Amongst the “blow your mind” views on this planet, this for sure is one of them. I’ve seem pictures from the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile for many years, but while they are luring, there is no substitute for being someplace, in person, connected to the broader sphere of senses that create real experience. This particular view reveals the Horns of Paine, or the Cuernos del Paine, in Spanish. Sunrise at this time of year in the southern hemisphere is about 5:30am, and the clouds that move across this mountain landscape create one of the most dynamically changing views I’ve ever witnessed. It many ways, it is like a theater, and I found myself just staring for long periods as the great spring winds blew cloud formations into continually changing shapes. The “Towers” which the park is named after, are hidden in the distant clouds behind the massif.
The park is located in the southernmost reaches of Chile, which is one long and slender country. For context, upon arriving to Santiago (about in the middle of the country), one takes another plane ride which is about equal to flying from Fairbanks, Alaska to Seattle, then getting in a vehicle and driving across the state of Washington to get to the remote park. So, a journey it is indeed, but one that will deliver appropriate rewards. Stay tuned for more views of the park.
Sunrise of "The Horns" Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm f/4L IS, (84mm), 1/125 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200
Spectacular! That amazing light on the rugged mountains is breathtaking. I can’t imagine what it must have been like being there and experiencing it.
Eli, it’s a place that could be photographed forever it seems.
Wow! What a magnificent sight! The lighting in this photograph is just wonderful!
My very first split-second-thought was that this is a scene from a Lord of the Rings movie. It’s so magical with the lighting, beautiful! Purely out of interest, how long did you have to wait to get this shot on that early morning? I can imagine sitting there for hours, ‘waiting’ for this.
Vivia and Inge, there are a lot of magnificent views in this park, and many could inspire fantasy-landscapes scenes for movies like Lord of the Rings, and perhaps they have.
Just Wow, hope I will get there in this lifetime. Spectacular in 1 word.