The Active Business Traveller
The Active Business Traveller I caught the exploration bug as a teenager and, as my friends and family will tell you, I've never quite recovered. I work for a tour...
The Active Business Traveller
I caught the exploration bug as a teenager and, as my friends and family will tell you, I've never quite recovered. I work for a tour operator now and they send me around Latin America to explore and test out the perfect holiday destinations.
When I’m in London, I spend my days in the office, but today I’m on a trip to Patagonia in Argentina and my commute is slightly different to say the least. I’m three hours behind my usual time zone, so luckily I find it pretty easy to wake up bright and early. I’m staying at the Esplendor Hotel and, after a quick breakfast, I shimmy into several layers of warm and waterproof clothing in preparation for a day of ice trekking on the Perito Moreno glacier in Los Glaciares National Park.
I shove some extra thermals and tech pieces into my Cancha Bag and join my tour group as we begin the trip with an hour long drive to one of Lake Argentino’s mooring points. Once there, we board a tiny boat and skip along the freezing waters until we reach the moraine of the glacier – that is, the rocky dirt surface. It’s already late morning, but I realise that the day is just beginning as I look up at the stunning icy heights in the distance and our tour guide begins leading us towards our final destination.
After about 1.5 hours of trekking, we reach the beginning of the frozen glacier itself and pause to look at the view. I take the opportunity to switch out my camera’s batteries with my spares that I stored in my Side Pouch attachment. Our stop is only brief because it’s absolutely freezing to put it mildly!
Before we continue, though, we have to attach crampons to our hiking boots so that we can walk across the ice. I have mine secured to my Cancha compression straps, so it only takes a minute to put them on. Luckily, there’s no need to remove my boots to do so, and my toes are certainly thankful!
We then begin the part of the trek that I am most looking forward to – three hours walking across the glacial surface of Perito Moreno itself. All around me there are stunning ice formations and hidden caves. The edges of the glacier are dotted with bright blue crevasses that make it look like the frothing sea spray of a wave that has been frozen in time. In my head, David Attenborough is narrating.
About halfway through our journey on the uneven ice, we stop for a picnic lunch. It’s surreal to sit and eat sandwiches while staring up at the stunning white expanse that looms all around. Our trekking path is designed to be a circuit, so after we’ve finished eating we loop back around the other side.
It’s evening before I get back to my hotel room and collapse on the bed. I quickly extract my wet clothes from my Wet-Dry Bag attachment, which has kept them separate from all of my gadgets. I’m absolutely exhausted, but I’m required to test out the hotel’s dining options next – yes, that hardship definitely includes the dessert menu!
