What is the coolest thing you have ever done?

We hiked a freaking glacier today!  It was unbelievable.

We landed in El Calefate around noon and got situated in our hostel. It was cold. Quite a shock from balmy BA. Things are also much more expensive, even with our 12 to 1 exchange rate. We decide to start saving our pesos and make meals ourselves. We made a pretty carb heavy meal the night before our hike and got to bed early.

Our glacier hike started off with a nice bus ride to the National Park where you get lovely pictures of the glacier. Next was a boat ride across the glacier lake. After some short explanation on how to behave in the glacier and how to use your crampon shoes we start the land hike. It was a fairly aggressive assent up the mountain that took about an hour and was approximately 2 miles. Then it was time to put on your crampons and harness and get on the glacier.  The glacier is called Perito Moreno and is one of the few stable (not shrinking) left in the world.

I don't even know how to express what it was like to walk on an active glacier. At times it was smooth than at others it was like walking on crushed ice from your fridge. The glacier surface was melting due to the high winds (seriously maybe 35 miles per hour) which was unnerving because what if it cracks and we all fall in? The hike was difficult, going up and down these mini hills all over the glacier, using muscles not normally activated. We saw ice caves and wind tunnels. At times it was scary because the wind was so intense it could knock you over if you weren't paying attention. After about 4 hours of glacier hiking we were all tired. When I got to remove the crampons and hike down the mountain normally, it was like heaven. Another 2 mile hike down the mountain, a boat ride and a bus back to our hostel. We make dinner again and get a good night sleep.