Backpacks and blisters - the walking thread

[longeared]

Went walking today, 12.5 miles above Hebden Bridge in the sunshine with a couple of friends. Some hot trig point action - say hello to High Brown Knoll at SE009303.

[longeared]

A pair of toads, enjoying the springtime.

[longeared]

Me, and a llama (Housemartins earworm)

[jameswba]

This morning, I went for a walk from Lietava and its castle (one of the top 3 biggest castle ruins in Slovakia, I think) and over the Sulov Hills to Sulov. Just over 3 hours and very pleasant. Not many people out, I think because the weather forecast wasn't promising, though it actually turned out nice enough. Part of the castle is below. There's been an ongoing restoration effort here since 1999, with scaffolding still in place in parts of the complex.

[jameswba]

From the main ridge in the Sulov Hills.

[jameswba]

The village of Sulov.

[Sam]

I don't really contribute to this thread ever. OTFers who've been to Buenos Aires will realise why – the nearest scenery is hundreds of kilometres away. But a couple of weeks ago we got back from a week in Santa Cruz province down in Patagonia, and fucking hell it's a bit gorgeous.

[Moonlight Shadow]

It fucking is!

[delicatemoth]

That pic with the rainbow, armadillo and picnic table is just sensational. Place looks stunning.

[Balderdasha]

That pic with the rainbow, armadillo and picnic table is just sensational. Place looks stunning.

That's two different pictures next to each other. Both great photos mind.

[Sam]

Yes, those are two photos one above the other! [EDIT: and thanks for the compliment, Balders.] The armadillo was hilarious, though. We had no idea there were armadillos there, but they're the world's smallest species of armadillo – the pichi, or dwarf armadillo – and that one was probably a fully grown adult. We wandered through one of the entrances to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and it was just next to the path completely going to town on the earth under the table, and not giving the slightest shit about the seven or eight humans who were watching, laughing and taking pictures and videos of it a few feet away. Everything you see in this video, and a few other similar patches nearby, were its work.

https://twitter.com/samkellyproof/status/1511402937767141380

[Sits]

Sam those are fantastic.

[Sam]

Very kind, Sits!

[jameswba]

Great pics Sam. What's the name of the prominent peak in the last one. It looks a bit like the Matterhorn.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Cerro Torre, an iconic peak for sure!

[Sam]

Cerro Torre is, specifically, the peak to the left. The highest peak in the photo is Mount Fitz Roy, also known as Cerro Chaltén. The border between Argentina and Chile juts eastward to pass over the highest point of Cerro Chaltén and then ... disappears for nearly a couple of hundred kilometres to the south, because a chunk of it in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field is still undefined.

As we were on our short last-day-of-the-holiday hike it was completely covered in cloud the whole time until, about an hour before I took that photo, we stopped further down the trail and realised that with a lot of patience, if that cloud just there kept shifting and that other one didn't drift over too quickly after it, we might get to see the mountain uncovered. At about 2 pm we reached the main viewpoint on the more 'casual' part of the trail and shortly afterwards, the clouds finally drifted away enough to give us a view of the whole peak.Cerro Chaltén was the cover image in the first guidebook to Argentina I ever bought, so it was a mildly emotional moment to actually see it and photograph it myself.

[ad hoc]

Finally made it up to the hills above Izmir (the city can be seen in the background on some of these)

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

6th completion of the annual Keswick to Barrow walk today, this year clocking in at 37.6 miles (it has started from three different places in the time I've been doing it and this start produces the shortest route).

You get a tankard for completing seven so I'm aiming for that next year, and then officially retire. I also didn't seek sponsorship this time because it's not long since the last (delayed) edition. Next year however I'm aiming to go out with a bang, nominating a charity closer to my own heart, roping in an extended team, and probably do a couple of quiz nights as part of the campaign.

For now though, this was Thirlmere at approx 5.45am.

[longeared]

I did an huge walk across the Dearne Valley today, got a sore tendon, and passed Mark Crossley out walking his dog. He was on the phone at the time which stopped me from telling him that my Christmas Eve 2006 was a total write off owing to how drunk I got celebrating his last minute goal against Southampton.

[jameswba]

We did one of my favourite Mala Fatra hikes yesterday ; from the village of Sutovo to a 38-metre waterfall, then up to the springs that form the stream that leads to the fall, then up onto the main ridge. Not a bad day for wildlife, as we saw two salamanders, a basking adder and numerous birds of prey. It was perfect weather for walking, though a bit too hazy for the very best views towards Poland or the Tatras.

[jameswba]

[jameswba]

[jameswba]

[jameswba]

[jameswba]