One Apple A Day #205
Glacier Perito Moreno, January 12th, 2017
The Perito Moreno is massive. 30 km long, 800 meters thick at the source, among the Andes, and 200 meters at the front, where it melts into a lake. Of those 200 meters, only a small part is visible. The rest is below the surface of the lake.
The most impressive thing has been the perception that the glacier is alive. In our minds, a glacier was just a static huge block of ice. We had the first glimpse of the Perito Moreno liveness when we were approaching it with the boat. Big chunks of ice fell from the front into the water making a deep rumble, as if a distant storm was getting closer.
The Perito Moreno moves forward at an incredible speed, up to 2 meters a day in its central part. Not enough fast so we could see it but enough to feel it, through the small vibrations under our feet.
The guide told us that the Perito Moreno is a glacier in balance, not increasing and not decreasing in time. But it is a balance made of movement.
Another surprise has been the surface. The glacier is not flat and plain as it looked from a distance. There were peaks and valleys where the wind blew intensely, and rivers over and under the surface. The colours went from white to grey and blue. Some crests are so high and steep that they looked impossible to climb. The guides have to recreate the path through the ice almost every day, the wind and the movement of the ice reshape the surface of the glacier constantly.
It hasn’t been as cold as we thought. Yes, it is better to avoid placing your finger on the ice but, maybe because we were walking up and down, we found it quite warm. Or probably it was the whiskey on the rocks they gave us at the end of the hike.
It is not easy to say goodbye to Perito Moreno. So, after our ice walk, we are here on the panoramic terraces, admiring it from a distance, collecting our thoughts and thinking about our next move.