| We left Torres del Paine and headed north by bus to Glacier National Park, anchored in the south by El Calafate and in the north El Chaltén. A large part of the park isn't open to the public since it consists of the Andean Ice Caps, the world's third largest glacier system outside of Antarctica and Greenland. The ice caps create 47 big glaciers and there are also more than 200 smaller glaciers unconnected to the ice caps. What you can visit is an area of mountains, lakes, woods, glaciers and the dry Patagonian steppe to the east of the Andes. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage sight in 1981 and is popular with hikers and climbers from around the world. |  |
 Border checkpoint between Chile and Argentina |  Notice how tattered the flag is? High winds followed us up from the south |
The first terrain we entered was the Argentinian steppes, an arid landscape lying in the rain shadow of the Andes. Much of it looked familiar, an amalgam of the sagebrush desert of Nevada along with aspects of Wyoming and Utah.
   |  Dead guanaco on a fence-- didn't jump quite high enough   |
El Chaltén
El Chaltén is the northern end of Glacier National Park and is the Tehuelche name for Cerro Fitz Roy, named after the captain of the Beagle of Charles Darwin fame. It has the distinction of dating only to 1985 when settlers were encouraged by the Argentine government to move in as a way of buttressing territorial claims with Chile. Today it is a town of 4000 dependent exclusively on tourism. Fortunately, it has Cerro Fitz Roy, popular with climbers around the world; additionally, it is considered Argentina's trekking capital. We found it to be quite friendly with a good pub and a great place to stay. Beautiful hikes to various destinations were plentiful and trails originated right in town. Our biggest regret was that we didn't schedule enough time to thoroughly appreciate the area.
El Chaltén is the northern end of Glacier National Park and is the Tehuelche name for Cerro Fitz Roy, named after the captain of the Beagle of Charles Darwin fame. It has the distinction of dating only to 1985 when settlers were encouraged by the Argentine government to move in as a way of buttressing territorial claims with Chile. Today it is a town of 4000 dependent exclusively on tourism. Fortunately, it has Cerro Fitz Roy, popular with climbers around the world; additionally, it is considered Argentina's trekking capital. We found it to be quite friendly with a good pub and a great place to stay. Beautiful hikes to various destinations were plentiful and trails originated right in town. Our biggest regret was that we didn't schedule enough time to thoroughly appreciate the area.
 El Chaltén at the base of Fitz Roy  |   |
Sam can always find something of interest...
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...but Monte Fitz Roy is the star of the show. At just over 11,000 feet, it isn't really that high but it attracts climbers from all over the world due to its sheer granite faces and weather that is exceptionally inclement and treacherous. Photographers are also drawn to the mountain thanks to its unique shape. We hiked to Laguna Capri, where the boys impressed us with their hardiness and took a swim in the cold, glacial waters.
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El Calafate
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El Calafate lies near the southern end of Glacier National Park and is the location from which tourists go to see Perito Moreno, the area's largest and most accessible glacier. It has a longer history than El Chaltén, having been established 100 years ago as a gathering spot for sheep ranchers both to set off with their flocks to market and to purchase supplies and meet neighbors.
It's still a very pleasant little town, full of tourists of all sorts and situated on a beautiful lake. Just walking along the lake or ambling through the bird sanctuary would be a worthwhile trip, but the pizza and burgers were both great and Perito Moreno didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, our skills as photographers are not adequate to do Perito Moreno justice, but we hope you'll get a good idea of its spectacle.
It's still a very pleasant little town, full of tourists of all sorts and situated on a beautiful lake. Just walking along the lake or ambling through the bird sanctuary would be a worthwhile trip, but the pizza and burgers were both great and Perito Moreno didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, our skills as photographers are not adequate to do Perito Moreno justice, but we hope you'll get a good idea of its spectacle.
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Argentinians drink a lot of mate, an herbal tea made from the leaves of the local yerba maté plant and considered medicinally potent given its antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering properties, as well as its dose of vitamins C, B1, and B2. The tea culture comes with lots of paraphernalia – tall double thermos cases with shoulder straps that look like they might contain giant binoculars, as well as a range of drinking devices. Mate is the Quechuan word for "gourd” and so many Argentinians drink the tea from a gourd with a metal straw called a bombilla. We saw taxi drivers, tour guides, and day-trippers sipping all day long to relax and restore. Sam and Finn were game to be like the locals. Sam, by the way, is wearing his new Chilean baqueano (cowboy) beret.
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Birds
Of course we end with some photos of birds. Many of the birds proved to be quite willing to stick around and give me good photo ops. The first two are of the black chested buzzard eagle which may be the most elegant bird I've ever seen. It was perched on a fence post on the side of the road and didn't mind at all that I'd stopped to take its picture. Many of the others were about as cooperative.
Of course we end with some photos of birds. Many of the birds proved to be quite willing to stick around and give me good photo ops. The first two are of the black chested buzzard eagle which may be the most elegant bird I've ever seen. It was perched on a fence post on the side of the road and didn't mind at all that I'd stopped to take its picture. Many of the others were about as cooperative.
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