On the shoulders of the giants

On the shoulders of the giants, originally posted on the 4th of February

Francisco P. Moreno, nicknamed "Perito", expert, is a key figure in Argentinian history. Scholar, explorer and archaeologist, he was appointed perito for his demonstrated ability and commitment in establishing the boundaries of the Andes between Chile and Argentina in favor of the latter. He is present in the daily life of this country in the streets dedicated to him almost everywhere, a bit like the Italian street Cavour and Garibaldi. Perito Moreno is also the name of a mountain, a river, a lake, even a small village in the steppes of Patagonia. Undoubtedly, however, his fame is linked to the namesake glacier, 80 km west of El Calafate. The Perito Moreno is the great attraction of the South, the one that attracts people forever and always.

The agency to which we rely upon calls the excursion they organize "alternative". Perhaps only in name. It is true, though, that other agencies don't go through the old road that leads to the glacier, where you can see some of the estancias, the ranches so popular in this area, with lots of native animals playing in the background. The post opening picture is just a small example of the vastness of the old landowners' estates. Here below we can see mother Barison bottle-feed a baby guanaco. From her expression one can only deduce what she's thinking. I guess something like "You give these damned the bottle and they try to suck your whole arm!"

From here we head towards the Magellan peninsula, where a series of switchbacks begins to offer us the sight of the glacier, little by little. In the last corner before the great apparition, our guide tries to create an atmosphere of expectation by playing a medley. It starts with Beethoven's 9th symphony, switches to the countdown of the Apollo mission on the moon, to finally conclude with the famous Star Wars theme at the view of the glacier.

When you write - a letter, an article, a blog, even just a text to a mobile phone - the line between triviality and originality is thin, is a crystal that can break anytime. You can't describe a natural phenomenon of this magnitude in few words. It is simply necessary - and this is trivial to say - to be physically present on site, with all five senses alert. You can't describe the majesty of something that is immensely there and cares nothing about the two or three hundred people armed with camera, waiting for a start. The roar of the dreadful ice pieces breaking off and falling into the lake, the dazzling white walls of the beast, the condors flying over it... none of this will ever come out of words or pictures. The emotion at the sight of something totally unexpected is great.

Click on this link to the original post for some of the shots I took. I was also lucky enough to catch some pieces of ice breaking off.