4 January 2010

Picture(s) of the day: Glaciar Perito Moreno, one of the major glaciars feeding Lago Argentino.

While most glaciars in the world are receding, this glaciar is one of the few that is actually growing. It also is one of the fastest-moving in the world, advancing about 6 feet per day. We spent a few hours on walkways above the glaciar, watching huge pieces (i.e., the size of small buildings) of ice calve into the water.

3 January 2010

Picture of the day: a tree growing sideways after being permanently bent by the wind, on an estancia outside El Calafate.

Yes, it's seriously windy here.

2 January 2010

Picture of the day: Lago Argentino.

After hiking in El Chaltén, we returned to El Calafate, 220 kilometers southeast. Despite being a short bus ride away, the climate is completely different. While both places are quite windy, El Chaltén receives all the precipitation that falls on the Andes. El Calafate, on the other hand, is definitely in the desert-like Patagonian Steppes. It sits on Lago Argentino, the largest lake in the country. The lake is the same shade of turquoise as the water in the Florida Keys. (Not as warm, though--the color is due to the glacial melt!)