Autumn in the Mountains

Autumn is the wonderful time of year for a walk in the mountains. This image of mine is from Norway on our way to Grimsdalen, Dovre.

He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

A Cautious Visit

Mighty roars that echo beneath the treetops.
Stags are defending their territory and they are fast runners.
You better keep a good distance 😉

Which One To Pick?

I love this quote I found years back.
It’s time for subtlety:

For fast riders
We have fast horses
For slow riders
We have slow horses
For those who have never ridden
We have horses that have
Never been ridden

In The Footsteps Of A King

Several times I’ve seen King Frederik 7’s monogram on my walk in nature.
Or I stumble over stories that have emerged around his activities.
He was very fond of digging out burial mounds. Fortunately, he was assisted by very knowledgeable people so no harm was done.
None of which I’m aware of. But then I’m not an archaeologist either.

King Frederik the 7th of Denmark was a colourful personality.
His greatest interest was archaeology, representation and his third wife, ballerina Louise Rasmussen, Countess Danner.

Recently I visited Frederik 7′ cave in Skodsborg. It is well located overlooking the Sound and his Villa Rex.
He held gatherings in the cave and it is said that they were certainly not boring.

King Frederik 7. of Denmark (1848 – 1863)

How do we pay them?

I wrote these lines as a tribute to nature:

When you stumble, you will find their fruits,
you’ll play hide and seek under them,
and you’ll climb in them.
You’ll visit them with your first loved one,
and you will walk under them with your family.
They supply the animals with food.
They tell you all about the seasons.
They give you shelter on a rainy day,
and they protect you from the sun on a hot summer day.
They are trees!
They provide joy, happiness, warmth and food.
They still breathe for us –

He who plants a tree, plants a hope. ~ Lucy Larcom

Sun and Rain

The last few days’ weather reminds me of Norway. Lots and lots of rain and suddenly a sparkling clear blue sky.

A fantastic weather if you’re dressed for it 😊

Here is a picture of an old Hawthorn against a blue sky.

Celebrating Nature Day

Today on the eighth of September, nature is celebrated in Denmark at a numerous of events.
Nature’s Day is The Danish Society for Nature Conservation and the Outdoor Council’s anniversary for nature experiences.

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. ~ John Muir

Naturens dag

One thing you have to do

Find your own special hideaway
A meadow where swallows are practising on their long flight to Africa
A faerie forest where you can go for a walk and get lost among elves
A cove by the sea where you can go for a late night swim
A secret cave where you can seek shelter for the storm
Or a lovely lake where you can catch a fish for your dinner
The possibilities are endless and the only limit is your imagination

A September Morning

The morrow was a bright September morn; 
The earth was beautiful as if newborn; 
There was nameless splendor everywhere, 
That wild exhilaration in the air, 
Which makes the passers in the city street 
Congratulate each other as they meet.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

Please Say Yes!!!

Have you ever been exhausted after a walk in the mountains?
When dark grey clouds are low and hide the view.
When it’s cold and the rain makes the snow soft and you sink to your knees.

When you travel in unfamiliar terrain without the shadow of a human being and are elated by a day-old apple hull.
There have been people before you – recently!

Then it’s a relief when the mountain hut finally comes into view after hours and hours of challenges.
That’s how I felt when I spotted Pytbua in Tafjordfjella in Norway.
I had only walked in the mountains ONCE before, and along easy trails.
Now this walk was one that far exceeded my imagination.

I felt myself transformed back to Norway when I watched the British documentary about the great escape routes during World War II.

I’ll not draw any comparisons with the Pyrenees and Norway or the terrible conditions under which 33.000 people successfully escaped to Spain.
Among them were 782 people who walked over the high mountains of Ariege in the Pyrenees.

However, the great relief of former marine Monty Halls in the documentary is undeniably a bit like mine, when he spots a refuge after one of the toughest and most dangerous walks over the high-lying dramatic landscape of the Pyrenees.

When he points towards the refuge and asks: Is that where we are going? Please Say yes!!!

Har du nogensinde været tæt på udmattelse efter en vandring i bjergene?
Når mørkegrå skyer hænger lavt og skjuler udsigten.
Når det er koldt, regnen gør sneen blød, og du synker ì til knæene.
Når du rejser i ukendt terræn uden skyggen af ​​et menneske og bliver opstemt af et daggammelt æbleskrog.
Der har været mennesker før dig – For nylig!

Så er det en lettelse, når bjerghytten endelig kommer til syne efter timer og timer med udfordringer.

Jeg havde kun gået i bjergene en gang før og langs lette stier.
Denne vandring var én, der overgik min vildeste fantasi.

Det blev som en rejse tilbage i tiden til Norge, da jeg så den britiske dokumentar om de store flugtveje under 2. verdenskrig.

Jeg vil ikke foretage nogen sammenligning mellem Pyrenæerne og Norge eller de forfærdelige forhold, under hvilke 33.000 mennesker med succes slap til Spanien.

Imidlertid er det den store lettelse fra tidligere marine Monty Halls i dokumentaren, der unægteligt er lidt som min, da han får øje på bjerghytten efter en af ​​de hårdeste og farligste vandreture over Pyrenæernes højtliggende dramatiske landskab.

Da han peger ned mod hytten og spørger sin guide: Er det der, vi skal hen? Vil du ikke nok sige JA!!!