The early part of the hike into Valle Ascencio is a steady climb from the trailhead up the mountain slopes.
Río Ascencio rushing down from the valley between high banks, carving a cerulean trail.
2 people at a time on the bridge.
A hike that was on my mind for months. We left Hotel Las Torres before sunrise and the skies quickly brightened beyond the mountains, leaving an impermanent reflection.
The mountains call the late afternoon clouds.
Pehoé means hidden in Tehuelche. Beauty waiting to be discovered.
A looming iceberg and mountains near the shore.
One of the arms of Grey Glacier reaching out into the lake.
Blue ice, grey lake. The slowly flowing ice with occasional calving was incredible up close.
Snow and clouds dot the steep sides of Los Cuernos del Paine.
Sloping down between the peaks into the French Valley.
Río Paine rushes through the steppe just above Salto Grande.
The Horns of Torres del Paine in view over Lago Nordenskjöld.
Torres del Paine has been on my bucket list for years and Mirador Lago Nordenskjöld is was the optimal viewpoint. The day's clouds were present enough to see the peaks and at times shroud them with mystery.
The jagged granite edge of The Comb rises high above Hotel Las Torres.
Nestled at the base of the Paine massif.
Flowers on the grounds of Hotel Las Torres
A full-fledged glimpse of the Paine massif and the hazy towers.
The wreck of Lord Lonsdale--inviting enough that people will climb it despite its precarious state.
This abandoned greenhouse had a fence around it that prevented getting close. The shape of a former structure remains without any glass, fading away with time.
Outside Parque Quinta Normal: graffiti and low-hanging trees.
The Museum of Memory and Human Rights, dedicated the history of the Chilean military coup of 1973 and memorializing the years of atrocities that followed.
over the city, under the mountains
The views from Cerro Santa Lucía over the expanse of Santiago were gorgeous. Gran Torre is framed by looming mountains shrouded in clouds.