December 4, 2024

Today was a significant day, especially for Alberto, as it was his birthday. Probably, among all his 63 birthdays, this will be one of the most unforgettable. After all, it’s not every day you celebrate with a toast of whiskey and millennia-old ice on the “ventisquero” of the León Glacier.

Here’s how the day unfolded.

At 7:15 in the morning, a van picked us up from our cabin and took us to the León Valley. From there, after an additional three hours of hiking, we reached Lake León, where a boat (“bote” in Spanish) awaited us. The boat took us to the base of an 800-meter-long and 60-meter-high ice wall.

It was an unforgettable experience to be just seven people in the middle of unspoiled nature, witnessing massive blocks of ice crashing into the water with a deep, thunderous roar.

Another memorable highlight was the beautifully set table prepared for us by our guides, Maicol and Moses. A grand toast with whiskey and “millennia-old ice” was made in honor of the birthday boy.

We returned to the cabin utterly exhausted at 7:45 PM, after another six hours of boating, hiking, and driving. Today was perhaps the best day of all the ones we’ve had so far.