D19 -- Grandest glacier of all

Yesterday we toured Perito Moreno, the most famous of Argentina’s glaciers. It is the only glacier in the park accessible by road, and is also the only one that is not receding. Unlike yesterday, we were able to see this glacier from high above as it stretched all the way back into the mountains. It was quite a breathtaking sight. The glacier’s face is 3 miles wide and it is 198 feet at its highest point (at least the part above water – it extends another few hundred feet below water). There is a viewing point almost directly across from the glacier where we could take some nice pictures and, more importantly, see the occasional chunk of ice break off the face and fall into the lake. While we were there at lest two huge chunks broke, but of course we didn’t get our camera ready in time! Another neat thing was the sound made by the enormous cracks forming in the ice, which are caused by the differences in the speed of different parts of the glacier. I think the face and bottom move about a foot a day, while the top moves about 6.5 feet per day. The resulting cracks are surprisingly loud - a lot like thunder. We ended the trip with another boat ride to the face of the glacier, although this one only took 30 minutes because we were already so close.

- Thomas