day V - vagabonds

this morning we woke to frigid temperatures; I could tell by
      my cold nose - the only thing not covered by my 20 degree
      mummy bag. we did our best to add layers while still snug in
      our sleeping bags then braved the exposure, climbing out of
      our tent to be greeted by an almost deserted campsite
      and yet another gorgeous day.
   

      somehow up before the other three tents in the campsite, we
      made breakfast, savoring the warmth of our oatmeal medley
      & mochas, as the sun did its best to warm the air.
   

      after breakfast we set off in pursuit of the glaciar view we
      had opted against yesterday afternoon when the winds were as
      unwelcoming as they had been. were we in for a treat this
      morning... we knew the day was calm but we never suspected we
      would climb the ridge and our view of the lake would reveal
      water so glassy you could turn on your head and convince
      yourself you're still upright. all of the icebergs that had
      been pushed to one shore by the winds the day prior were now
      spread about the lake, floating freely in the tranquil water.
      near the edges of the lake a thin sheet of surface water had
      frozen, ice crystals splayed out in all directions - how cold
      had it been last night? ...we took advantage of the mountains
      and the mirror imagine reflection, save for the occasional
      iceberg. we had it all to ourselves and we couldn't stop
      remarking on our luck.
   

      once we had exhausted all photos and were threatening to use
      up the rest of our camera batteries, we agreed it best to
      continued with the hike along the rim of the lake toward the
      far end where the glacier flowed. just as we were leaving we
      heard the most unusual noise - a light breeze had started,
      evidenced only by subtle ripples on the lake's surface. this
      wind must have pushed one of the icebergs abbutting the top
      layer of ice just enough that it set a chain reaction going
      and we could hear the snap crackle pop of the ice breaking at
      weak points along the surface. it was wild because it would
      start where the wind hit and then you could hear it travel
      along the shallow water breaking up the ice that was
      meticulously interlaced when it froze during the still night.
      the noise would travel along the shore from left to right
      then right to left, invisible but we couldn't tear our eyes
      away... it was so interesting in contrast to the tink clink
      of the small icebergs or the deep rumble of the massive ones
      yesterday in the strong wind.
   

      ok, nuff of this descriptive stuff... our hike to the view of
      the glacier was epic as expected. glaciers are so cool and on
      our list of things to learn more about after this
      trip...
   

      once back in camp, with the whole place to ourselves at that
      point, we were highly disappointed to have to leave. april
      definitely marks the end of camping season for most here...
      which is fortunate for us because no one is around, and we
      would definitely consider april prime camping time as we
      can't complain about a thing this trek... even the cold means
      clear skies, which make for very sunny and extra beautiful
      days and from what we hear, 5 straight days of sunshine is
      pretty much unheard of here... so basically our picking up
      random trash in the parks has clearly earned us some
      seriously good karma points that we happen to be cashing in
      on immediately. how lovely :)
   

      somewhat reluctantly we made the trek back to el chaltén. we
      arrived in the afternoon, stopped for a coffee and some
      naranja bread (which we enjoyed sitting outside in the sun -
      ok I guess this place isn't so bad), did some souvenir
      shopping with argentinian pesos we needed to get rid of
      before leaving the country tomorrow, used up the last of our
      pesos on pastries from the local paneria, and finally set out
      to find our destination - the one free campsite in
      town.
   

      at the info booth we were disappointed to learn campamento
      confluencia no longer exists - thanks a ton lonely planet.
      instead we were informed our options include one of two
      campsites in town or a campsite about an hour's hike up the
      trail we hiked in on the first day...
   

      we set off to compare prices of the two in town and to find
      out if either would take usd or visa, as we had so wisely
      spent the reminder of our peso cash on souvenirs and sweets -
      yet again we acknowledge the brilliance of our travel
      priorities; dulce de leche then where we will be sleeping for
      the night.
   

      the first was kind of an overgrown side yard with tents
      pitched haphazardly and on hills - how nice. we sent pete in
      with two goals: bargain us a deal and find out how we can
      pay. he returned some time later appearing quite pleased with
      himself, he relayed to me his convo with the campsite owner
      and the gist of it was we could have a campsite for 30 pesos
      (about $6)... I waited... nothing. how can we pay for it? I
      asked pete. oh right, kinda forgot to ask that part... in his
      defense our spanish is pretty rough around the edges and
      communicating even one question, not to mention understanding
      the answer, is a feat, so we let it go and decided to check
      out the other place before returning to ask about the
      logistics of payment... maybe the other place will be better?
   

      the second campsite was further from the bus station but
      bigger and... empty. except for a single tent with no campers
      to be found. the area was much nicer and I took a liking to a
      foal running around the yard who literally rolled on his back
      to let me pat his belly while pete was inside asking about
      prices and other such important questions ;) ...but turns out
      no one was in the building where signs from the street had
      pointed us to camping administration, so we decided to wait a
      awhile. it was later than siesta time but you never know
      around here...
   

      we weighed our options and ended up making dinner in the good
      company of the foal before setting up camp... finally we
      could stall no longer and it was nearning dusk so we set up
      our tent next to the other, readied ourselves for bed and
      climbed snugly into our tent, just as the sun was setting and
      brilliant oranges and pinks lit up the sky - is there no end
      to the beauty here?!
   

      not 5 minutes after zipping ourselves in we heard a car pull
      up and voices... people wanting to camp here too, speaking
      with what sounded like the owner, who had appeared from
      who-knows-where. the gist of what we understood is that this
      campsite is now closed for the winter (maybe they should take
      their sign down), but that the people who had just arrived
      could stay for the night. we spent the next
      I-don't-know-how-long trying to be very quiet so we didn't
      have to deal with whoever owns this campsite, as we watched
      silhouettes of people walk past and flashlights shine at our
      tent (I wrote this with my head in my sleeping bag to keep
      the light from my cell phone screen hidden - Pete's tent is
      very sheer). we were thankful for the wind, which was howling
      and rustling the tent, blending with any sounds we made as we
      finished getting out sleeping bags and situating ourselves.
      we were tucked so safely in our tent, unintentional
      trespassers and somehow bumming a free campsite by sheer
      luck...