Our first experience in the Andino verdad has been an incredible trip up Mount Tronador. As with any of our repeat photography trips we started with a stack of photos printed in black and white and ended up with a deeper understanding of a place.
Cierro Tronador is a large volcano hidden behind the mountains near Bariloche, Argentina. On our first day on the mountain we climbed above Refugio Otto Meiling toward a beautiful ridge called Lamotte. A short hike obtains this ridge giving the spectator wonderful views of two of Tronador’s three summits. From this vantage it is easy to appreciate the former scale of these incredible glaciers that still pour off this volcanoes flanks. Here, we repeated two historic photos. After a short jaunt to a nearby summit to preview our next two adventures, we descended back to the refugio for a great New Years celebration with friends.
On our second day, we climbed Cierro Constitucion. Despite the bushwhacking through lenga bush and tabanos, or horseflies, we were able to summit and take one of our best historic repeat photos to date. Alberto M. de Agostini, in some ways the Ansel Adams of the Andes, took this photo of Tronador´s Frias Glacier from the summit of Constitucion in 1949. These photos show the most startling changes we’ve witnessed so far. Our repeat photo reveals an incredible amount of retreat and thinning. Where there were once huge icefalls, there are now rivers, lakes, and breathtaking waterfalls. 
Our most difficult decision was to forgo taking our oldest photos. We decided to not climb to Cierro Interncional where these photos were taken from because the temperatures were unusually warm at night and the glacier surface was not freezing. This meant that the loose volcanic rocks were free to crumble off of the 
summits to the glacier paths below. Instead we chose to climb Pico Argentino, since it had far less rock fall danger. We were living our dreams, celebrating the sunrise as we welcomed the spirit of adventure and gave our thoughts to Travis Lizotte, whose life was taken very near our route.
Phase two is now complete. Next, we are setting out for Chile, where a whole new adventure awaits: to better understand and articulate the deep and intricate relationships between glaciers, people, and dams.
What a great adventure! I am glad you respected the danger of rockfall. I leared that lesson on Mt. Ranier. You did not want to be below rock when the sun hit the rocks; it was like being in a shooting gallery. Love you Ned.
Hi guys,
I stumbled upon this tonight as I was thinking, like I do most days, about Travis. How wonderful to see that you are honouring him and keeping him close to you on Tronador. I haven’t been back to Tronador, or for that matter, Patagonia, since Trav died, but I think of it often, and of him there, and of our time together there. He always will live in my heart, and will forever continue to guide me in my heart, my actions, my compassion, my integrity and my care for others.
Good luck on the rest of your trip, please keep me posted and/or drop me a private message at my email.
Un abrazo fuerte,
Meagan