UNDER CONSTRUCTION WITH SOME PIX AWAITING COMMENTARY. So, with part one (1) behind you, settle back once again and let us do all the hard work as we move around the world and introduce you to more examples of our wonderful planet that only those that take to a trail get to see. Before we start the gallery I'll throw in a few full page teasers beginning with Wendy resting up after a 8km (5ml), rough, lava strewn trail ending at this magnificent view over Iceland's Vatnajokull glacier (largest icecap in Europe); that is followed by Wendy pausing in a fabulous Larch tree grove while on the way to the Sentinel pass, a 12km, 6hr return trip with a tough elevation gain of 732m (2,400ft); the Larch is the only conifer that changes colour and loses its needles in the Fall.
Arches National Park in the state of Utah covers some 120 sq miles of natural sandstone arches, highest density of arches in the world, more than 2,000 in fact all set in a mile high desert landscape that never failed to fascinated us on every trail we explored; a hiker's paradise of magical sights and I just can't move on into the Gallery until I add some more of Arches wonders that await those who like to explore on foot. Look carefully for Wendy in dark clothing, I always tried to included her to indicate the awesome size of these amazing, natural wonders; to make it easier, I have placed a white asterisk under her in three of the pix.
ABOVE: The “Double O,” is an impressive 71ft. wide arch but it was a 7 mile (11.2km) return trip, with an elevation gain of 1,232 ft. (375.5m) across loose sand, slick rock and narrow ledges to get there but it was worth it. There are two arches here, one large, with a span of 71 feet, stacked atop a much smaller arch with a 21-foot span in front of Wendy but that arch is better viewed from the other side. BELOW: It's not so difficult to access Landscape Arch which spans 306ft. (93.2m) (longer than a football field); base to base, it's fifth longest natural arch in the world. It would be better viewed from high above but in the heat, it was a “helluva” hike up there and back; anyway, we were already in an closed area due to rock falling from the arch. Maybe next time?
GALLERY (1)
I AM JUST BEGINNING "ON THE TRAIL (2)" AND WITH LOTS MORE TRAIL PIX TO COME, I WILL CHANGE FROM A SLIDE SHOW FORMAT AS IN TRAIL(1) TO A GALLERY FORMAT THAT ALLOWS MOVING THROUGH THE PIX WITH THE KEYBOARD ARROWS RATHER THAN THE MOUSE. CLICK ON THE FIRST PIX AND MOVE THROUGH THE BUT KEEP IN MIND I HAVE YET TO ADD CAPTIONS.
I AM JUST BEGINNING "ON THE TRAIL (2)" AND WITH LOTS MORE TRAIL PIX TO COME, I WILL CHANGE FROM A SLIDE SHOW FORMAT AS IN TRAIL(1) TO A GALLERY FORMAT THAT ALLOWS MOVING THROUGH THE PIX WITH THE KEYBOARD ARROWS RATHER THAN THE MOUSE. CLICK ON THE FIRST PIX AND MOVE THROUGH THE BUT KEEP IN MIND I HAVE YET TO ADD CAPTIONS.
Thought I would switch to full page to show Wendy framed against the Angel Glacier on Mt Edith Cavell in 1986 and the glacier on the same trail in 2017; thanks to global warming, it is now a remnant of what it was.....sad!
GALLERY CONTINUED