The Classic

Iconic - first Light on Mt. Fitzroy

2+ hours of steady pre-dawn uphill hiking by the light of our headlamps. An in-the-dark puma (mountain lion) encounter on the trail that elevated our heartbeats yet another notch. Hunkering down in the boulders against the whipping wind, wearing every stitch we had, fumbling with camera controls and tripods waiting for first light. I'll cherish these memories more than any resulting photographs. 

Not the actual cat we encountered, but pretty much what we saw (image from my neighbor’s trail cam).

Secret Falls is hardly a secret anymore. This oft-repeated image of the falls with early light on Mt. Ftizroy has become 'the shot' for many photographers to bag on the Argentina portion of their Patagonia tour. It's a classic for a reason, but for me, there’s little joy in recreating any famous shot…it just doesn’t feel creative. 

But the journey, the adventure of getting there, especially this time…that’s a different story. Someone once told me, “photography gives us an excuse to do crazy things.” I thought about that as we descended, pausing repeatedly to allow throngs of more sane, post-breakfast uphill hikers to pass. More crazy, please.