Perito Moreno Glacier

 

The beauty of creation was on full display today. I like this quote by Rachel Carson: “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

  

The drive to the Los Glaciares National Park was very scenic. A local tour guide gave us information about the national park and the the glacier. The Perito Moreno Glacier was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century. The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide, with an average height of 74 m (240 ft) above the surface of the water of Argentino Lake, in Argentina. It has a total ice depth of 170 metres (558 ft). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Los Glaciares National Park covers an area 2,806.68 sq mi, making it the largest national park in the Argentina. It was established on 11 May 1937. It was the first national park established in the Argentina.  For comparison Yellowstone National Park in the USA was established  1872 and Banff in Canada in 1885. In 1981, Los Glaciares National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

You could hike very close to the glacier. We saw it calving several times and heard the crackling of the shifting ice. There were some very good sized icebergs that had broken off and they had a very blue color at the bottom of them.