Finally had a day out with the camera yesterday at Glacier Moreno, and what a place to go for your first day out! A bus load of us took the tour from El Calafate, stopping along the way to enjoy the view of the mountains and the plains.
the road to Glacier Moreno
We got kind of lucky with the weather from a day out point of view – apparently there’s normally only a few days a year that you can see the hills (and the upper part of the glacier) from this distant viewpoint. So they say, but with the clear blue skies that have been a constant feature since I arrived I’m beginning to think that the fickle nature of the Patagonian weather is a bit of a myth, designed to keep the tourist numbers down….
For a photography point of view, the balzing sunshine combined with the brilliance of the glacier made for hard work at times. combined with the fact that we were there at high noon, it perhaps wasn’t the best light: I’d love to go back for dawn if I get the chance. Even then though, the sight of the glacier is really quite magnificent.
Glacier Moreno, 6km distant
Once you get up close, you add the noise of the thing and the whole experience steps up another level. the constant sounds of crashing ice makes you realise just how much the glacier is a dynamic force rather than just a big lump of ice. It’s not the biggest glacier in the area, not even close. But it is the only one that is still advancing rather than retreating, which in these days of climate change is something quite special.
Glacier Moreno from the observation walkways
A 20+m block of ice falls from the Moreno Glacier
We also had the opportunity to take a boat trip along the northern aspect of the glacier, which was well worthwhile, not just for the up-close views but for the 10 degrees of relief from the heat! I’m afraid that I’ve a bus to catch, so this will just have to remain a short post, but I did promise less talk, more photos so hopefully you’ll let me off with it.
