ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY, THE WORK OF PEPPER K. ETTERS

South America: Chile

Far and away one of the most geographically diverse countries on this planet, Chile contains almost every known ecosystem. From the barren wastelands of the Atacama desert to the sub-arctic regions of Patagonia, and from the seashores to the alpine tundra of the Andes, Chile has it all. Not only does this amazing country seem to balance its environmental differences so well, but it has managed to somehow balance the need for modernization with the ability to retain traditional values, giving its culture a unique flavor. It seems the entire society floats on this premise of contentment and compromise. The people are happy with the bounty the country has to offer, and relatively uninterested in what it lacks. It is hard to deny that this attitude has somehow contributed to its place as South America's most stable and prosperous country. And it is this attitude that gives Chile a feel all its own.

A Huaso tends the reigns of his horse as he waits his turn to compete in a Chilean Rodeo.
   
The sun sets dramatically over a sound in southern Chile.
  
An erupting geyser is illuminated by the early morning sun at El Tatio, one of the highest geyser fields on earth.
     
  
Chilean cowboys, or huasos, converse following the award ceremony for the local rodeo.
  
The large leaves of the Easter Lily bead with moisture after a rainstorm.
  
The sleepy town of Puerto Fuy rests at the edge of the serpentine Lago Pirihueco and beneath the twin summits of volcanoes Mocho and Choshuenco.
     
  
A young girl wearing a traditional poncho holds the reigns of her mother's horse as it is shoed by her father and the neighboring farmer near Futaleufu in southern Chile.
   
The afternoon streets of San Pedro de Atacama are calm as the town prepares for dinner.
   
A prickly pear cactus stands in contrast to the bright adobe walls of a house in Vicuna, Chile.
     
  
A group of Magdalenic Penguins returns from fishing in a Sound in southern Patagonia.
  
Dramatic lighting casts godbeams through stormclouds, illuminating the lake below.
  
The Chilean Rodeo is an exciting experience comprised of a single event called the media luna. In this event, teams of two huasos control their horses in an attempt to drive a cow around the outside of an inner oval three times. Once this is accomplished a gate is opened and they drive the cow around the outside of the larger circle shaped arena 3 more times, changing its direction by slamming the cow into the side pad of the arena with the chest of their horses. This amazing display of teamwork and horsemanship draws spectators from throughout the surrounding countryside.
     
  
A vicuna, South America's smallest camelid, poses for the camera at a ranger station in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine.
   
The sun rises over a recently cleared field in the farms around Panguipulli.
   
Two young girls pose with a lamb high in the Chilean Altiplano.
     
  
Geysers spew steam and water as the morning light sweeps across the valley floor, slowly illuminating the cold plateau.
   
A booth selling Chilean spurs made for an interesting composition during a break in the action at a Chilean Rodeo.
   
A fox gives himself a quick scratch as he relaxes during a sunset in southern Chile.
     
  
The caretaker emerges from the brightly colored doorway of a local church. This church was built by the Spanish in 1789 when they colonized the area.
  
Hikers ascend one of the Valley of the Moon's sand dunes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile.
  
Sajama, Bolivia's highest peak, stands sentinel over a herd of vicunas just across the border in Lauca National Park, Chile.