Peaks of Blue - Oct 11, 2015

“The Eighth Wonder of the World” is how our guide described it, and I won’t argue with that. Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile is a place of unique and startling beauty.

My cousin Tom had captured this shot of the park as we flew over it the day before we visited:

The photo above taken from west of the park, looking east. We spent the next morning driving north from Punta Arenas and approached the park from the northeast, in the upper right of the photo. This was our first view of the park from the ground:

An emu trotted by as this shot was taken:

Some close-ups of the range:

As we drove closer, we came across a herd of guanacos, a breed of wild llama:

Every stop gave us more spectacular views:

We stopped to hike even closer to the mountains. From the moment we got off the bus, the peaks were looming over us:

The dramatic coloration is due to the formation being a volcanic intrusion: an upthrust of magma that never broke the surface. The darker peaks are the partially eroded overburden, the lighter rock beneath is the solidified magma.

Soon after beginning the hike we came to an impressive waterfall:

 

Note the two human figures for a sense of scale. Later in the day, I shot the same falls from a different angle:

Every time we rounded a turn, there were impressive new sights:

I shot the photo below to give a sense of scale for the landscape:

Again, note the human figures. I found the pace of the hike to be faster than I cared for (our guide, Andrea, later revealed she’s an avid mountain climber), so I lagged behind to capture the photos I wanted:

The faster hikers got a bit closer than I made it, and posed for a group shot:

However, I was the only one in position to first hear, and then see an avalanche in progress. It is the puffy white cloud of snow near the center of the photo below, and the video:

On the return hike, I came across a lone guanaco, larger than any we’d seen before:

Even from the location of our hotel, many miles away, the peaks were an inspiring sight, whether you were outside:

or inside:

We were back in time to watch the staff roast a lamb that was served at the dinner buffet that night:

Quite a day, but our time in Torres del Paine park wasn’t over. The next day we’d experience a very different wonder, as described in my next post.