Dominick Lebo – Mount Ausengate
My name is Dominick and I am originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which is in the North East of the U.S. I was called to visit Peru about four years ago and have made numerous trips back and forth, each time gaining new perspectives on this incredibly diverse and rich country.
Peru itself includes the entire pantheon of nature (beaches, tropical rainforest, desert and high altitude glacial mountain ranges to name a few) all within relatively close proximity. I am currently working on a project to use the color schemes of these places in knitted clothing.
Where I feel most at home is in the high reaches of the Andes, and more specifically in places like the Cordillera Vilcanota, which is home to the iconic rainbow mountains as well as the glacial Mount Ausengate. The bulk of the photos are from a trip I took with Matt (Editor of Wake up screaming) and other amigos, to the base of Ausengate.
A day at the feet of these giants offers one a tour through the various extremes of nature. Biting cold swept us up to the base in the morning. Ice covered and deserted at first was the lake, but by midday it had thawed, changing color as the warmth enveloped the valley. Spending time here means an involuntary appreciation of the great power, caprice and indifference of the elements. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes angelic in its beauty, the full force of which pictures can only approximate.
We had a peaceful day; tufts of grass swaying in my soul, lake rippling in the wind, a monolith of crackling ice, our overseer. To say the least, I felt one with the creation and cared for. As we mounted our horses and began the descent following after the sinking sun, the land took on a new character; shadows and constantly changing hews playing a visual game that reflected an eternal joy and yet melancholy.
The evening hours were stargazed in the local hot spring, where hot mineral waters soothed my achy bones and clear skies, a message from the past made clear my infinitesimal size and the limitlessness of spirit’s expanse.
If you will be humbled by nature, it will lift your spirit in turn.
Instagram: @beauty_of_peru
