Summer Photo Thread 2015 (place, world, sun, fog)

[tommyFL]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

You're making me want to visit Mexico with these great pics. All of these places are within a few hours' drive of Mexico City, right?

I'd not go in August though - it'd be a January trip for sure...lol.

Lol, you must be kidding. The weather is just as nice in August as it is in January. If you like rain and greenery, you would enjoy visiting in summer. In some places, winter highs are actually warmer than summer highs.

Yeah, all within a few hours drive from Mexico City.

[tommyFL]

Yesterday's photos from our hike up Nevado de Toluca. I set a new personal elevation record - about 15300 feet. The hike was 4.25 miles round trip with 1500 feet of elevation gain. It took us six and a half hours.

A couple buildings near the trailhead with cars parked along the narrow dirt road - one of the highest in North America



Looking back towards the closed section of the road that leads to the crater



On top of the pass looking east. The weather was very odd - temp in the 40s but could hear rumbles of thunder every couple seconds.





Descending the other side of the pass...a pain in the ass to hike back up when we were dead tired



A view of the summit with a smaller hill in the middle of the crater in the foreground



Interesting spiky plants...don't know what they are



Laguna de la Luna

Spoiler

Ascending the steep summit ridge



Trail continues along the scree slope



What we thought was the summit...it was actually behind this massive rock



View of the two lakes - Sun and Moon



A group of Mexican and German hikers turned back went the trail ended and the exposed scrambling began



Jagged rock made for slow progress



Clouds obscuring the peak



The highest point we reached...we were too tired to make it all the way to the summit (which was only about 50 feet higher)







Clouds replaced by blue sky after just a couple minutes to reveal a hiker



Down in the crater again



Nearing the trailhead as thunder and lightning got closer. It started to rain and hail the minute we got back to the car.

[NorthStarDelight]

^^ Very nice! Looks like you had a real adventure - I bet that thin air left you gasping for breath, huh?

[Cambium]

Wow That looks like Mars except it's tan/brown/gray/black! Barely anything growing up there. So there hasn't been support for any new or different plant life except those spiky things? And maybe some green moss? Even if the weather is too extreme or variable I would think something finds a way to grow after hundreds of years or decades or years. No oxygen mask needed at 15k?

[nei]

Sunday morning. Duck crossing:





Misty stream:



getting to the edge of the fog:







clear up here



Lookout at 1750 feet. Entire Connecticut River Valley was encased in fog:



home is somewhere under the cloud. See that hill poking out of the cloud, that might be a nice spot to visit. Tomorrow?



away from the valley, clear and a bit hazy with the humidity



from the tower, uncropped wider angle shot:



Swam in this lake:



Left my water bottle at the foot of the tower, so went back. About an hour later. Big ominous looking cumulus cloud appeared behind the tower.



But after climbing the tower, the cloud looked much smaller. 10:30 and the fog was still there!





You can see more hills above the fog; the fog was breaking. Much smaller

=============================================

Next morning had thick fog again. Around 6:30:



Up on the top of one of those hills sticking above the fog visible in the photo:













brownish gras here



fog starting to break

Spoiler

[NorthStarDelight]

^^ Very nice pics - I love the views over the clouds like that - makes the mountains seem a lot higher than they really are.

[tommyFL]

Originally Posted by Cambium

Wow That looks like Mars except it's tan/brown/gray/black! Barely anything growing up there. So there hasn't been support for any new or different plant life except those spiky things? And maybe some green moss? Even if the weather is too extreme or variable I would think something finds a way to grow after hundreds of years or decades or years. No oxygen mask needed at 15k?

Tens of thousands of years, actually. That's when the last eruption was. And no, no oxygen needed. It's not Mount Everest, but it's no walk in the park either.

[TiffaNYC]

nei, those are beeeeeeeautiful pictures!! Makes me miss New England so much! Gorgeousness.

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by nei

Up on the top of one of those hills sticking above the fog visible in the photo:

Favorite. Like you can walk across it. Too cool. Wish I had views like that nearby, I have to drive to get them

Finally had fog here this morning but its burning off fast. Not too dense and noticed it's within the trees more. Facing West

Temp 71°F
Dewpoint 65°F

[Cambium]

6am view of the new Tappan Zee Bridge they're building over the Hudson River. Connects Westchester County in Southern NY to Rockland County. No fog there this morning. I see the new bridge will be a little higher than the old one. Wonder if they factored in a 500yr flood and River Rise. lol

Construction Cameras ? The New NY Bridge