Perito Moreno

The Perito Moreno Glacier first ruptured in 1917. The lake slammed through the intruder a second time in 1934 and then again every 4 to 5 years over the middle of the last century. Since 1989 the big event has only happened twice and we were lucky enough to be there for the final stage the second time. Everyone with access to the media may recall that this was in March.

My friends Kitty, Red and I arrived in El Calafate on Sunday the 12th, driving against rush hour traffic. Actually we had no clue what was going on. This was the scheduled last stop for my friends who were flying back to San Francisco that Thursday. We arrived at Parque Nacional Los Glacieres 90 kilometers away from town on Monday March 13th and were soon out in the freezing rain and antartic winds viewing the glacier from the lake shore. A few days earlier fiesty Lago Argentino had blown a hole through the corner of Perito Moreno that had dammed it up, releasing the intense pressure that had built up over two years time. What was left now was a dramatic ice bridge which had held through the weekend carnival.

Those who did not have to join the traffic out on Sunday were there in their cold places under flying tents and blankets alongside wrapped television crews and new arrivals who stumbled about looking for a cup of coffee before running back to join the vigil. Each massive falling slab of ice dropped into the lake with a splash, boom and rolling wave sequence that foreshadowed the huge implosion that would end it. We heard someone say that if this was anything like 2004, the finale was still 24 hours away. Based on that convenient information we decided to retreat to our room in the park after being out there in the cold for more than 4 hours.

The next morning we found out that the bridge had fallen overnight. Like Broadway during a black out, the curtain fell when no one could see the show. There was a rumor that the moon had broken through just in time to illuminate the scene for the hardy bunch that had camped out overnight - this sounded too good to be true. But those who were there must have heard it and felt it and I can imagine what an experience that was in the darkness. With or without the natural dam or a rupture event, the wall that forms the leading edge of the glacier is a stunning sight. And to get off the beaten path, I think a real glacier trek is the right call. I'm ready to go back next year.