Patagonia

Lago Posadas is a glacial lake in the northern part of Santa Cruz province in Patagonia. It is bordered by glacial moraines and multi coloured volcanic tuffs. Only a narrow isthmus divides it from much larger and deeper Lago Pueyrredón (chil. Lago Cochrane). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posadas_Lake Lago Posadas ist ein türkisfarbener Gletschersee im Norden der argentinischen Provinz Santa Cruz, der von Moränen umgeben ist. Im Osten schließen sich bunte vulkanische Tuffe an. Nach Westen ist der See nur durch einen schmalen Isthmus vom deutlich größeren und tieferen Lago Pueyreddón (in Chile: Lago Cochrane) getrennt.

Bajo Caracoles had 33 inhabitants in the 2010 census, a hotel/shop and a filling station. It's an important stop on Ruta 40 because filling stations are far and between. HFF!

Bruce Chatwin described Bajo Caracoles as "a crossroads of insignificant importance with roads leading in all directions apparently to nowhere". The hotel was built in 1943 and also serves as a shop and bar. The name Bajo Caracoles stands for the fossils found there

At the filling station in Bajo Caracoles. There was a strike on and no petrol to be had between there and Calafate;-) Edited for an analogue look. HFF, folks!

Legendary Ruta 40 is over 5000 km long and traverses Argentina from the Bolivian border to Magellan Strait. This was taken in good weather between Bajo Caracoles and Tamel Aike, 2 hours later we got into a snowstorm

A scanned slide from February 2003 when Ruta 23 was still unsurfaced. The typical dust trails were part of the fun;-) Cerro Torre (3128m) and Cerro Fitz Roy (3405m) are Patagonia's most iconic mountains and among the most difficult to climb (strictly professionals only). Seeing the top of Torre is a rare treat, usually it's shrouded in clouds creeping in from the Southern Patagonian Icefield. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitz_Roy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Torre Ein Diascan von Februar 2003. Ruta 23 war noch ungeteert, Staubfahnen waren typisch! Cerro Torre (3128m) und Cerro Fitz Roy (3405m) gehören zu den spektakulärsten Bergen der Welt und sind nur für die besten Bergsteiger machbar, normale Sterbliche bleiben unten:-) Cerro Torre ist wegen der Nähe zum südlichen patagonischen Eisfeld meist in Wolken gehüllt, wir hatten Glück, ihn frei zu sehen. whc.unesco.org/en/list/145

Cerro Fitz Roy or Chaltén (Tehuelche for "smoking mountain" because of the frequent clouds) is a 3405m high granite peak in the Southern Patagonian ice field. In the note a wider view from further along the footpath, Piedras Blancas glacier is on the right. whc.unesco.org/en/list/145 Cerro Fitz Roy oder Chaltén (Tehueche für rauchender Berg wegen der häufigen Wolken) ist ein 3405m hoher Granitgipfel am südlichen patagonischen Eisfeld. Im PiP ein umfassender Blick ein Stück weiter den Wanderweg entlang, rechts der Piedras Blancas Gletscher.

First view of Lago Argentino from Ruta 40

Flowering Notro (Embothrium coccineum) in front of Lago Argentino/Brazo Rico and Perito Moreno Glacier.

Ruta 7 near Esperanza, motorists beware of being blown off the road;-) HFF everybody!

A group of young Darwin's rheas ( rhea pennata , called choique in Patagonia). The males incubate the eggs and look after the young- in this case the male was just on the other side of the road. 10-Week Picture Projects: Textures, Week 9 - Feathery

"Papa Choique" on the other side of the road from his chicks, against the backdrop of the granite needles of Torres del Paine. HFF everybody! ( I'm away on an Iper -meeting but will catch up next week)

In February 2005 a careless backpacker started a distastrous fire when his cooker was blown over, destroying 155 km² of the national park and 2 km² of native forest. Considering that nothofagus in this climate takes centuries to grow this was a major disaster which was repeated in 2011 when another backpacker caused a fire which destroyed 176 km²/36km² arround Lago Pehoe. Fines for tourists still are ridiculously low but at least the Czech and Israeli governments donated money for reforestation after their citizens caused the damage.

Typical windy weather at Laguna Azul. Clouds have descended on Torres del Paine Massif, only Cerro Almirante Nieto (Paine chico) on the left can be seen.

Guanacos are camelids native to South America. They can be found in arid areas like the Altiplano and Patagonia. In Argentinean Patagonia you usually only see them running from a distance whereas in Torres del Paine they are protected and therefore more numerous and less shy.

Cuernos del Paine and Almirante Nieto seen across Laguna Verde from Estancia Lazo. HFF!

That truck at Estancia Lazo is still in use for transporting sheep!

Cuernos del Paine seen across Lago Pehoe. The mountains in the National Park are of granite, heavily eroded by glaciers. The Cuernos are special in that they still have a shale layer on top.