It was good photo year, maybe even better than previous one. Well, at least I had more problems with selection this time than one year ago. 2017 was dominated by The High Tatras and Serra de Tramuntana, but everything started and ended somewhere else.
I planned this trip so many times and always something was in the way. Finally, I went there in February and it started with weather breakdown at the top of Veľký Rozsutec, but then there was beautiful afternoon and evening at the top of Veľký Kriváň (of course, the day after, everything was back to normal and the only thing one could see on the main ridge was endless clouds and terrible wind).
Northern part of Mallorca is dominated with the Serra de Tramuntana - 100 kilometers long range of great rock mountains full of edges, razor sharp ridges and great vistas.
After going back from Mallorca to my neighborhood, I was welcomed by typical, erratic June weather. However, it appeared that even this kind of weather may be interesting especially in such place as The Slovak Paradise.
It was crazy weekend in the Tatras - everything started on Saturday morning at the Mlynické and Predné Soliskos with black clouds approaching from Mt Satan and rays of sun somewhere between them. In the afternoon I was caught by heavy rain and snow (yes!) but suddenly - the closer I was to the top of the Východná Vysoká, the better weather was. It lasted only for few moments, but it was enough to make some nice panoramas from the top. Then another wave of heavy rain came, so I didn't even consider waiting for a sunset - instead I went to the nearest mountain shelter to have some beers with my friends who were waiting there for me. And then, finally, on Sunday morning I could watch beautiful sunrise from the top of the Svišťový štít.
Sometimes you just want to go somewhere for short stroll with nice views instead of typical long, strenuous hike or climb. Rock formations in my neighborhood are perfect for that. The Grochowiec Wielki is prominent, lonely rock from which you can see even Tatras on the horizon (if weather is flawless). This time I could not see them but still afternoon was almost perfect.
Just another weekend in the High Tatras with great views...
Amazing route through the Satan's ridge, the Mlynická valley, the Furkotský štít, the Hrubý vrch with great sunset at the top of the Veľké Solisko. Then cloudy but still amazing sunrise the day after at the top of the Štrbský štít...
This is a dream of every landscape photographer: countless mountain ranges with valleys covered in fog and peaks in the sun. Somehow, it took for me many years to finally make such pictures.
In the highest parts of the Tatras there is a lot of snow already and 2nd level of avalanche warning, so maybe I should try something little lower? In the Tatras there are few lower peaks that lies a little on the side of the main ridge, so they offer quite interesting panoramas. Mt Osobitá is one of those mountains.
This trip was even for me quite big surprise - my main reason of being in California was business, but I found some time for short hike to Mt Diablo (which is one of the most interesting mountains in San Francisco area) and then to see this classic example of American extreme engineering - Golden Gate.