The BIG Ice - Hielo GRANDE!

Hi Folks,

I'm going to try something slightly different this time. As this will be a long post with lots of photos and chat from the Glacier adventure I'm going to write the post in English first. Free flowing blogging is best. Then I will try to translate that into Spanish. This will be a test!

Here goes...

Wednesday morning was the day of the BIG ICE - a full day trip to The Perito Moreno Glacier. Moreno was a surveyor here (he mapped out the Chile Argentine border around here and perito means "expert") It was an early start - 7am so I had to cheekily ask for a slightly early breakfast. I had no reason to worry as Los Lagos hotel was happy to help as usual.

(Miercoles fue el día del "BIG ICE" - un día totalmente al glaciar Perito Moreno. Moreno era un agrimensor y el hizo la frontera de Chile y Argentine cerca de aqui.)

To whet your appetites I'll give you an opening shot...but first I need to tell you how our own first view of the glacier happened...

(Primero un foto del Glaciar pero también yo digo como nosotros se vimos la primero tiempo)

We'd been on the bus for about an hour and a half travelling through the scrub with the mountains ahead. Suspense was building as the guide (speaking in both spanish and English) gave us some history and details of the Glacier today. We were in the middle of a wee Q&A session when he broke off suddenly and said his mate the driver needed to put some music on. The music was opera with a soprano building to a crescendo. Meanwhile the driver had slowed us down to climb a steep rise...and just as we reached the crest of the rise we all saw the amazing sight of the glacier for the first time...right at the moment the opera music reached its crescendo!

(muy dificile traducir! Cuando la música llego crescendo también la autobús llego la cima de una cuesta y nosotros vimos la glaciar primero tiempo. El conductor es muy experto...un profesional!)

I'm afraid I laughed out loud and almost gave the driver a round of applause! Imagine the skill involved in ensuring the bus reaches exactly the right point just as the music reaches its crescendo!

(Me reí casi en voz alta! y casi apluadi!)

This was a great start to what turned out to be a tremendous day.

First we were taken to some balconies that overlook the tip of the glacier. Two pictures of me and the Perito Moreno Glacier...and one just of the glacier.

(Primero nosotros llegamos a un balcón donde podimos mirar el extremo del glaciar. Tres fotos, dos de mi y la glaciar y uno del glaciar solo.

One silly! (Uno tonto!)

One sensible. Note the "Pocket rocket" cycling jacket is serving me well on our third continent. What a jacket!

(Uno con sentido. El "Pocket rocket" chaqueta de ciclismo - un chaqueta fantástica!) 

...and finally an attempt at an arty one with a contrast between the red flowers and the blue ice and water.

(...y finalmente yo trate hacer un foto artístico con flores rojo en contraste con azul del glaciar!)

Now, one of the highlights of any day at a big glacier is witnessing a big chunk falling off. Apparently this becomes more frequent later in the day as things warm up. We did hear a couple of big cracks but early doors all I could see were a few of the subsequent ripples as I was not looking in the right place. Later in the day there were more cracks but I sadly never got to see a bit fall off.

(Yo quise mirar un pedazo del glaciar fractura y bajar pero aunque yo oi no lo vi.)

Next we had to take a boat ride to the south side of the glacier so we could get access to the ice.

(Despues, nosotros tomomos una bota al sur del Glaciar para que podimos montar)

We had a 45 minute hike up the lateral moraine (school geography somehow a little more interesting today than in the classroom!)

(Caminamos durante 45 minutos arriba de "lateral moraine" - geografía es mas interesante al glaciar en contrast con en aula!)

Then we got our crampons on ready to hit the ice... and here we are...

(Llevamos crampons estamos listo montar el hielo...y estamos aqui!)

 One of the other groups ahead of us as we head into the center of the glacier.

(Un otro equipo delante de nosotros mientras nosotros caminando al centro del Glaciar)

Some meltwater in the foreground

We had almost 5 hours on the glacier including a lunch stop of around half an hour. Some more pics including the highlight - a tunnel we went through but had to turn back in because it went too deep inside the ice.

(Nosotros montando el glaciar durante cinco horas con treinta minutos para almorzamos. El Punto culminante fue un túnel)

We had to cross a few melt water streams.
(Necesitamos travesía algún ríos piquenos.)



















Into the tunnel!

(hicimos al interior del Glaciar)

Finally we made our way back along the lateral moraine and back to get the boat back. Here's some photos from the boat and I'll finish up with some chat on the Glacier...

(Finalmente regresamos al bota. Algun fotos del glaciar desde la bota.

You can see in the last picture that the glacier has actually grown and over the lake and reaches the other side. This is one of the few glaciers around the world that is not shrinking. It is pretty much in equilibrium. It has a cycle of growing until it touches the other side of the lake. This blocks the water off and one side (this side in the pictures) rises with meltwater and rain. This can continue until the lake is a number of metres higher than the other side. Eventually the water pressure builds and punches a hole in the glacier under the water. When this happens the glacier can fall in on itself in what is called a rupture. This can be very spectacular and might happen within the next few months. some people might even camp out to see it. Imagine your disappointment if you camped out for weeks only to choose the wrong moment to go to the loo!

(Demasiado dificile! Lo Siento!)

All for now, cheerio to the Glacier! I'm in blog catch-up mode so plan to post more tomorrow.

(Chau, yo trate enviar mas mañana!)