Trekking poles make hiking so much easier, I can't imagine going without them. It's nice to know about elevation gain in advance, but at least you got a great view when it was all said and done. The vista from the top was definitely worth the climb!

I love that flower, just so intensely pretty and yellow! The simple things make life more enjoyable don't they? And that tree in black and white looks more like an alien landscape that a tree and surrounding brush. That was a very cool use of mono!