While listening to the safety briefing, sat onboard the boat heading towards the Grey Glacier, I wasn't expecting to get much of a view of our final destination. The wind was blowing a gale, the rain was thrashing down and the icy waters of Largo Grey were smashing over the bow.
Sitting there wrapped up in cold weather gear, waterproofs and life vests, there were quite a few people taking on a pale green hue.
As we neared the Glacier, Mother Nature took pity on us and we were allowed out on deck to watch the huge icebergs pass by and take in the spectacular, awe-inspiring, sight of the Glacier Grey.
Glacier Grey is one of the big attractions of Torres del Paine National Park and is famed for its glacial ice calvings that result in the detachments of huge icebergs.
Located between Argentina & Chile, at the Southern Patagonic Andes, the Grey Glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field (Campos de Hielo Sur), which is the third largest reserve of fresh water and the second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field in the world.
The Glacier is one of 49 masses of continental Ice in the southern Patagonian Ice Field and is around 30 meters high and 6 kilometers wide. The name Glacier Grey originates from the colour of the water of Largo Grey (Lake Grey) and its icebergs, which both have various tones of blue.
With more than 2,000mm of snow and rain annually, there is never a dry season in the immediate area of the lake. In the spring/ summer the temperature rarely exceeds 10ºC but on the glacier it’s always below 0°C.
After a cold afternoon photographing a glacier the best reward is with a glass of whisky served with glacial ice.
Thanks for Reading
Russ
Click on the image below to see my Torres del Paine online gallery.
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