Ice Train

The first of my two treks in this magical salt desert consisted of 2 immense volcanoes. This image was shot during the ascent to the first of them, Volcan Candelaria. The ground was a sulfuric yellow, and the incredible penitentes were gently embedded with blue and yellow tints. In the background, the snow covered volcanic-red mountain can be seen. Penitentes, or nieves penitentes (Spanish for “penitent-shaped snows”), are a snow formation found at high altitudes. They take the form of tall thin blades of hardened snow or ice, closely spaced with the blades oriented towards the general direction of the sun. These pinnacles of snow or ice grow over all glaciated and snow-covered areas in the Dry Andes above 4,000 meters or 13,120 feet. They range in size from a few centimeters to over 5 meters.