Second Semester Catch-Up: Installment 2

Part 2 of this semester's catch-up posts:
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Patagonian Mountains' Majesty
(February 13-18, 2010)

Just two short weeks after Mom & Dad left, it was already time to leave again. We barely had time to adjust to our class schedules before departing for this semester's EFT, but I guarantee none of us was complaining! With 10 new students joining us in January, we knew our Educational Field Trip would be the perfect time to really bond and incorporate them into our already close-knit group, as well as allow us all a refreshing while away from the rush of city life.

On Saturday, February 13, all 55 students plus our program director Rafa, his assistant Maria, and our incredible travel agent Haro left for 6 fantastic days in Patagonia. Our first destination was the beautiful mountain town of El Calafate. Our first full day of the trip was spent entirely in Los Glaciares National Park, where we were able to see the Perito Moreno Glacier -- the only glacier in the world that, in contrast to every other glacier's trend of receding, maintains its size year after year. After several hours of viewing the glacier from the park's numerous vantage points, we strapped on our crampons and took a "mini-trekking" expedition and hiked upon the glacier itself! The grandeur of the glacier was absolutely breathtaking. Knowing that the ice upon which we were standing was upwards of 500 years old gave our whole group a humbling perspective on the incredible magnitude of the beauty we were seeing and experiencing. Our second day was spent on a boat tour throughout Lago Argentino, where we viewed other parts of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, including two of the other glaciers in the national park (Upsala Glacier & Spegazzini Glacier). For the second day in a row, I found myself absolutely awestruck by the magnitude of the creation before me. The same God who had created the giant ice sculptures before me had chosen to make me, instead, in His very image! What a testament to our intrinsic value as children of His kingdom.

Our time in Calafate no doubt set the tone for the rest of our trip to be just as awe-inspiring as days 1 & 2. On the third day, we left for the more secluded mountain "village" of El Chaltén. El Chaltén, also in within Los Glaciares National Park, is the home of the infamous Mount Fitz Roy, a peak regarded as one of the "ultimate" climbs by experienced mountaineers due to its threatening sheer granite faces. Upon our arrival in Chaltén, we learned that to actually see Fitz Roy is an incredible rarity, as more often than not it is surrounded by clouds and fog. However, uncharacteristically for mid-summer, our timing appeared to be perfect: we spent our entire first day in Chaltén under clear blue skies with the perfectly visible mountain peak as our magnificent backdrop. We spent the next few days hiking the mountains surrounding the peak, allowing the scenery to recharge us from the exhausting city life of Buenos Aires. The highlight of my trip was my experience on the optional 8-hour hike, during which 16 of us climbed up to Fitz Roy's best vantage point and the glacial lake of Laguna De Los Tres. Though the weather took a turn for the worst and left us spending the majority of the hike in the freezing rain, the experience was one I wouldn't have traded for anything. Rather than complaining through the cold and rain, we pressed on to reach the top, all the while allowing ourselves to treasure the clear memories of Mount Fitz Roy from days before.

The once-in-a-lifetime experiences our EFT provided made our departure from El Chaltén seem to come all too soon. However, the memories we made during our Patagonian adventures will surely not be soon forgotten. Through both the sunlight and the storm, we dedicated ourselves to soaking in every bit of the nature around us. The fury of a mountain storm matched with the majesty of the towering peaks showed us our insignificance to nature's immensity, yet reminded us all of our unfathomable worth in the eyes of our Creator.


"O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

For the LORD is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker,
For He is our God."

- Psalm 95:1-7a
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To view pictures from our Educational Field Trip to Calafate and Chalten, click here.

Love from abroad,
Margaret