Perito Moreno Glacier

Argentineans call Perito Moreno Glacier the "8th Wonder of the World.” In addition to its enormous beauty, it is the planet's third largest reserve of fresh water and one of the continent's last advancing glaciers. Located about 50 miles (80 kms) from EL Calafate and veiled by towering mountains, the glacier epitomizes the natural beauty and splendor of Argentina as it slowly pours in crackling celestial blue, from the granite spires of the Chilean Paine Mountains into Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park. After leaving El Calafate, we followed Lake Argentino around Bay Redonda giving us the opportunity to appreciate the milky blue glacial waters reflecting a background of snow-capped mountains. After about 35 miles at the Curva de Los Suspiros mirador, we got our first panoramic view of Glacier Perito Moreno. Even at this distance the glacier is massive. We lose sight of it as we enter the park and follow the road as it meanders around the surrounding mountains. At the end of the road, we are directed to the lower parking lot where shuttle buses take visitors to the upper viewing areas. This is also where we will stay for the night. Whilst giving Winston a walk, we can hear the glacier. The glacier is a kinetic attraction, emitting sonic booms as it calves icebergs into the lake. It creaks and moans and the sounds echo off the nearby mountains giving the area an ethereal quality. These sounds continue as we climb the steep road to the upper parking area and the connection of interlinking walkways that provide easy access to the glacier’s best viewing points. As we wander slowly towards the “fall zone”, we are struck as to the similarity between the walkways designed here and those which we encountered at Iguaçu Falls. We have to commend the Argentineans on the work. The manner in which they build accessibility walkways through their national parks giving easy access to most people including those with disabilities while still maintaining the beauty, aesthetics and integrity of the area is a lesson to be learned by other countries. And then, we are confronted by the renowned Perito Moreno Glacier. Unique in many ways, including its size, scientific significance and accessibility, the glacier is magnificent. At first sight, the sheer magnitude of Perito Moreno, one of the largest in South America is simply astounding. Its walls tower over two-hundred vertical feet (forty meters) from the ground, where the ice meets Lago Argentino. At this height, equivalent to that of a fifteen-story building, the glacier maintains a commanding presence as it forms an imposing panoramic wall, stretching as far as the eye can see in either direction. The most notable feature about the Perito Moreno Glacier is its dynamic and ever-changing facade. Unlike nearly every other glacier on the planet, which recede and dwindle in size over time, the Perito Moreno formation actually swells with each passing day. Deemed an "advancing glacier," the ice is continually growing and expanding outward, gradually occupying more and more territory. While the glacier is said to move outward at a pace of up to seven feet each day, large chunks of ice falling from the walls make this growth a bit more subtle. This phenomenon also makes viewing the glacier all the more unpredictable and exciting. The show is never-ending. You can watch the detachment of ice blocks of different sizes from a short distance, hear the roaring they produce, and then watch them turned into wonderful floating icebergs. We spent hours exploring its wonders and taking in the breathtaking vistas, at the picturesque sight which lies before us. It was mesmerizing. We walked from one end to the other, enthralled with watching chunks fall from it into the waters below, some almost at water level but others crashing from amazing heights. We stayed so long, we missed the last shuttle and had to wait for some workers to finish up and give us a ride down to our RV in their pickup. We walked Winston and prepared a simple dinner of soup and sandwiches. Throughout the night, we were awakened often by the moans and booms of crashing icebergs falling from the glacier. Very cool. The next day, we took a boat ride to get even closer. As the boat maneuvered closer to the glacier, it was even more amazing watching from water level, the chunks of ice falling and splashing ahead of us, some large enough to cause waves which made the boat rock. We took tons of photos and, whilst the glacier lacked the vibrant colors and spiked formations of Grey Glacier probably due to its constant movement, the sheer enormity of Perito Moreno is phenomenal and we could understand how it became known as the 8th wonder of the world.

El Calafate and Los Glaciares National Park

Leaving Puerto Natales for El Calafate involves yet another border crossing, this time from Chile back into Argentina which is usually a little easier. The border crossings are really easy for us by now and we just follow the same routine. Immigration, Aduana (Customs) for the motorhomes temporary import permit and then we mention Winston. Sometimes they don’t care, some check the paperwork we have and with varying degrees of thoroughness. Until now Argentina had barely given his paperwork a glance. These officials went through it carefully, even asking to see the entrance and exit stamps for Chile and the previous ones for Argentina. We showed the Chilean stamps and then explained that until now Argentina had not cared about the pet’s entry. It seems Argentina has no set policy in place and it just depends on the border. They examined all the paperwork we have, his USDA permit, Interstate permit, rabies and vaccination certificates. Winston then received another stamp on his USDA form, it is getting crowded and they had to use the back. Leaving the border, we picked up our “hitchhiker-du-jour”. Michael, a young German fellow has just finished his Mathematics degree and is trying to find out what he really wants to do with his life, which right now is exploring Patagonia. El Calafate is about a 4 hour drive so we all settle in and Michael actually dozes in the comfortable captain’s chair whilst I check out the scenery and Tom, who is driving battles the ever-increasing wind that seems to ravage Patagonia and periodically the motorhome rocks as a crosswind threatens to move the RV into another lane. We drop Michael off in town and go to find our campground. Luis, a fellow RVer had told us about an AMSA campground. This is a municipal campground affiliated with the police dept. which is located right across the street. The campsite is perfect with electricity and hot water showers and is within walking distance of the town center. Anyone who wants to see this side of Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Merino Glacier passes through El Calafate. Situated on Lago Argentino, its name is derived from a small bush of the same name which has bright yellow flowers and dark blue berries. Similar to a blueberry, Calafate berries are used to make preserves and a type of liqueur that is drank after dinner and is quite sweet but very tasty. The village is also reminiscent of the upscale tourist spots of the Rockies like Banff, Lake Louise or Vail, with stylish shops, souvenir stores, trendy restaurants and travel agencies advertising a variety of treks and tours designed with you, the tourist in mind. Even though it is autumn and really between seasons, it is still a busy place. The village is surrounded by the snow-capped mountains peaks of the Andes and between it and Chile is the southern end of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Declared a World Heritage site in 1981, Los Glaciares is the second largest in Argentina and 30% of it is covered in ice, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. It is really divided into two parts for visitors, both sections corresponding to the two elongated glacial lakes at each end. Lago Argentino, which is in the south, is the largest lake in Argentina and Lago Viedma in the north. The southern end has the famous Perito Merino Glacier and the northern end in addition to Viedma glacier which feeds into Lake Viedma is most famous for being the gateway to the famous and popular climbing mountains, Monte Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. Between these two lakes is a non touristic center of mountains known as the Zona Centro. Tomorrow our goal is to go to the glacier but we are happy to browse through the town and enjoy the bustle of people and do some window shopping.

Our final few days in Puerto Natales and the loss of a dear friend

Our return to Puerto Natales involved numerous stops to refill the radiator, so much so, that we went through about 25 gallons of water. And again, we are grateful for our 40 gallon water tank. To say the owners of the campsite were surprised to see us (again) was putting it mildly. Tom told them that the repair did not hold and there was much talk as to what to do next. They bring yet another mechanic to the motorhome and after he examines the radiator and hoses, tells us he can help. Tom is skeptical but what are the options. We give the go-ahead for the work and they tell us they will be back the next day. Tom still wants to see Torres Del Paine a little more so we decide to rent a car and he will go for the day, while I stay with the RV and Winston in town. Early Sunday, Tom took off for the park and I cleaned the RV and walked Winston. There is a very pretty small church in the town square and so I went to mass also. It was in the afternoon that we received some very sad news. I had went into the hostel to call the kids and check emails. As I was getting on line with Skype, Tom’s sister called me and we chatted for a while and I got brought up to date on the family and our numerous nieces activities and lives. Just as I was in the process of calling Danny (our son) and I began to read emails. One was from our friends in Buenos Aires whom we had spent such a wonderful time with only a few weeks ago. After we left, they were going to China and Japan for vacation before Pablo went back to work. Apparently after their vacation, they decided to go to the Caribbean islands off Colombia for a few days just to relax. There was a terrible accident and due to lack of hospital facilities on the island, Pablo had lost his life. Needless to say, Cesar is devastated and I just could not believe what I was reading. I read the email to Danny and signed off. Pablo was only 40 and so full of life. He loved to travel and they had so many plans for the future including visiting with us in the States. It was hard to comprehend what could have gone so terribly wrong. About half hour later, Tom got back and one look at me told him something was up. I told him about Pablo. The truth had trouble sinking in with him also. We will contact Cesar soon and give him our condolences but we know nothing we can say will express how we feel. It is really a reminder of how precious life really is and how every moment should be reveled in because we never know when it can be taken away. We honor Pablo’s life in our own way. Pablo loved champagne and we had drunk a few bottles with him and Cesar. So, we opened a bottle and toasted his life and remembered the good. We pulled up photos that we had taken of the four of us. Of the day we went to the Tigre Delta and another time spent sightseeing in Capital Federal and of course the numerous days we had just relaxed by the pool and ate dinners on the patio. Vaya con Dios, mi amigo. (Pablo Gatti. RIP March 15th, 2012).

Photos of Torres Del Paine National Park

Hi All

Attached is the link for the photos for Torres Del Paine National Park. Play the slideshow and enjoy. Just cut and paste.

https://picasaweb.google.com/118181109521024542820/PatagoniaTorresDelPaine?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Torres Del Paine and Laguna Amarga

Wednesday, with the radiator fixed again we were back on the road to – where else – Torres Del Paine National Park. We still want to get views of the Torres (towers). Like the cuernos (horns), there are three of them, the North, South and Central. They are gigantic, granite monoliths rising out of the mountain and shaped by the glacial ice. The South Tower is now thought to be the highest at 2,500 meters (8,250 feet), although surprisingly that has not been definitively established and was first climbed by Armando Aste. The Central Tower is 2,460 meters (8,100 feet) and was the first of the three to be climbed back in 1963 by Chris Bonnington and Don Whillans and the North Tower which is 2,260 meters was first climbed by Guido Monzino, who back in 1977 donated around 12,000 hectacres (30,000 acres) to the Chilean government which established the definitive limits of the park. Our goal is to camp at Hotel Del Torres and then hike from there. We are now accustomed to picking up hitchhikers and just leaving Puerto Natales, there were two ladies waiting for rides. They were going to EL Calafate so we told them we could give them a ride to Cerro Castillo, which is the turn off for the park and also the border entrance to Argentina. After crossing the border they should be able to pick up another ride to El Calafate. The two girls were from Santiago and one spoke good English so we were able to chat with them as we drove. After leaving them at the border, Tom checked the motorhome. So far, so good – no leaks. We are now on the familiar gravel trails which lead into the park and just as we are approaching Laguna Amarga, a beautiful ice blue glacial lake, Tom announced, with a certain degree of dread in his voice, that he smelled “something”. We pull off at the turnout to the lake and sure enough we are leaking once again. Frustrated and depressed doesn’t begin to express our feelings. We take stock of our situation, yet again. It is about 3 in the afternoon and we are by a gorgeous lake with some fabulous views of the mountains including the Torres. We will spend the night and once again go back to Puerto Natales. I’m beginning to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day! But, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. At least we have some great views of the towers and so as Tom checks out the motorhome and prepares it for the night, I walk Winston. There are guanaco grazing by the lake so I keep Winston on his lead until they have moved off. Then he is free. He runs to the water, stops for a moment, runs in and….he is up to his belly in ice. He is shocked. He tears out of the water shaking himself and looking at me reproachfully. “Not my fault” I tell him, laughing and taking his photograph. He runs around but does not go into the water again. Once bitten, twice shy. I check out the landscape. The towers are amazing and as I walk further to study them, I shout to Tom. Coming from the North Tower is a natural ice bridge crossing a glacier, connecting it to the adjacent mountain. In the reflecting sunlight, it looks phenomenal. We take a ton of photos as this may be the closest we get. I make beef soup for dinner and as we eat we watch the sun setting over the towers and decide it is a great camping location. It was never our original destination and if the motorhome had not developed a problem we would probably have not stopped. And yet, here we are with near perfect views of the towers. Tomorrow is another day and we will again, limp back to Puerto Natales and if we can’t find someone capable of helping us, we will go to Punta Arenas. For right now, we are by Laguna Amarga, it is quiet with not another soul in sight and those Torres in the setting sun are spectacular.

A minor setback

After two nights at Grey Lake, our plan was to wind our way north through the park and spend a few days in the parking lot at Hotel Torres Del Paine where we are hoping the weather will hold for us to hike to the torres. The road from Lake Grey goes east to a bridge crossing Lago Toro and then north which gave fabulous views of the Paine Massif, an eastern spur of the Andes of which both the Cuernos and the Torres del Paine are a part of. Small valleys separate the spectacular granite spires that dominate the landscape. On our left we pass the gorgeous blue waters of Lake Pehoe which has two waterfalls at each end: Salto Chico which connects Lake Pehoe to Lake Toro at the south end and Salto Grande which drains Lake Nordenskjold into Lake Pehoe in the north. Although we did not take the trail to Salto Grande, we did stop at the mirador and get some photos. It was just after we started up the mountain leaving Lake Pehoe to round Lake Nordenskjold that our setback started. The radiator which we had had repaired in Punta Arenas started leaking again and with steam coming from under the hood we made it to the top of the hill before pulling over. With the ever present Patagonian wind buffeting the motorhome, Tom pulls on his hat and jacket to check it out. He comes back inside, furious. The repair had obviously not been done correctly, his guess was that it was never pressure tested and now we were leaking fluid again. We get out the map of the park and start making another plan. We need to get back to a town and Puerto Natales is the closest, about 75 mile and half of that on the gravel trails. Thank God the motorhome has a 40 gallon water tank which is close to being full. As I fill some containers, Tom gets back out and begins to top up the radiator. He estimates that we will need to stop about every 15 minutes to check and re-fill. At least with all the stops, we got some great views of Lake Nordenskjold which is a pretty azure blue and the Rio Paine which lived up to its name and was a bright blue under the sunlight. We are a little depressed because we don’t want to miss seeing the torres but the motorhome takes precedence. Now we will have to come back into the park on our way to Argentina and Los Glaciares National Park and pay the rather steep entrance fee again in order to see them. That and we lose another few precious days of summer, autumn is approaching and we are still far south of where we wanted to be with April approaching. Such is the “glamorous” life on the road. Anyone who travels knows of these setbacks and how frustrating it can be but it is part of the experience. It takes us 2 and a half hour to get to Puerto Natales and we arrive back at Camping Josmar in time for dinner. After walking Winston and getting settled, we decide to eat at a nearby restaurant as we don’t feel like cooking. It is St. Patrick’s Day but there is no corned beef and cabbage. Tom orders the king crab (centolla) for which Puerto Natales is famous and I the veal chops which were really good and Winston gets the bones. We then Skype our family and kids and bring everyone up to speed with our latest news. Monday we will find a mechanic who can help with the radiator and hopefully we will be back on the road by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Grey Glacier, Grey Lake and a boat trip

Grey Glacier is another of the chief attractions in Torres del Paine National Park. It is located on the west side beside the Cordillera del Paine and the Paine Massif and is at the south end of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field. The glacier covers a total area of 270 square kilometers and it is 28km long, however, like all of Torres Del Paine's glaciers and most glaciers around the world for that matter, it is retreating. Flowing southward, at one end is the Patagonian Ice Field and at the other a 40-metre wall of ice, which smashes ice blocks into Grey Lake below and with them, glacial rock flour, the silt which gives Grey Lake its milky blue/grey color. Grey lake is really a by-product of the glacier and because of the glacial silt it is a “dead” lake meaning that nothing lives in it. In some areas closest to the glacier, it is more than 500 meters deep and its waters reflecting the Paine Mountains behind it turn it into a postcard worthy picture. The surface of the lake and much of the glacier can be seen when following the big circuit of Paine Mountain Range at John Garner Pass. There is another view from the south shore of the lake, where the glacier can be seen in the background with icebergs floating on the water, some quite close to the shore. However, the best views of the glacier and the surrounding mountains are seen by boat which is booked from the Hotel Lago Grey. The boat leaves at 3 in the afternoon and sailing time is about three hours but can be cancelled because of weather, if necessary. The day we had scheduled the trip started windy and stormy and by noon although the rain had stopped, the wind had not abated much. We wondered if this was one of the days it would be cancelled but when we showed up at 2 o’clock, we were told the trip was definitely a go. Hmm. By 2:30 everyone had checked in, some 20 or so brave souls. Besides us, there were the four ladies from Texas and the rest were predominately a group from France. Everyone was bundled up against the elements. After a short bus ride, there was a 15 minute walk to the dock, first crossing a narrow, wood-slatted bridge which moved steadily in the wind and then across the beach which exposed us to the elements and left most people breathless. The wind was fierce and howled around us. There was no boat at the dock and we all huddled against the rock cliffs for any small shelter. The lake looks rough, ice-cold and very uninviting but none of this lessens the mood of anticipation for the trip ahead. After no more than a few minutes, the boat appeared. It looked smaller than I had expected and anchored a short way off-shore. A smaller motor boat then came and this would transport us out to the “Grey II”. As we got aboard the small boat, everyone was handed a life-jacket and instructed to wear it at all times when on deck or up on the second level open viewing area. My only thought was that if anyone fell in the water, hypothermia not drowning would be the issue. But, rules are rules. As we were climbing onto the main boat, one of the crew suddenly told us to check out the cliffs. There was an Andean Condor flying around. Considered quite rare, there are only a dozen or so breeding pairs in this area. Once, we were all safely ensconced on board, inside and out of the wind, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and after a brief introduction from the captain and crew, we were underway. Even with the wind and cold most people were too excited to stay inside and went to stand on the back or go up to the top to check out the scenery. We were not disappointed. The Cordillera del Paine surrounded us and the sharp snow capped granite peaks were beautiful as they were reflected in the water by the sun, peaking out behind clouds. There were icebergs and chunks of ice of various sizes in the water and nudging against the sides of the boat. The glacier in the distance was starting to loom larger and we could make out the tongues of the glacier. Tongues are segments of a glacier which has been divided by a “nunatak” – a piece of land that has separated the glacier to create an island in the middle and the tongues are the parts that form the ice wall where chunks break off which fall into the lake. It is now just a short time before we reach the base of the glacier and the giant wall of ice which soars in places 40 meters above us. The rock and ice formations leave everyone spellbound and speechless for minutes while the boat cuts the engines and the only sounds are those of nature surrounding us. The water as it rocks the boat, the groan of ice moving under its tremendous weight, the occasional splash as chunks fall into the lake and stillness, nothing more. Then, the cameras are out and the photo ops begin. But nothing can detract from the perfect images. There are not enough adjectives to adequately describe this phenomenal feat of nature, the millions of years that went into the making of this amazing park and this spectacular glacier. The colors were mesmerizing, ranging from pale azure blue to the deepest of periwinkle. Glacial blue, ice blue, the names of shades of blue flash through my mind but none of these truly represent the colors that surround us. The shapes and formations of ice sculpted over the ages and the field of ice as it looms over our heads looks as though it goes on forever. And yet this and most of the other world’s glaciers are rapidly receding. Global warming, the natural cycle of the earth, God’s creation, man’s destruction - who knows for sure and the arguments rage on but for this one moment in time, I can just stand in awe at the majesty of it. We must have taken a hundred or more photos as, at each turn there seemed to be yet another view equally as photogenic. As the boat idles and we move around to get different aspects of the glacier, a crew member appears with a tray laden with either straight whiskey or pisco sours mixed with ice made from glacial water. “Million year old ice” as it is known. (Pisco is a national drink from Chile). And so we stand on deck, as the boat gently glides past the giant wall of ice in front of us and occasionally nudges small icebergs floating by and we stand and toast one another. One of the ladies from France summed it up quite perfectly. “C’est tres magnifique”, she said. Ah, yes. It is very magnificent. Was the trip worth it? Absolutely – every penny, every step, every view. Did the weather affect the trip? Absolutely – in a good way. This is Patagonia, cold, desolate, windswept, glaciers, icebergs floating by, the end of the world. If it was warm and sunny, it would have detracted from the experience. And would we return? Absolutely. Now, if only we can figure out a way to stop the rapid melting of the glaciers. That would also be tres magnifique.