Thosewithmeans stay in the park at Los
Notros, ahotel at theglacier’s edge,witha
privilegedbut pricey view. I stay in town
andcommutetotheglacier.A longwalkway
straddlestheglacier’sface,whereamassive,
200-footwallof jagged,Windex-colored ice
meets visitors after abend in the forested
park. The ears experience thenext awe: a
never-endingdeafeningcrunch, the sound
of the ice grindingagainst itself. Booming
splashes accompany fragments of the ice
cathedral’s facadecrashing intothewater—
timelesstheaterdirectedbynature.
After hearing and seeing the ice, I get
right onto it, attaching spiky crampons
over my boots so I can hike across the
whitemoonlike landscape.Theexperience
confuses the senses. Strong Patagonian
sunreflects intomy face from thewhite ice,
warmingme, butmy feet arecold from the
frozensurfaceand thewind.Thesurround-
ingvistaisstunning.Mountainsenvelopthe
riverofice,adarkstreakofancientsediment,
churned from the rocks, runningdown the
middle likeaspine.It’sasettingthathasnot
changed inmillionsofyears.
A
T PATAGONIA’S TIP
is Ushuaia, Ar-
gentina’s southernmost city, where
boats leave forAntarctica.With the enor-
mousAndesbehind it, the town looks tobe
inastrugglewiththemountains, tryingnot
tobepushed into theBeagleChannel. The
samemountainsnestletheskiresortCerro
Castor, used forOlympic training. I’m in
townformybirthday,anewyearoflifeatthe
endoftheworld.Castor issmall, tranquil.It
seemsonlyafewAmericanshavediscovered
it.MyfriendsandIfeelasifweowntheplace.
With its remoteness,Ushuaiawas once
usedasapenalcolony.TheTrendelFindel
Mundo, or Train at theEnd of theWorld,
tookprisoners towork in the surrounding
forests; now, ironically, it’s a fun, historic
train. Thevista isa landscapeof regenerat-
ing,moss-flakedforests,streamsforthirsty
mustangs,mistedmountainsinthedistance.
From followingprisoner footsteps, we fol-
lowCharlesDarwin’s, taking aday cruise
to seal- andpelican-strewn islands in the
channel.Our tourguide isalsoacomedian
and talentedwildlife artist callingherself
CrazyHorse, and she invitespassengers to
thefrontoftheboatbetween islandstopsto
imitatesealsonherspeakersystem.Herreal
name isLauraElenaFernándezSarmiento,
adescendant,shesays,ofoneofArgentina’s
presidents,DomingoFaustinoSarmiento.
Laurahasaround,mischievous faceand
alwaysasmileanda laugh. Shemovedhere
fromBuenosAires, and though sheadmits
theweatherchallenges,natureiswhatkeeps
her here: “Themountains, thewater, the
animalsandthebeautyoftheplace.”Shehas
asister inSantaBarbara,Calif.,whowants
her tovisitmoreoften, butLaura’s always
torn about leaving. Knowing that in a few
days I have to gobackhome, I completely
understand.
MICHAEL LUONGO
is a freelance writer and photog-
rapher who splits his time between New York City and
BuenosAires. He is theauthor of the
Frommer’sBuenos
Aires
guidebook.
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
APRIL 15, 2012
53
