THE glacier

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there is really not an effective way to completely describe or capture the emansive and enormous barreling river of ice known as the perito moreno glacier. it commands respect. it's unbelievable big. imagine a tsunami's amount of fresh, chillingly cold, glacier water, thrusting with unparalleled power down from some of the highest and imposing peaks in the world...and then, with the snap of a finder, it gets suspended and froozen in its path - an invisible shield holding the glacier and all its power from crushing into the valley and lake below.

that is the feeling when you look up at perito moreno.

the thing is...it's not really stopped. anyone who spends more than 5 minutes jaw gazing at the perito moreno will have the opportunity to hear the huge thunder-like claps of the glacier moving. spend a bit more time and you will most likely see some enormous chunk of ice, actually falling or chipping off the front...accompanied by a firework-esque, bellowing cannonball explosion of sound.

there are approximately 356 glaciers in patagonia, but the perito moreno stands out as one of the largest, with a front of 5 km long and a height of over 60 meters above the level of the water, contributing to the 1,482,000 acres of glaciers sprawled through the Glacier National Park. The Park was declared a Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1981, and includes other glaciers such as Upsala, Onelli and Spegazzini, surrounded by the Onelli and Bertrand mountains.
The park also includes Lake Argentino, Lake Viedma, and the Fitz Roy mountain, where some of the most experienced climbers gather to attempt a summit. Ice trekking across the tops of the glacier is also another popular activity that is offered...and i think if we had one more day, it would have definately made the intinerary.

complimenting the massive presence of the perito moreno, the surrounding waters of lago argetino glistens turquoise, greens, and blues..and is almost as flat as glass. the lake is speckled with chunks of floating icebergs from previous appendages, that i would assume eventually melt into the water...although some of them are HUGE, so i assume remain bobbing ice islands for many months.

to see Glacier National Park and Perito Moreno, you will most likely come from El Calafate, a nearby town and tourist hub where you can plan excursions to surrounding areas, rent equipment, shop for your next nordic fleece, or huddle down in a café and read up on the patagonian wonders. We stayed at the Keu Ken Hostel, a 5 minute walk from the main street in town, but offering the best views of the surrounding tundra and lake.

After spending a day with perito moreno, we took off the next day on a 5 hour bus ride from El Calafate that brought Salome and I to Puerto Natales, Chile, where we were eagerly anticipating our upcoming trek within the Torres Del Paine...more to follow on the 5 day trek through the Chilean Andes!

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Photos

the perito moreno
it was almost impossible to get a shot of the entire glacier...

a close up
the darker blue colors of the ice relate to the amount of pressure and density

view from the front
i was amazed at the color of the water around the glacier..at some points, it was pure turquiose.