Martial Glacier
February 2025
Today was the day....
There's a walk that starts not far from my Air BnB in Ushuaia. It's a hike up to one of the glaciers above the city and as I am a steep 30 mins walk up the mountain from the town and the sea, I had a little advantage!!
I had heard it was a tough climb so I got a few practice hikes under my belt before attempting it. Turns out that was a good plan!
It was the most beautiful hike; the path winds up though some woodland, taking a more direct path to the road which has steep hairpin bends as it winds up the mountain. Beside the path a hawk of some kind had it's beady eye on me beside the path. After I had intersected the road a few times, always heading upwards at hot too steep an incline, the path dipped down away from the road and met a babbling stream - honestly it was like something out Lord of the Rings or Eragon; green leafy canopy, bouncy mulchy earth beneath and a babbling stream . A fairy land where you picked your way over tree roots, between trunks, with little bridges over boggy bits. The way is signposted by daubes of yellow paint on trees or rocks or blue squares nailed to trees.
A 40 min climb through the woods, intermittently crossing the zig zagging road and the path lead to a a carpark and what looked like a toll both, I paid my entrance and was faced with a nude ski slope; a massive slope of hill side, heading straight up with nothing on it just a few boulders at the side and diggers making what looked like new runs off to the side.
This was a steep and boring climb but the glacier was getting closer. There were barely 6 or 8 people on the slope which took a good 30 mins steady climbing.
Finally the route lead off to the right and there was the brook again gurgling along merrily between beautiful grassy slopes.
The grass gave way to moss and the moss to shale and the climb got steeper and more tricky as the shale was slippery. I was amazed however that landmarks that looked miles away look 5 or 10 mins to get to, may be it was the steep incline or the air!
It was at this point I again though why did I not pick up a stick in the woods as it would have been handy clambering over boulders and slidey screes of stone.
There seemed to be more people around, and there was a steady ribbon of people making their way up the mountain side, which helped to plot the course of the path. a group of 5 English lads over took me heading straight up the slope, while I puffed and panted and zigzagged my way!!
As I enjoyed a break and the view, other trekkers attempted to climb up to the actual glacier. I watched carefully as some tried climbing up what was not the origins of the stream and a little waterfall, while the English lads went round the back and climbed over a shoulder of rock to the right before the last part of the waterfall up to the glacier.
Refuelled by my sandwiches I though ' Give it a go'
I tried the direct - up the waterfall route but about half way up was enough for me - when I started to think **** how will I get down !!!
On the way down I fell in with three fellow walkers. A Belgium living in Singapore who was traveling via campervan down the western edge of Argentina - the Andes and Patagonia, an English man who had been traveling for 2 years and felt he needed a part time job as the wow's were losing their impact. He had some tales to tell, and a Brazilian woman. She and I walked the whole way down (the guys got in the camper van at the end of the ski slope) I found a kindred crotcheter and although we were not fluent in any of the three languages we shared we had a lovely chat putting the world to rights!!
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