As the bus approached El Chalten, no one seemed able to look away from the mountains ahead. I happened to have been allocated a seat right at the front of the bus and was able to photograph directly through the windshield (splattered insects and all). The dominant peak is Fitz Roy (sometimes spelled FitzRoy or Fitzroy), with Poincenet to the left. Cerro Torre stands out of the frame of this photograph, behind and to the left.
When I woke this morning, Fitz Roy and Poincenet had been largely obscured by cloud; the infamous Patagonian wind howled around the hostel; the place where Cerro Torre had reared into the sky yesterday evening had turned to a wall of cloud.
[9 November 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 136 mm, ISO 200, 1/2500 at f8]
All content © 2011 Pete McGregor
No words, except perhaps my Blogger word verification: "panting". That is what I have dreamed of seeing in person since I was a boy.
ReplyDeleteLeft King. This one gives a better sense of the scale.
ReplyDeleteHow fortunate you were to have the front seat on your way in!
ReplyDeleteMiguel, I'm sure you'd be in your element here. Of course, for me the area has the added characteristic of feeling so much like parts of New Zealand — I feel very much at home here — but given your love of mountains and wild places, I think you'd feel similarly at home. The crowds can be avoided, too.
ReplyDeleteZhoen, this photograph shows more of the mountain, too — in the town, only the upper part is visible, although the sense of size is more pronounced there.
Patricia, my good luck constantly amazes me!