Another year is gone, so it is the high time for some summary. Actually, I had feeling that in 2018 I didn't make many valuable photos, but when I started my review it appeared that it is not so bad. Eventually, I had many problems with keeping amount of pictures limited for this entry :)
As always I had very challenging and impressive plan to spend whole day in the maountains from dawn till dusk, but weather verified my plans very quickly (you can find more here). But still it was beautiful!
Fourth time lucky - I had to go there fourth times to be able to shoot "real" sunrise. Some of my previous adventures I have even described in previous entries here and here.
There was still heavy winter above 2000m (and weather was rather erratic),so Bobrovec, which reaches 1663m appeared to be perfect choice. Marked trail was closed in 2008, so entering this area is officially forbidden. But views from the top are so unique, that it is rather not possible to restrain going there.
Costa Blanca is famous as a perfect location rather for sunbatching, but I hadn't been me, if I wouldn't have tried to break this stereotype. Serra Ferrer is grassy-rocky ridge known as being innacessible. Suprisingly, it appeared to be quite easy, even "legendary" narrow and exposed rocky traverse leading on the edge of the ridge. For somebody who went already through some narrow ridges in the Tatras (such as "The Roháč Horse") it will be just like walk in the park. Serra Ferrer is surrounded by many other famous mountains (such as Serra de Bernia, Puig Campana and others),so it is one of the best viewpoints in the area.
The only problems in the Costa Blanca mountains is ther location: close to urbanized coast, which destroyes some of the panoramas (the best example is view from the top of Serra de Bernia). Pla de la Casa is situated not so close to the coast and its massif (called Serra de la Serella) is one of the most remote in the area. Thanks to this, when you look around from the top, you see only other mountains and views are dominated by huge north face of Serra de Aitana.
It is a perfect location for photos if you search for something that does not require too much effort. Thanks to gravel road, you can drive quite close to the top - only last few hunderd meters you have to go on foot. And views are very nice from the top.
The highest mountain in Costa Blanca area does not look very impressive from the coast - it is just huge pile of rocks and grass crowned by ugly military radar dome. But on the northern side, mountain drops vertically to the valley below. Thanks to this, panoramas from this mountain are really awesome (at least when ugly radar installation is behind your back).
When there is no time to go to the mountains, then rocks in my closer "neighbourhood" are great alternative. This time - The Jerzmanowickie Rocks.
I was there already one year ago, but then there was just one small break between two huge heavy rainfalls. This time, weather was way better - I went there for sunset and then - one day later - for sunrise.
The Hlinská veža is not so well known rock crag, from which views are quite interesting, thanks to its location (ridge of Mt Satan looks really great from here). The same day I went to nearby Štrbský štít and ust before reaching the top, clouds covered most of the views (again - just like one year ago). I am wondering how many times I have to go there to make some better photos...
Forecast in the Tatras is one thing and actual weather is completely different thing. For the most time, at the top of the Malý Ľadový štít everything was covered by clouds and mist but good for me that I was patient enough because just before sunset there was few very short moments when you could see something. The next day, everything seemed that weather will be again really bad, but despite this I went to the top of Mt Baranie rohy and I was lucky again - sun and clouds gave really awesome show there.
At that day, I was planning to be actually at the top of the Jahňací štít but I overslept :) Way to the Kozí štít is much shorter, so I went there instead. Views are partially obstructed by higher nearby mountains, but dancing clouds made views magical.
I was at the top of the Litvorový štít few months earlier, when I was going to Mt Gerlach through Martinka route but it was in the middle of the day. I remember that views from the top were very good, so I decided to go there again for a sunrise. I was "little" surprised by the amount of snow (in the moddle of September!) but I was able to reach the top.
Sometimes it is good to make some ad-hoc photo trip, for example to the Powroźnikowa Rock, which is one of the best viewpoints in my neighbourhood.
I do not rememeber how many times I went there in the past to make some good pictures, and finally I was able to shoot something promising.
This is one of my favourite locations for short autumn days. And another sunrise at the edge of vertical, sandstone rocks...
For us, Polish people, going to Mt Giewont is a must, at least one time in the life :). I made it finally, last Novemeber in suprisingly good conditions (it seemed that that year November swap places with September). More about this trip here.