Today was epic indeed. We decided to take a group tour of the Perito Moreno Glacier with a guide that was affiliated with the local hostel we're staying at. This turned out to be a really nice time. He showed us an alternate route to the glaciers which proved to be more entertaining than the mundane highway route we took on the way back (which was perfect for a siesta). Along the way we saw plenty of open grass lands with hills off in the distance. The route traveled through what was described as the transition zone (ecotone) which was south of Lago Argentina (Argentina Lake). We were told this area was home to many species of wildlife including; eagles, foxes, lamas, horses, pygmy owls, and rhea (small ostriches). Along the way we also got to sample the el calafate berry, which as legend goes "whoever eats the calafate berry will return to Patagonia." Sure hope I get to come back at least once more in my life.
The Perito Moreno glacier was awesome. They say it is the only glacier in South America that is considered stable. Meaning they know how much it grows and shrinks each year. From what I could tell, the amount of ice we saw was unfathomable. We got to hike up to it as well as see it up close from a boat. Pretty amazing how water can be transformed into such a massive structure. While we were staring at it in awe, we got to see a big chink off it fall off into the lake. It was pretty crazy the wave that thing produced. It rocked the boat pretty good.
Tomorrow we are renting a car and heading to Monte Fitz Roy. They claim that this is a top destination for climbing in South America and a top 5 toughest assents in all of the world. We'll see.
Most awesome! Please bring back some glacier pieces so we can check 'em out.
ReplyDeleteHow do I know that's really your hand? I call shenanigans.
ReplyDelete