Section 5: Click on the "i"s above for information and photos of the route.

x. La Junta alternative refugio and camp spot

The path can become difficult to follow through the section from El Arco to La Junta. Somewhere on the way it splits, one route heading up, the other down. We took the path upwards and found ourselves following a cow path which wound it's way up and through meadow and woodland until it petered out in a clearing. The map shows the Cochamo river valley to have a steep wall all along the southern side of the approach to La Junta, with all joining valleys coming from the north. The other paths through the area are for the yearly cow drives, and they also tend to have bridges when absolutely necessary, and lead back to the main path after a while. By following these cow paths, and always tending towards the left forks of valley splits (the valleys to the south-west), we didn't lose our way and eventually found ourselves at the La Junta refugio. The building is an unmarked refugio and the land is free to camp on.

The main path exits the meadow on the south-west side and crosses the river diagonally north-west. The crossing was just over boot depth when we were here.