Ice Ice Baby!!!

The next few weeks of the trip were all about the ice ice baby!!! We spent the next few weeks travelling down through the absolutely stunning scenery of the Patagonia region of Argentina and Chile. This leg of the trip was fantastic as we got lots of time away from the truck and although there were some long drive days we stopped in most places for 3-4 days. The highlights of this leg were Cerro Fitz Roy in El Chalten, the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate and of course doing the famous ‘W’ walk, a four day hike to Torres del Paine. As we drove south temperatures dropped and the layers of clothing became thicker (I had to buy a new coat as I came totally unprepared for this kind of cold!!) and the winds when we were putting the tents up were unbelievable!!! But it was worth it for the scenery we saw - it was truly awe inspiring!!

El Chalten - Los Glaciares National Park
El Chalten is a beautiful village set in the Los Glaciares National Park and was a great base for day hikes to unbelievable views of mountains, rivers and glaciers!! On the first day we left really early from campsite with Ian and Delwyn and headed to Fitz Roy, the highest range in the park and from the photos we had seen at the park rangers office, the most spectacular. After an hours walking in the morning sunshine we were at the first mirador and the views were breathtaking. After dozens of pictures and a cereal bar we hiked on for another 3hrs. The beginning of the hike was beautiful, the park was filled with beautiful rivers, bridges and stepping stones built from the natural wood, lakes reflecting the views of the mountains etc and only the last part of the climb to the top was hard, but when we got to the top the views of the glacier were spectacular. After spending some time chilling on top we headed back along a different route towards the second peak but the weather turned so we stopped for lunch in a sheltered spot and then headed back to base. We had done 10 hours hiking and so deservedly went for a beer in a local brewery pub …sound familiar!!! …but definitely not as nice as Bariloche!! 

We got up early again, but Michaela’s legs were feeling it from the previous day (still feeling the injury from Pucon!!) so she chilled out in the sunshine and shops while the 3 of us went for more hiking. The first part of the hike went through a woodland where you could apparently see a lot of Magellanic Woodpeckers, unfortunately for us they must have been sleeping that morning!!!  We added a pic of one that one of the others had caught on camera later that day!!! After failing to see woody woodpecker we headed onto the mirador point to view the Torre mountain range and the lake in front of it. We just hung out there admiring the glacier up close and had lunch.

The best thing about the park was that it was so natural and it felt so untouched, little bridges were made out of natural trees and any trees that had fallen were just left there to decompose with time. Minimum human influence had been put on the creation of the paths and it was so hard to believe that it cost nothing to enter the park as the views were priceless!!! And the marshmallows at camp when we came back weren't too bad either!!

El Calafate - Perito Moreno Glacier

The next day we were back onto Amber and headed to another small village, El Calafate. It was a great town for shopping for hiking gear and Michaela badly needed a warmer jacket!!! After a days shopping,

finally success, as always in the last shop we visited!! So we were now set for a visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier. It is 5km wide and 60m high and its one of the few glaciers that is still moving, at about 2 m/day. It was mesmerising to watch and listen to. The size and bluish colour was dazzling to look at it. Some small pieces fell off when we were there and the noise was so loud. I can’t imagine what it would be like when a large chunk falls off. In 2006 a large bridge that had formed in the glacier feel down and it would have been AMAZING to see and hear...heres a link from youtube showing the beginning of the collapse!!! http://www.youtube.com/watchv=BDHayMS33MA&feature=related.

We took a boat ride quite close to the glacier and thankfully no big bits fell off when we were on it!!!!! Its hard to take a photo which does it justice but it will remain in our memory for a very long time.