Dave & Meredith's Travel Blog

We’ve had a great time in the Argentinian side of Patagonia the last few days. After spending last weekend on Peninsula Valdes seeing wildlife, we flew south to El Calafate which is the launching point for glacier viewing and rock climbing. The word Calafate is the Spanish word for caulk. When early explorers needed to repair their ships, they needed a resin to do so and, because there were no native trees, they finally found it in the berries of a local bush. They named the bush Calafate and, since there was a lot of that bush in this area, they called the town the same name.

We didn’t linger in El Calafate – we came back to it a few days later. Instead, we immediately drove a couple hours to a town named El Chalten which is small and quaint (it reminds me of Homer, Alaska) and basically has three types of businesses: hotels, restaurants, and stores that sell climbing gear. It seems to be populated mainly by young, outdoorsy types (read: bohemian climbing bums). It’s the town where almost everyone who intends to climb the Fitz Roy Massif or Cerro Torre launches their effort.

Although this trip is not a photo-centric one, I did get some quality photography in Tuesday morning. I got up before sunrise so that I could catch the morning alpenglow on the Fitz Roy Massif. After that, we went on a 10-mile hike via the Fitz Roy basecamp. We passed many scenic views of amazing mountains and glaciers around us. It was a long haul for some in the group and after it, many of us enjoyed a cold Quilmes, the local beer. I thought I found a little slice of heaven when I soaked my feet in the hot shower but then I found out that one of the other guys on the trip put a chair in his bathroom and soaked his feet in the bidet!

Picture of the Fitz Roy Massif at Sunrise

The next day we took a boat across Lago Viedma to the Viedma Glacier for a glacier hike. We hiked to the base of the glacier and strapped on some crampons and spent the next few hours exploring peaks and ice caves. The lower ice that has been compressed under the weight of the glacier is an amazingly deep and intense blue. I hope my pictures do it justice. When we were at the highest point of our hike, our guides surprised us by chipping some ice out of the side of a wall and handing out cups filled with the ice and some Bailey’s. The best Bailey’s I’ve had in a while. 🙂

Pictures from our Glacier Hike

Yesterday, we drove back to El Calafate in the afternoon and today we spent the entire day on a boat in Lago Argentino looking at larger glaciers – the Spegazzini, the Upsala, and the Onelli. It was incredible to be on a boat floating past vast icebergs that have calved off of the glaciers. Most had melted into smooth forms, some round, some angular, some blue, and some clear.

Pictures from our Glacier Cruise

Tomorrow is a travel day. We’re driving all day across the Chilean border to Torres del Paine. We’ll spend three nights there, hiking and exploring the mountains. Talk to you soon!