mountains

bruno

est malade
went to buy something for breakfast this morning (too early, all shops were closed), and was met with the perfect dark form of the mountains, stretching from north to south in full panoramic glory. it's not often one has such a clear view as smog is getting worse by the year (the same mountains that surround the city form a wall that entraps emissions). for a few seconds i had the distinct pleasure of knowing exactly where i was physically in the world. a nice sensation.
 

polystyle

Well-known member
Which mountains Bruno ? Andes ?

Last time in the Himal I left the lodge I was staying at for the night ,
went up on the hill overlooking Namche Bazaar and to the North there was the Khumbu valley ,
Everest peaking over a closer mountain wall and sat watching the clouds , feeling the wind
The scale is big , real big , the air was coming over from Tibet side , big birds way up in the atmosphere
and it popped into mind 'why do i live in a giant ant hill ?'

Mountains are in some of our genes
 

bruno

est malade
yes, the andes, polystyle. now the himalayas, that must be something. i also ask myself why i live in a smog-infested anthill. i don't know, i spent a week at a very high altitude not far from here and it had me thinking too clearly. and the depression you feel in re-entering the city almost makes you feel like you never should have gone in the first place. but it truly is one of the nice things in life, to be on a mountain, or in close proximity to one.
 

polystyle

Well-known member
Most of Monday spend up in the hills , to the tops of mountains about 90 minutes out of town
Great day , lots of white sun but some cloud cover from time to time too ,
every tree bright green and filling the hillsides off in the mid -distance,
we have had floods , big rains in the last weeks and the hills streamed with clear water
Orange , red mushrooms , green beetles on the trails , long breezes through a hollow

We knew we did not not have to reach the car until 6:30 PM or so
so we kept going 4-5 miles over 3 hills , across rock ledge overlooks and finally down the big lake
with a nice beach and clear water to stick our feet and legs into ...
Summer circuit breaker 1
Lingering inside the tannin tinted water at lake edge , small fish swimming among us
we could slow down into something beginning to be no pace
Down the way a group of Korean ladies in t shirts and visors comes up the trail and wave from the water's edge
Dragonfly hovers and moves on
Across the lake huge clean white billowing clouds
Above us the mountain ridge line we had cruised in on
caught late afternoon sun
easy, quite easy and painless

Where's our tents and gear ?
 

sufi

lala
venizia.jpg
 
F

foret

Guest
i like those photos very much

except the last one which looks like a still from kiarostami's koker trilogy, which i have decided is not a good thing
 

polystyle

Well-known member
Yea, Suf
Mountains , natural systems seen from planes are always a nice side benefit of a good trip.
The compulsion to try to capture those quick views can be a strong one !

The flight into KTM from Thai can reveal a great sweep of Himal on the way in and if the weather is clear , catch the right moment .
Flying to Asia from US one goes over part of Alaska /W of Whitehorse that is all snow covered peaks , St.Elias Country , wild country

And Nanga Parbat - that's big one ...
 

polystyle

Well-known member
Thanks for that Adruu
Very nice
I can tell you the valley right to the left (with glacier flow evident ) of big Mother
is killer place to partake.
If one can light up that is ...
Too bad the Maoists make me reconsider revisiting Nepal ,
otherwise ...

Inspiring photo of a great place on earth
 

pattycakes_

Can turn naughty
Have been train hopping and hoboing around southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland the last 3 weeks. Most trains were free because of limited ticket checks due to Covid. Going through the Alps by train was breathtaking. Took me back to growing up in the Lakes and I remembered how important mountains were to me as a kid. Big majestic, snow topped peaks were my skyline. One day in Salzburg I walked to the edge of the city and decided to scramble my way through the forest, up one of the taller, wilder looking ones. It was quite steep and treacherous, felt like I was going into the wild. Started to think maybe if I cross over this one, I'd just keep going and see how far I could get. Maybe build a hut and take up yodelling. Didn't see any paths or signs of life for about an hour. Had to stop to catch my breath several times. At one point I heard the sharp strike of wood on wood ring out across the valley below, then gun shots followed by dog barks. Hadn't slept too much the night before and suddenly I was a fugitive running from the FBI. Found a tall tree and clambered up as high as I could. Looked down to a field at the foot and spotted some tweed jacketed Austrians hunting game bird. The heat was off, or so I thought. Kept on climbing and decided to keep the adrenaline pumping by running when the terrain allowed. Did a bit of fell running in my youth. Ended up in some thick forest. 'They'll never find me here' I thought. A minute later I hear the cracking of branches and 2 male voices a little lower down. Saw the roof of a log cabin. Probably HQ. Time to dash. Nearing the summit, topless now, sweating, wishing I could dump my burdensome jacket, I found a flattish platform under heavy foliage. Sat there a while to calm down. Sun rays poking through the gaps in the trees. Fantastic view of the city far in the distance. Must have been there about 10 minutes, totally silent. 'Ah, finally shook them off.' I thought. Spoke too soon, a huge and silent shadow blocked almost all of the sun as it slowly sauntered above. Too big to be a bird, surely?! But by the time I'd looked up it had gone. Turned my head to look behind and there it was, coming back in my direction, maybe 10m across, a huge sillhouette which did a perfect circle right above my spot. A paraglider! Special Ops had been employed. My location marked. No time to lose. Scramble up a bit further and spot a perfectly gravelled path and 2 ladies in their 50s in walking gear walk past. The fantasy bubble popped in an instant. I go out onto the path and see a sign which said Gaisberg peak to the right, 35min. Then, behind me, an elderly couple with a stately looking retreiver were making their way in the same direction. My shoulders sank. I really thought I was getting away from it all. Walked to the peak. First building I saw was a military monitoring station with huge satellites and communication tub things. Past there the top opened out and there were 2 restaurants, a car park and a bus was just pulling in. 2 groups of healthy looking Austrians with big backpacks stuffed with paragliders got off. Turns out it's a popular pastime around these parts. The bus takes 30min to get back to the centre. I stay up there for a few hours. Checking the Alps, watching the birds of prey and breathing in the sweet alpine air. Lovely day, all in.

 
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