We didn’t stay more than the one night in El Calafate, although we were due to return. Our first day was a travel day to El Chalten.   On the way, we stopped to photograph a falcon and a fox.

We detoured to a place called “The Badlands” and had a tour of an area that is constantly unearthing petrified wood and bones. It was very desolate, but the erosion made the landscape rather interesting. Funny how the guide kept wanting us to take photos of the petrified logs, but I couldn’t see how they would make good photos. I thought the general landscape and some eroded cliffs were much more interesting.

If you look closely, that itty-bitty white dot is our 20-passenger van in the center of the plateau behind Fred:

And a panoramic view of the area:

We were able to stop and photograph Mount Fitz Roy from across Lake Viedma. Mount Fitz Roy is iconic to the area. My photo is from very far away, yet it is the clearest photo of the mountain I was able to take.  We spent the entire next day trying to coax Fitz Roy out from the clouds.

Whereas El Calafate was bustling and had a ski-resort feel, El Chalten was rather quiet. It is central to numerous hikes and catered to outdoor pursuits.  The sky got really moody as we approached the town.

Our first full day, we did a 10-mile hike. It was mostly forest for the first half and then we had numerous viewpoints to take photos of Mount Fitz Roy and the glacier below it. Unfortunately, Fitz Roy was not cooperative. I did my best. Our group of 8 were hiking at rather different rates. Fred and I, and Sylvia, wanted to HIKE – the others wanted to wait out Fitz Roy’s shy ways. So the group split up at about the halfway point. Sylvia saying she wanted to get back to the lodge and have some wine. Who were we to argue? We still got plenty of great photos of the cascades, a woodpecker, and the Rio Del Las Vuietas valley.

This is the best view of Fitz Roy I was able to photo that day.

The following day, we drove back to El Calafate, but had our first glacier experience on the way. We took a boat to Viedma Glacier and did a hike on it. We were forewarned that it would be cold and windy there; and that the trek over the rocks to get to the glacier would be more difficult than the glacier itself. The boat trip was very smooth and we passed an iceberg that looked like crushed seaglass.

Once on the rocks, and over the hill to view the glacier, it got really windy. I had brought rainpants for the rain, and realizing how cold my legs were when waiting to board the boat, put them on. I was so glad I did! They cut the wind nicely.

The glacier was a bit dirty, but it’s the largest icefield in South America and 3^rd largest in the world. There was a cool tunnel we went through and we ended up at a point where we could see the terminal face from up close. Glasses were passed around with chipped glacier ice in them. Then a bottle of Tia Maria followed. I like this tour!

After lunch on the rocks, we returned to our starting point at El Calafate.

The Adventure Continues>>>