Might I add some of my own photos?

The Tour du Mont Blanc, August 2007

And some images from my beloved mountains here in Japan:

(sorry to hog the space)



Back when I still wore boots and carried a 14 kilo pack. The Asahi Range in Yamagata. The green you see in the back is creeping pine, a chest level evergreen that hugs the ground but grows on the highest mountaintops in Japan... horrible for bushwhacking, from which I was taking a much needed rest. Great for taking refuge in if a sudden storm hits.













Watching a typhoon approach.



Common campsite in the Japan Alps. Here, Karasawa.



This boy challenged his father that he could easily carry his father's full pack and marched all the way down the mountain, alone (his father was five kilometers back with his wife and other son)... all 15 kilometers... to the trailhead, where I took this photo.

Edited by butuki on 09/24/2009 07:06:23 MDT.

Jay, my favorite of your photos is the one of Finger Col. I keep going back to it.

Thanks Miguel, I really enjoy the picture from around the world....Japan Alps to Mont Blanc- Very nice!



Approaching Finger Col

Edited by Creachen on 09/24/2009 09:30:20 MDT.

Seeing all the fantastic photos I thought I would add two of my own:

Tarp opposite the Glacier du Trient (TMB - France)



Tarp in The Kitzbühler Alpen in October (Tyrol Austria)

Edited by hikingharry on 09/24/2009 09:37:29 MDT.

Sitting on the shoulder of Little Haystack.



Looking from Little Haystack to Haystack.











Looking back on Little Haystack from the shoulder of Haystack.



On the summit of Haystack.





Panther Gorge.



Marcy.



The Great Range.

Edited by Ramapo on 09/24/2009 10:27:21 MDT.

On the summit of Giant.







Rocky Peak Ridge.

Edited by Ramapo on 09/24/2009 10:32:18 MDT.

Bondcliff.





Bond's summit.

Edited by Ramapo on 09/24/2009 10:54:44 MDT.

Some stuff from out West.

Dave,

Your pics are great! You have skillzzzzzz.

Good stuff.

Thanks for all the pics everybody.
David H.: Haystack is one of my favorite peaks in the northeast (others are Gothics, Basin in ADK and Adams in NH).

David,

Those are some gorgeous photos of the snow capped mountains with the lakes.

You should seriously consider adding some captions to the photos to give a better idea of what was going on.

Your photos already clearly convey the story of what was going on.

Thanks for sharing them.

-Tony

> there is a much more abrupt switch from the trees to the meadows, with the meadows covering a huge area.

hey Ross,

I remember that very comment from you. We met at refuge de la Leisse on the GR55 last august. I saw your Granite Gear packs and thought you must probably be american. Actually, after I left that day I kept thinking you looked a lot like some BPL member and I even remembered your name :)

I hope you had a wonderful trip and expect to see those pics.

(Sorry all for the OT but Ross does not have a PM address)

Mather Pass- 12,100 ft
Looking at very remote Upper Basin--
UL Terrorist have some what Highjacked my thread-If you can not beat them--then join them.

Jay- I would say a "below" tree line UL terrorist

Your right Tad--I spotted a few trees in those awesome pictures...No buddy is perfect!!


Evolution Lake,JMT 10,852 ft

Edited by Creachen on 09/24/2009 18:59:28 MDT.

Are the meadows in the Alps caused by cows and sheep? Could be. I thought of that too. There is no doubt that they contribute to it (we saw plenty of both everywhere). But it is also a "which came first" thing. The cows and sheep were sent to the high lands because there were meadows up there. I think the word "alps" comes from the meadow, not the mountains. It is possible that the meadows might have started small and then grew with livestock, or maybe they were big to begin with (we did see plenty of forest as well, with a very distinctive tree line, which would imply that it was climate, not livestock that contributed to most of the meadows).

Maybe it is because the summers are warm over there, with many sunny days. If so, then they are like the California Sierras (which also has a big alpine area). Whereas the Cascades (and Canadian Rockies) have very short summers. Maybe the European Alps are like the California Sierras, with the addition of some really high peaks to add to the glaciers.

Anyway, here are some pics -- All of these are in the Vanoise:














If people are curious, I have a bunch more pictures on Flickr (and you can see bigger versions of these):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossbl/sets/

I haven't gotten around to the rest of the Alps, but almost all of our hiking was above treeline.

Edited by rossbleakney on 09/26/2009 15:46:27 MDT.

Ross, That second picture is really nice...Camera technology these days is excellent...


Parker Pass looking at Mono Lake

Since the Sierra is well covered, some other places that I've been hiking this year...


Israeli friend hiking under Cho Oyu, Nepal


Gokyo Valley, largest glacier in the Nepal, the lodges are visible below.


Hiking in fresh snow over an 18,000ft+ pass.


A seasonal village below the Annapurnas.


A very dangerous trail above treeline in Nepal.


One from the USA. On top of Sawtooth Pass, Sierra Nevada.

Edited by Found on 09/26/2009 15:14:17 MDT.