Argentina: Glaciers on Glaciers

Argentinian Planos

Perito Moreno

Smiles over Perito

Lookout!

34 KM LONG!!!

AWESOME glacial blues!!! 60 m high

Hello Again!
 Last you heard we had finished our trek in Torres del Paine and were heading east towards Argentina, and THAT WE DID!! Waking early we found our way onto a bus heading towards the boarder. For two hours we drove into the daylight through grassy plains, admiring the craggy mountain faces in the distance until we reached the Chile departure checkpoint. In a typical Megan/Jihelah fashion, we galloped across the border whooping with JOY AND REBELLION, before conforming into the back of the line to get our passports stamped (Question: Why do they always stamp ON TOP of other stamps when you have 20 blank pages??). Then journeyed through no-man's-land until we were stamped into Argentina. The views of plains and mountains continued, and in the late afternoon we arrived at the edge of an inlet of the Pacific in the small town of (invoke Machismo voice) El Calafate. A quick turnover of hostel locating, money exchanging, and post-lunch snacking left us with enough time to jump in a Carlos’s taxi and take the hour drive to Parque Nacional los Glaciares for sunset. Our evening destination was Perito Morena, a 34 km long by 5 km wide and 60-meter tall glacier. The stats we read before our visit primed us to imagine the enormity, but again the reality proved TOO GREAT for our imaginations!!! Following the wooden paths, we viewed the 5 km terminus of the glacier from multiple viewpoints, pausing to gaze in rapture at the iridescent blues of the frozen walls or to calculate the height of a given jagged ice spire. Peace-shattering booms resounded as room-sized ice boulders broke off of the glacier’s edge and crashed into the ocean 18-stories below. Startled—our conversation would stop as we listened to the ocean’s response as waves slapped the glacier back and whooshed into the cracks in the ice. Hours in a bus forgotten, we reveled in the dual sounds of the silence of frozen time and the thunderous force of the dynamic being. As the sun disappeared over the surrounding mountains, the glacial chill set in, herding us back to Carlos (and the Latin club sounds of Rigatón) for the drive back to El Calafate. From border crossing to glacier gazing, our hours continue to fill us with excitement and appreciation for this journey and the earth we’re exploring. Stay tuned, MONT FITZ ROY IS NEXT!!!!!!