Welp, i'm in Argentina! I have to say that after five and a half months in Punta Arenas, it really is a breath of fresh air. The streets are cleaner, the people are easier to understand, the food is better, and everything is cheaper. Additionally, i can see mountains from town! Not saying i did not enjoy by time in Chile, because Chile was amazing. Especially Parque Torres del Paine and Peninsula Brunswick. But this is what i imagined Patagonia to be like.
Today i took a bus to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, home to the Glacier Perito Moreno, Cerro Fitzroy, and Cerro Torre. I spent five hours in awe gawking at the ridiculously large glacier. It is one of the few glaciers still "gaining" and is the world's third largest fresh water reserve. AWESOME! Soon i will walk and sleep among the famous mountains.
While i have only spent one day in the park, i am almost certain it will become one of my favorite places i have visited in my travels. It certainly is not least accessible, least visited, or least secluded, but it is easily one of the most stunning. I intend to spend close to two weeks hiking all that it has to offer starting tomorrow. Go figure that one of my favorite places i have visited in South America shares the same name as one of my favorite places in North America.
What is the central theme to this everlasting spoof, i wonder? Sparsely populated, glaciated national parks? Maybe... but probably not. I think it's just walking around in the mountains. I recently wrote to my father about my love for mountainous locations. I told him i didn't know what it was exactly. I told him that it´s hard to describe, but there is certainly something. There's something that makes me feel right and keeps forcing me back. After i left MT, i thought it was simply a love of gravity and speed and playing outside. But now that i have spent time living away from mountains in Wexford and Punta Arenas i have learned that it goes far beyond that. More than anything, i believe it comes down to a feeling of rebirth, a renewal of spirit, and a coalescence of scattered energy and thoughts in me. Thoreau put it more succinctly when he described it as living deliberately.
I will come back to this in future posts. Now i will leave you with photos. Enjoy!
Wow, Ben, those images are fantastic. Which Johnnie Walker did you imbibe? Have a great time walking the beautiful mountains. Love, Aunt Lucy
ReplyDeleteHey Ben!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to read this - and thank you for trying to explain your emotions regarding mountains to us. I know we are very very different people - and I think that's very special... so I always appreciate when you help explain what makes you tick :)
Love the photos - thank you for including the sign of Johnnie Walker... you know Ry would have been ALL about that :)
You sound and look so happy, Ben. You are certainly getting to know yourself. I am thrilled for you. Your panoramic picture of the glacier is beautiful - I am in awe of your technical skills in putting it together. Continue to have a wonderful time - eat well, drink responsibly and walk safe - and may your insightful moments be many. Love you, Mom
ReplyDeleteI'm envious, Ben, but so happy I can experience this adventure through you. Keep on blogging.
ReplyDeleteAre you looking for leprechauns tonight?
Happy St Pat's. ~ Aunt Sue
(hope this isn't a dup)
ReplyDeleteHola Ben! Your panoramic view is most excellent! I hope you had a Johnny Walker with Glacier ice in honor of St Paddy's day - your grammie would overlook that it's not Jameson Irish whiskey. Better tell everyone the prices aren't U$D, less they think you are rich! Love - Charlottes poppy