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Flying the most difficult formation in their repertoire, the Blue Angels pass the crowd in a 5-ship line-abreast. This formation is very tough to fly as on the pilot in the center formation is looking forward. All of the others are looking sideways at the aircraft beside them. There is a lot of trust required here, but then, there is a ton of trust required during the entire demo. This maneuver is normally flown as a loop, but on this day, the Boss made the call to make it a flat pass, likely because there were some clouds in the area that were low enough to pose a problem. During their demo, the Blue Angels do not normally fly through the clouds.
Image captured during the June 2026 open house at NAS Patuxent River, MD.
I find it difficult to photograph "monuments" and make an interesting photo...I have placed a "faded foto" texture to abstract from the original colorful in order to emphasize other details: the cotton sky type, the shadows in front, the turn on light inside and,less visible, the rose petals in the churchyard (traces of wedding).
A difficult and emotional edit to work on, a very upsetting part of this world we live in.
Manila, Philippines
Certain things can be difficult to tell when looking at others' images. Scale, for instance, or brightness. I headed to Portland Bill to find out for myself what impact the lighthouse would have on the otherwise vivid night sky.
Having shot through the night the fingers of light which, if I'm honest, proved a little frustrating in the absolute darkness went on to provide a defining feature in this early dawn shot.
_____
» LongExposures website and blog
I had a very difficult choice between this and 2 other versions. I liked them all equally. Hope I made the right decision. You know how sometimes you know right away, and other times you struggle? I'd be interested in knowing if you post both, or one now one later, or just stick with the first decision. Thanks to my friend tteeerriitt ( www.flickr.com/photos/man_is_like_unto_a_tree/ ) I've added the other choice below. Would enjoy hearing which one you prefer.
This rock hopper penguin was poised right in front t of me for a great shot. She was more interested in preening herself which she did at great length before I gave up.
Waterfalls Trail path from Porth-yr-Ogof. Huge tree roots, rocks and boulders make the pathy a tricky one to negotiate. No wheelchair users attempting this!
This track is on the Easternmost bank of the Afon Mellte or Lightning River.
One of the many smaller lakes around Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park in Canada. Hiking along the Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit, I was able to view about half a dozen small lakes scattered around the area from above. Eventually, we hiked back down and hiked around each one. Although the hike was only around 7 miles, it was certainly one of the most difficult we did on our trip.
'Oh no. Please, God, not that!' Vincent silently prayed as he turned to see what it was that had crashed beside him. There it was: his treasured wooden and copper compass broken into two pieces upon the floor.
Gazing up from the broken compass, Aiden saw the look on Vincent's face. He looked as if something had broken inside of him. The pain in his eyes for that split second was so palpable! For some reason, it was as if for that split second he could feel the captain's pain, himself! He felt a deep sense of guilt. He cleared his throat and leaned down, picking up the pieces and gently turning them in his hands to inspect them. Luckily, it didn't seem to have taken a lot of damage. In fact, the break was not a difficult fix!
Aiden stood, holding the two pieces to his chest and gazed at Vincent empathetically. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were right behind me." Vincent looked up from the floor and at the compass at Aiden's chest. Before he could think of something to say, Aiden continued, "It just needs a bit of tweaking. Come on. I'll fix it!"
"Wait! Just....hold on!" Vincent looked up sharply and a stoic expression spread over his face as he shook his head. "I'll take it to get it fixed at a real mechanic's shop. Don't worry about it. Just give it-"
"But that's what I do!" Aiden responded, gesturing with his head towards the door. "My father runs an engineering workshop not far from here. I'll fix it for you, free of charge. It's my fault it's broken." Vincent stared now at Aiden's face. He could see the pleading look in his eyes and that partial hopeful smile. There was no way he was gonna let this kid work on his compass! He opened his mouth to demand the compass back when Aiden pleaded, "Please?" Vincent clenched his teeth as he felt his will suddenly break. What the hell?! He gave a sigh and closed his eyes before responding in a resigned tone, "Fine. Lead the way."
Aiden led Vincent out of the tavern and turned down the street away from the city square. It was a short walk and soon they were heading down Craftsman Alley. As they walked, Aiden heard his name called a couple of times by some of the smiths and merchants. He would always smile and wave back. He led Vincent down towards the end of the street towards a sturdy looking two story house. The sign above the stairs read: Anderson & Sons Engineering.
Aiden was surprised to find that the shop was locked up. His father must be out running errands. Or maybe he was having lunch with Ms. Moore from down the street! He let himself into the shop and held the door open for Vincent before walking straight to his working station by the window. Aiden set down the compass and turned to light the lantern so he could work. Once he did that, he turned to the windows and opened them so they could get some fresh, cool air in here!
While Aiden began setting up, Vincent stepped hesitantly into the workshop. He glanced around, taking in the appearance of the place. It was a good size and definitely had the look of a successful engineer’s shop. He heard the sounds of a tool case being unlatched and his attention returned to the compass. He'd not spoken a word since they’d departed the tavern. He watched as Aiden began to inspect a piece of the compass under the lamplight.
Aiden selected a tiny hammer and felt a touch surprised to hear the captain finally speaking a moment later. "You said this is your father's shop?" Aiden smiled a bit as he began to tap gently on the copper with the hammer. "Yeah. He's been doing it his whole life just like me." Aiden began to fix the tiny dents, working diligently and quickly. "He even created his own unique design with the jetboard. It's a big hit with the youth out here. Heh. Other people have tried to copy his skills but they can't come close." Vincent stared at him silently, his expression giving nothing away regarding his thoughts. Though truth be told, he felt a small headache coming on again. He could tell that Aiden was a rambler. And indeed, Aiden continued to speak.
"I remember when I was a wee lad I was fascinated by old engineering books I found here in Papa's workshop. Mama taught me to read and soon enough I was building my own toys. My favorite was when I made my first paper lantern." Aiden set down the hammer and began digging in the desk for screws. "Papa was impressed and I'd even figured it out on my own and he made me his apprentice right then and there. I wanted to be like him."
"Then why do you want to go so much? You have your parents and dreams of following in your father's footsteps. Why take the chance that you'll never return home?" Vincent's question weighed on Aiden but he knew his answer already. His eyes remained focused but his mind drifted slightly. "Very recently I was reminded that you only have one life to live. My mama would say that we all go about our lives living out our own stories but rarely do we get the chance to turn it into an adventure. So when she died a few years ago, she reminded me that it's okay to follow my dreams and reach for the stars. There is so much out there and I hear the call; I want to experience more than these four walls. I've loved airships and have been fascinated all my life. So even if I don't make it, at least I tried. I love my home but there's something missing and I'm hoping I'll find it out there." Aiden licked his lips, glancing at Vincent who just stared right back at him, a touch of intensity in that oceanic blue eye of his as if he almost didn't know what to say at all to this. "I'm going to get my chance. If not today, then one day I will." He gave a small shrug, a satisfied smile on his lips as he took the needed screw and set it, grasping a small screwdriver that he needed and began to tighten it.
Vincent's gaze lowered to the compass as he listened to Aiden's long winded speech. Aiden continued, "The idea of flying the skies, working every day with the engines and finding new, creative ways to make it better sounds like heaven to me. I don't consider anything a failure because no matter what, I learn. I am an engineer. I don't want to just be a deckhand. So if today's not the day, then that's okay, you know? Every day is a gift and I plan to make the most of it."
Aiden set down the screwdriver and checked the compass. He gave a small grin and held it out to Vincent who was now staring at him once more; always so stoic. Vincent reached out to take the compass, gazing down at it and to his relief found it looked as good as before! This kid was...good. Very good. He opened it up and gazed at the inscription before gazing back at Aiden and closing it. "Thank you." "It's my pleasure, Captain. And I am very sorry about the compass. Please accept my apologies." Vincent inhaled slowly and let it out before saying, "It's fine." He stared at the boy for another few seconds then turned to go, heading for the door.
Aiden let Vincent be the one to break their gaze, that small smile upon his lips. He wasn't going to let all this get him down. He began packing up his tools once more as he heard the door opening, the captain letting himself out. However, he didn't hear it close.
Vincent stood at the door, hand on the jamb as he stared at the opposite wall and warred with himself. Oh, he was going to regret this! He turned slightly and glanced at Aiden over his shoulder. "Tomorrow at eleven o'clock, be at the South Dock at bay four. Leon's Claw is the name of the ship. Don't be late."
Aiden's eyes widened as he stared at the captain. "R-really?!" he asked in a barely contained excited voice. Vincent sighed and responded, "Really." He looked ahead, walking through the open door and closing it behind him. As he closed the door, he heard Aiden shout "YES!" through the door. Vincent shook his head and left, heading for Leon's Claw to inform his First Mate of their newest addition to the crew. "You're gonna be the death of me, kid."
***
Next Part: www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/50772816831/in/datepo...
To read the rest of the story, here's the album link:
www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/albums/72157717075565127
***Please note this is a BOY LOVE (BL/yaoi/gay) series. It is a slow burn and rated PG13!***
***
Special thank you to Vin Aydin Raven-Mysterious for collaborating with me on this series and co-starring as The Captain!
~
DISCORD SERVER: That's right! The Captain and the Engineer has a Discord Server! If you would like to join and chat with other crewmates and see what's new and happening before it gets posted to Flickr, click the link!
***NEW!!!!***
The Captain and the Engineer now has a FACEBOOK PAGE! Please come Like, Follow, and join the crew! Thank you so much for all your support!
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A difficult video to make, considering the camera was upside down during the filming both seeing what was going on, and then editing upside down was rather difficult, To say the least
Xuxuca hells Maitreya Hourglass Freya color black white pink red silver soft pink Exclusive for oXXXcuro by diablita.cutitta
We're ready for oXXXcuro Event!
This NEW amazing event starts June 15 and runs through June 30!
Landmark: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Serenity%20Grove/176/186/902
For more information on the oXXXcuro Event:
FB-- www.facebook.com/groups/232814146838891
Flickr -- www.flickr.com/photos/181668862@N03/
Difficult to see on mainland Chile with only c.800 remaining, the only place they are easy to see is here - and they are confiding too.
Much more Falklands stuff here; www.pbase.com/davebarnes/the_falklands
At Glen Bay, St Kilda a red necked phalarope was foraging in some pools on the island of Hirta in the St Kilda archpeligo, off Scotland. I spent several days on the islands of St Kilda in July 2018. I was photographing sights in the derelict village on the island as well as local wildlife. I was able to photograph this female just as it was preparing to fly after foraging in a pool my Canon 70D and Canon 100-400 mk2 in the light before sunset. Unfortunately there was a huge number of midges making conditions very difficult. This was one of at least one breeding pair on the island.
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit and written permission. © All rights reserved
The lava field is extremely difficult to move in — lots of twist, broken, sharp rocks, with many cracks and crevices making it easy to twist an ankle (or break a leg).
This High Dynamic Range 360° panorama was stitched from 51 bracketed photographs with PTGUI Pro, tone-mapped with Photomatix, processed with Color Efex, and touched up in Affinity Photo and Aperture.
Original size: 20000 × 10000 (200.0 MP; 930.89 MB).
Location: Landmannalaugar, Suðurland, Iceland
It's difficult to truly appreciate the enormous size of a blue whale without a reference point and when one can only see parts of it at a time, but hearing one spout at close range speaks of its immense presence.
Monterey Bay, California
This Is My Prayer For You: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the CLOUDS, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your heart, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know & be honest with yourself, patience to accept the truth & Love to complete your life. Let's get on with it : ) It's later than you think.....
Check out Steven Brisson's incredible photo-stream. www.flickr.com/photos/stevenbrisson/
This month is Monochromatic Month on his stream & he so generously imparts tips from his own experience and expertise. Come and join in the fun and be a part of the group he has created. I personally am trying to do one a week, but who knows it could be more : )
Steven writes on his stream: "Monochromatic Month Continues! Yes, April is bursting with Spring color, but I don't care! I'm going colorless! And why not?—the versatility of B&W suits any subject, lighting situation or type of photography! Come join our new Monochromatic Month group! :)" www.flickr.com/groups/monochromaticmonth/
Have a great week my incredibly talented friend!
Enjoy every moment...it's a choice...and they all count : ) xoxo
25 seconds, long time for not trying to move.
But with this scenery, not too difficult.
Early morning, no one around
I've been hoping to find one of these green forester moths (Adscita statices) for quite some time and then I find one (a female) in Åva-Stensjödal in Tyresta National Park and she was most accomodating. Staying on her thistle and trying out multiple poses.
I am however not entirely pleased with the end results. The gorgeous metallic colours coupled with the dark head and underside made it difficult to light properly. Maybe the next one?
This is a manual focus stack of two images. There was too much movement for Zerene to make it work, but doing it by hand in Photoshop worked out better.
Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51425542387/
Part 2 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52729881829/
Part 3 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53480926976/
The teenage queen, the loaded gun
The drop dead dream, the chosen one
A southern drawl, the world unseen
A city wall and a trampoline
Haha, I was actually going for the extra cool look with high heels and all but after having made the pile break down twice, I decided that it would be easier without shoes. Anyway, the whole thing didn't turn out like I wanted it to...
Mar 16 76/366
Inconvenient Coca Cola Sign old hand painted sign off the beaten path, hangs in a parking area and is difficult to get a full shot of, pretty good condition, found in North Carolina.
Yukon - Alaska border
4,196m, 13,766ft
difficult for me to find gology information on Cook (would welcome information on where to look)
found - "Tg - ...bio. hbde. tonalie, altered bio. hbde. tonalite bio. hbde. qtz. diorite; loc. bio. musc. granodiorite; high-level plutons: may range Paleocene to Oligocene in age: incl. King Pk., Mt. Vancouver, Newton Glacier Mt. Cook and (?) Mt. Owen plutons" - from map "Geolgy, Mount St. Elias Map Area (115B & C (E1/2))
(similar to image previously posted - now replaced both with larger version)
more distant view - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/36734838822/in/photolist
yet more distant - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/32070263882/
"Named in 1874 by . H. Dall, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS), for Captain James Cook, 1728-79, English navigator and explorer who was responsible for considerable exploration of the Alaska coast as far north as Icy Cape, near latitude 70." - edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/summary/13...
publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196803600/... -
"In 1874 W. H. Dali and Marcus Baker of the U. S. Coast Survey named Mounts Cook and Vancouver from the sea, but somehow the names and elevations must have gotten scrambled, as they mapped Cook’s approximate elevation on Vancouver and Vancouver’s approximate elevation on Cook, and surely they had intended the higher mountain to bear Cook’s name, for he was the more famous of the two British navigators. At any rate, the names stuck where they first appeared on the maps and the elevations were soon applied to the right mountains. At the time of the Klondike gold rush the need was seen to determine the Alaska-Canada boundary more precisely, as the old Russian-British Treaty of 1825 had merely said for this section, "the chain of mountains which follow, at a very small distance, the winding of the coast.” The crests and interior of the Saint Elias Mountains were quite unknown around 1900 and "a very small distance” was taken to be within 10 marine leagues, so it was decided to connect prominent peaks no more than 34½ miles from the sea to form the boundary between the head of Portland Canal and the 141st meridian. Mount Vancouver was used as Boundary Peak 181, but the surveyors went in no further than the sea in this area, hence they used the south-southeast summit rather than the higher one hidden behind it."
aka Boundary Peak 182
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Boundary_Peaks_of_the_Alask...
www.famousfix.com/list/international-mountains-of-north-a...
"a massive and complex peak with many challenging ridges...a spectacular steep north face with a large hanging glacier giving it the appearance of a half eaten heavily frosted wedding cake" - A Climber's Guide to the St. Elias Mountains, Volume 1, by Richard Holmes
1st ascent, 6/29-8/12 1953 - publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12195403200/...
(difficult trip out - "On August 3rd we began the 60-mile journey to the ocean. Rain, fog, and poor visibility made the trip a most uncomfortable one. When we reached the beach on August 9th we didn’t have a piece of dry clothing among us. The preceding six days had been too much for even waterproof articles. To add to our misery, a cache of food left on the beach was stolen, apparently by fishermen. We were reduced to a diet of wild peas for three days. On August 12th we were picked up by Merriman. Dr. Robert Sharp, geologist studying the Malaspina Glacier, had spotted us earlier that day while attempting to air drop supplies at his camp on the Malaspina Glacier.")
(1999 traverse AAJ 2000 p 219 - c498469.r69.cf2.rackcdn.com/2000/220_canada_aaj2000.pdf)
my photos arranged by subject, e.g. mountains - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections
difficult to comprehend unless you see a comparison, eh?
on the way back from almere, through the windshield.
SC5/16 interests
Difficult to choose one from a number of shots I took close to home today. I've chosen this as my POTD but also uploaded the others.
It was very difficult to spot this tiny little toad in the dirt on the ground as it is was only about 2cm long and blended in so well with its surroundings.
Thank you for visiting my site and taking the time to leave a comment. Truly appreciated!
difficult to understand the man, don't know why, beauty girl, has been left out, the boy fun together, không hiểu sao, cô gái đẹp, bị bỏ rơi, bỏ quên, cô gái, bị lãng quên, street life, street, city, black white, bw
Difficult to believe but the circle effect is created simply by the lamp light with no need to re-touch.
I am very blessed to have the Ifield Pond [it's a huge lake] right at the bottom of my road , and it's doubly so because I don't drive and it's difficult for me to get out and about much. There are a great variety of water birds there, not to mention the lovely trees and hedgerows .... I never tire of going there.
Difficult to get a good shot as the feeders at the Water Park are by a busy walkway. However in 10 minutes of watching I saw Great, Blue and Coal Tits, Nuthatch, Robin and Ring Necked Parakeet.
These were difficult times in the City of London. That's the Bank of England behind me, and my camera is on the steps of the Royal Exchange. The picture was taken during the short period when financial instability caused by what has become known as "Trussonomics" was causing market nerves. Thankfully it appears that normality, if there is such a thing, has been restored and the adults have taken over the steering wheel.
Actually it's very difficult to find in English some word, which is interesting for my Dictionary, begins by letter X. So... X-ray...
X-ray (noun).
1. X-rays is a band of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between gamma rays and ultraviolet radiation, produced by the bombardment of a substance (usually one of the heavy metals) by a stream of electrons moving at great velocity, as in a vacuum tube: X-rays are capable of penetrating opaque or solid substances, ionizing gases and body tissues through which they pass or, by extended exposure, destroying tissue, and affecting photographic plates and fluorescent screens: they are widely used in medicine for study, diagnosis, and treatment of certain organic disorders, esp. of internal structures of the body, also used for security purposes.
In many languages, X-radiation called Roentgen radiation, after Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, who is generally credited as their discoverer, and who had named them X-rays to signify an unknown type of radiation...
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845 – 1923) was a German physicist, who, on 8 November 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901...
Although the new rays would eventually come to bear his name in many languages where they became known as Röntgen Rays, he always preferred the term X-rays. Nearly two weeks after his discovery, he took the very first picture using x-rays of his wife's hand, Anna Bertha. When she saw her skeleton she exclaimed "I have seen my death!"...
Because of X-rays, our privacy is broken and any person with x-ray machine can see what’s inside of your lagage, what you had for dinner but fortunately can’t read your spirits, so... you can be happy.
Much better viewed large View On Black
Testing my 85mm f1.4. It was really difficult to focus on my DSLR. Off for a while, taking care of my mother. She is recovering from a pacemaker operation, but feeling better. Hope to soon keep up with all of you. Thanks so much for your support.
(Spanish: Por el momento estaré ausente de Flickr, cuidando a mi Mama de una operación de Marca-paso. Se encuentra bien pero necesita atención. Espero poder ponerme al tanto con todos ustedes. Muchas gracias). Data: Canon 5D Mk II, Bower 85mm f/1.4, tripod, 1/4000, ƒ/1.4, ISO 100.
Explore: May 20, 2009 #430
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation" (Romans 5:3-4, NLT).
Did you know that the way you handle your adversities has a huge impact on your success in life? If you shrink back, choose to get bitter, and lose your enthusiasm, then you are allowing the difficulties of life to bury you. You are allowing hardship to keep you from your God–given destiny. But if you choose to keep pressing forward with a smile on your face, rejoicing even in the hard times, you are allowing God´s character to be developed inside of you. You are setting yourself up for promotion.
Did you know that the only difference between a piece of black coal and a priceless diamond is the amount of pressure that it´s endured? When you stand strong in the midst of the trials and difficulties in life, when you allow God to shape and mold your character, it´s like going from a piece of coal to a priceless diamond. Those difficulties are going to give way to new growth, new potential, new talent, new friendships, new opportunities, new vision. You´re going to see God develop your life in ways that you´ve never even dreamed!
-Joel Osteen
maraculio.09 © All rights reserved
Wilbur looks down at the land bridge connecting to a bulbous prominence where an ancient Puebloan ruin is located. The people who built it were obviously concerned about their physical safety as there are many defensive features.
We hiked out to the ruin. It was a difficult hike for me with several scrambles requiring upper body strength and long sections of crossing steep slick rock with significant exposure. There were at least a dozen ways to die. But Wilbur helped me. And we made it! This was an experience I will never forget.
In this shot I focused on the moon and waited for the cranes to come within the frame. Because it's difficult to anticipate the precise crossing when looking through a small eyepiece, I shoot multiple exposures (~3/second). I believe this focus technique to be the better approach. Using this technique I captured several sequences of different sized flocks passing across the moon. Better bird focus is achieved on the higher flying birds.
IMG_0694; Sandhill Cranes
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanga_Parbat
Nanga Parbat (literally, Naked Mountain Urdu: نانگا پربت [nəŋɡaː pərbət̪]) is the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 ft) above sea level. It is the western anchor of the Himalayas around which the Indus river skirts into the plains of Pakistan. It is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and is locally known as 'Deo Mir' ('mir' meaning 'mountain').[2]
Nanga Parbat is one of the eight-thousanders, with a summit elevation of 8,126 metres (26,660 ft).[3] An immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain, Nanga Parbat is also a notoriously difficult climb. Numerous mountaineering deaths in the mid and early 20th century lent it the nickname "killer mountain". Along with K2, it has never been climbed in winter.
Location
Nanga Parbat forms the western anchor of the Himalayan Range and is the westernmost eight-thousander. It lies just south of the Indus River in the Diamer District of Gilgit–Baltistan in Pakistan. Not far to the north is the western end of the Karakoram range.
Notable features
Nanga Parbat has tremendous vertical relief over local terrain in all directions.
To the south, Nanga Parbat boasts what is often referred to as the highest mountain face in the world: the Rupal Face rises 4,600 m (15,090 ft) above its base. To the north, the complex, somewhat more gently sloped Rakhiot Flank rises 7,000 m (22,966 ft) from the Indus River valley to the summit in just 25 km (16 mi), one of the 10 greatest elevation gains in so short a distance on Earth.[citation needed]
Nanga Parbat is one of only two peaks on Earth that rank in the top twenty of both the highest mountains in the world, and the most prominent peaks in the world, ranking ninth and fourteenth respectively. The other is Mount Everest, which is first on both lists.
Nanga Parbat along with Namcha Barwa on the Tibetan Plateau mark the west and east ends of the Himalayas.
Layout of the mountain
The core of Nanga Parbat is a long ridge trending southwest–northeast. The ridge is an enormous bulk of ice and rock. It has three faces, Diamir face, Rakhiot and Rupal. The southwestern portion of this main ridge is known as the Mazeno Wall, and has a number of subsidiary peaks. In the other direction, the main ridge arcs northeast at Rakhiot Peak (7,070 m / 23,196 ft). The south/southeast side of the mountain is dominated by the massive Rupal Face, noted above. The north/northwest side of the mountain, leading to the Indus, is more complex. It is split into the Diamir (west) face and the Rakhiot (north) face by a long ridge. There are a number of subsidiary summits, including North Peak (7,816 m / 25,643 ft) some 3 km north of the main summit. Near the base of the Rupal Face is a beautiful glacial lake called Latbo, above a seasonal shepherds' village of the same name.
Climbing history
Early attempts
Climbing attempts started very early on Nanga Parbat. In 1895 Albert F. Mummery led an expedition to the peak, and reached almost 6,100 m (20,000 ft) on the Diamir (West) Face,[6] but Mummery and two Gurkha companions later died reconnoitering the Rakhiot Face.
In the 1930s, Nanga Parbat became the focus of German interest in the Himalayas. The German mountaineers were unable to attempt Mount Everest, as only the British had access to Tibet. Initially German efforts focused on Kanchenjunga, to which Paul Bauer led two expeditions in 1930 and 1931, but with its long ridges and steep faces Kanchenjunga was more difficult than Everest and neither expedition made much progress. K2 was known to be harder still, and its remoteness meant that even reaching its base would be a major undertaking. Nanga Parbat was therefore the highest mountain accessible to Germans and also deemed reasonably possible by climbers at the time.[
The first German expedition to Nanga Parbat was led by Willy Merkl in 1932. It is sometimes referred to as a German-American expedition, as the eight climbers included Rand Herron, an American, and Fritz Wiessner, who would become an American citizen the following year. While the team were all strong climbers, none had Himalayan experience, and poor planning (particularly an inadequate number of porters), coupled with bad weather, prevented the team progressing far beyond the Rakhiot Peak northeast of the Nanga Parbat summit, reached by Peter Aschenbrenner and Herbert Kunigk, but they did establish the feasibility of a route via Rakhiot Peak and the main ridge.[8]
Merkl led another expedition in 1934, which was better prepared and financed with the full backing of the new Nazi government. Early in the expedition Alfred Drexel died, probably of high altitude pulmonary edema.[9] The Tyrolean climbers Peter Aschenbrenner and Erwin Schneider reached an estimated height of (7,895 m / 25,900 ft) on July 6, but were forced to return because of worsening weather. On July 7 they and 14 others were trapped by a ferocious storm at 7,480 m (24,540 ft). During the desperate retreat that followed, three famous German mountaineers, Uli Wieland, Willo Welzenbach and Merkl himself, and six Sherpas died of exhaustion, exposure and altitude sickness, and several more suffered severe frostbite. The last survivor to reach safety, Ang Tsering, did so having spent seven days battling through the storm.[10] It has been said that the disaster, "for sheer protracted agony, has no parallel in climbing annals."[11]
In 1937, Karl Wien led another expedition to the mountain, following the same route as Merkl's expeditions had done. Progress was made, but more slowly than before due to heavy snowfall. Some time around the 14th of June seven Germans and nine Sherpas, almost the entire team, were at Camp IV below Rakhiot Peak when it was overwhelmed by an avalanche. All sixteen men died instantly.[12]
The Germans returned in 1938 led by Paul Bauer, but the expedition was plagued by bad weather, and Bauer, mindful of the previous disasters, ordered the party down before the Silver Saddle, halfway between Rakhiot Peak and Nanga Parbat summit, was reached.[13] The following year a small four man expedition, including Heinrich Harrer, explored the Diamir Face with the aim of finding an easier route. They concluded that the face was a viable route, but the Second World War intervened and the four men were interned in India.[14] Harrer's escape and subsequent travels became the subject of his book Seven Years in Tibet.
First ascent
For a sense of scale, notice a 4-man yellow tent, dwarfed by the peak, near the bottom right. Just above the tent is a large white building.
Nanga Parbat was first climbed, via the Rakhiot Flank (East Ridge), on July 3, 1953 by Austrian climber Hermann Buhl,[15] a member of a German-Austrian team. The expedition was organized by the half-brother of Willy Merkl, Karl Herrligkoffer from Munich, while the expedition leader was Peter Aschenbrenner from Innsbruck, who had participated in the 1932 and 1934 attempts. By the time of this expedition, 31 people had already died on the mountain.[16]
The final push for the summit was dramatic: Buhl last 1300 meters continued alone, after his companions had turned back. Under the influence of the drugs pervitin (based on the stimulant methamphetamine used by soldiers during World War II), padutin, and tea from coca leaves, he reached the summit dangerously late, at 7 p.m., the climbing harder and more time-consuming than he had anticipated. His descent was slowed when he lost a crampon. Caught by darkness, he was forced to bivouac standing upright on a narrow ledge, holding a small handhold with one hand. Exhausted, he dozed occasionally, but managed to maintain his balance. He was also very fortunate to have a calm night, so he was not subjected to wind chill. He finally reached his high camp at 7 p.m. the next day, 40 hours after setting out.[17] The ascent was made without oxygen, and Buhl is the only man to have made the first ascent of an 8000 m peak alone.
Subsequent attempts and ascents
The second ascent of Nanga Parbat was via the Diamir Face, in 1962, by Germans Toni Kinshofer, Siegfried "Siegi" Löw, and A. Mannhardt. The route is now the "standard route" on the mountain. The Kinshofer route does not ascend the middle of the Diamir Face, which is threatened by avalanches from massive hanging glaciers. Instead it climbs a buttress on the left side of the face.
In 1970 the brothers Günther and Reinhold Messner made the third ascent of the mountain and the first ascent of the Rupal Face. They were unable to descend by their original route, and instead descended by the Diamir Face, making the first traverse of the mountain. Unfortunately Günther was killed in an avalanche on the Diamir Face. (Messner's account of this incident has been disputed. In 2005 Günther's remains were found on the Diamir Face.)
In 1971 Ivan Fiala and Michael Orolin summited Nanga Parbat via Buhl's 1953 route while other expedition members climbed the SE peak (7,600 m / 24,925 ft) above the Silbersattel and the foresummit (7,850 m / 25,760 ft) above the Bazhin Gap.
In 1976 a team of four made the sixth summit via a new route on the Rupal Face (second ascent on this face), then named the Schell route after the Austrian team leader. The line had been plotted by Karl Herrligkoffer on a previous unsuccessful attempt.
In 1978 Reinhold Messner returned to the Diamir Face and achieved the first completely solo ascent (i.e. always solo above Base Camp) of an 8,000 m peak.
In 1984 the French climber Lilliane Barrard became the first woman to climb Nanga Parbat, along with her husband Maurice Barrard.
In 1985, Jerzy Kukuczka, Zygmunt Heinrich, Slawomir Lobodzinski (all Polish) and Carlos Carsolio (Mexico) climbed a bold line up the Southeast Pillar (or Polish Spur) on the right-hand side of the Rupal Face, reaching the summit July 13. It was Kukuczka's 9th 8000m summit.[18]
Also in 1985, a Polish women's team climbed the peak via the 1962 German Diamir Face route. Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krystyna Palmowska and Anna Czerwinska reached the summit on July 15.[18]
"Modern" superalpinism was brought to Nanga Parbat in 1988 with an unsuccessful attempt or two on the Rupal Face by Barry Blanchard, Mark Twight, Ward Robinson and Kevin Doyle.[19]
2005 saw a resurgence of lightweight, alpine-style attempts on the Rupal Face:
In August 2005, Pakistani military helicopters rescued Slovenian mountaineer Tomaž Humar, who was stuck under a narrow ice ledge at 5,900 m (19,400 ft) for six days. It is believed to be one of the few successful rescues carried out at such high altitude.[20]
In September 2005, Vince Anderson and Steve House did an extremely lightweight, fast ascent of a new, direct route on the face, earning high praise from the climbing community.[21]
On July 17 or 18, 2006, José Antonio Delgado from Venezuela died a few days after reaching the summit, where he was caught by bad weather for six days and was unable to make his way down. He is the only Venezuelan climber, and one of few Latin Americans, to have reached the summit of five eight-thousanders.[22] Part of the expedition and the rescue efforts at base camp were captured on video, as Delgado was the subject of a pilot for a mountaineering television series.[22] Explorart Films, the production company, later developed the project into a feature documentary film called Beyond the Summit, which was scheduled to be released in South America in January 2008.[23]
On July 15, 2008, Italian alpinist Karl Unterkircher fell into a crevasse during an attempt to open a new route to the top with Walter Nones and Simon Kehrer. Unterkircher died, but Kehrer and Nones were rescued by the Pakistani army.[24]
On July 12, 2009, after reaching the summit, South Korean climber Go Mi-Young fell off a cliff on the descent in bad weather in her race to be the first woman to climb all 14 eight-thousanders.[25]
On July 15, 2012 Scottish mountaineers Sandy Allan and Rick Allen made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat via the 10 km-long Mazeno Ridge,[26] and in April 2013 were awarded the Piolet d'Or for their achievement.[
Winter climbing
Nanga Parbat has yet to be climbed in winter; 28 expeditions have tried this feat as of 2015.
Winter expeditions:
1988/89 - Polish 12-seater expedition KW Zakopane under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka. They first attempted the Rupal wall and then the Diamir wall. On the Messner route, Maciej Berbeka, Piotr Konopka and Andrzej Osika reached an altitude of about 6500-6800m.
1990/91 - Polish-English expedition under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka reached the height of 6600 m on the Messner route, and then Andrzej Osika and John Tinker by the Schell route up the Rupal wall reached a height of 6600m.
1991/92 - Polish expedition KW Zakopane under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka from the Rupal valley. This light, bold attack in alpine style on the Schell route reached the height of 7000 m.
1992/93 - French expedition Eric Monier and Monique Loscos - Schell route on the south-eastern Rupal wall. They came to BC on December 20. Eric reached January 9 6500 m. January 13 expedition has been completed.
1996/97 - two expedition: Polish expedition led by Andrzej Zawada from the Diamir valley, Kinshofer route. During the summit team Zbigniew Trzmiel and Krzysztof Pankiewicz, Trzmiel reached a height of 7800 m. The assault was interrupted because of frostbite. After descending to the base camp, both climbers were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital.
British expedition led by Victor Saunders, taking the Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall. Victor Saunders, Dane Rafael Jensen and Pakistani Ghulam Hassan reached the height of 6000m.
1997/98 - Polish expedition led by Andrzej Zawada from the Diamir valley, Kinshofer route. Expedition reached the height 6800 m, encountered an unusually heavy snowfall. A falling stone broke Ryszard Pawłowski's leg.
2004/05 - Austrian expedition brothers Wolfgang and Gerfried Göschl via the Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall reached the height of 6500m.
2006/07 - Polish HiMountain expedition from the Rupal by Schell route. Expedition led by Krzysztof Wielicki, with Jan Szulc, Artur Hajzer, Dariusz Załuski, Jacek Jawień, Jacek Berbeka, Przemysław Łoziński, and Robert Szymczak. Reached a height of 7000m.
2007/08 - Italian Simone La Terra started climbing solo at the beginning of December, reaching a height of 6000 m.
2008/09 - Polish expedition on the Diamir side. Jacek Teler (leader) and Jarosław Żurawski. Deep snow is not allowed to reach with luggage to the base of the wall, forcing the base camp five kilometers before. Assume camp I at an altitude of 5400 m.
2010/11 - two expedition: Sergei Nikolayevich Cygankow in a single expedition Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall reached the 6,000 m. Pulmonary edema ended the expedition.
Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Kinshofer route on the Diamir side. Reached 5100 m.
2011/12 - three expedition: Tomasz Mackiewicz, Marek Klonowski and "Krzaq" - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Kinshofer route on the Diamir side. Reached 5500 m.
Denis Urubko and Simone Moro first Diamir side on the Kinshofer route, and then by Messner route in year 2000 reached a height of 6800 m.
2012/13 - four expeditions: alone Frenchman Joël Wischnewski on Rupal Face in an alpine style. He was lost in February, the body found in September at an altitude of about 6100 m.[28] He went missing after February 6 and was probably hit by an avalanche.[29]
Italy's Daniele Nardi and French Elisabeth Revol - Mummery Rib on the Diamir reached the height of 6450 m.
Hungarian-American expedition: David Klein, Zoltan Acs and Ian Overton. Zoltan has suffered frostbite while reaching the base and did not participate in the further ascent. David and Ian reached the Diamir wall height of about 5400 m.
Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Schell route on the south-eastern wall of the Rupal. Marek Klonowski reached a height of 6600 m. February 7, 2013 Tomasz Mackiewicz in a lone attack reached a height of 7400 m.
2013/14 - four expeditions: Italian Simone Moro, Germany David Göttler and Italy Emilio Previtali - by Rupal wall on the Schell route. Expedition cooperated with Polish expedition. David Göttler on February 28, founded the camp 4 at about 7000 m, March 1, together with Tomasz Mackiewicz reached an altitude of about 7200 m. On the same day David and Simone decided to end the expedition.[30]
Tomasz Mackiewicz, Marek Klonowski, Jacek Teler, Paweł Dunaj, Michał Obrycki, Michał Dzikowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Schell route on the south-eastern wall of the Rupal. Expedition cooperated with Italian-German expedition. March 1, Tomasz Mackiewicz and David Göttler reached an altitude of about 7200 m. March 8 at a height of about 5,000 m on the Paweł Dunaj and Michał Obrycki avalanche hit. Both were roughed up and suffered fractures. The rescue operation was successful.
German Ralf Dujmovits Diamir wall, by Reinhold Messner route in 1978 (as a filmmaker this expedition Pole Dariusz Załuski - he had no plan of summit attack). December 30 both came at 5500 m. Jan. 2 because of the threat serac Dujmovits decided to complete the expedition.
Italy's Daniele Nardi. Solo expedition from the Diamir side on Mummery Rib. Italy founded the camp I on the 4900. Reached an altitude of about 5450 m. March 1 decided to end the expedition.
2014/15 - four expeditions: Pole Tomasz Mackiewicz and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol - Nanga Parbat Winter Expedition 2014/2015. The north-west Diamir wall, unfinished road Messner-Hanspeter 2000. They reached 7800m.[31]
Italian Daniele Nardi planning the trip solo summit Mummery Rib on the Diamir wall, accompanied by Roberto Delle Monache (photographer) and Federico Santinii (filmmaker)
4-seater Russian expedition - Nikolay Totmjanin, Sergei Kondraszkin, Valery Szamało, Victor Smith - Schell route on the Rupal Wall. They reached 7150m.[32]
3-person expedition Iran - Reza Bahador, Iraj Maani and Mahmoud Hashemi
Taliban attack
On June 23, 2013, about 15 extremist militants wearing Gilgit Scouts uniforms shot to death ten foreign climbers (one Lithuanian, three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, two Chinese, one Chinese-American and one Nepali)[33] and one Pakistani guide at Base Camp. Another foreign victim was injured. The attack occurred at around 1AM and was claimed by a local branch of the Taliban. (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan).[
References in popular culture
Books
In the first chapter of Mistress of Mistresses, by E.R. Eddison, the narrator compares his now deceased compatriot, Lessingham, to Nanga Parbat in a descriptive passage:
"I remember, years later, his describing to me the effect of the sudden view you get of Nanga Parbat from one of those Kashmir valleys; you have been riding for hours among quiet richly wooded scenery, winding up along the side of some kind of gorge, with nothing very big to look at, just lush, leafy, pussy-cat country of steep hillsides and waterfalls; then suddenly you come round a corner where the view opens up the valley, and you are almost struck senseless by the blinding splendour of that vast face of ice-hung precipices and soaring ridges, sixteen thousand feet from top to toe, filling a whole quarter of the heavens at a distance of, I suppose, only a dozen miles. And now, whenever I call to mind my first sight of Lessingham in that little daleside church so many years ago, I think of Nanga Parbat." (Mistress of Mistresses, 1935, p.2-3)
Jonathan Neale wrote a book about the 1934 climbing season on Nanga Parbat called Tigers of the Snow. He interviewed many old Sherpas, including Ang Tsering, the last man off Nanga Parbat alive in 1934. The book attempts to narrate what went wrong on the expedition, set against mountaineering history of the early twentieth century, the background of German politics in the 1930s, and the hardship and passion of life in the Sherpa valleys.[36]
Movies
Nanga Parbat is a movie by Joseph Vilsmaier about the 1970 expedition of brothers Günther Messner and Reinhold Messner.[37]
Donald Shebib's 1986 film The Climb covers the story of Hermann Buhl making the first ascent.[38] Seven Years in Tibet features Nanga parbat.
Comics
Nanda Parbat is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe, patterned after the fictional Shangri-La and the real Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.
Nearby peaks
Rakhiot Peak
Chongra Peak
Mazeno Peak
Rupal Peak
Laila Peak (Rupal Valley)
Shaigiri
Difficult to get used to the idea that all that rusty pitted metal, and dings and knocks add character. I definitely wouldn't see it as a benefit on a camera.
The conditions were very difficult since we were there at the wrong time of day for the bright sunshine that rendered the contrast between foliage, water and the shaded gully problematical. Later it poured with rain but we had left. Still, the well-known fantail of the falls downstream of Lower Bridge is evident enough.
The Falls of Bruar are a series of waterfalls on the Bruar Water in Scotland, about 8 miles from Pitlochry in the council area of Perth and Kinross. They have been a tourist attraction since the 18th century and were immortalized in a poem by Robert Burns, The Humble Petition of Bruar Water to the Noble Duke of Atholl, supposedly from the river itself entreating the Duke to plant some trees in the then barren landscape. The falls were probably formed some time in the last 10,000 years, after the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age. The waters slowly cut through the rock which had been pushed up by the geological forces which formed the Scottish Highlands some 500 million years ago. The layering of the rocks means that the water has cut a meandering path through the softer rock and left the harder rock untouched. This has led to the creation of deep pools, outcrops and, in one place, a natural arch. The falls consist of two large falls and a number of smaller drops. The water is often coloured brown from the peat through which it flows. Nowadays, the A9 Perth to Inverness road passes near the foot of the falls in Glen Garry, and there is a shopping centre and car park from where visitors may access the falls. A circular footpath leads up to the Lower Bridge, close to the natural arch, and continues on to the Upper Bridge, about 1/2 mile from the car park, before returning down the opposite bank. The total drop of the falls is about 60 metres. The narrowness of the gorge means that the falls are most impressive after heavy rain, but since the construction of a hydroelectric power scheme in the late 1940s, water is extracted farther up the river and the falls no longer reach the volumes they once did. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_of_Bruar
I can't get over the colors that are saturating the world these days. Autumn sure knows how to dress up for her season.
It's been difficult getting around on my lunch lately. I find myself either looking up at the trees or down at the leaves on the ground. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to anyone I've run in to while leaf gazing. Soon the rain will come and stay and I'll be the only one out there in it and you will all be safe and out of my path.