March 2005

Argentine Patagonia

A penguin family at the Punta Tombo Reserve near Puerto Madryn.

The reserve is on a fairly desolate penninsula. Very, very cold.

Classic patagonia, near El Calafate.

Road to Los Glaciares national park.

A chunk of glacier run aground in the lake near Perito Moreno glacier. The water is a light blue, called "glacier's milk."

The very cute guide on our mini-hike up to the point just across the lake from the glacier.

View from just across the lake. Ice was constantly breaking off from the glacier making loud "bang" noises. However, since about 2/3 of the glacier is below the surface of the water, it usually resulted in a big chunk of ice springing up out of the water rather than falling into it.

Me, cold.

After El Calafate I took a bus to El Chalten. The town is populated by hikers, so as soon as I arrived I found a group at the hostel to go on my first short hike with.

I love this picture. I submitted it to the Watson foundation as a representation of what the Watson means to me.

This is Lisa, a british girl I met in El Calafate. We hiked, cooked, and, perhaps most importantly, drank tea together.

Meet Sam. An Australian computer programer working in London. He was the catalyst behind the formation of large social groups within the hostel and a very entertaining conversation partner. Also taught me a couple magic tricks. :)

My second day in El Chalten Sara (Australian), Lisa and I hiked up to one of the glaciers at the base of Mt. Fitz Roy. It was a fun and exhausting 8hr hike. I think it came out somewhere between 15-20 kilometers roundtrip, with a not insignificant amount of elevation gain.

The incredible Mt. Fitz Roy. The glacier we hiked up to is the one on the lower right side.

We arrived about 1pm, and it was just in time. As soon as we sat down for lunch rain clowds swooped in from the other side of the mountain and it rained for the rest of the weekend.