Waterfall Above the Fjord
Land of Giants
Travelers often perpetuate myths. In 1520, The explorer Magellan used the term Patagón (possibly meaning bigfoot) to describe “giants” living in the southern tip of South America. By his and other accounts, they exceeded at least double normal human height.
Early maps of the New World would sometimes attach the label Regio Gigantum (region of giants) to the area. It’s likely the native Tehuelche, who tended to be taller than Europeans of the time, were the origin of this myth. Tales of giants maintained a hold upon European imagination for nearly 300 years.
The name Patagonia (land of giants) for the region stuck. The region encompasses the southern end of South America.
Patagonia is shaded orange. From Wikipedia.
In the west, it encompasses the southern section of the Andes Mountains along with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers. In the east, it contains deserts, tablelands, and steppes. With so many features, it’s a photographer’s paradise.
What’s a Fjord?
A fjord is a long, deep, narrow body of water that reaches far inland. Fjords are often set in U-shaped valleys with steep walls of rock on either side.
To be named a fjord, it must be created by glaciers. During the last ice age, glaciers covered just about everything. The movement of glaciers below sea level carved deep valleys. As the ice age ended, these valleys, sometimes thousands of feet deep, were filled with sea water creating fjords.
Fjords are found mainly in Chile’s Patagonia, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. Their size can be mind boggling. Sognefjorden, a fjord in Norway, is almost 100 miles long.
The Shot
My trip to Patagonia in April included four days on a boat in the remote Patagonian fjords. We departed from Puerto Natales and were blessed with two days of mild weather, an unusual occurrence in this region.
The Explorador
Our vessel the Explorador
Our drones turned out to be extremely useful. While beautiful from a distance, the interesting features like glacial streams and waterfalls were inaccessible due to nearly impenetrable forest and grueling climbs.
Reflections in the Fjord
That tiny stream in the valley looks photogenic but is impossible to reach by foot.
Thanks to my drone, I was able to fly upstream and identify several interesting compositions. After taking this image, I flew to an altitude of 3,000 feet and discovered a gorgeous alpine lake over a mile away.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus