cerro catedral |
el chalten in a breaking storm |
el chalten at first light |
el chalten and a meadow |
el chalten at dawn |
first light on el chalten |
lago de los tres |
el chalten y la lenga |
laguna negra |
the tower from the north morrain |
lago sucio |
the tower |
el chaltén at sunset |
aguja de la silla |
el chaltén and driftwood |
climber at paso superior |
the moon at standhardt |
dog's teeth |
lenga and light on the tower |
el chaltén from the forest |
el torre y la luna |
descent from paso superior |
tronador from cerro navidad |
chorillo del salto |
saint exupery |
el torre y la lenga |
murmoz |
el chaltén at sunset (hor) |
from the edge of the forest |
the moon behind cerro torre |
the north face |
monte tronador |
high pastures |
el chaltén from the trail |
el torre from high on the valley wall |
the west face |
ice in laguna torre |
entering el pueblo at dawn |
the east face |
el torre above adela |
beyond comprehension |
king and queen |
from cerro madsen |
evil sky |
swirl |
dawn at the base of cerro torre |
the great ice wave |
lenga skeleton |
el chaltén from the road |
flowers |
el chaltén from loma de las pizarras |
Most of The photographs in this collection were taken during two visits to southern Argentina’s Andes, at 49 degrees of latitude in an area known as Patagonia. Almost all of them are taken in the back-country while on backpacking trips. The dramatic lighting in some of them ocurred just before or after sunrise. The two most prominent mountains photographed are granite spires named “Cerro Torre” (Tower Mt.) and “Monte Fitz Roy.” The Telhuelche Indians call Fitz Roy “Chaltén”, which means “smoking mountain”. I prefer to use the Telhuelche name, as I prefer “Denali” over “McKinley” (though Fitz Roy, the captain of the Beagle, was the first European to see the mountain, and deserves having a mountain named after him more than a guy behind a desk in Washington, D.C.)
Two of the photographs were made on other backpacing trips in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, at 41° South Latitude. They are entitled “Laguna Negra” and “Cerro Catedral”, and another "dog's teeth" was taken from the top of Cerro Barda Negra near El Bolson.
Cerro Torre and El Chaltén are the subject of my forthcoming book that explores the feeling of awe we feel at the sight of such magestic peaks.