2019: Patagonia Rivers Kayaking
Over 40 days, Suhei and myself paddled hundreds of kilometers of Patagonian Rivers, starting at Puerto Varas, Chile, and ending at Ushuaia, Argentina. The trip was entirely independent and self-planned. We hitchhiked between rivers to work our way south.
Our Equipment consisted of:
-Standard wilderness camping gear
-Sea Eagle 380x inflatable kayak
-6 mm Farm John-style wetsuits and neoprene sock
The rivers we paddled included:
-Río Petrohue
-Río Palena
-Río Ibáñez
-Río Serrano
-Río Larsiparsahk
With a loaded kayak, we paddled rapids up to Class III. We camped on majestic riverside meadows, and braved days of cold, cold rain. The wetsuits, along with most of our gear would be wet for days at a time. We also evaded authorities several times, as rivers which required permits had complex beaurocratic requirements, including gear inspection, by appointment only, by the Chilean Navy to make sure our kayak and other equipment was deemed river-worthy. We instead snuck into some rivers, including illegally running a river in Torres del Paine National Park. When the ranger caught us, he agreed not to report us as long as we never mentioned that he saw us.
Rain was the main challenge on rivers near the coast. Inland, especially in Argentina, wind was a major factor. Oftentimes the wind was stronger than the river current, and we'd be unable to make progress downriver.
What really shocked me about Patagonia was the abundance of cattle. On remote rivers, miles from roads or homes, we'd see cattle in the fragile temperate rainforest, devastating the plan life, and outcompeting native wild animals. It was hard to feel like we were in a wilderness when we had to clear cow manure for a campsite.
Patagonia is a largely protected area, but most of the protected areas, as in the rest of the world, are mountainous. Valleys are rarely protected because farmers settled valleys, basically worldwide, before the concept of protected areas was well established. Steep mountainsides have significantly less economic and living potential for humans than fertile valleys, and are consequentially less protected. Such is Patagonia.
Retrospectively, this trip would have been much easier with packrafts. Our inflatable kayak, which is extremely durable, weighs 40 pounds. We had around 100 pounds of additional gear, which all weighed more when wet. 140+ pounds is a lot to be carrying on trails and hitchhiking with. Packrafts would have easily shaved off 30 pounds.
Reaching the Beagle Channel near Argentina was an accomplishment. We'd been in moist, chilly temperatures continuously, and had navigated significant logistic challenges to get there. This trip was a significant adventure in one of the planet's last great wildernesses, and left us both humbled by the awesome nature of Patagonia.
Over 40 days, Suhei and myself paddled hundreds of kilometers of Patagonian Rivers, starting at Puerto Varas, Chile, and ending at Ushuaia, Argentina. The trip was entirely independent and self-planned. We hitchhiked between rivers to work our way south.
Our Equipment consisted of:
-Wilderness camping gear
-Sea Eagle 380x inflatable kayak
-6 mm Farm John-style wetsuits and neoprene socks
The rivers we paddled included:
-Río Petrohue
-Río Palena
-Río Ibáñez
-Río Serrano
-Río Larsiparsahk
With a loaded kayak, we paddled rapids up to Class III. We camped on majestic riverside meadows, and braved days of cold, cold rain. The wetsuits, along with most of our gear, would be wet for days at a time. We also evaded authorities several times, as rivers which required permits had complex bureaucratic requirements, including gear inspection, by appointment only, by the Chilean Navy to make sure our kayak and other equipment was deemed river-worthy. We instead snuck into some rivers, including illegally running a river in Torres del Paine National Park. When the ranger caught us, he agreed not to report us as long as we never mentioned that he saw us.
Rain was the main challenge on rivers near the coast. Inland, especially in Argentina, wind was a major factor. Oftentimes the wind was stronger than the river current, and we'd be unable to make progress downriver.
What really shocked me about Patagonia was the abundance of cattle. On remote rivers, miles from roads or homes, we'd see cattle in the fragile temperate rainforest, devastating the plant life, and outcompeting native wild animals. It was hard to feel like we were in a wilderness when we had to clear cow manure for a campsite.
Patagonia is a largely protected area, but most of the protected areas, as in the rest of the world, are mountainous. Valleys are rarely protected because farmers settled valleys, basically worldwide, before the concept of protected areas was well established. Steep mountainsides have significantly less economic and living potential for humans than fertile valleys, and are consequentially more protected. Such is Patagonia.
Retrospectively, this trip would have been much easier with packrafts. Our inflatable kayak, which is extremely durable, weighed 40 pounds. We had around 100 pounds of additional gear, which all weighed more when wet. 140+ pounds is a lot to be carrying on trails and hitchhiking with. Packrafts would have easily shaved off 30 pounds.
Reaching the Beagle Channel near Argentina was an accomplishment. We'd been in moist, chilly temperatures continuously, and had navigated significant logistical challenges to get there. This trip was a grand adventure in one of the planet's last great wildernesses, and left us both humbled by the awesome nature of Patagonia.
