We commence our journey along the Ruta 40, the South American equivalent of Route 66! We cross the border back into Argentina. We are the first in line to leave Chile but the border doesn’t open till 8 am so we have a bit of a wait. Our first stop will be El Calafate where we spend 2 nights at the Hostel del Glacier to browse this little town, hang out at the cafes sipping hot chocolates and visit Perito Moreno, a world famous glacier.
The drive is very scenic and on the 
way we stop to admire the condors gliding in the valley. The condors nest in the side of the cliffs, have a couple of young at one time and are the largest birds in the world!
Our incredible natural environment never ceases 
to amaze me and just when I think I have seen it all, I am surprised once again. I would rate the Perito Moreno glacier as one of the top ten natural features I have ever seen. Even the icebergs and glaciers I saw in Antarctica don’t in my opinion rival this.
The Perito Moreno glacier is located in the Los Glaciers National Park, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981.
The park is in the Santa Cruz province, the largest in Argentina and a place where the Welsh settled, attracted by the sheep farming tradition in these parts. 
The glacier stretches for 5 km on its front face and rises 60m above the water line. It is one of the world’s few or perhaps only (depending on which book you read) advancing glaciers (that means growing) and moves at a rate of about 1.5 m/day! 
It is hard to imagine that it was only a few thousand years ago that this entire park was covered by glaciers. As they advanced, they carved out the landscape and steep valleys we see today. The warming of our climate is causing these glaciers to melt and retreat to the higher parts of the mountains. The valleys are filled with glacial melt, beautiful turquoise and milky white waters that create amazing views.
Our initial encounter begins with a hike along the water, to a hilltop viewpoint from which we look down on this incredible spectacle. We then drive further into the park, where we are able to walk along walkways to experience this glacier a little closer up.
It is amazing to stand on the platforms and listen to the creaks and groans the glacier makes. Occasionally, we see small chunks of ice fall off into the water and the noise reverberates in the valley. 
Sometimes we hear explosions that remind me of firecrackers on New Years day. They come from within the glacier and all we see our the ripples that spread on the surface of the lake. It is an amazing site. The rain is falling lightly and the surrounding mountains are covered in mist. We dry one of the park benches and settle down to have a sandwich and watch the spectacle that nature has provided for us today.
After lunch we take a boat tour for a different perspective of the glacier. It is cold outside, and the wind whips past as we brave the cold for more pictures of this stunning landscape.
We go back for a goodbye dinner with the group. A couple of people leave us to go their separate ways and a couple of new people join the trip including another Aussie, Rose, from West Ryde. Yes, it is a small world. Tomorrow we make our way to El Chalten for more experiences of glaciers. 
Those who are brutally honest are seldom so with themselves. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966
No comments:
Post a Comment