3 posts tagged “hiking”

Some friends took me to the Hakone region yesterday for my birthday - about two hours outside of Tokyo, where you can see Mt Fuji and there is a lot to do - hiking, onsens, museums, etc. It was a great trip, we had a drive to see the view, visited a Shinto shrine (where there was a wedding going on), had a delicious 6 course gourmet French meal with a view, went for a 3 hour hike up a mountain and visited a beautiful indoor-outdoor Onsen (hot spring bath) for a soak on the way home. Definitely what to do after hiking. Here are some pix, there are more at picasa:

Sunday a friend and I went walking in the Haute Fagne ("high fen") on the special open weekend when there are routes open that are normally closed, and rangers are posted to tell you about wildlife, plants, the old turf-cutting, and "refenization." Here are some photos:

The above shows the wooden walkways that keep you above the soggy fens, in many places there is actual water. Here is a view of the lovely heather:
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I was in Aspen a couple of weeks ago at a conference and I finally made a hike I had thought about many years ago when skiing Big Burn at Snowmass - to the base of Maroon Bells, from Maroon lake to Crater Lake. Pretty easy, except that it takes place at 10,000 feet. There is a bus complete with tour guide that goes from Aspen Highlands up the valley to Maroon lake, to keep the auto traffic down. It was a very hot and dry day with beautiful views!

Here are Maroon Bells from Maroon Lake:

Crater Lake:
Ducks on Crater Lake! (including ducklings although none in this picture)