Tag: photography

Alta Via 2, Day 4: A Daunting Day with a Grand Finale

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Last night, as the sun was setting, I was taking photographs of the hills across the canyon at the end of the valley, one side of which we had walked along at the end of our day. As I packed up my tripod to head back to the rifugio, a German woman started to head back at the same time. She asked where we were heading to today and after hearing my response said, Oh, that’s a long way! It’s right over there, gesturing to a small building on the top of the highest point of the tallest mountain at the edge of the visible horizon. Little did we know how right she was or about what it would take to get ourselves there. But thankfully Day 4 of the AV2 is blessed with spectacular scenery from start to finish, making our journey well worth every hard-earned step! (more…)

Goodbye, Switzerland! Ciao, Italia!

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After 21 days of wandering around the Mont Blanc massif on the Tour du Mont Blanc and then all the way to Zermatt on the Haute Route, it’s finally time to bid a fond farewell to the Alps and make our way south to Italy where we can begin one of the classic treks through the Dolomites known as the Alta Via 2. But first, we have to get there, so today is a travel day with an intentional stopover in fair Verona, as Shakespeare would have it, to rest our feet and soak up some Italian food and culture along the way. (more…)

Colorado Trail, Day 23: Simmering Down in Salida

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Zero Days are some of the most anticipated days for any thru-hiker. They offer a chance to step off the trail, sleep in a real bed, eat some real food, get clean and take care of all the little chores that build up while spending a week in the woods. The only problem with town days is that they are always way too short. We never have time to do everything we want, and so it was in Salida. (more…)

Trekking Peru’s Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit: Days 4-6

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With three days under our belt, we started hitting our groove on Leg 2 of the Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit. By this point, we were growing a little more accustomed to the steep trails, the extreme elevations, and even the frigid nighttime temperatures that are de rigor when trekking in the Cordilleras. And the scenery? Well, if we spent a lifetime in the Cordillera, we would never get used to scenery this incredible. Each day, the stunning Peruvian landscape continued to knock our socks off as we trekked past peaceful reflecting pools, roaring rivers, gargantuan glaciers and grand valleys so vast they appeared to stretch along the horizon forever. Other notable moments on this leg of our journey included soaking in relaxing hot springs, topping the 5000 meter mark on the trail and sleeping right in the middle of a soccer field. No joke. So, lace up those hiking boots and come along for the ride on Days 4, 5 and 6 of the Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit. You won’t regret it! (more…)

Trekking Peru’s Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit: Days 1-3

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After completing the Cedros-Alpamayo Circuit in the Cordillera Blanca, we had a full rest day in Huaraz to shower, get our laundry done, repack and enjoy some celebratory beers. Mission completed, we were ready and eager to lace up our hiking boots again and see what the Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit was all about. For this trek, we were joined by our friends, Glenn and Erika, whom we met through this very blog when they were researching a trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro a few years back, and we were all excited to start this new adventure together. (more…)

Trekking Peru’s Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit

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Ah, Peru! It must be a blessing and a curse to have the majestic Andes running right through your country. So many great hikes to choose from, so little time! And most hikers don’t even realize all that you have to offer, making Machu Picchu their first and sometimes only trekking port of call, as we did back in 2009. But, if they take a little more time to get to know you, intrepid hikers longing for more adventure would make their next stop Huaraz, the popular center for trekking in your majestic Cordillera Range. (more…)

Photographing Iceland’s Waterfalls: Part I

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Iceland is a nature photographer’s paradise, and there is a plethora of fantastic subjects to shoot practically everywhere you look.  Sometimes we felt there just weren’t enough hours in the day to shoot it all, and, with 20+ hours of sunlight, that’s really saying something! From lunar landscapes to rugged seaside cliffs, from grandiose glaciers to gushing geysers, Iceland has it all. And, if that weren’t enough, the country is teeming with waterfalls. Everywhere. They come in all shapes and sizes, and many that would warrant state park status in the US hardly get a mention in the guidebooks or a spot on the map. In fact, there are so many waterfalls in Iceland that many of them aren’t even named.   (more…)