Author: sixdogmomma

Dog lover, hiker, backpacker, photographer, caretaker.

Perito Moreno Glacier

The Perito Moreno

I had never seen a glacier before. At least, not up close and personal, and certainly not a real live monster like the Perito Moreno!* Most of my glacier experience has been from my living room, sitting in the comfort of the lazy boy chair with a couple of dogs on my lap, watching BBC Earth videos. So nothing prepared me for the immensity and grandeur of the Perito Moreno. Nothing could. There is nothing like being there and realizing that you are a not only a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things, but also a relatively soft, fragile and transient speck. Relative to a glacier, that is. In comparison to the forces that created this massive river of ice, I feel like I have a lot in common with a humble gnat!

The front wall of Perito Moreno stretches 3 miles from one side to the other.

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Patagonia: El Calafate & Lago Argentino

Welcome to El Calafate!
The gate of El Calafate is the gateway to Patagonia

El Calafate is a little town situated on Lake Argentina, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in southern Patagonia. It’s main industry is catering to the needs of tourists and adventurers who are preparing to explore the Glacier National Park of Argentina (Parque Nacional de los Glaciares), or cross the border into Chile to visit the remote Chilean National Park of Torres del Paine. The presence of a convenient modern airport makes El Calafate a vital commuter hub for Patagonian adventurers.

Main Street, El Calafate

El Calafate is not easy to get to. After a 42 hour trip (including a 20 hour layover in Buenos Aires) I landed in El Calafate, ready to begin the adventure. After hours of traveling I still had not seen any mountains- they were covered in dense clouds. I had to trust the word of our trip leader, Santiago, that yes, the Mountains were there. Continue reading “Patagonia: El Calafate & Lago Argentino”

Reborn Earth

There is a place on the far southern tip of the South American continent where the Earth is being born….again.

Although The birth is not for the first time, but rather a rebirth, it is no less dramatic or miraculous. The place is in the land called Patagonia,and you can see the birth happening with your naked eye at the western end of Lago Viedma, where the Viedma glacier ends and the Lake begins. You can even walk on the newly emerged infant earth, and touch it’s raw and rarefied skin. It is impossible to find words to describe the surreal grandeur of this place- human language is ludicrously inadequate! Of course there is no substitute for going there yourself, but the trip is long and costly, so I brought back photos. Continue reading “Reborn Earth”

Walk on the Sunny Side of the Canyon

Walk on the sunny side….. of the Canyon!
View from the sunny side, overlooking the south fork of the American River Canyon.
It’s the middle of January already, but you wouldn’t know it out here on the Left Coast.

While the entire eastern half of the country has been stuck in the polar vortex, we’ve been having positively balmy weather, occasionally interrupted by some warm showers. There’s little that can be done to help our eastern friends who are bundling up in every stitch of warm clothing they can find as they huddle beside sputtering radiators. (I get chilly just hearing about it.) So I decided to go for a walk on the north side of the American River, where the south facing canyon walls get full-on exposure to plentiful, lovely, warm sunshine. It’s free Vitamin D and a tonic for the soul.

The south fork of the American River from the bridge. The gate is shut just past the bridge- good news for walkers!

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