Another early morning alarm in the pitch black, and another tour. Where will it be today? Will the weather hold up? Well, it was not quite as sunny and clear as yesterday, but a much better than average day we were told.
Today there was essentially just one location to visit: The granddaddy glacier of them all (or at least, of those that were accessible in this area) – Perito Moreno Glacier. Unlike the other glaciers we had seen, this was one we were going to actually walk on.
I’ve long known that glacier walking is a dangerous activity, but I was not aware of all the risks. In addition to calving that could easily squish you, the terrain on top is full of secret ice cold streams just below the surface and thin ice covered ponds. One fall in either and I don’t think you would last too long!
We were first bussed to another ferry on another lake in another part of the national park – but this time we were the only bus and the overall group size was smaller. Once on the ferry we cruised across the lake along the side of Perito Moreno Glacier to get to a forested area with huts and shacks full of crampons and pickaxes.
Fortunately for us the tour group was further split into smaller groups, each led by at least two glacier experts who could read the dangers hidden below us while we trekked. Our group was predominantly English speakers, which worked well for me. We were taken to the crampon shacks for our crampon fittings, which was kind of novel – sitting down on a bench and having someone fit and lace up your crampons for you. Just like the old days in the shoe store! On the way there we were followed by a local domestic black cat named Lilo that was known to bathe in the ice cold lake waters in summer and snoop around on top of the glacier.
Once we were spiked up, we were led by our guides up on the glacier. We were given strict instructions to follow one guide and NOT follow the other. There were also very specific trails we were told to follow. Trails which must always change due to the constant moving of the glacial ice. We were told that during the warmer summer months the glacier moves a full meter every day and can block and dam the lake we boated over for long periods of time. The longer the blockage, the higher the water level gets. There were water lines high on the rocks from previous blockages that would eventually poke a channel back around the nose of the glacier and drain rapidly.
The first guide would take us around in single file and show us different aspects of the glacier. The second guide, the guy were were told NOT to follow, would run around looking for danger spots and ensuring everyone steered clear of them. He would pull out his pickaxe and tap into a spot just a foot or so off our trail that would punch through to an ice cold pool of water underneath. And although the glacier looked generally flat when viewed from the side, it was very hilly and difficult to walk around while on top. We only stuck near the edge on our trekking, but I was happy we weren’t actually going to cross the whole thing! It would have been quite dangerous with many steep up and down trekking jaunts and endless hazards to watch out for.
Our last stop on top of the glacier was to a mysterious table furnished with three big bottles of whiskey. This was for our congratulatory toast, one in which whiskey was poured over chunks of freshly chipped glacial ice. After the toast we were led off the ice, removed our crampons, had a short trek back through the pine forest to the cabin for our lunch break, and then back to the ferry to get back to our bus.
Before heading back to El Calafate, we were bussed up to an overlook across the lake from Perito Moreno Glacier to view it from above. That is, when there is a channel separating the glacier from the viewpoint! The view we had of the glacier from the ferry only showed us the small side. Once at the lookout, you could see that the glacier was absolutely massive and much larger on the other side. We were told the glacier was coming off the largest ice field outside of Antarctica and Greenland, nested in the Andes Mountains along the border between Argentina and Chile. One particular mountain that could be plainly seen from the lookout was right on the border between Chile and Argentina and usually obscured due to weather – so we had another great day for viewing, even though it wasn’t quite as blue and sunny as the day before.
Another amazing day!
