Posts Tagged ‘mountains’

More Pyrenean Goodies

29

Aug

2015

It’s two years already since I’ve last visited the beautiful rugged peaks of the Pyrenees; a mountain range on the border of Spain and France, covering 305 miles (491km) from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Proud (tongue-in-cheek) to announce that today, I am able to publish two new images of the Gran d’Amitges area of the Aigüestortes National Park.

Kiss Goodnight

Buy Prints or License Kiss GoodnightAigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain

Both images catch the magical light show after the daily hailstorm accompanied by lightning and heavy gusts and boast some integral elements I always wanted to capture. Ice melting on a high alpine lake and wildflowers blooming on the mountain slopes. In this case, ‘Neret’, the Catalan word for the rusty-leaved alpenrose – ‘rhododendron ferrugineum’.

Nightfall Neret

Nightfall Neret - Purchase Print or LicenseAigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain

There’s just something magical about mountain peaks reflecting in a pool of water, don’t you think?

Best of 2012 – A Year in Review

19

Dec

2012

Another year in the books – and what a year that was. I was able to pick up where 2010 ended, photographically-speaking; and make up for the missed opportunities in 2011. Now, with the last days of the old year winding down, it’s time to reflect on the past journeys, the people that made it special and the glorious sunsets (and sunrises) I was fortunate to witness along the way and how could this better be done than with some images. Sit back and enjoy the show! (Images are in chronological order as they were shot throughout the year.)

bestof2012-header

Leave Only Footprints

Leave Only Footprints
Erzgebirge, Germany

Doomsday Caldera

Doomsday Caldera, Hirtstein
Hirtstein, Erzgebirge, Germany

Els Elcantats Rising

Els Encantats rising Through the Fog at Sunrise, Pyrenees, Spain
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain

Light Guardian

Light Guardian, Pyrenees, Spain
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain

Seeking Solitude

Seeking Solitude, Pyrenees, Spain
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain

Dawn of a New Day

Dawn of a New Day, Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy
Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Italy

Ethereal Gorge

Ethereal Gorge, Partnach, Bavaria, Germany
Partnach Gorge, Bavaria, Germany

Silent Awakening

Silent Awakening, Classic Bavaria, Alps
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany

The Last Goodbye

The Last Goodbye
Erzgebirge, Germany

Thank you for all the patience in the first half of the year when this blog got neglected, for the continued support and the wonderful emails I receive. Here’s to a wonderful Holiday Season to you all out there!

David

The Beauty of the Pyrenees – Western Europe’s Last Mountain Paradise

28

Aug

2012

I recently returned from a wonderful 8-day backpacking trip into the Spanish Pyrenees, one of western Europe’s last mountain paradises and let me tell you, it was fantastic. My focus of this trip was to cover as much miles as possible in the heart of the Aigüestortes and Estany Sant Maurici National Park and the surrounding Saboredo basin, above Port de la Ratera. The landscapes I encountered reminded me much of those of the Eastern Sierra, although not as high or filled with meadows full of wildflowers but compared to the Alps, it was quiet, relaxing and very much enjoyable throughout.

My trip started out with a flight from Munich to Barcelona, two backpacks and a 17-hour layover in Barcelona to catch the bus to Lleida the next morning — a day which turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year. When I set foot into the bus that should bring me to the drop-off at the foot of the steep and winding road to Espot, the city just outside the eastern entrance to the park; the thermometer showed a cozy 45 degrees Celsius (113F).

Els Encantats Rising Through the Fog at Sunrise

Arriving just after 9 in the evening, I settled to spend the first night in one of the campgrounds around Espot. I chose to set my tent at Camping La Mola which turned out to be an affordable deluxe camping experience. Little did I know when I approached the friendly staff that the campground not only offered bathrooms and showers often time not found as nice in hotels; it comes with pool, tennis court, soccer field and a small store that made a backpacker’s heart open up. I especially enjoyed the selection of fruits, Salchichón and the fresh bread, which provided a great energy kick for the trails to tackle later on.

An Evening On The Porch, D'Amitges, Pyrenees

The National Park Aigüestortes y Sant Maurici itself is a mere two hours of very moderate GR11 trail walking (The long distance trail which crosses the Pyrenees east to west from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.) nested above Espot. From the entrance to the park to my first night high in the mountains in 2012, however, it was another four and a half hour hike in the cruel heat of a cloudless day up steep switchbacks and over loose rock trails up to the Refugi D’Amitges, enjoying the views over the Sant Maurici valley and lake on the way and replenishing energy with a trail snack at the Fountain of the Marmots. Camping and off-trail hiking is not permitted and fined immediately (as I was told) within the National Park and the surrounding zone of protection, so the refuges provide shelter and a place to sleep for the night. Reservations have to be made beforehand as the 70 bunk-bed capacity fills quickly over the summer months.

Exploring the area around the refuge, I quickly realized why “Aigüestortes” translates to “winding waters” — dozens of lakes and tarns fill the gaps between the granite boulders and reflect the towering peaks while little streams meander through the meadows and rush down the cliffs.

Light Guardian, Pyrenees, Spain

I was blessed with beautiful weather throughout the trip with temperatures ranging from low 70’s (~24C) in the afternoon to 36 degrees (2C) at night at elevations of 2,400m to 2,700m (roughly 8k to 9k ft.); which made hiking a very enjoyable undertaking.

More images from the trip will have to wait for my return, as I am getting ready for a road trip with Aperture Academy instructor Brian Rueb; which will lead us to the Cinque Terre region and Venice in Italy, the Austrian and German Alps and possibly a few other places. So stay tuned and happy shooting!

Refugi D'Amitges