Photo Friday: Alerce Trees of Cochamo Valley

The Alerce Tree, or Patagonian Cypress. Some have been dated to as much as 4,000 years old, and get up to 45 meters tall. They’re very similar to Redwoods. I literally “bellied up” to this one along the trail to the Arco Iris viewpoint in the Cochamo Valley south of Puerto Varas, Chile. Cochamo has been called the “Yosemite of Chile” (naturally Chileans call Yosemite “Cochamo of the United States,” and is a climbing haven especially in January and February.