Treading on Thick Ice

Argentine Patagonia: Pristine lake country in the north; breathtaking mountains keeping those irksome Chilean neighbors away; and an Atlantic coast teeming with Penguins, Orcas, Sea Lions, Elephant Seals, and whales. Amazing, no?


There's one important detail left out... That is, there are thousands of kilometers of frigid, windblown, and arid flatlands, stretching further than the eye can see in every direction between the mountains and the coast. It's no surprise that the only settlers here were Welsh sheep ranchers, creating their own isolated world in a place where not many could flourish.

We crossed this intimidating hinterland on the journey south from El Bolson to El Calafate, a 24 hour bus ride that became 30 hours after three bus breakdowns... Luckily we were on the coastal road passing near populated areas instead of on the one route that passes through the lonely interior where a breakdown would be frightening.

El Calafate is the gateway town to Argentina's Glacier National Park. Like any town that sprouts due to a tourist influx, it has the feel of a net hastily patched together to catch any passing cash. Luckily the town's lack of charm was more than compensated for by both the friendly crew that ran our hostel and the brilliant park itself.



We paid for a tour that would not only take us to the park but allow to do a bit of trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier. Of the 13 Glaciers within the park, all are receding except Perito Moreno and one more. On arrival we spent an hour and a half wandering around between various lookout points, marveling at the jagged blue ice and hoping to shoot a photo as the glacier calved. Megan struck gold and caught the crash of an iceberg as tall as a 20 story building as it toppled into the water. Photos of everything will be posted as soon as we resolve our computer difficulties.






The glacier trek was a bit touristy for us, but there were still three high points: 1) Setting foot on that massive frozen river itself, slowly creeping 30 kilometers from the Andes to Lago Argentina. 2) Crampons. I've always wanted to try walking up a wall of ice and wasn't dissappointed. I would have tried to stash mine in my bag but I think that would qualify as one of those souveneirs that have absolutely no practical use. 3) At the end of our trip, we were offered a Famous Grouse Whisky served over glacier ice, carved out with an icepick. Awesome.



We decided to pass on Tierra del Fuego for now, unconvinced that the trip was worth it for anything other than to say "I've been to Tierra del Fuego." I'm sure the scenery is amazing, but we were eager to get out of the cold so we hopped on the bus across the tundra and back up the coast towards an old Welsh town and the largest colony of Magellanic Penguins in South America.