Scenic picture thread

[jwaltos]

Here are some adventure photos taken years ago:
Camp Raffalli, Corsica
Mont Genevre, France (somewhere)
Lac Abbe, Djibouti (Ancient coral)
Devils Island seen from Isle St. Joseph (Papillon's home for a while)
Somewhere in the French Guyanese jungle.

For anyone who has ever "free climbed" at night here is an interesting bit of history on TV.: https://www.ahctv.com/tv-shows/ancie...eats-spidermen
I have some scuba photos with curious sharks and friendly rays in the Bahamas (I'll never eat skate again) as well as some sky diving photos for another time (the view is great ..day or night).

[MooMoo2]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Nice. The shadow is awesome. Where did you start hiking from?

Thanks!

I took the "easy" route, which started and finished at the tram. The main challenge in seeing the sunset and the shadow from the summit is getting back to the building before the last tram goes down at 9:45 PM. Hiking 5.5 miles downhill in 3 hours doesn't sound hard, but it's surprisingly difficult when you're doing a solo descent in the dark and are trying to avoid getting lost in the maze of trails out there. I made it with about 15 minutes to spare, which was a bit too close for comfort.

You probably know this already, but the hard route is Cactus to Clouds. You take the tram down, but you start from near sea level in Palm Springs and pretty much have to climb two vertical miles in a day. It's definitely not recommended in summer, as it becomes a committed hike with no bail out points. Once you've hiked for an hour or so, you have to finish it (or at least get to the tram station at 8500' elevation) no matter how miserable you feel, or the desert heat will kill you:
https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/...o-clouds-hike/
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news...ings/30886951/ (long but interesting read)

I call the easy version "Crowds to Clouds". There are a ton of people at the tram station, but the crowds thin out considerably after the first half mile.

[MooMoo2]

"SUVs are not just vehicles to get me from point A to point B; they are the tools I use to explore the world."

Road trip up Mt. Evans, September 2018. At over 14,000' (~4300m) altitude, it is North America's highest road.

[Uncwilly]

Just a couple hundred feet higher than the road up Pike's Peak. I drove that one in 2017, the day after the eclipse.

[MooMoo2]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Just a couple hundred feet higher than the road up Pike's Peak. I drove that one in 2017, the day after the eclipse.

Cool! Many (12?) years ago, I went up Pikes Peak via the cog railway, but I've never driven that road before. I'm planning on driving it once they finish construction on the new Pikes Peak Summit House.

On another note, I spent most of Eclipse Day driving from the path of totality in eastern Oregon back to my hometown in So Cal. Unfortunately, I got stuck in some unbelievably long gas lines that day, so the most scenic parts of the drive back (Mono Lake - Lone Pine) were done at night.

[LaurV]

Very nice! And very nice photos. Thanks for sharing. I am a bit amazed by the fact that there was no snow at over 4k meters. (my highest point ever was a bit below 3k)

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by MooMoo2

Road trip up Mt. Evans, September 2018. At over 14,000' (~4300m) altitude, it is North America's highest road.

Date confirmation: In the LL part of the third photo (the "blue sky turn") I see aspens changing, which is usually between mid-September to mid-October. The top part of the road is sometimes closed for the season around Labor Day, though.

In one of the visitor buildings on Mount Evans there is a model of one of the plants that grows in the alpine tundra -- Alpine Spring Beauty IIRC. The above-ground part looks like a typical low-growing alpine plant, but the root is gigantic!

I remember seeing Parnassian butterflies flitting about, even though it was a bit chilly outside.

[daviddoeshikes]

Here's a couple of my favorite photos:

- Me & Lava Flow on the Big Island of Hawaii (Hawaii Volcanoes Park)

- A swimming iguana, in the Galapagos
- There's some interesting evolution going on here .. some islands have iguanas that can swim, yet just 3 miles away, on another island in the chain, iguanas cannot .. so neat!

- The tallest toilet on the planet (as far as I can research ..); Barafu Campsite on Mount Kilimanjaro. The drop toilet is situated at 15,239 feet (4,645 meters).
- I'm honestly surprised that there isn't a toilet situated higher on the path to Everest or K2.

[daviddoeshikes]

I have also climbed the Cactus To Clouds trail a couple of times - it's a rewarding experience.

Last time I went up, I photographed and cataloged my trip - https://kopatours.com/blog/post/cactus-to-clouds

The fact that the hike starts near sea-level deceives you into thinking it is going to be easier than you expect.. WAYY more intense than other hikes in the SoCal area (Mount Baldy for example).

Here's a photo of me about halfway up this past February (some smudges on my camera xD)

[Nick]

If you're used to travelling as widely as that, it must be extra hard to stay at home right now!

[daviddoeshikes]

I have a newborn on my hands, so I am well distracted, thankfully :)