As sharp winds from a growing storm rake the Torre Valley in Argentine Patagonia, my good friend Chris Mutzel takes a short break to soak in the first rays of dawn after more than 24 hours on the move. I took this photo after Chris and I, along with our friend Jimmy, had attempted to climb the route Exocet on Aguja Standhardt. We climbed to within just a few pitches of the summit before increasing winds and spindrift led us to retreat. We rappelled through snowfall and bitter cold all night, and carefully made our way down the glacier below the peak as the sun burst over the horizon. Harsh winds bit at our faces and I wanted nothing more than to put my head down and keep plodding on, but as I watched as unbelievable colors filled the sky I forced myself to pull out my camera and snap a few frames. I'm glad I did, as this is one of the most special images I've captured in the mountains.
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