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For resupply details read GPT17.
*2023-01-02/05 / 4 days / Hiking / NOBO / RR + volcano Quetrupillán / Hermann & Coline
The GPT16 was a really nice experience !
Milagro, who hosted us in Liquiñe, gave us cherries and nuts for the travel ! With that, the sloapses up-hill felt less hard than it was for our legs.
We slept at the Camp Without Water {16} [52.3/794] the first night (and even found water nearby). We arrived at the Laguna Azul the next day.
We stayed there two days, so that I could walk up to the summit of Volcano Quetrupillán.
The ascension was okay. The sunny sky was a bit covered by clouds, but without wind. I just had a headhick after, because of the UVs reflecting on the snow (I guess). There are some places where one's can't avoid walking on it, so I took my time to "read" the landscape (underground rivers etc).
I left the GPT to take the optional road on Locus, that follows the crater at the end. It was scary at the top, but not dangerous.
On the way back, I started by following a group of men on a much easier way going westbound. Then, I went south and it was easy to follow the landlarks I had token outbound (the frozen lake for instance).
There was wind in the mid of the day and two chilians warned us that there would be snow in the night. Therefore, we spend the night at the Laguna Blanca : lot's of wind, but no snow there and even a new glacier river in the morning !
Thanks to the previous posts on Wikiexplora and also to Lukas and Tess we've meet on the way, we took enough water for the next 30kms down-hill. Actually, there was a river (probably due to the storm), even crossing the road at some point, but I'm not sure it was drinkable.
We went to Catripulli instead of Currarehue. We wanted to take a bus to Villarica – where there is a Scotiabank –, and to skip sections 14 & 15, so to join the GPT again at Icalma. This was a bad idea... There's no direct bus between Villarica and Melipeuco ; we had to first reach Temuco. Moreover, there's no bus from Melipeuco to Icalma, so we hitchhiked. (There were not many cars ; it took us a day.)
Food :
1. In Liquiñe, the shop just before the bridge is smaller and more expensive than the others (saying Milagro).
2. There are no piñones at the foot of the Araucanian tree, since the season starts in march (saying a woman who took us in her car).
3. In Catripulli, there's a shop with all you need and more – even argentinian cakes and Malta beers !