One hike

We arrived in a tiny town which boasts a gorgeous harbor and a lovely hotel tucked into the foothills (such as they are). Here’s the view from the back of the main building –

After a good meal and a sleep, we decided to walk up the road to a nearby trailhead –

This was the easy part – a maintenance road leading to the foot path proper. We heard (and saw) birds all around us, Chickadee types and some early flowers were blooming (anemone is what we call them here, photos below).

Here’s a look down the path once we got climbing –

These few were taken with the cell phone because I practically had to crawl up the mountain on my hands and the camera was in the way. In the pack it went until we scrambled to the top. So very steep!

I even shot a little video. This is just a phone clip with no editing –

There were some relatively flat areas and I was struck by the dead trees scattered among the living.

The light wasn’t that great and for some reason I kept missing focus a lot, but I did manage a few and I really like this one for the colors and textures –

Since this is a blog about technique as much as results, I think I was missing focus because I changed to C-AF when I normally shoot in S-AF. Why did I switch it? Because it was so hyped up, touted and tested for this camera that I felt I needed to try it. People said it locks and tracks like mad, but what the heck do I need that for landscapes? Doh! Very dumb. The reason I have always used Single autofocus is because it allows me to use Focus Peaking to be sure I have critical focus where I want it. C-AF doesn’t allow Focus Peaking so you have to trust it and mostly you’re shooting in sequence with a high burst rate so it doesn’t matter if it misses now and then. But for this kind of thing, I have to have my head on straight and make sure I’m using the right tool for the job. Just because the camera feature has changed doesn’t mean I have to let that dictate how I shoot. That hasn’t really changed so why should I use something I don’t need? Not saying experimentation isn’t worth it, but sometimes I get a little short-sighted.

On our way up and down, we saw quite a few bumblebees among the early wildflowers and watching them gave me an opportunity to look at some smaller slices and scenes like these –

We finally got to the top! A little windy and cold for the hammock (plus, who knew how long it had been there and how strong the ropes still were) so we didn’t try it out for real although my hubby did sit on it like a sling.

Another of the magnificent dead trees on the slopes of mount Hautua, plus a magnificent view to the mountains and fjord. I don’t often do a frame like this, but I couldn’t resist.

And a few flowers reaching for the sun on the side of the access road –

So one, maybe two more Norway posts to come. I’m stretching it a bit, I admit, because I haven’t been shooting much. It’s been so incredibly buggy that it’s impossible to go outside much. Just miserable. And my one kayaking trip alone with the camera didn’t yield much in the way of good photos. Too bright and contrasty. Maybe I can brave the bugs or something, but I doubt it. Anyway…that’s a post for another day.