El Calafate – Perito Moreno glacier
First days in Buenos Aires practising wakeboard on the Dorado River, close to the delta of River Plate, a bit of at and about in Buenos Aires and I also met Xavi and Simon from London who were visiting Argentina at the same time time as I am here. We agree to meet up for dinner at the Scandinavian restaurant “Olsen”. (Does it get any more Scandinavian than that?). I am late as I had have been trying to organise the flight to El Calafate the next day, Mon. Apologies and a good shot of vodka to make things smoother. I try and I am surprised by a shot of vanilla-flavoured Stolichnaya. Delicious on the taste. The food is not surprising but the atmosphere is relaxed and cool, and so is the company. We enjoy the dinner except poor Simon who did not get lucky with his choice of a “washed and not very tasty” pasta that he leaves on the plate, alomist untouched. He must be longing for a plate of real food but he does not complain much. It is nice though to meet them and spend some time together.
Mon. 17th Nov, I am leaving Buenos Aires after a weekend of eating and socialising with “in-laws and parents of my friend Ignacio. They are cool, very hospitable and welcoming and spending time and conversaing with them is always very enjoyable. I leave from AEP, Aeroparque, or Jorge Newbery airport, which enjoys the skyline of downtown Buenos Aires as background. My Aerolineas flight is full of tourists some of them a bit obnoxious in their behaviour but who cares, I am on holiday... An MD-83 very noisy flies us first to San Carlos de Bariloche, famous ski resort in South America but less popular among tourists off winter season. Some people get off the plane here and the flight continues on to El Calafate. This is a small town on the Lago Argentino Lake and base for trips to tthe Perito Moreno glacier. The town has a population of barely a few thousand people permantly but grows to over twenty thousand during the Argentinean Summer starting now. The town then flourishes and hostels, hotels open for business all over the place. I get my bed in a 4-bed shared room at a youth hostel, very central. The town, despite being small is very spread and distances can be important. I organise the first and most important trip of all: “Big Ice”. This will be an all day trip to the upper part of the glacier. I have dinner and off to bed.
On Tue morning I have my breakfast while I wait for the van to pick me up at the hostel: coffee, bread and croissant, butter and jam. The van arrives and I get on along with another guy. By his accent he is definitely from mainland Spain. We pick up a few more people from other hostels and we continue. They confirm the group five Italians, a couple of Brazilians, really nice as they offered me a small bottle of water -I had not been warned of taking food and water with me-; a couple of Mexicans, two couples of British, two British Airways guys, two Argentines and myself. I break the ice with the Italians, at the end of the day we are to spend all day together in difficult conditions. We are explained the schedule, the rules and alla bout the surroundings on the drive to the National Park Los Glaciares. First a stop to view the glacier form the balconies from where you can look out and enjoy the view of the whole north face of the glacier hoping to see an important fall of a big chunk of ice off the impressive walls. We get lucky and we witness the fall of an important piece. The noise must be magnified by the bay, the hills and the ice itself. The view of such an element of nature is almost breathtaking. Such a mass of white ice sliding down like a static river. Here Antonio, the guy from Madrid and I open a chat and take pictures of each other. Half an hour of contemplation of this and we must get back on the van to the shore of the south part of the lake to board a boat that will take us to the refuge at the other side of the lake and from where we will commence our trek. We travel with a group of guides, -you can tell by the attitude and looks as all tribes always try to communicate their personality and sense of belonging-, four of which will be our guides. We are welcome, introduced and de-briefed on the trek. I borrow a small backpack that will serve me to carry the crampons later on. I also borrow a rainjacket in case it rains what can never be ruled out.
And off we set off. We hike on the shore of the glacier on terrain dry and humid, walk through a high but thin waterfall, stones, rocks observing the changes and moody shapes the glacier adopts on the shore. The trek is not too tiring. On the way we are also given a couple of crampons that we place in our rucksacks. Eventually to get to a place where we have our crampons fitted by the guides. I go first and so, I am first to try on the glacier. They glue themselves to the ice and feeling is of security.
We all get ready and we set off on the ice. Luis will lead the line of amateurs we are looking for the extreme! ;) The moguls of ice are little by little allowing us to enter the new territory. The shapes, the white is so fantastic. Occasionally we stop at places where we take pictures of things that call our attention. Is anything is to be highlighted I would say it is the light, the colour blue contrasting with a deep white. Occasional hole caused by water flowing create small caves of the most intense blue ever seen. Slowly but steadily we continue to look for a path and get further into the central area where the glacier loses the thousands of crest and cuts that give it a dangerous and sharp shape. A flatter plateau with a number of steams of the clearest water that we have to jump is there for us to enjoy. Ouch, in one of the “jumps” over a steep cut I get my left cuff stretched and it starts a pain that still lasts. It gets a bit harder to walk with the extra weight of the crampons but I do not want to either be left behind nor delay the group so I keep going. The pain is not horrible at the end of the day.
We stop to eat lunch at this flat area, close to a beautiful clear lagoon with a touch of sky blue in it. I am offered a cheese sandwich by the Italians. They feel some sympathy of me without any food thanks to the hostel not telling me. I appreciate their gesture. |to be honest I could have done just fine without any food but I thought it would be very rude to refuse. Later they would offer another one but this time I did reject their offer. Then the Brazilian still came to me (uphill) to offer me yet another sandwich they had extra. So people are kind in the end aren't they. More so when the situation is more extreme but easy. Apparently mountaineers are able of the best and worst when it comes to extreme conditions.
We set off once again after having recovered our empty stomachs, having eaten a “alfajor” typical Argentinian pastry offered by Lisi, the only female guide and we head for the last part of the trek where we will see yet more beautiful lagoon with intense, inimaginable blue colour. Another spot was a fast and threatening stream of water making its way through the ice.
We finish the trek on the iceberg exactly at the point where we started it by removing the crampons from our shoes and finish the hike firm soil again back to the refuge dropping the crampons at the camp half way down.
Back at the refuge Antonio meets the couple he is travelling with and that did not want to do the full hike and did just the mini trek, a reduced version at he earlier part and apparently quite easy but enjoyable anyway. We have a couple of cups of coffee that feels comforting and after a little bit of time relaxing, we board the boat back where we are welcome with a nice glass of whisky on te rocks, the rocks being obviously from the glacier! Last pictures on the boat that first diverts to get us closer to the walls of glacier and general good mood.
Back in town I fix the block on my debit and credit cards and go to dinner with Antonio and his two friends. We eat “cordero patagonico”, Patagonian lamb, and I must admit it is heavenly!
Back at the hostel we say good bye and wish each other all the best as they are leaving early for a day trip whereas I plan a horseback ride in the country around the lake. This is what I do the next day.
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