Tag: Hiking

Friday thought #67 Spring has arrived and everyone is smiling

sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

I hate to say it in April, but winter in the Alps is well and truly over, and has been for a while. The last few weeks in Innsbruck have seen temperatures as high as 25 degrees C, the cows and horses are back in the meadows, and rock climbing, via ferratas, hiking and running are very much back on the agenda.

Despite the fact that it feels like summer, this is my first Spring in Austria and I love the feel of the city as the seasons start to change. Being a university city, it’s no surprise to see the students out in force as the weather becomes warmer, but the sight of the neverending line of people sitting along the banks on the river Inn next to the university still made me stop, get off my bike and marvel at the power of the sunshine.

The mere presence of the sun means that everyone is happy and relaxed. Stress is forgotten, people suddenly have more free time and want to be outside; having barbecues, playing frisbee, or simply socialising out in the sun.

Here’s to a long summer of enjoying the outdoors x

A river and sunshine, an unbeatable combination
A river, mountains and sunshine, an unbeatable combination

IMG_20160421_182302

An alpine meadow with cows grazing. It's amazing how happy it can make you feel...
A simple alpine meadow with cows aimlessly grazing. It’s amazing how happy it can make you feel…

 

Friday thought #15 Snowy walks and ski tours!

sharonwraywriting2 Comments

Winter is coming to the mountains!! It’s getting darker, much much colder and the snow is imminent. It keeps falling high up and we’ve had some teaser flakes on the ground down here, but we’re still waiting with baited breath to see when REAL winter is going to hit. A few resorts have tentatively opened across Switzerland, France and Italy and getting back on the skis was as exciting as ever, but as always happens at this time of year, it’s hard to let go of summer! We’re still clinging on to the beautiful sunny and autumnal walks and the wonderful feelings that come with with hiking up a stunning mountain trail and breathlessly reaching the top, knowing you’ve just done something brilliant.

But this last week I’ve discovered that it doesn’t have to end quite yet! Snowy walks under blue skies are still possible, just! Once the skiing kicks in properly I’ll be all over it and love every second, but I think when skiing people often forget their surroundings and just don’t have the time to stop and appreciate the mountains in the way you can when travelling uphill, and a lot slower! That’s why ski touring is so special. You drink it all in on the way up, appreciating every second and every peak, then when you finally reach that summit, strap on your skis and get your reward, you know you’ve earned every turn.

We’ve done some wonderful early season ski tours already this year and fingers crossed for a good winter so that there will be many more to come, but this week a friend suggested a snowy winter walk, and we managed to sneak one in, maybe the last of the year, and if so it was a good one! Forest trails are so beautiful in winter, and this is the perfect time of the year to enjoy them. In a few weeks they’ll be buried until spring so make the most of them while you still can!

Breathtaking views on snowy walks
Breathtaking views on snowy walks
Beautiful, snow laden branches
Nature at its snowy best
Beautiful, beautiful ski touring, with the added bonus of the Mont Blanc Massif in the background!
Beautiful, beautiful ski touring, with the added bonus of the Mont Blanc Massif in the background!
A tough finish, but totally worth it when this is what you're aiming for!
A tough finish, but totally worth it when this is what you’re aiming for!

Friday thought #10 Beautiful Autumn

sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

I wrote a few weeks ago heralding the coming of Winter, the colder days, the darkness creeping in earlier and earlier, the imminent arrival of the snow… But I feel the need now to perhaps delay that slightly and cling on to the beautiful, and highly underrated, season that is Autumn. I find myself thinking the same thing every year and once again reminding myself that Autumn is one of the most stunning times of the year. In the Alps it is all about winter and summer, the periods bridging the gaps are simply referred to as ‘Interseason’ and I believe are totally forgotten and glossed over.

I feel so strongly that we must embrace these ‘in between’ periods and not just see them as time to kill before the ‘proper’ seasons arrive. There is so much to do in the mountains right now, with the added benefit of it not being too hot, so you can often actually do far more than in the sumer. There is also no-one around. Summer peak season is so overrun with holiday-makers, yet no-one seems to come in the Autumn. It’s like a secret, our own personal paradise, deserted and beautiful. On a walk last week I found myself becoming quite the nature lover and flora photographer! Everywhere I looked I saw stunning colours in the trees, the leaves and the heather. I’ll include some of my amateur snaps, no photoshop, no colour enhancement, just the pure beauty of nature at its best.

P1050231

P1050239

P1050249

P1050224

P1050243

Autumn in the Alps

sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

What a wonderful time of year this is. For many, autumn is a bleak period, associated with short days, dark mornings, and endless rain, but in the mountains October is by far the most spectacularly beautiful and colourful month. Everywhere you look there are different colours, fiery reds and burnt oranges mixing harmoniously in with the evergreens. The temperature is cooling, but the sun is still shining and there is still a lot of climbing and hiking to be done before winter kicks in! Here are just a few recent photographs from my local lakes.

Autumn reflections at Lac Vert, Plaine Joux, Chamonix
Autumn reflections at Lac Vert, Plaine Joux, Chamonix
Related articles