Perito Moreno Glacier

Wow, what a fantastic day!!!!

The first view of the Moreno Glacier was amazing,little did I know it would only get better. The Moreno Glacier is about 7kms wide, 35kms long, and you see about 60m above the water and is apparently 70m under the water to the lake floor. It is a stable glacier with enough snow behind it to keep replacing the sections that fall off at the front. It is one of the only glaciers in the world that is advancing daily,while most are receding. In the mountains behind the Moreno, there is a glacier park that has another 350 glaciers. At this point the Pacific ocean is only kms away. Hard to believe we are nowcloser to ot than the Atlantic...

The boat ride across to the glacier gave a great close up view of the glacier, and you could see and hear sections falling off. When pieces fall off theymakealoud booming noise (louder than the ice shifting on L Simcoe when it is frozen in the winter). It´s really cool to see.

Next up, actually getting on the glacier. First we had a little hike to the edge of the glacier where we got crampons on our feet. They take a bit of getting used to but I actually found it a little easier to trek on ice than hiking some of the steep sections on the Inca trail. Getting the hang of the duck walk up hill was pretty easy, the downhill ¨cowboy¨ walk was a little tougher but fairly easy once you got the balance right. Trekking on the glacier it´s self was interesting, the ice was very hard and crumbly, the surface could cut you like glass if you fell on it (no I didn´t trip for a change) and there were plenty of sinkholes where you could see the water running under the surface. Totally enjoyable !

After a ocuple hours on the glacier we headed for what they call the balcony area. This is area off the glacier where you get a view that really impresses how big the Moreno really is. This view is incredible,you can see the whole glacier, and as we had a beautiful clear sunny day, you could also see the caps of the mountains all around. Ice caps as far as the eye could see.It´s tough to explain in words what this actually looked like. Very Impressive !

Tonight we decided to treat ourselves to a Patagonia lamb dinner at a nice resturant. As Patagonia is full of sheep estancias (ranches) lamb is a specialty in this areas, and dinner was quite tasty, probably the best meal so far, and that is saying something cause the food here in Argentina is really good !