of Huemules
r i ve r, c l e a r l y co n t ra s t i n g t h e
dominant periglacial thicket,
aspect that can be easily seen in
the next point of interest, TARGET
Nº 17, located at a few meters
from the scarp.
Next TARGET becomes easy
to identify from here, being very
close, always at short distance
from the river bed. It would be
important to mention that the
road splits when arriving to
TARGET Nº 18. The alternative to
the right leads to the drainage of
the post-glacial lake, path used by
the settlers in order to visit the
temporary settlements related
mostly to the exploitation of dead
cypress tree wood.
Take your left initiating the
journey along the path that
crosses old channels already ruled
by dense thicket, in some parts,
flooded, until coming to an area
where it is possible to observe
the Calafate corresponding to
TARGET Nº 19. Calafate possesses
yellow flowers that give dark
edible fruit appreciated both by
men and wild animals.
From TARGET Nº 19 one can
clearly observe, directing the sight
to the northwest, Steffen glacier
and its vantage point just on a low
of the frontal moraine.
You will gradually take the
frontal moraine, following a kind
slope until suddenly you will be
facing the stunning vantage point
of Steffen glacier. It corresponds
to TARGET Nº 20, with its lake
covered with ice floes that turn this
view into a picture very difficult
to forget. It is the Northern Icefield
in its most southern expression
that, with its thousand different
forms of white flowing, greets us
and invites us to remember it.
We would advice you not to
stay long due to the fact that the
same amount of time taken to
arrive to this point should be
considered for the way back. You
would avoid, in this way to have
to return at night time.
==Recommendations==
{{Topoguide|}}
