For hike #2 we decided to head east out of town and then 9km to a glacial lake called Laguna Torre. Once again we entered the Los Glaciares National Park. The weather called for rain but luckily after working for two seasons in southeast Alaska both Heidi and I were well equipped for a hike in the rain.
After a kilometer or so in we found ourselves high on a ridge, looking down at a glacial blue river winding its way through the bottom of the gorge. Across on the far side of the valley a waterfall snaked its way down, feeding the river more of the early morning rain. The tops of the rocky peaks were hidden by clouds but I had high hopes that the weather would clear, the clouds would lift, and all would be revealed on the way back. After 2 kilometers and a bit of an uphill climb we came to an overlook that was totally socked in with clouds. We would get an idea the next day what this could look like but until that blog post it will remain a mystery.
The next 7 kilometers took us through all kinds of different ecosystems. We eventually walked down next to the river at the bottom of the valley which was a gorgeous contrast of glacial blue water, dark green forest, and red rocks lining the trail. At the very end of the hike we had to climb over two massive terminal moraines left behind by the receding glacier.
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| Laguna Torre and glacier |
What we saw next was pretty breathtaking. A glacier slowly worked its way into the back of this massive lake. It seemed to be coming right out of the clouds which still covered the peaks I knew must be there. The glacier had left so many rocks behind that the lake almost looked like a quarry. I could find no way to get around the lake to the glacier so this is where we had our picnic lunch. Heidi heard a big calving from across the lake as I was scrambling around getting pictures. But we decided not to hang out for too long since the cold, biting, wind was whipping our way from across the lake.
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| Nature appreciation |
On the way back we made sure to keep an eye out for anything that we missed. We found tons of butterfly caterpillars on the ground and in the trees. And I took a little time out for a quick lay down in a soft looking field. The weather got better and better, just as I had hoped. And as I stopped to get another picture of the waterfall, Heidi made a great discovery. She had found the Magellanic Woodpecker. I was bummed not to have my long lens but was so excited to see it. With an all black body and the iconic stark red crested head it is unlike any other woodpecker I've seen.
Check out the entire photo gallery at
http://www.daimarsphotos.com/Argentina
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| Waterfall and River with movie-like scenery all around |
For hike #2 we decided to head east out of town and then 9km to a glacial lake called Laguna Torre. Once again we entered the Los Glaciares National Park. The weather called for rain but luckily after working for two seasons in southeast Alaska both Heidi and I were well equipped for a hike in the rain.
After a kilometer or so in we found ourselves high on a ridge, looking down at a glacial blue river winding its way through the bottom of the gorge. Across on the far side of the valley a waterfall snaked its way down, feeding the river more of the early morning rain. The tops of the rocky peaks were hidden by clouds but I had high hopes that the weather would clear, the clouds would lift, and all would be revealed on the way back. After 2 kilometers and a bit of an uphill climb we came to an overlook that was totally socked in with clouds. We would get an idea the next day what this could look like but until that blog post it will remain a mystery.
The next 7 kilometers took us through all kinds of different ecosystems. We eventually walked down next to the river at the bottom of the valley which was a gorgeous contrast of glacial blue water, dark green forest, and red rocks lining the trail. At the very end of the hike we had to climb over two massive terminal moraines left behind by the receding glacier.
What we saw next was pretty breathtaking. A glacier slowly worked its way into the back of this massive lake. It seemed to be coming right out of the clouds which still covered the peaks I knew must be there. The glacier had left so many rocks behind that the lake almost looked like a quarry. I could find no way to get around the lake to the glacier so this is where we had our picnic lunch. Heidi heard a big calving from across the lake as I was scrambling around getting pictures. But we decided not to hang out for too long since the cold, biting, wind was whipping our way from across the lake. 
On the way back we made sure to keep an eye out for anything that we missed. We found tons of butterfly caterpillars on the ground and in the trees. And I took a little time out for a quick lay down in a soft looking field. The weather got better and better, just as I had hoped. And as I stopped to get another picture of the waterfall, Heidi made a great discovery. She had found the Magellanic Woodpecker. I was bummed not to have my long lens but was so excited to see it. With an all black body and the iconic stark red crested head it is unlike any other woodpecker I've seen. 
Check out the entire photo gallery at http://www.daimarsphotos.com/Argentina
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