at a loss for words

Today´s outing was to the Perito Moreno glacier, the only non-receding glacier in the world. It stays put, not advancing either. And along with the previous trek, and really all the geography of Argentina, I am having a hard time finding the words to describe what I see. Indeed, I´m not sure I´ve actually processed what I have seen. The geography begets a kind of awe, but one that is different from what I expected...it is a peaceful sort of awe. With the mountains, their scale and immensity, along with the big summer sky here, feels like a kind of cocoon, enveloping and comforting, but not exactly warm because it remains impersonal. Still it feels benevolent --like the mountain will be there for you, for creatures. The glacier today was different. It offered a cold peace. A giant ice blanket, stetching as far as the eye could see, but with spikes and spears jutting up, creating a front line along the Lago Argentino. Not powering forward, but holding the line with a profound strength. The wind ships up off or toward it, threatening to suck you into its cold or blow you far away -- a warning. The glacial awe is cold, and so is its peace -- for it is peaceful. Yesterday, on the glacier was a bit different. The wind still felt as if it were conveying a message, but while we were walking on the ice, the glacier became calm, as if it were an animal being stroked. I suspect part of the skill of an ice guide is knowing how to avoid the winds, but of course, it could have simply been a happy coincidence that we got a calm spell.

Here are some pictures of Perito Moreno Glacier.




Tomorrow I am off to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. The last leg before heading back to Canada. The question is how delayed the plane will be.