How often do you go off-trail with your hikes?
We found a reasonably dry day while staying in Ushuaia to check out the resident glacier: Martial Glacier. While we could have hiked directly from town, we didn’t see the need to add the extra miles, especially since they were all uphill. Instead, we took the relatively cheap taxi to the official trailhead.
Continue reading “A Glimpse of Martial Glacier”
What national park left you somewhat underwhelmed?
After incredible places like Torres Del Paine and Fitz Roy, we were excited to see what the Tierra Del Fuego National Park had to offer. After all, this is Patagonia!
But when we arrived, it just wasn’t as blow-your-socks-off beautiful as the rest. This park is more about the location than what it contains.
What is the farthest you’ve ever been from home?
Ushuaia is a cute little town on the very southern tip of Argentina. It is the southernmost city in the world, and because of this, it has been dubbed “El Fin del Mundo” – “The End of the World.”
What is the most difficult hike you’ve ever done?
We thought we had seen our biggest hike when we scaled the ridge to the Torres Del Paine lookout. However, we had our work cut our for us at Fitz Roy!
How do you prepare for a major hike?
We entered a hiker’s paradise when we reached El Chalten. Trails abound – right from the edge of town! The town is right on the brink of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, and the best part: there’s no admission fee here!
We were excited to explore, and we knew we had lots of options. However, we were really there for the prime jewel: Fitz Roy. Knowing this would be a major undertaking, we elected a much gentler hike for our first day – something with which to warm up our legs for what was to come.
What kind of activities do you love to do in cute little mountain towns? Hiking? Skiing? Staying in with a good book?
We came to El Chalten for the hiking. After several days down in El Calafate, we were ready to explore the other end of the beautiful Los Glaciares National Park.
What is the most beautiful hike or trek you’ve done?
Nothing prepares you for the stunning beauty of a glacier. It’s unlike anything else in the world – wild and jagged, timeless and graceful.
And the color! Ice cubes are clear, and one always pictures Antarctica as white. But this thousand-year-old-ice is a sparkling blue. It truly is a photographer’s dream.
Continue reading “A Glimpse of the Perito Moreno Glacier Trek”
Have you ever seen a glacier in person? Which one is your favorite?
There is nothing quite as awe-inspiring as standing in front of a massive glacier. We first experienced this with our trip to Norway, and it still never fails to take my breath away. I won’t ever not be wow’d by these frozen behemoths.
Perito Moreno Glacier was on our bucket list as it is one of the most amazing places on Earth. We were fortunate to find an opportunity to do a short trek on the glacier and we were blown away. The blue color of the thousand-year-old-ice and the lake below is awesome. The glacier is everything we had dreamed it to be and more. El Calafate was our home base where we enjoyed local Argentine foods and beers. From there we traveled about an hour and a half each day to visit Perito Moreno. When we first arrived at the glacier, we couldn’t believe how large it was. To be able to walk on it proved to be one of the most memorable moments of our lives.
What is the freshest water you’ve ever tasted?
It might sound cliche, but there really is nothing that quite compares to glacial water. When visiting the Perito Moreno glacier in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, we were encouraged to drink the water straight from the lake! It was just as fresh on the actual glacier (more on that later).
