Reflections from Patagonia
A rest stop shot of Torres del Paine
I travelled to Patagonia in October 2016 as part of a 6 week trip across Colombia, Chile and Argentina. It was the final chunk of freedom I had before starting work so I wanted to feel as far away and as disconnected from my new reality as possible.
I based myself in the towns of Puerto Natales in Chile and El Chalten in Argentina, and hiked a different trail everyday. I was travelling solo and loved the hours of peace and space when hiking alone but also joined group trips to get to trickier points like the Perito Moreno Glacier.
Perito Moreno Glacier taken immediately after a large chunk of it fell into the lake
Some of the images were taken at the end point of a 7 hour round hike, like the incredible Laguna Torre at the end of the Cerro Torre trek, but some of them were taken at rest stops on drives and just reflect the impressive scenery that surrounds you at every point in Patagonia.
Broken ice floes in Laguna Torre in the Los Glaciares National Park
The whole landscape is other-worldly, and made me feel a strong physical and mental distance from normal life. The hours of undistracted solitude in the wilderness naturally make you calm and reflective but Patagonia in particular made me feel grateful for my opportunity to travel.
A rest stop shot of Torres del Paine
The more you learn about the landscape, the more you realise the extent of the impact that human actions have had on an environment that is so far from our everyday experience. Just seeing it in its current state is an experience to be grateful for.
Broken ice floes in the Grey Lake, Torres del Paine, calved from the Grey Glacier
Patagonia is such an eery and tranquil place – you’re standing by the edge of the lake watching a huge fleet of ice floes calmly approach you on the water, and every now and then one will fracture with a thunderous crack as it melts and is carried towards the shore.
Tiffany looking out at the Perito Moreno Glacier
One Response to “Reflections from Patagonia”
These photos are incredible. It feels as if though you’ve entered another dimension. This work is a haunting reminder of how real the impact of climate change is.
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