One of our dreams on this trip was to do the classic “Andes to Ocean” kayak trip, paddling west from the lower Futaleufu river in Chile, to the village of Chaiten on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Last year we paddled from the island of Chiloé, island hopping for 6 days to east Chaiten. So by doing the Futa-Yelcho river trip to the ocean we would be completing a route we began a year ago (finishing where we left off last year, as opposed to a through trip), taking in the best of Chile’s diverse ecosystems and cultures, from sea to mountain and back to the sea.
From the day I arrived in Chile – early December – we were planning, carefully watching the weather, talking to rafting companies in the little town of Futaleufu about the local conditions. In December there was still much rain, and the river was raging from recent storms and spring run off. But by mid-January things were looking good, and we fluked into a weather forecast of 5 days of sun – not a raindrop or a wind “swoosh” graphic in sight – on the Chilean weather website.
To get 5 days of good weather in the Palena district – southern Patagonia – is a rare occurance, so we jumped on a ferry to Chaiten from Hornopiren, and the next day we were at the edge of “The Futa” building our kayak.
The trip took us through some of the most spectacular mountain and lake scenery in Patagonia. Paddling along the lakes and rivers we witnessed waterfalls tumble off steep cliffs into lakes, glaciers rumble and groan as huge chunks of ice broke free and fell into a funnel of ice debris below, and the everchanging dance of clouds and mist shift through the forests and big blue skies.
The Futaleufu empties into Lago Yelcho, a 31 km narrow bowl of crystal blue, freezing cold water. The lake then drains into the Rio Yelcho, a fast-moving unobstructed class I river. As the the Yelcho’s flows toward the sea, its colour, as water accumulates from hundreds of feeder streams, changes from a transparent glacial green to a silty “cafe con leche” brown. With this constant topping up of water, the current flows fast and strong until it reaches the sea approximately 6o kilometers later.
Photos and comments on the trip can be seen in the photo gallery.
