Going on a Glacier Hike!

So, here I am.  Heading north from the end of the world in Ushuaia.  I'm on a bus.  We have checked out of Argentina and into Chile.  Suddenly, I'm looking at water, and the bus starts driving up onto a ferry.  I then realize what I've known all along.  Ushuaia is on the ISLAND of Tierra del Fuego.  Not only do you have to cross through Chile to get off the ISLAND, you also have to cross the WATER to get off the ISLAND! (Duh!  That's how ISLANDS work!)  That water happens to be the Strait of Magellan.  I knew that!  In at least one of our lectures on the Ocean Victory (the Antarctic cruise ship), we talked about how the Drake passage and Cape Horn became the preferred passage for a period of time because even though it was rougher seas, it wasn't controlled by those who charged huge taxes and tolls for its use.  As a general rule, I'm excited to see significant bodies of water, especially those that are not only significant geographically, but also historically.  This one just snuck right up on me!  I managed to get my phone out to video us getting on the ferry.

We weren't allowed to get off of the bus for the ride, though.  Big bummer, but probably not such a bad thing.  Our bus was kind of in the center rear of the ferry.  At some point, a wave broke over and soaked both sides of the bus.  This was my attempt at taking a picture of the Chilean naval station at the other side!  Pretty good focus on the water on the window, but...

After crossing back out of Chile and back into Argentina and a bus change in Rio Gallegos, I got into El Calafate at 0030.  That's oh-dark thirty to some of you.  When I got to my accommodations that I had booked and confirmed that I could check in at that time, the only people there were other people who were renting the place!  So, I called the number provided on the booking platform and heard (in Spanish), "That was tonight?"  About 10 minutes later, two young women show up in a black car and let me know that the place is booked for the next 2 days, but they have another place.  After taking a picture of the license tag and texting it to a number that I know will respond almost immediately so they know I have communicated this information outside, I get into the car.  I got very good vibes from these girls and no creepy-crawly feelings.  The slightest little alarm bells, and I wouldn't have gotten in the car with them.  But I did, and we drove waaaay up the hill.  I'm thinking that regardless of how nice this other place is, I'm not walking up and down this hill!  And we pull up to their family home.  Apparently, they're going to put me in a spare bedroom - with a door that doesn't close.  They tell me it's their family and it's okay.  I tell them that it's not MY family, and it's not okay.  I must have a door that not only closes, but also locks, and that the location is not okay for me.  They wake up a cousin, hang another door, plane the doorway, and install a lock, and assure me that we'll find a solution tomorrow. I'm tired.  I go to sleep.  I get up the next morning, find another place to stay, confirm that I can't get into the place I rented from them that day - it's not just that they weren't prepared for the early check-in. They tried to convince me to stay in their home until the place was ready, even offered me use of their car. That wasn't going to happen, though.  So, I booked a different hostel, and they gave me and my bags a ride back into town, where I checked in early and started this part of my trip.

I started by buying my bus ticket out and walking around town. The little town of El Calafate is most known for its proximity to the Perito Moreno glacier, one of the only glaciers that is still growing.  I'll describe the glacier later.  The town is adorable.  There is one main street, but several other streets that branch out.  There are tourist shops, restaurants, markets, and lots of "kitschy" things, and those who know me know I love me some 'kitsch"!

There is a "locks of love" bridge

The obligatory park and statue of famous people, such as General San Martin.  The Las Malvinas monument is on the far west side of town.  When driving past it, I didn't have my camera ready and I didn't walk that far west.

Fast food

Lovely little shopping areas

including this one with the local saddle displayed outisde a tour agency.

And this little shopping center with a gnome to greet you and a gnome garden!

My first excursion was to the Walichu Caves anthropological site.  I love pre-Incan history.  The tour guides were great, and I learned a lot of interesting history.  The native tribe was called the Tehuelche, and the little we know about them is interesting.  They were nomadic and wintered near Lago Argentino, the largest freshwater lake in Argentina.  Unfortunately, most of the paintings were so faded they were difficult or impossible to see.  I have cranked up the saturation on many of these photos to show the paintings.  They have also been overwritten by grafitti prior to the site becoming protected.

Lago Argentino.  The Perito Moreno glacier is just to the left of the pointy peak in the background.

This is a burial mound.  The natives would generally draw a circle or spiral around these to aid the bird (I don't remember which one) in swooping down to retrieve the soul of the deceased and deposit it in a newborn.

This is a small version of a frame for their huts.  Because trees do not live in this part of Argentina, the sticks had to be harvested in the forested places during the summer months and carried with them for winter. They were usually covered with hides from the guanaco, which are related to the llama, but smaller and not domesticated.

This dot inside a circle is thought to represent a burial site

This is thought to represent the process of birth.  It was at a place where the cave sloped down, so it would be ideal for supporting a crouching woman's back while bent and bearing down for childburth.  There are two handprints (difficult to see), which would be the right place for putting the hands for support.

I also booked a day trip to El Chalten.  El Chalten is about 2-3 hours from El Calafate, and I booked it by excursion.  You can take the bus, but the cost of the excursion was reasonable considering that it was door-to-door service with transportation to the main points of interest and lunch.

El Chaltan is a trekking mecca, and the town reflects that.  There are no souvenir shops or anything to really draw you to the town other than the nearby mountains, especially Fitzroy.  If you're not a trekker, it's still worth the day trip, especially if you can make it up steep climbs.  If you're a trekker, I understand it's an amazing place with a multi-day trek through the Patagonian Ice Fields.  Obviously above my abilities!  One of our stops was to a condor overlook, where there are nests and they fly close.  I gave it the old college try.  If I had had all day to do it and could take multiple breaks, I probably could have made it.  But about half-way up, I realized I was not going to get up and back in the hour and a half that was available for this hike.  I have another condor mirador planned in Peru, though, so I don't really feel like I've missed out.

Mount Fitzroy

Sign explaining all the parts of Fitzroy

The condor viewpoint is on the top of that cliff behind the visitor's center.

The waterfall is beautiful, especially with an easy 500 meter walk from the bus.  

The highlight of this portion of the trip, however, was minitrekking on the Perito Moreno glacier.  Yes, I am putting crampons on my shoes and walking across the glacier.  We learned a lot about glaciers on the Antarctic cruise and more about this particular glacier on the minitrek.  A glacier isn't just any ice that has stuck around for years.  It is snow.  It is snow that has refused to melt and compressed over multiple decades (or centuries).  In order for a glacier to remain its size or grow, it must receive more average snowfall per year than the snow that melts.  A glacier also must be moving.  Glacial ice always moves downhill. Its movement may not be obvious or even visible.  Even glaciers that are receding are moving.  They are simply ablating (melting or calving off) faster than they are moving. The Perito Moreno glacier is one of the few glaciers in the world that is still growing.  It is said to advance approximately 2 meters (6 feet) per day.  However, more recently, it has had some years of recession with some years of advancement, so there is discussion about whether its growth period may be over.  

This was the first look at the glacier from the bus.

This is a view from the catwalks.  It is impossible to capture the entire glacier in one photograph.  They say it's approximately the size of Buenos Aires.  The Southern Patagonian Ice Field feeds 47 large, major glaciers, incuding the Perito Moreno glacier.

These are the crampons that you must wear to walk on the ice.  Trust me, you will not slide in these.  And they are HEAVY!  Estimates are that the crampons alone weigh in at approximately two pounds!

This is the beginning of the hike.  Note how steep!

When I got on the glacier edge, the crampons dug down into the ice, making it a very strange sensation to come out.  Foot movement was different, and my ankle couldn't really function as normal because of needing to have spikes in and out of the ice.  Since I already have trouble with proprioception (one of the things we worked on in physical therapy), this was very disorienting for me.  Add the respiratory issues with going uphill, and I knew after a few steps, I wasn't going to be able to complete this trek.  That's okay, though.  The goal was to walk on the glacier, and I was doing that!  Goal met!  Just a matter of whether I would do it as long as the others in my group.  I fell twice on the ice before finally giving up.  Mind you, this is not a slip and fall like you think of with a fall.  It was feet being stuck in the ice, unable to pull up or put down in the right place, and you just lean over into the mound of ice to the side.  Like gently laying down except you don't want to!   I made it up to the first set of spires before giving up.  By this time, I had already inherited a guide all my own, who tried to keep me upright.  She guided and helped me back down to the bottom where we started.  At that point, she went back to the group while a different guide removed my crampons and got me back to the refuge.

This was the next part of the trek.  I looked up at that and decided I had walked on the glacier enough!

I got to spend some time in the ice cave alone with just me and my personal guide.  The black spots are tightly compressed ice, not dirt.  It was formed by the glacier pushing over the rocks in the back.  Remember, the glacier is moving.

After I got back to the refuge, I fixed a cup of tea and took some picture of this face of the glacier.

They have a wooden statue of a trekker at the front of the refuge.

After my group got back, some of them walked out on the rocks to look at the glacer.  I took that as an opportunity to give some perspective.  The Perito Moreno glacier stands approximately 70 meters above the water.  That's 220 feet.  Keep in mind, though, that glaciers do not float.  The bottom of this glacer is approximately another 110 meters (360 feet) below the surface of the water.   A glacier "calves" (breaks a piece off) when the pressure of the water prevents the lower part of the glacier to continue moving forward, so the top part chips off.  You could hear an almost constant cadence of calving events from different parts of the glacier.  Two events were visible from this face while I was watching.  I was too busy watching in awe to catch either of them on film.

This is a close up of the top of the glacier.

I shot video of some of the boat ride back to the port.  Note the piecs that had calved off the glacier.  Some of them may have reached small iceberg size.

When we got back to the port, we boarded the bus back to El Calafate and back to our lodgings.  I started packing for my next adventure, but I have to admit, I'm beginning to get a little tired.  I'm not sure if this trip is going to last all the way.  I may have to split it into two trips.  We shall see.  Regardless, I will finish the things I want to do in Patagonia before heading home.

It's the End of the World and You Know It!

Ushuaia (Oosh-WHY-uh) - Fin del Mundo!  The end of the world!  The southernmost city in the Americas - unless you ask Puerto Williams, Chile.  The places are about 50 km (about 30 miles) apart by ferry.  That's mostly east to west.  North to south?  More like 20 km (12 miles).  Ushuaia is on the northern shore of the Beagle Channel.  Puerto Williams is on the southern shore of the Beagle Channel.  So why does Ushuaia (population about 75,000) get to call itself Fin del Mundo?  Population.  The argument is that Puerto Williams (population about 3000) isn't big enough to be called city!  Puerto Williams is trying to catch up, though, so this could change in another century or so!  Stay tuned for more things I probably will not be updating in future!

Don't let the population fool you.  Once you've strolled San Martin and Maipu streets, you've pretty much seen the town.  There are lots of hikes, but I'm not much of a trekker, so...  I wanted to ride the dog sleds, but they only do that in southern hemisphere winter (northern hemisphere summer), so that was out.

So, I spent the first day getting settled in and hanging with friends from the cruise that were waiting for their flights out.  The next day, I strolled through town and made arrangements for my bus to El Calafate.

The walk along Maipu is chocked full of statuary, monuments, and parks.  Definitely intended for the tourists.  Many of them are applicable to Argentina as a whole, such as General San Martin, whose statue also stands in multiple places in Buenos Aires.

Some are very local, such as this statute memorializing Gunther Pluschow, the first person to fly an airplane into Ushuaia, on December 3, 1928.

There is what seems to be the obligatory monument to the Malvinas.  I was a bit of a jerk while taking this one.  I was waiting on the other corner to take this shot while a guy was taking a number of selfies in the area.  I had no problem with it, as I tend to take a lot of shots myself.  Since most people just take one or two and move along, if I see someone waiting, I'll usually step out of the way and come back when they're finished.  This guy looked at me, seeing me standing waiting, and kept on taking his shots, moving to different places in the frame.  I stood and waited for over five minutes.  When he finally finished and moved out of the frame, I got a few shots from across the street and moved in for the closer ones.  He crossed the street to where I was.  Almost immediately upon getting to the spot, he yelled over asking me to move out of the way.  Of course, given the fact that he didn't clear for me, that meant I had to stay there for the rest of my life!

Ushuaia's monument to the Malvinas isn't just a statue or a plaque.  It is a whole park with multiple statuary and monuments to the islands.  Since Ushuaia is the capital of the island of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica (the part claimed by Argentina, but not controlled because of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959), and the South Atlantic Islands, Ushuaia is also considered by Argentina to be the capital of Las Malvinas.  Obviously, the British and most of the rest of the world don't see it quite the same. This is a monument to those who lost their lives in the 1982 conflict.  The fire continued burning even during the rain.

I don't have a clue what this head represents.  It reminds me of Easter Island, but Easter Island is part of Chile, and as far as I can tell, there is no claim to the island by Argentina. It is lovely, though, especially with all the tulips in bloom and the harbor in the background!

Notice the map of Las Malvinas (the Falkland Islands) to the right of the letters.

This is the side and top of the Secretariate of Women.  I frequently saw children playing on this building when the sun was out.  It's hard to see in the picture, but atop the building is a relief of Eva Peron.

In the bay is the remains of the San Cristobal, which ran aground in 1957.  She was built in the US, bought by Great Britain, and used in World War II before being sold and used for commercial purposes.

I do love the bright colors on the beaks and feet of the gulls here!

While you can find travel agents for excursions all along Avenida San Martin and others, just past the port is a whole little village area where the agencies have their own little shelters.  It is here, also, that you find the moderately famous "End of the World" sign.

While most of the buildings are typical South American construction and design, there is a definite, clear German influence on many.

My day taking pictures of town was great because it there were no ships scheduled to dock or disembark that day, so I was able to take pictures without the crowds of people that come here for the Antarctic cruises.  For my last day in town, I had difficulty deciding between the Martial Glacier, Lago Esmerelda, or Tierra del Fuego National Park with the train.  (The penguin and sea lion trips just didn't excite after the awesomeness that I experienced in Antarctica.)  Knowing that my next stop included the Perito Moreno Glacier, this one lost.  I have heard very wonderful things about Lago Esmerelda, but ultimately, I chose the train.  I had to go to Western Union first, so I wasn't able to catch the first train.  I got the noon train into the park.  

Like a hop-on/hop-off bus, the train had an audio component that talked about the history and landscape of the city and the park.  The city was settled as a prison colony.  This was based largely on European penal colonies, except the prisoners that were sent actually continued to be incarcerated upon arrival to the colony.  We had "prisoners" along our voyage for pictures.  I would have loved to have purchased mine, as it was a very good shot of me holding one by the shirt front and him leaning back while the other was trying to snatch my bag with my fist doubled up ready to smash into his face.  I really liked it, but they only offered it in print, not digital, and I know it would be destroyed by the time I got home.

The trains run on steam, but they do not use coal to heat it.  They use some type of combustible liquid, which they did not name.  It is supposedly ecologically friendly.  Here is a video of a train coming back while my train was also stopped for a bit.

There were wild horses in the park.  The train didn't phase them any little bit.

The prison labor was used for services, initially for cutting firewood and later exploited by a lumber company.  The prisoners would be transported by this train into the valleys to chop down trees without any concern for the environment or the health/safety of the prisoners.  Hardened criminals, such as mass murderers, were chained along with petty criminals.  Children were cautioned not to go close to their incarcerated parents because of who might be chained next to them, so they would wave from afar.  While it's difficult to see from this picture, this is part of what is called the "tree graveyard".  You can tell what season each tree was felled based on the size of the stump.  The taller the stump, the higher the snow was.  Those cut at ground level were cut in the southern hemisphere summer.  Sometimes, the prisoners were required to remain overnight in the forests, and would often have to climb trees in the winter while still chained together.  The prison was finally closed by Juan Peron because of severe human rights abuses.

At the end of the line, you have an option to either remain on the train and go back to the station or get off the train and spend some time in the park.  The last train back to the station leaves at 4:00 p.m.  I decided to explore the park a bit since it was only 1:00.  So I walked a bit until I found a road and sign that told me the visitor's center was approximately 6 km away from the sign.  At this point, I felt like I could go to the visitor's center and take a taxi back.  There was a lake at the visitor's center and an interactive area along with a restaurant.  So I headed out.  It was a lovely walk, and the lake was beautiful, but this was a mistake.  Once you got to the visitor's center, the interactive area was up a long staircase, which my legs just weren't going to handle after that 3-mile hike.  And there was no taxi stand.  There was an information desk, so I inquired about a taxi there.  The man at the desk told me that he would be happy to call me a taxi.  It would be 7000 pesos to take me to my hotel in Ushuaia.  I asked him how much it would cost for the taxi to take me to the train station in the park.  He said that would also cost 7000 pesos, and the taxi would wait for me at the other station and take me to my hotel in Ushuaia.  I asked him how much it would cost for the taxi to take me to the train station in the park and not meet me at the station at the other end to take me back to Ushuaia because I could get a taxi to Ushuaia for 1300 pesos.  He said that would also cost 7000 pesos.  So basically, if you find yourself at the visitor's center without time or energy to walk back to the train, it will cost you 7000 pesos to get out.  Be forewarned.  Other than that, it's a lovely ride and a nice history lesson, and I would recommend it.  You can get off the train and take some of the short hikes in the area so long as you have the time and energy to get back to the train station by 4:00 for the last train out of the park.  The food in the restaurant looked and smelled delicious, but I couldn't eat at that time, having just walked about 3 miles.  They did have grapefruit juice and water.  My water was running low, so I got one of each and rehydrated.  My taxi arrived just as I was getting recharged, so I went home and had a sandwich from the cold cuts I had gotten from the mercado on the corner.

This fungus is very prevalent on the trees in the forest on the mountains.

Many of the views are breathtaking, especially with those clouds hanging heavy.

This is the lake at the visitor's center.

My overpriced taxi driver was kind enough to almost stop at this roundabout so I could get this picture.

I slept well that night.  I woke the next morning and showered, packed, and made some cheese sandwiches to eat on my way to my next destination - El Calaphate and hiking on the Perito Moreno Glacier!

Final Excursions and News of a Serious Accident

Our last day of excursions.  We're planning to go to Carcass Island to see more magellanic penguins, some striated caracara (falcon-type birds), and other local birds.  We had options for zodiac groups based on how we wanted to see the island instead of by color group this time.  There were the fast walkers, who wanted to walk along the coast to the settlement; the bird walkers, who wanted to have a guide to help them find the wildlife; the slow walkers, who just wanted to meander along the coastline to the settlement; and the settlement group, who didn't want to bother with the coastline and just wanted to go straight to the settlement from the ship.  I chose the bird walkers.  Maybe I should have reconsidered, but it turned out to be the best option.

Ab and Yeti were leading the bird walkers.  They have this tendency to take the long way around, through the toughest terrain.  In their defense, that's where the birds are nesting, so that's where you have to walk if you're going to see them.  I knew that, and yet, I chose the bird walker group.  I did get some lovely shots of oyster catchers, a Cobb's wren, meadowlark, and an open nesting magellanic penguin.  I got a shot of the striated caracara, but it wasn't a good one.  As I heard in the bird group, “A bad picture is better than no picture,” but I won't subject you guys to it!  We had gotten back around to where the trail started, and I was beat from hiking through the tussac grass, up steep inclines, climbing over sheer rocks, and was beginning to have some difficulty breathing.  Suddenly, Guil appeared walking toward us.  I tried to hurry to catch up to him to ask if it was too late to change my mind and go to the settlement group because I had come to the conclusion that I couldn't make it.  He said they had canceled the excursion and everyone was going back to the ship.  So, I got to see the best of the birds, hit my peak abilities, and got to go back without completely admitting defeat!!  Yay, me!!  The best of both worlds!

Oystercatcher

A plant very similar to what we call lamb's ear in the southern US.

Cobb's wren

Oystercatcher family (the baby blends in with the rocks)

Magellanic penguin

Meadowlark

Now for the serious part.  I feel confident that I am not the only one appreciating Phil's and Cpt Jeremy's caution even though it has kept us from seeing some things we were planning to see (like adelie penguins and doing the polar plunge).  When I went to the mud room, there were people talking about an incident that happened two days ago on Elephant Island, a landing we called off because of winds.  On Nov 15, an expedition ship with Quark had a landing scheduled on Elephant Island.  On our zodiac, we asked Neill, who happened to be our driver, what he knew about it.  He said from what they understood at this time, the seas were relatively calm with an experienced crew and an experienced zodiac driver when a rogue wave came out of nowhere and flipped the zodiac.  Two passengers perished in the Antarctic waters.  He did try to reassure us that these were the first passenger fatalities from accident that he had heard of in his eight years of Antarctic expeditions and reminded us that there is risk in everything we do.  It seems to have been just a freak accident, but there will be a full investigation.

Today, we embarked at winds of about 25 knots.  According to Kevin, our driver coming back, the winds were consistently 40 knots, meaning that gusts were higher, potentially over 50, and that is dangerous.  I, for one, thoroughly appreciate Cpt Jeremy and Phil pulling us in early when conditions deteriorated and keeping us on the ship when conditions are not right for a landing or zodiac cruise at all.  Yes, I'm bummed that I didn't get to see the adelie penguins.  I'll probably never get another opportunity to see them.  If we don't make this afternoon's landing and see the rock hoppers, I'll also be bummed.  Rock hoppers live elsewhere, though, and I'll probably have the opportunity to see them again.  I am thankful to our ship leadership for considering safety when deciding whether an excursion will go forward or if plan B, C, or D (and in some cases, we have seemed to go to plan ZZ) will have to suffice.  In fact, I believe it was a plan ZZ or somewhere close to that where we got to see the emperor penguins.  I am also thankful that, if my family reads about the incident before I get back to Ushuaia, that I was able to make contact with them by text message on Stanley yesterday, the day AFTER the incident on Elephant Island.  That way, they will know I was alive the day AFTER that incident and will know I'm okay.

Our second excursion for today was also canceled.  We only did a drive by of the Devil's nose.  You could see a huge amount of white dots all over the hillside, but even with my binoculars, I couldn't discern what was a black-browed albatross nest and what was a rock hopper penguin.  Albatross, shag, and gulls flew around the ship, and the dolphins played around the port-side bow, but the wind was blowing so strong and the ship was rocking so hard that it was impossible for me to get a good shot of any of them.  Thus ends the last expedition day.  Phil let us know that because of cutting Carcass Island short and driving by the Devil's Nose instead of hiking across Westport to the colonies, we will be arriving in Ushuaia earlier than expected.  The benefit is that we will be navigating the Beagle Channel during daylight.  This may save me an excursion in town. We're allowed to exit the ship for the evening if we want, but I think I'll stay on, eat my last meal on board, pack, and just catch up on things that have happened since I've been gone.  

We also got to do a tour of the bridge.

After the briefing and recap, one of our group had reserved the Panorama Restaurant for the group for a hot rocks dinner.  Again, I forgot my camera.  We went out on the bridge for sunset pix, too.  I still didn't have my camera.  We never got the spectacular sunsets, so I didn't bother going back down two flights of stairs to get it.  I also didn't have my coat.  It was windy, but not really that cold, so I stayed out for a while.  I've been out without it so much that one of our group noticed that I really do have an aversion to coats!

Then we went down to the lecture room for Antarctic trivia night.  I figured if I caught something in that soup of people in the lecture room, it is the last night, and there are no more excursions to miss.  When I got there, I found that I probably could have been going down for the game nights all along.  The coughing and hacking people weren't there and there was plenty of space between people.  Oh well.  We won (by virtue of the team with more points than us being disqualified for cheating with expedition staff!), and I have a patch of the Antarctic continent.  Now, I just need to find a sharpie and a map so I can mark the spot where I disembarked on the peninsula!  Next stop, Ushuaia (again) - the end of the world!