Glacial Beats
On the bus towards one of South Americas highlights I meet my life counterpart, Rich, who has spent 4 years living in Swansea, surfs, kitesurfs, is over here snowboarding on a one year trip having left a job in computers. Unfortunatley in order to justify the extortionate price they charge you for the bus ride there, a ´guide´ speaks for the entire 1 and 1/2 hour trip interrupting our memories of Swansea bars and the Gower peninsular.
Anyway, Perito Moreno, some background. I am induring a boring speech so that I get to see one of earths few still advancing glaciers. It is unique because of its position. It flows and ends in Argentinas biggest lake directly opposite a penisular of land where you are able to stand and watch it. "Watching a glacier?" you all say, "That sounds seriously dull". Oh contrare muchachos, this is one of the most spectacular (i used that word again) sights, sounds and feelings I have ever experienced. The 60 meter walls of ice hundreds of tonnes in weight regularly break off, crashing into the lake with a rib shattering, heart stopping cannon fire noise and vibration. As the icebergs hit the water giant tidal waves roll towards you, and quite embarrassingly it makes people shout things like, YEAHHH, and GET IN!!!!! Jenny, a Colorado girl we met horse riding, stamped her feet and screamed. Rich also used various descriptive words as he punched the air.
Once every 3 years the glacier advances to meet the peninsular, thus creating a dam, water is blocked from entering the lake and slowly builds up a huge pressure on the ice. A few months later and the dam bursts, about a cubic mile of ice breaks into the water, the noise from which can be heard 80 kilometers away in the town of El Calefate.
Unfortunatley, this is one of those blog entries when I fail to impress upon you the power of this sight. No video, photo, or description can ever describe what it looked like. You are all just going to have to come here to see it yourself.
Chris
Anyway, Perito Moreno, some background. I am induring a boring speech so that I get to see one of earths few still advancing glaciers. It is unique because of its position. It flows and ends in Argentinas biggest lake directly opposite a penisular of land where you are able to stand and watch it. "Watching a glacier?" you all say, "That sounds seriously dull". Oh contrare muchachos, this is one of the most spectacular (i used that word again) sights, sounds and feelings I have ever experienced. The 60 meter walls of ice hundreds of tonnes in weight regularly break off, crashing into the lake with a rib shattering, heart stopping cannon fire noise and vibration. As the icebergs hit the water giant tidal waves roll towards you, and quite embarrassingly it makes people shout things like, YEAHHH, and GET IN!!!!! Jenny, a Colorado girl we met horse riding, stamped her feet and screamed. Rich also used various descriptive words as he punched the air.
Once every 3 years the glacier advances to meet the peninsular, thus creating a dam, water is blocked from entering the lake and slowly builds up a huge pressure on the ice. A few months later and the dam bursts, about a cubic mile of ice breaks into the water, the noise from which can be heard 80 kilometers away in the town of El Calefate.
Unfortunatley, this is one of those blog entries when I fail to impress upon you the power of this sight. No video, photo, or description can ever describe what it looked like. You are all just going to have to come here to see it yourself.
Chris
posted by Chris at 5:31 PM
4 Comments:
The photos are breathtaking! I'd love to see it someday.
PS: Samantha it was lovely to hear your voice last night, you gave me a huge but wonderful surprise xx
they are amazing! you should have been a geologist chris. how was the web chat with mum and dad??x
That sounds and looks awesome. Hope both are well.
That last picture is probably the best one I have ever seen It is simply stunning!!
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