Rubha Reidh to Camas Mor Scotland

This was a lovely coastal hike that begin with some wet weather. We started through the bogs and found some very interesting grasses and plants.

As we walked through the wet marshy land we had to be careful not to step into deep water.

There were far away views with very grey weather

We began to head for the coast .

There were some very steep areas to get down to the beach.

The colors were gorgeous of the water at Camas Mor.

The rocks made such beautiful shapes.

We ended up at the lighthouse Rubha Reidh.

Blue Lake- Indian Peaks Wilderness

Blue Lake is one of my favorite Hikes. It is up in Indian Peaks Wilderness near Nederland. The trailhead is Mitchell Lake near Brainard Lake.  

This is an extremely popular trail as we found out today. It was ridiculously busy.  Also the parking here fills up really early. We got here at 8 am and still didnt get a spot. You have to park by Brainard lake picnic area and walk an extra half mile each way.

First we came to Mitchell Lake. It was very peaceful at this hour.

View of mitchell lake as we headed on. There are lots of water crossings on the trail.

The wildflowers were the most Ive ever seen. So very green!

Some views of the flowers.

Getting closer to the Lake.

We had our lunch at Blue Lake and enjoyed watching all the people continuing around the lake to find a longer trail.

My favorite stop after is the New Moon Bakery in Nederland. They have tons of gluten free goodies!!

Stac Pollaidh- Northwest Highlands Scotland

Here we are at the trailhead for Stac Pollaidh. This is a trail up to the rock formations above.Stac Pollaidh is a mountain in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.  The peak displays a rocky crest of Torridonian sandstone, with many pinnacles and steep gullies.

There is a grove of trees to pass through to climb up to the base of the mountain.

There are great views of several Loch near the trailhead.

Here is a view past the trees.

Taking a break to enjoy the views.

Getting closer we had to scramble over some rocks.

I loved the texture of the rocks.

Heading down we took a trail around to the other side of the mountain.

This trail was only 3-1/2 miles climbing to 1,587 ft. This is a quick hike of 3 hours or so. 

Inverpolly Reserve, Ullapool Scotland

This area contains some of the oldest rocks on earth and has an unique landscape of mountains, lochs, flora and fauna.

Along the way we stopped at a little hut that is used for shelter during a storm.

This rock wall were everywhere. So Green!

Moss and grass everywhere. Clouds were rolling in. This is actually a Nature Reserve.

We had to enter by a turnstile.

Beautiful dappled shadows with the trees.

This was our REI adventures group. Our guide knew where to take us and checked three weather forecasts every day.

Hike to the top of Snaefellsjokul Glacier- Iceland

This was the town of Arnarstapi where we met for the Hiking.  There is a very nice coastal hike along the coast from here. Black cliffs and beaches. Get there early as it was packed when we walked down around noon. This is when we started the hiking.

Our last hike in Iceland we signed up with gowest to hike to the top of Mt Snaefellsjokul in the National Park. This is located on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Jules Verne selected this peak for his adventure. We stayed in the town of Stykkisholmur.  We drove to the town of Arnarstapi where we began our adventure. This is our second time visiting Iceland. We enjoyed exploring the Peninsula located north  of Reykjavik. 

Our Hiking companions were six Norwegians one was a  10 year old girl. We had our work cut out for us keeping up with them.

We were prepared for the cold temps with our winter underlayers of fleece, waterproof raincoats, gloves, hats,  and waterproof boots.  It felt like walking on mashed potatos. It was tiring but we took bits at a time. We yelled break when we needed to stop.

Here was our guide Jon explaining the procedure to tie the group together so we did not fall into a crevice.

Here we are looking at our destination.

Taking a break from our walking up. We didnt use the crampons until the way down.

Every once in a while we would get a break in the clouds to see the view below. We were really up there.

AT THE TOP!  It took us 4 hours up and three down. Elevation gain of 3000 ft. What an accomplishment!

We are looking over to the other side. It was amazing our guide knew the trail up. He had his GPS to guide us.

Heading back down.....