Nicole Vaunt in Torres del Paine

How do you describe the longest you have traveled for a shoot? 

Almost two weeks ago Nicole and I got a plane to Washington DC, then we got on a plane to Panama City, then we got on a plane to Santiago, then we rented a car and drove down the Pan American Highway through Chile to Puerto Montt, then we got on a ferry for 5 days, which took us through fjordland's to the pacific ocean, and then to Puerto Natales, then we got back in the car and drove 3 hours to Torres del Paine where finally we hiked 7 hours to Mirador las Torres.  As overwhelming as that was to read, the experience was something that I don't think I will ever be able to capture with words.  I ate honey on the road side of I-5 in Chile, was rocked rather violently to sleep by the pacific ocean, and Nicole and I pushed our bodies harder than either of us have for a photo.  

The hike to Mirador las Torres is long, and straight up.  If it was a location in the United States I could see a gentle board walk up the river with flights of stairs near the calm intensely blue water, a picnic area, followed by some forest hiking, and more stairs to the top, but we are in Patagonia, and the views and landscape are largely unspoiled by ease of access, or the intense tourist demands Yosemite or Yellowstone face.  We spent our 1.5 hrs pounding straight up switch backs in the exposed sun with 90 kmph wind guests blasting dust into our faces.

We sat for a moment at the top of the river.  Just long enough to fill our water bottles, meet a friend we had made on the boat, and took off again.  The 2nd leg of the hike and 3rd sort of blend into one another.  You start in a beautiful dense forest, and slowly it transforms into hiking straight up a mountain stream until the tree's give way and you are going straight up the mountain over boulders and occasional switch backs on loose stone.    Three times we stopped, and considered if either of us could physically go on.  I have never seen Nicole push herself so hard.  She is trully one of the most incredible people I know.  When we finally reached the top we rested for a few minutes, and then shot quickly.  Spending only 10-15 minutes to make sure we had gotten the images we wanted as we still had to hike all the way back down, and out of the park before dark.  The next day we didn't move much.  Really we still haven't moved much.  

We gave everything we had to this shoot and then so much more. 

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