The incredible Holanda glacier
lies tucked away along the Beagle Channel in southern Chile. It
is clearly visible from the water but to actually get to is a
challenge. We had to hike for hours through beaver swamps and
bushwhack along the glacial river that flows down to the ocean.
The effort was totally worth it to reach the point where the glacier
meets the glacial lake. Numerous icebergs were floating in the
lake, evidence of ice recently calving off.
The rock above has slowly been riding this
river of ice for countless years, creeping its way down the mountainside.
Every now and then I'd hear a crash from deep inside the glacier
reminding me that this it an object in motion, almost alive.
The blue colour of the glacier was overwhelming.
It almost matched the sky. Actually getting to hike on the glacier
was exciting but also dangerous. Even though I had an ice axe
& crampons, the ice is very hard and treacherous. There were
very deep crevasses everywhere so I had to be extra cautious.
The nearest hospital was a good 2 days away
Many thanks to Jack Heeren for some of the
photos here since my camera had fallen overboard and is now resting
at the bottom of the sea.
