GPT Section 1 – Cerro Purgatorio

Santiago to El Melocoton

Total miles: 24.5

Elevation gain: 6236 ft.

Days Taken: 2

Total hiking hours: 10.5

SECTION SUMMARY:

Section one begins in Puente Alto, the southern most suburb of Santiago. This makes it a convenient section to begin the GPT, but not exactly the most attractive. It’s about 90% road walking, with a nice foot trail towards the end where I ran into many weekend campers along the river.

The section’s terrain consists of mainly bland desert at the lower elevations, but your effort is worth the scenic vistas from the mountain pass at 7316 ft. The route is easy to navigate and has plenty of water, but expect steep grades both up and down the pass.

DAY 1:

Miles hiked: 18.4

Time hiked: 12:30 PM to 9:00 PM

From downtown Santiago I took an Uber to the start of the route at Puente Alto Plaza. The ride took about 30 minutes, and by 12:30 I was walking south down the busy road.

About 4 miles in the route diverted me from a paved road onto a dirt service road that led into the foothills. I was surprised to find a large metal gate blocking the path, and was forced to climb over it.

From there the dirt road wound it’s way up and down a few hills, where I found more gates blocking the path.

Eventually the route led me towards a canyon where I found a nice spot to take a break beside a creek (Estero del coipo).

Following the canyon up the mountain, I ended up leaving the main route for an optional route (OH-MR-V@01-A-16.1). There was one more fence to climb, but I found water shortly after. I was glad I’d topped off my bottles at this creek, as it was the last water source until descending the far side of the pass.

The dirt road leading up to the top of the pass was incredibly steep. I found myself wishing I had trekking poles for the first in a long time.

From the top of the pass I enjoyed fantastic vistas of the snow capped Andes, as well as interesting rock formations and coloring.

The descent from the pass was equally as steep as the ascent. I slipped a few times on loose gravel as I hustled to descend before nightfall.

When I reached the bottom I found excellent camping near a creek. There was a fire pit, a chair carved from a tree stump, and a ping pong table that I used as my dining table. It was a pretty rad setup.

DAY 2:

Miles: 6.1

Time: 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM

Less than an hour out of camp the route diverted me from the dirt road onto a trail for the first time.

The trail was well graded and rather scenic as it followed the Rio Maipo out of the canyon. It reminded me of the Arizona Trail a bit.

It was Sunday, so I wasn’t surprised to find campers set up along the river as the trail neared an easy access portal.

Once I’d worked my way out of the canyon Section 1 came to an end. From there I had the option to take a short route into the small town of El Melocoton, or continue onto Section 2. I chose the latter.

P.s. I was surprised by the amount of locked gates I had to climb in this section. Trespassing in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language is an uncomfortable feeling…

Also, I was blown away by how steep the grade was at times. I guess I’ve been coddled by the gentle switchbacks on the PCT, this is NOTHING like that. Straight up, and straight down. These roads and trails were built for trucks and horses, not hikers.

Cheers!