The paths of Kyrgyzstan I am out of breath following each step of your Heights of Alay trek blog...a wonderful meander (or is it slog?) through some of the most magnificent vistas in the World. I'll post this pic in "Follow that Road" thread in the Photography Forum as it is too good to not further share.
Such a good read, can you help me? Hello,
Firstly, I loved your blog here, best I've read about Grauspitz, and given your style I have no doubt extremely good everywhere else.
I'm going to Liechtenstein in April 2020. I occasionally hike, handle fear fairly well and am in good fitness.
1) What time of year did you hike to the top?
2) The final ascent to the summit, how steep and narrow is it? Getting down did you face down and go down on your bum, or face the rock and step down like a ladder?
Your article is exactly what I'm planning to do. From Liechtenstein straight up and back. Thank you
Hi Chris
Thanks for your comments. To answer your queries:
1. I've just checked my photos and it was 2nd August 2016 when I climbed it. In April you still might have snow up there which could complicate things. There are probably some webcams on nearby ski resorts that you could access online before you get there to check the conditions.
2. The route I took wasn't narrow at all (only the very summit) as I went pretty much straight up the face rather than across the ridge from the neighbouring summit. Most blogs, and my "Highpoints of all European Countries" guidebook suggest going along the ridge. However, I read someone else's blog who failed the ridge route twice as they felt it was too dangerous before succeeding on the straight up route so I followed that one. It is a concave slope so steeper close to the top but I remember picking my way in between the solid rock on which you can use your hands. Getting down was not as bad as I expected as you can jump and slide straight down the scree. Probably only a few parts of the descent near the top were facing towards the slope.
Good luck with it. Liechtenstein was unexpectedly lovely.
The delights of Copenhagen Ever since our youngest daughter Katherine and her family moved from Sydney to CPH for work we've been regular visitors; indeed I'm going back there in August while Katherine will be home for a short time in early July. So I really did enjoy reading your tales of your visit to CPH and the lovely photos. And as we spent Christmas 2018 there, during we time we also visited Stockholm for a couple of days, winter in Scandinavia is not something I'd want to put up with year in, year out. But of course to visit in winter is different from actually living there. Thanks for this delightful piece about CPH!!
Thanks for the comments; and thanks for the tip about linking to past blogs.
It's easy to love India when reminiscing and looking at photos. Less so when travelling through it.
Good to see you blogging again We've missed your blogs. Sounds like you are working on a large project with an impossibility to answer. You've found an off the beaten path location that sounds nice. India is one of those countries it is easy to have a love hate relationship with.
Must see... Khajuraho, Panna and Orchha have been on the 'places to visit' list for my past dozen trips to India, but I don't seem to have ever fitted them in. Having now read your thoughts, maybe I'll try harder to do so next time!
P.S. A small tip: To link to one of your previous blogs, instead of putting in the entire URL (which readers have to carefully copy and paste into their browser), just go to the blog concerned, copy its number, including the square brackets (you'll find it under your profile on the right of the page - this one is [blog=1028155], your previous one on 'The Ups and Downs...' was [blog=822842]). Just paste the entire [blog=xxxxxx] bit into your text and it will show the blog title and be a clickable link to it at the same time.
You listed three glorious bits and nine horrendous bits... sounds about right. I was turned off at 8 years old watching buzzards devour a dead body. My Dad loved the Himalayas, visiting many times, including Nepal and Tibet.
Transporting salt I've seen this scene in Mali...but not in Ethiopia. Fabulous pic...takes me there! I've posted it in 'Faces in Places' thread in the Photography Forum and some of your camels in the 'Camels' thread. check 'em out.
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Zion Wow. The striations in this pic are geological wonders. We arrived in Zion during a polar vortex greeted by a deer and tumbling snow and were blown away by its beauty. Your pic highlights the diversity of the SW USA parks that are truly awesome.
I'm pleased you found Americans really nice... even the ones who stay home! You picked one of the best "loops" to travel, and your future plans sound great, too.
Belfast Town Hall Thanks for the great photos and description of your travels reminding me of our time in that neck of the woods! I remember when we were in Belfast there were signs on lamp-posts near the Belfast Town Hall stating "George Bush in not welcome here" which I have to admit I was rather taken with.
When I started this blog in 2007, it was more of a highlights package of trips generally focusing on one place or aspect. My rule had been one blog per country unless I lived there, but I eventually realised that fewer blogs were appearing. Having got around quite a bit, I'm now revisiting many countries. It's getting trickier to get to completely new countries so I might break that rule on occasion. The PhD fortunately didn't curtail travelling with research in sub-Saharan Africa and India as well as the chance to attend conferences with a sneaky bit of travelling tacked on before or after th... full info
Dancing Dave
David Hooper
The paths of Kyrgyzstan
I am out of breath following each step of your Heights of Alay trek blog...a wonderful meander (or is it slog?) through some of the most magnificent vistas in the World. I'll post this pic in "Follow that Road" thread in the Photography Forum as it is too good to not further share.