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This is the view from Camp 1 on Nevado Sajama in the Andes of Bolivia on November 2, 1994, the day before the total solar eclipse. We're camped on the only habitable piece of land between Base Camp at around 15,500 feet in the valley below left and the glacier just above us. Around us are steep slopes of loose scree and rocks. This outcropping is at 17,200 feet with 1000-foot drops on three sides. In the foreground is the team from Germany that preceded us to Camp 1, with our group camped in the background. The valley in the distance is on the Altiplano at around 14,000 feet and the two prominent peaks to the left are 19,000- to 20,000-foot volcanos on the border with Chile. Some of the clouds visible over the volcanos are actually steam venting. We didn't know it at the time but there were quite a few eclipse observers in Chile on the other side of those volcanos (and they look the same from the other side as seen in their pictures). Beyond, mountains were visible in Chile and out of the picture on the right were mountains in Peru. The Moon's shadow will approach from the right across the mountains and valley making this a fantastic spot for observing the shadow's movement for anyone not making it to the summit. Unfortunately, the Sun would be low in the east behind me as I take this photograph and therefore obscured by the mountain.
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