Upstream Of The Cascade d’Ardent

My first visit to the Cascade d’Ardent in France was too short, and I came away knowing that I’d left some great shots on the table. That’s never a satisfying feeling! So on my second trip I arrived with plenty of time to explore the smaller falls upstream.

It’s interesting to see how the water flow changes throughout the year, and I’m always surprised by how much it’s affected by the weather. On this occasion the river was pretty shallow, allowing me to get to spots like this that I didn’t dare to venture into before.

I’ve been caught out a few times in places I didn’t expect to be slippery and it’s always a quick wake up call! When the torrent is weaker it’s easier to get closer to the water, and it also reveals some nice details in the falls you might not see when they’re at at full strength.

A Summer Visit To The Cascade Du Rouget

Last time I visited the Cascade du Rouget I had to hike for an hour through snow. It was a nervy journey with a few slips here and there. Not my most enjoyable hike in the French Alps! As I parked the car just metres from the waterfall this summer I felt conflicted about the road being so close by. Surely something of such natural beauty was worthy of more effort than that?!

Unfortunately I actually prefer the wider composition of my winter shot. The falls are much more powerful in the summer, and there was way too much spray to get into the same position. I set up my tripod further to one side and started shooting, but it quickly became clear the spray was still going to be an issue.

I had to cover my lens with a lens cloth, start the 10-second timer I use for tripod shots to avoid camera shake, count to 9 and then remove the lens cloth just before the shutter opened. Of course this was not an exact science, and I had plenty of attempts where the lens got wet before the shot was taken or I removed the lens cloth too late. I should really invest in a remote shutter release!

A Thai Elephant’s Backside

Just after washing the elephants in a nearby river, I snapped this one wandering away from us back to the fields. I was very wet at the time and the afternoon heat was slowly drying me off. Our experience at the Elephant Nature Park was full of magical moments like this.

I recently spent some time going through my back catalogue of photos to clear some hard drive space. I took far too many photos of elephants during our day here! I guess you don’t have much choice if you want to capture the moment with unpredictable animals.

That reminds me of a quick Lightroom tip that may be helpful – if you press the ‘x’ key on a photo Lightroom will mark it as Rejected. You can go through a bunch of photos marking the ones you don’t want. Then select “Delete Rejected Photos” from the Photo menu options, and voila! All the bad eggs will be gone. It’s a nice way to make your workflow that little bit more efficient.

Hiking The Grand Balcon Sud Towards Index

Hiking along the Grand Balcon Sud in the Chamonix valley was the highlight of my summer exploring the French Alps on foot. The 90 minute trek from the Index cablecar to Lac Blanc and the Lacs des Chéserys was full of incredible views no matter where I turned.

But the hike along the same path in the opposite direction was even better, with Mont Blanc in view almost the entire time. I took this shot just after I started hiking back to the cablecar station to head home. I really can’t recommend this route enough!

On the right you can see one of the Lacs des Chéserys, a beautiful collection of small mountain lakes at an altitude of 2111m. To the left in the distance is Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe at 4810m. From here I spent a bit more time shooting at the lake, before continuing my journey back up the rocky face behind it.

Searching For Details In The Mont Blanc Massif

I’d been shooting with a wide angle lens all morning, but decided it was time to focus on the detail of the majestic mountains I could see in the distance. I sat down, switched to a long zoom lens and scanned the surrounding landscape for interesting features.

Something about this peak in the Mont Blanc massif caught my eye. I loved the leading line created by the mountain’s ridge. Following it from bottom to top I felt like I could imagine it climbing higher and higher as it was created, forged from the earth.

Mountains at high altitude often make great subjects for black and white photography. There’s so much contrast to play with between the snow-capped peaks, perfect blue sky and dark rock formations. I had great fun experimenting in Lightroom!

Witnessing the Immense Power of Water at Trümmelbach Falls

On the Route to Trummelbach Falls, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

After seeing the wonderful beauty of Staubbach Falls up close and personal, the next item on our itinerary had a lot to live up to. But we did not need to worry in the slightest. Trümmelbach Falls proved to be one of the most awe-inspiring sights we’d seen (and heard) in Switzerland.

The Toughest Climb – Ascent to the Männlichen Summit

Looking Back at the Tschuggen – Start of the Ascent, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

At the end of my walk to the Männlichen cable-car station from Kleine Scheidegg the real challenge began, although I didn’t know it at the time! The ascent to the top of the Männlichen is only around 1.6km in length and you gain just over 100m in height. Looking up at it from the cable-car station it didn’t look too bad, so I nonchalantly set off to reach the summit.

Looking up to the Männlichen summit, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

I was at around 2200m which I did not think of as very high. I had just been to the Top of Europe at the Jungfraujoch reaching over 3400m. I laughed in the face of 2200m after being up there! Evidently I wasn’t laughing quite so hard as after less than 5 minutes I was absolutely exhausted. I looked up and could see that I still had a very long way to go, and it only got steeper. I could feel my heart beating in my head and I knew that was a sign of serious altitude sickness. My mood had changed from one of joyfully walking up the mountain to concerns that I would faint at any moment. I decided to take it a little slower from that point on, one step at a time and lots of stops to rest and catch my breath.

Männlichen – A Place to Rest, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

When I finally reached the summit I felt a great sense of relief and accomplishment. The views from the top were slightly disappointing but I felt like I had achieved something in getting there, even though it only took 25 minutes. It was a hard 25 minutes and I was right there at the peak taking in the view. I thought that my struggle in making it to the top was down to my complete lack of fitness, and whilst that’s probably true I was quite pleased to see other people huffing and puffing when they got there as well.

Männlichen – At The Summit, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

My legs were aching more than I could ever remember, but the way back down was much easier. I could spend a bit more time thinking about the beautiful area of the world I was in, taking photos and enjoying the view. If I was to return I don’t think I’d walk to the top of the Männlichen a second time. It was great to do it once, but the views were probably not worth the climb given that it left me completely exhausted for the rest of the day. I expect if the skies had been clearer the views would have been much more spectacular with the backdrop of the Jungfrau and Eiger mountains in full view. Unfortunately it was not to be while I was visiting. If you’re planning to reach the summit I would recommend leaving it for the end of the day, as if you’re anything like me you’ll need some time to recover afterward. It’s probably not the best way to start a trek in the mountains!

The Tschuggen – Follow the Fence Posts, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

Descent from the Männlichen, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

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A Mountain Stroll – Kleine Scheidegg to Männlichen

Kleine Scheidegg – House With a View, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

Having been to the Top of Europe on the Jungfraubahn the next item on my alpine itinerary was the panoramic walk between Kleine Scheidegg and the Männlichen. This is one of the most popular walks in the region due its relative ease and stunning views of the Grindelwald valley and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains.

The Path to Kleine Scheidegg, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

Grindelwald Valley, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

I found the whole experience very calming, it was so peaceful up there. Being in the mountains is just about as relaxing as it gets for me. Sometimes I like to close my eyes, breathe in the fresh mountain air and think about how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful and spectacular place. The walk takes about 90 minutes with some fantastic photo opportunities and the path is constantly winding around the mountains so you are always anticipating the next view that’s just out of reach. It makes the walk go quite quickly and keeps things interesting. Although for me it’s always interesting, especially if I have a camera!

The Path to the Männlichen, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

Unfortunately the area was covered with cloud in the afternoon which meant that some of the most impressive mountains in Switzerland were obscured from view. This is quite common in the region – the mornings are sunny and clear with clouds rolling in for the afternoon and settling over the mountains. Having said that there were still some fantastic views, and it meant that toward the end of the walk the Tschuggen became the focus point of my photos.

The Tschuggen, a photo by Flights. Camera. Satisfaction. on Flickr.

I would suggest doing this walk as part of a day trip to the Jungfraujoch since it can be done on the same journey with a small detour. You can reach Männlichen from either Grindelwald or Wengen by cable-car, both of which are on the train route to the Jungfraujoch. It is best to walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg so that you have the incredible Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains as a backdrop for the whole journey. It’s also slightly downhill in that direction which is probably a good thing, depending on your preference! Having said that it’s not steep so either direction could be classed as easy, there were people with babies in push chairs on the walk! So that should give you some idea.

Up next on my journey was the ascent to the top of the Männlichen. I haven’t done much mountain walking in the past, but I have to say this was one of the toughest times I’ve had in the alps – stay tuned for that story next week!

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My First Black & White Landscape

This is the first black and white photograph I’ve published online! The photo was taken in the Bernese Alps whilst walking between Kleine Scheidegg and the Mannlichen. I knew that I loved the composition of this shot but it wasn’t working for me in colour. It was a bit bland as 2/3 of the picture was a boring shade of green. Turns out B&W was a perfect fit for the strong contrast between the grassy hills and the path I was following!

I’m not sure why but I never think B&W makes anything I photograph look better. Because I rarely use it in post-processing, I never ‘think’ in B&W when looking for the best shot. Maybe if I did that a bit more I might end up with more shots that look great in B&W. It’s hard to say! It would be an interesting experiment though so maybe I’ll try it one day.

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Top of Europe – Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

Last weekend I finally went to the ‘Top of Europe’ – the Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Alps. I had been waiting a while to make this trip, and having bought a half fare card for Swiss public transport earlier in the year the cost of the trip was no longer in my way. Initially I was incredibly excited, but in the days leading up to the weekend I started to doubt myself. Maybe it wasn’t worth the trip, I had been up lots of mountains in the last few years – what was different about this one?! How wrong I was! I had forgotten how much I loved being in the mountains, and as soon as I stepped off the train in Interlaken and saw the Bernese Alps in every direction I was no longer questioning being there at all. I couldn’t wait to get out and explore!

It’s a long train ride from Interlaken to the Jungfraujoch, about 2 hours 30 minutes. There are a number of stops along the way though so you can shorten this journey by staying in a town further along the train line such as Grindelwald or Wengen. The weather forecast was for clear skies in the morning followed by cloud in the afternoon. If you’ve ever been at the top of a mountain when the clouds are five feet from your face you’ll know it’s not a very satisfying experience, so I got up early and made it to the peak by 10:30am. I was certainly not disappointed!

I’ve been up a fair few mountains since moving to Switzerland and I think this one has the best glacier view of any I’ve seen with the monumental Great Aletsch Glacier sprawling away from it. I really love going up to the top of mountains and looking out at the world around them. For me it’s one of the greatest feelings you can have while travelling. It makes you realise how small you are and gives some perspective on just how awesome the natural world is, absolutely incredible. I am quite happy just standing and looking out at the world for a while.

Despite being named ‘Top of Europe’ this is not the highest point in Europe you can reach using publicly available transport. At 3883m the Klein Matterhorn near Zermatt is higher, as is the Aiguille du Midi next to the Mont Blanc in France. However it is the highest you can reach by train, with the others requiring a ride in at least one cable-car. So if you’re scared of heights (going up a mountain?!) then the Jungfraujoch is probably your best bet. In fact it’s the highest railway in Europe! And if the woman I overhead on the train is correct (and the Swiss usually are) once at the top you can also visit the highest watch shop in Europe. Now there’s a title to be proud of – only in Switzerland!

I still think it’s a rather sneaky marketing ploy to call this experience ‘Top of Europe’. Having said that it certainly felt like it when I was up there, and the work put into building the 7.3km tunnel that makes the final part of the journey possible made it feel even more special. The tunnel was built between 1893 and 1912 and it is a real triumph of engineering. Unfortunately a number of people died in the process and they are honoured in one of the many tunnels connecting the viewing stations at the top.

I would recommend a trip to the Jungfraujoch with no hesitation, although it is quite pricey. There is enough to keep you busy at the top for a couple of hours (or longer if you enjoy the mountains as much as me) with two viewing stations and something they like to call ‘Snow Fun’ if you’ve got the clothes for it. If you’re in Switzerland for any more than a day and planning to do this trip it’s probably worth getting a half fare card for the public transport, you will almost get your money back on this journey alone! The surrounding area is absolutely beautiful with countless peaks and hiking routes to explore. I think you could easily spend two weeks here and be completely satisfied – I know I could! I’ll have some more pictures up soon showing some of the other fantastic views you can find in the wonderful Bernese Oberland, but for now here are a few more from my trip to the Jungfraujoch – ‘Top of Europe’.

Have you been to the Jungfraujoch? Love the mountains as much as I do? Interested by the highest watch shop in Europe?! Feel free to comment below!

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