A mid week walk

For what it’s worth… it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

*****

Yesterday was my birthday and as a gift from the universe, the sun was shining ☀ . We decided to keep it simple and planned a couple of hours hike with some picnic food. There were lots of butterflies of which some were quite bold. On our way up the top we chatted with an elderly couple (age 75+) with whom we got acquainted during covid-19 lock down in 2020. The gentleman had walking poles but they both were in good shape. Walking on steep trails is not easy for their age. The lady chatted with us and told us about her hospital stay due to some breathing problems she got recently. I am sure there is nothing serious as she is able to hike three times a week. After car parking there is a gravel road (toll road) in steep terrain all the way up to the post. The elevation difference for them was from 260 – 600 m. We need no formula to know how fit they both were.

For Jo’s Monday walk

Wordless Wednesday 23-22

A little confusion kept me away

I hope all is well with my fellow bloggers and all are enjoying weather in their respective regions. We are enjoying warm spring days. I was able to work in my garden.

I have been quite regular on WP in the recent past but then in April I published only 5 posts including this one. There were many factors but the one which ignite the fire of confusion was the red mark on the storage space I saw on April 1. It looks like it was full, at least at that time. I spent considerate amount of time in thinking and rethinking. I decided to create some space by deleting a number of posts. I even thought of starting a new blog and archive this one.

The time I was spending in the virtual world reduced significantly in the past couple of weeks. I am back with a plan and for now I shall keep this blog. Spring is inviting and there are possibilities of future travel plans.

Here are most of the colours from my surroundings, captured during one usual hike.

Lens artisits photo challenge : WP’s played a practical prank on April Fool’s Day to me 😀

Six Word Saturday

Weekend 128: A winter walk (Pre covid)

Winter has settled in well and I do take a walk almost everyday but there is nothing new to exhibit. I checked my archives and decided to revive an old hike/walk. For a cold sunny day the weather was perfect for a long walk on the mountains. Come along folks…

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. ~ Plato

It is the beauty within us that makes it possible for us to recognize the beauty around us. The question is not what you look at but what you see ~ Henry David Thoreau

Walking gives time to reflect. Don’t rush.

The light and the hope of a life

All good things are wild and free.~ Henry David Thoreau

कुदरत की खूबसूरती पर मुस्कुराता हूं मैं 

दीवाना मैं अकेला तो नहीं।  

How to sit on the bench

To be continued…

I find weekly challenges interesting and enjoy participating in a couple of challenges every week. These challeges give opportunities to meet people, watch their work and learn about new things and places. My daily or weekly walks are linked to Jo’s Monday Walks. From last year I am also participating in Debbie’s Six Word Saturday challenge. Selecting a photo(s) and composing a six word caption for the same is a fun activity. Here I present one of my earlier entries (April 2021) to Six Word Saturday with the title “Fresh snow was served for breakfast“

Lens artists photo challenge doesn’t need any introduction as we all wait for the theme every Saturday. My heartfelt thanks to the LAPC team for bringing us all together in this weekly activity.

Stay safe and be kind.

Looking up/down

Perhaps wisdom…is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go ~Anthony Bourdain

lens artists photo challenge

Keep Walking and be happy

A gateway into nature

Going up using wooden trails

Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.~Andy Rooney

Follow the signs

Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not ~Tokugawa Ieyasu 

Ready steady go

A walk near waterfalls

Ready for a leisurely walk

A winter walk

Lens-artists-photo-challenge

Wonderful Wandering Wednesday 34-21

Other images from the same tour can be seen here

Destiny decides who comes in life

Edwin Markham has said, “There is a destiny which makes us brothers; none goes his way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.“

I believe we receive more than what we give in life. Sometimes in life, we meet people who give and give without expecting a least. They love you for what you are. You don’t need makeup for staying in their life. We have a lot of friends around the world but a few of them are the blessings from heaven.

Yesterday we were invited for a walk on a mountain area where we had never been before. We walked a little more than 10 km and came across ponds which are situated at around 1000 meters above sea level. Here are some images from our walk but let me clarify, they don’t do justice to what we had experienced.

We began our tour by crossing a river

Different shades of green due to beautiful sunlight

Blueberry shrubs are turning red, a sign of approaching autumn

Looking down at valley from our friend’s cottage

Reindeer Lichen

Reindeer Lichens grow in northern temperate forests, boreal forests, and even in the tundra. They are highly branched, fruticose lichens that are a primary food source for reindeer (also called caribou in North America). These lichens are sometimes called “Reindeer Moss,” even though they are lichens and not moss.

Modern cairn. A glimpse of a glacier. It looks so close. Just an illusion – the closeness

The sky and clouds reflected in a pond at 1000 m above sea level. There were plenty of free grazing sheeps.

Approximately two million sheep are grazing in the outlying fields of Norway every summer. That’s unique, and something that you won’t experience elsewhere.

Our four legs companion enjoyed the cold water whenever she was allowed to do so. The presence of so many sheeps gave her some exciting times.

For some reason we missed the original trail. We were not lost but had to walk in the marsh area for considerable time. It was similar to walking on a spongy peat or a soft mattress. We were happy with our choices of good hiking shoes but also, this year the summer is quite dry. Who wouldn’t love a perfect sunny summer but we really need good rains now.

In the process of finding the trails we walked on some real edges, They were not as dangerous as we usually see in photographs but weren’t even easy. I hadn’t taken my mobile out nor looked into the valley until we passed the section. It was impossible to predict what would come next, a creek, a marsh or a rock to climb.

Our good friend with his Rolls-Royce. Age difference doesn’t matter much as far as friendships are concerned

Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance ~Rabindranath Tagore

It was a little early but we did find just a couple of Chanterelle mushrooms.

Weekend 124

Lens artists photo challenge: Let there be light and friends in your life

How was your weekend?

Random 33: Vision

Vision of a tree

Accept nature’s mandate.

Grow where planted.

Use available resources.

Follow nature’s clock.

Sing nature’s song.

Bend and mend.

Protect natural selection.

Tolerate the hard.

Stay healthy strong.

Live to the fullest.

Make farewell useful.

Give what receive.

vision

Investing in good shoes is beneficial

We decided to set a new tradition, to celebrate our big days we shall go on a hike. For my b’day it was a different place and for hubby’s b’day we chose the place which was on our bucket list for a while. The weather forecast was for clouds and little wind but no rains or thunderstorm. There was no reasons for not trying a new and difficult destination 😀.

If you want something you’ve never had You must be willing to do something you’ve never done.~ Thomas Jefferson

Never be afraid to try something new because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know~Unknown

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…~ Dr. Seuss ( Oh, the Places You’ll Go)

We hiked to get this view and many more such views. I am glad we tried to conquer our anxeity and examine our strength. Two weeks summer holidays wouldn’t have concluded in a better way.

याजसाठीं केला होता अट्टहास! I have neither words nor ability to translate this in english. Google translator doesn’t help either.

Interestingly we didn’t pick a single berry this time though we saw a lady collecting wild bluberries in a bucket 😀

We are happy that we tried our best to reach a new goal and wrote our names in the small notebook placed by the local hiking association. It’s fun ya. And in the whole hiking process I burned 1430 cal (of course according to my fitbit…. hope you believe in it 😁). yippee

The diary is quite safe

For

Weekend walk 123

Six Word Saturday

Lens artists photo challenge

Jo’s Monday Walk