The final full day of our
trip took us to the Perito Moreno Glacier for some
sightseeing and a hike on the glacier itself. We
were picked up from the hotel around 9:30am and
boarded a mostly full bus. The drive to the national
park took about an hour and was uneventful.
We arrived at the glacier and boarded a boat which
took us down Lake Viedma to the Viedma side of the
glacier. Once we landed, a guide met us and split
us into the english speaking group and the spanish
speaking group. Then we headed down to the beach
for a glacier lesson.
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Perito Moreno glacier (click on image for larger view) |
Glacier National Park |
Perito Moreno glacier from boat |
Perito Moreno glacier from boat |
Perito Moreno glacier, Lago Argentino side |
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We learned many facts, but the ones that stuck were
about the glacier itself. Perito Moreno is about
7km wide and 30km long. 40m of ice is above the
lake surface and 110m is below the lake surface.
The glacier moves forward approximately 1 meter
per day and new snow is deposited on top keeping
it in balance.
Then it was time to strap on the crampons and head
out onto the ice. Before we could do that, a very
large 10 cubic meter iceberg calved off of the glacier.
We saw it move just before feeling the low tones
and hearing the sharp crack. You really feel the
sound as much as hear it. We became accustomed to
it because the ice is constantly shifting, cracking,
and calving.
Crampons are heavier than they look, but essential
for a good walk on the ice. At no time did you feel
like you were going to slip or lose your connection
to the ice. The funny part about a guided ice tour
is that all of the paths on the ice are clean -
all of the miscellaneous dirt is constantly ground
away.
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Howard and Kirsten on the glacier |
On the Perito Moreno glacier |
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We walked on the glacier for about an hour and a
half. We saw deep blue holes that went from white
at the surface to navy blue deep down. We crossed
over rivers of water that constantly cascaded across
the top of the ice creating pools and wells. Many
of the wells look active because oxygen will occasionally
bubble to the surface. At the end of the trek everyone
had a scotch with ice from the glacier. The whole
experience is magical and difficult to describe
in words.
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The whole family on the glacier |
Scotch anyone? |
Howard and Kirsten on the glacier |
Lago Argentino |
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Then we grabbed our box lunches and ate while observing
the glacier. Throughout, the weather was superb.
Bright sunshine with an occasional cloud. However,
when you looked up at the mountains you could tell
it was snowing up there. They get 8000mm of snow
there per year!
Pretty soon it was time to get back on the boat
and return. On the way back, the boat took us closer
to the dam of ice between Lake Viedma and Lake Argentina.
We arrived back on shore and boarded the bus for
a 20 minute ride up to the balconies. This is a
set of overlooks where you can see the whole glacier
from Viedma on the left to Argentina on the right.
We continued to hear calving and just missed a big
one of the Viedma side. The balconies really give
you a true feel for how massive this glacier is.
After an hour of pictures, it was back on the bus
to head for the estancia. |
Perito Moreno glacier
panoramic (click on image for larger view) |
