| Trekking Glacier Perito Moreno |
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| Written by Keith Rhoades | |
| Sunday, 21 November 2010 | |
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Well after I last wrote yesterday I walked into town to find a bite to eat. It was so cold and blustery and it started to snow!!! I was so excited. But the wind was howling and biting. But I was bundled up well. I had my usual dinner...Lomito Completo..a sandwich with steak, ham, fried egg...i have had that almost every night with papa fritas (french fries). I woke up this morning and shuttle bus picked me up and took me to a large bus. Papa as I call him at the house I am staying told me in spanish to get a seat on the left side of the bus! I did that and the views were incredible as the bus ascended higher and higher into the andes mountains. It took us about 2 hours to get there. We then got on a boat on Lago Argentina..the largest lake in Aregentina made by the melting glaciers. Words and photos cannot describe the thrill of sailing through floating ice and the grandness of the glacier. I wish I could download my photos but the internet here does not have the capabilitiy so you will all have to wait! We docked by the base of the glacier. It was so exciting...part of the glacier wall fell...rumbling and cracking and crashing into the lake. It then caused waves which pushed us ashore. We got off the boat and then a guide took us to a refuge where we got our ice cleats put on. He then explained about the glacier and how it is 10,000 years old from the last ice age. It is the third largest glacier field after the Antartic and artic regions. Perito Moreno is the most famous in this area...and it is the only one that is not shrinking in size but continues to grow and balance out. The others around here lose a couple of meters each year. He then gave us a basic course on how to trek on the ice..especially going up and down hills. The ice cleats were very heavy and made you walk funny. We broke up into groups of 18. He explained that we had to stay in a single file and not stray off because there are crevices and cracks that drop over 70 feet. Also, ice could break off or you could walk through a false area that was thin. At first it was fun..but the further we went it actually became a little scary...thinking that at any moment part of the ice could break away or a crack open up. Especially when you can hear the ice wall fall every once in a while plummeting into the lake. We hiked for almost 2 hours. We had to bring our lunch and we ate our lunch and hiked back to the dock. Words just cant explain the adrenaline rush....I think the only thing Ive enjoyed this much was hiking the active volcano in Guatemala with the lava flows. We got back on the boat and then onto the bus which took us to the north face of the glacier which was equally as specatular and you viewed it from decks like at the Grand Canyon. I then went and got some coffee. The other great part of this trip was I hung out with a group of solo travelers. A guy from Israel, a girl from South Korea, and a girl from Turkey. We hung out together, took each others pictures, and swapped travel stories of our adventures around the world. At 5 we got back on the bus. The weather throughout the day was a little sun, a little wind, a little cold, a little hail...then bad wind! But it was all exciting. WE got back to town and they dropped me off at my door. Tomorrow I am going on a 10 hour boat excursion into Glacier National Park to see all the glaciers...but this will only be viewing from a boat and through the ice bergs. I dont think it can top today. One of the glaciers..Upsala you cant navigate to anymore because there are too many ice bergs and ships are in danger. I learned when you see an ice berg...you only see 10% of it...90% of it is underwater. I just returned my boots that I rented which came in handy. I was bundled up warm (so now glamour shots for the photos) but I was comfortable all day. Gonna go grab a bit to eat and then go to the grocery store to pack my lunch for tomorrow. When we were driving back to town I was thinking of all the great things I´ve got to experience in my life...hiking an ice berg, hiking a volcano, floating in the dead sea, Machu Pichu, Tikal, Angkor Wat, Teotihuacan, walked the streets of Jerusalem, my crazy bus ride to Bethlhem, Troy, Ephesus, and all the wonderful things I have gotten to see and experience in life...I truly felt grateful and blessed. It is hard for me to comprehend that I have been given this opportunity...knowing that I grew up in a very poor situation (welfare, section 8 housing) and didnt get to experience much when I was a child. I always was socially awkward and isolative and overweight growing up. And I had a lot of other issues and problems and all odds were against me....but somehow in the end...I have gotten to experience a rich, fruitful life. And those of you on this email list get part credit..as you have all touched me, shaped me and helped me become the person that I am today in some way. Some of you I have known for years...and some for just a little while...but you have all made me who I am. And I guess it confirms my belief that we are a part of all that we encounter in life. No man (or woman) is an island unto themselves. Well, I must go get something to eat now...thanks for listening and letting me take you on this journey! With much love and gratitude.. |
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