El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier
I set off from town shortly after 08 with a rough plan to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier and return to Calafate in a day, even though it is 80 kilometres one way and it would be a long day there and back; in other words it mightn't be possible to make it back by evening, but that bridge would be crossed when it arrises.
It was a long climb away from town on route 11 up a barren hill and once over the top the wind rose to a moderate breeze making process miserably slow. So slow that at one stage I thought this is hopeless and was going to turn around and ride back to Calafate. I persevered and soon the road dipped down to a wetland plain where a band of thick willowy trees enclosed the road either side providing a sheltered corridor and further on, at a tee-junction before a ridge of hills, the way goes left and I've a tailwind and then the abovementioned hills to the right providing shelter for the rest of the way to the glacier.
The glacier is inside the Los Glacieres national park and at a toll-like entrance there is a 45,000 pesos entrance fee, about £24, payable in cash that is argentinian pesos not US dollars, or by card. The woman behind the desk swiped my card and it came up error. She tried a second time and it still showed error. A Colombian family's card wasn't working either. Ditto an American. Both have pesos: I didn't. However, another park woman comes along and helps me pay the entrance online. It was a good half hour delay and I was glad to reach a picnic area 3 kilometres on from the entrance to eat lunch of raviole and mixed veg, where a large caracaras bird walked around close to my picnic table, seemingly accustomed to people.
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The road onwards after lunch is up and down along the side of the hill with an inner branch of Lago Argentino below on the left and bare high tabular hills on the far side. Eventually the glacier is visible ahead and there are many parking areas with viewing platforms. It is still quite a way: a twisty road that in due coarse climbs an alpine switchback hill to a visitor centre and coffee shop. It has already gone 17.30 and with the need to cycle back beyond the park entrance before nightfall, as camping inside the park isn't permitted, but I have a coffee and apple tart before the shop closes at 18 hrs.
The coffee was good and then its out to view the glacier, descending the other side of the hill upon a series of stairs, walkways and viewing platforms. It is noticeable how far away the ice face has moved from the walkways. When I was here in 2004 it was close to the viewing area, now there's a wide channel and the interpetation board text says that although the ice was stable the past hundred years, since 2020 it has been receding. There are many loud booms and ice flaking off, but no large icebergs calving. However, to think that the many small lumps of ice in the water are from snow which fell tens of thousands of years ago.
It takes two hours cycling back out of the park to a reasonable wildcamp possibility I'd spotted on the way, a track down to a riverbank at a bridge. I set up the bivouac and prepare instant mash and open a can of green lentels for supper.
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