The Falling Sky
Patagonia
02 CHAPTER
PERITO
MORENO
This planet is revealing itself to me from a completely different side. Perito Moreno glacier not only impresses with its grandeur and cold stature, but it also warms up your soul when you find yourself one on one, with an amazing natural phenomenon, and realize that there is probably nothing more beautiful than these humongous blocks of ice.
Perito Moreno – An Ode to Love.
It looks terrifying and at the same time, it is not possible to take your eyes off this beauty. The Perito Moreno Glacier is alive and is located in Argentina, on the territory of the Los Glaciares Park. It is one of the most magnificent places in this region. You can tickle your nerves by climbing onto its snow caps. Walking along icebergs amidst constantly increasing crevasses, is perhaps the most extreme adventure that has happened to me lately.
Interesting fact: Like all the other 48 glaciers of Patagonia, Perito Moreno is fed by the southern part of the Patagonian glacier, located in the Andes on the border of Argentina and Chile. This glacial plateau is the third largest freshwater supply in the world, after Antarctica and Greenland.
Big Ice trek – Not a time to relax!
Perhaps, Perito Moreno is the most fabulous place in Argentine Patagonia. This is the place that you need to see with your own eyes. Moreover, if you can, feel it with your hands, taste it, listen to the sounds of splitting ice blocks, feel the chills from the wind that is whistling through the frozen caps of the protruding frozen hills, look into the depths of the growing cracks and plunge into the turquoise of a melting glacier.
There are many ways to see the magnificent views of the glacier, both from a distance and from it directly. The first method is the simplest, but not less impressive. It allows you to get very close to the glacier. To do this, you need to get to the small town of El Calafate and take a special tourist bus, which will take you right to the base of the glacier, not far from the multi-story complex of viewing platforms connected by passages. The lower you go down on these connected viewing platforms, the clearer the huge spires of unevenly dispersed and tightly cramped ice blocks become.
At some point, you need to stand still and wait for the next giant piece of an iceberg to break off and crash into the turquoise lagoon with unbelievable force. In contrast with dead silence that surrounds this place, the sound of splintering ice puts you into the full meditative state of mind and makes this moment super emotional.
The blocks of ice that have grown before me looked horrifying but at the same time way too beautiful! I felt tiny as soon as I saw this miracle so close. All problems became insignificant. I was bursting with emotions. It was hard to believe that it was possible to safely “walk” on it.
The unique way to explore Perito Moreno is to directly walk on the glacier itself, on its very core, wearing special gear and crampons. For me, it was a revelation, a natural phenomenon. Its appearance made my guts freeze inside. The glacier seemed to breathe under my feet. Invisible processes that force the ice to move all the time occurred directly in front of me. This awareness made me dizzy.
But before climbing the glacier itself, you need to first get there on the boat, and then walk along a fairly steep forest path. The walk itself lasts for several hours, and all this time the guide leads you through the narrow, snake-like icy canyons, forcing everyone to jump over crevasses filled with melting water that is covering the impressive blue depth below. You, on the other hand, become very obedient, like a lost sheep by quietly following the guide’s every step, afraid to even step an extra inch in all directions, conscious of thin ice and camouflaged crevasses. Guides are constantly checking the strength of the ice with an ice ax and pave the route on the spot, depending on the condition of the ice and the proximity of crevasses. The walking path on the glacier is never known in advance, and each time it is conducted anew.
In spite of all the precautions and the strict adherence to the instructions given by our guide, at the very end of this journey, when the forest path started to loom ahead, I took a step after the guide ahead and fell through the ice. The fact that only one foot went through the ice, simply knocked me over to the ground by inertia. During those seconds, my brain didn’t understand what was happening, and the events from the past initiated before my eyes. Add to this my sensitivity and self-consciousness, and you will get not a fun situation! Of course, everything turned out well for me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading these lines! I even received a new pair of dry socks from our guide, but it’s better not to relax on this beautiful glacier!
PS: Finally, the nerves calmed down when we loaded back onto the boat, and all were poured whiskey with ice from the glacier.
The ode to the Greatest Glacier Perito Moreno:
This is a true love story that happened between us from the very first seconds of our acquaintance. I went through all stages of love fever during my communication with this ice giant. It started with the light excitement in anticipation of seeing it; then my heartbeat fastened as soon as I touched its icebergs for the first time; the next stage: complete integration into its endless, frozen expanses, when my breath was taken away from every step I made, every new sound heard, every crevasse seen. At first, you take steps very carefully, silently. The crampons, which initially seemed unnatural, over time become comfortable enough to walk with. You feel confident to march endless distances, and not afraid to jump over the crevasses. You finally start to relax… and suddenly, when it seems that you managed to go through all the stages of familiarization and now you can fearlessly walk on ice, enjoying the views ... you fall under the ice ... not very deep, but very precise. You are shocked, smitten by misunderstanding, but still, feel the gratitude for it not swallowing you completely! And yet, love remains.
