El Calafate (Argentinian Patagonia) & Perito Moreno

The noise of breaking ice in the background is deafening

After the week on Easter Island and the 5 day trek in Torres del Paine only doing something exceptional would  do. Well how better to end a great fortnight than to walk on a glacier. For that we went to El Calafate in Argentina. 

To be absolutely accurate Roxana went ahead. I stayed behind in Puerto Natales because I had forgotten my camera in the restaurant we had had dinner in the night before. I had to miss the bus and wait for the restaurant to open. Fortunately I got my camera back and bought one of the last two tickets on the 6.15 p.m. to El Calafate.  When I finally got there, (I spare you yet another geography lesson on the Indian Ocean with the Argentinian border police), it was midnight and Roxana had already booked the tour for the following day.

60 metres over the water level - that's a lot of ice

The tour bus picked us up at the hostel (I Keu Ken - very nice btw) at 9.30 a.m. We drove 1.5 hrs to the Perito Moreno glacier. This is a huge glacier 30km long, 5km wide and an average of 240 metres thickness. By definition a glacier is compacted snow forced into a rock solid ice block under its own weight.

When we got there the sheer size of this glacier is what amazed us first. To think that this is solid ice from the lake floor to about 60 metres above water level is simply hard to comprehend. Remember this is not frozen water floating on a lake, this is a huge ice block running down the valley ripping mountains to pieces and grinding boulders to dust! 

In an ice crevasse

Roxana chit chatting with Leonardo, our guide

In the afternoon we go walking on the glacier. We take a boat to the other side of the lake and find ourselves as close as 300 meters from the glacier’s north face. As we get closer we speed past huge icebergs that have detached from the glacier.

Once on the other side our shoes are fitted with crampons and our guide gives us some summary instructions. Going uphill is fairly natural, very similar to when walking. Most important is going down when we are asked to keep our feet parallel and advance in very small steps. We are further instructed to always put the crampons flat on the ice so that all the spikes adhere properly to the slippery surface. In every other situation we should walk at a comfortable pace while keeping our feet far from one another as those sharp spiked can rip jeans, socks and skin like nothing.

Alone on the ice

Warm enough to be in t-shirt

Blue skies and bright sun - we're in luck

Regarding the weather, warm humid air is blown up from the Pacific Ocean and when it passes over this huge “popsicle” (30km x 5km) cools down and at best results in clouds and fog, but usually spills out excess moisture in the form of snow.

It snows even in summer on the glacier, and in fact it is overcast 330 days of the year on Glacier Perito Moreno. But we’re really in luck. It’s a gorgeous day with blue sky, almost no clouds to be seen and a hot sun. The guide jokes that we should go out and buy lottery tickets today.

We set out on the ice. It’s easier to walk than I thought and soon we have our first big climb. We fare pretty well. Then we have to go down and there a few more slips but no major falls. We walk around for about an hour and admire the surreal landscape. There is ice everywhere and there are water streams running down its melting face. Sometimes when you are walking you actually see water running under your feet but the 30 cm of ice is strong enough to support your body weight.

Great end to a great day!

We finish behind an ice hill where guess what : a small table with whisky is waiting for us! They help us with some welcomed whisky (or should I write whiskey since it’s Irish). And for people who want ice or water, no worries at all there’s plenty all around us.

For more pics: El Calafate