Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Perito Moreno Glacier and Fitz Roy Massif

The Perito Moreno Glacier

We took a day trip to Perito Moreno Glacier, 80 km from El Calafate, Argentina: 5 km wide, 70 m tall, 30 km long, and most interestingly, is one of only two or three glaciers in Patagonia that is growing. ¨Most of the 50 massive glaciers draped over the spine of the Patagonian Andes are shrinking in response to a global warming, said Andrés Rivera, a glaciologist at the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile.¨

Large sediment loading

There were incredible sounds and sights with the huge calving chunks, followed by the wooohs and aaahs from the onlookers (hundreds of 1000s per year).

A beautiful welcoming day back in Argentina.

The next day we bussed to the north section of the park through hours of pampas that sometimes make you wonder where am I? what am I doing here?

but finally some topography appears

and the excitement grows, and then kicks into high gear:

the Fitz Roy Massif, world-famous for big wall climbing. Too bad we sold our ropes and portaledge to pay for grad school tuition 5 yrs ago.

The access town of El Chalten, and the view westward at sunrise:

The start of our 3 days of trekking here: the Río de las Vueltas.

Fitz Roy from Laguna del Pato

March´s media Luna cherries the peak from afar.

High alpine tarns dotted the hike.

With waning light we made it to the adjacent valley for our first views of Cerro Torre.

The next day´s start afforded views of the full massif, including Cerro Torre (the spire in middle left) which is actually much closer in height to Fitz Roy then it seems here.