Both Hanlie and I love mountains, after all we met for the first time while hiking in the mountains many, many years ago. And this love has been passed on to our children, Tiaan, Grethe and Lindie.
Seeing the Andes Mountains in South America has since Varsity days always been on our bucket list. Coming from South Africa neither of us has thus had the opportunity before to hike on snow or ice. We were absolutely overwhelmed by all the snow, ice fields and glaciers of the southern Andes Mountains in Patagonia and jumped at the first opportunity to put crampons on and to go “ice trekking” as it is known there.
Once you get into it, walking with an ice pick and crampons is a great feeling, the crampon teeth easily dig into the ice and one feels quite in control. The sound of ice being crushed as you walk is assuring.
A glacier is in essence a river of ice that flows very slowly. the Perito Moreno moves quite fast at 2m per day, most glaciers flow slower than this.
Below we found ourselves on glacier San Lorenzo near Cochraine in Chile for a life-time experience!
