January 2019February 2019 March 2019

02/28 - Dungeness Spit

In case you are wondering what happened to us in February, we were sick. We caught some kind of monster cold, possibly in Bhutan, more likely in Bangkok on the way home, but possibly even back home in Port Angeles. We have been recovering, and even took a short walk on the Dungeness Spit. It was a nice low tide and the walking conditions were excellent with lots of sand. The spit can be rough going in the winter offering a choice of slippery rocks or too soft sand. This year the walking was just right.

Exceptionally clear air - Mount Baker and the Dungeness Light

Good walking conditions on the spit

Ribsy, or what is left of it

Heading south, into the sun

The spit from above

Keywords: dungeness spit, winter

02/03 - Goodbye to Bhutan

We flew out of the airport in Paro heading towards Bangkok. The approach is probably a pilot's nightmare with the plane corkscrewing to gain altitude in the narrow valley. Then we were over the base cloud layer, leaving Bhutan.

Back in Paro

Another view of the dzong

From a distance

At an angle - The acceleration threw off our sense of level during takeoff.

The base cloud layer

Keywords: bhutan

02/02 - Last Walk in Bhutan

Our flight from Paro to Bangkok was in the afternoon, so in the morning we took a short walk near the hotel. The sun was shining, and the great snow covered mountain, Jomolhari, was brilliant in the distance. We took one last walk through the forests, the town and the fields and enjoyed the improved weather. Odds were good for our flight to Bangkok. We weren't getting a bonus day.

The manicured forest around Amankora

Jomolhari

A fairy tale setting

One of the local birds

Another wagtail

The mountain village

Another fairy tale view

Country scene

More mountains

View from the forest

Jomolhari again

Another mountain friend

View of the valley

Another view

OK, We're getting sentimental.

Village house

A road side wagtail

Country lane

We'll be back.

Keywords: bhutan

02/01 - A Country Walk in Paro - Into the Snow

In the afternoon we climbed a bit into the hills west of the hotel. We started in the village and made our way up a forest road, unpaved but wide enough for motorized traffic. This had been narrower, suitable for walkers and stock, until fairly recently. The government not only widened the track, but now an electric lines up into the pass. We didn't run into any traffic, though we did pass a number of other walkers. Our guide said that they were probably from the next province to the west, a five or six hour journey.

It was drizzling as we started our climb, and it turned into what Wunderground called winter mix as we ascended. That's drizzle, flurry and light sleet. We crossed streams twice, and the winter mix turned into snow with a light accumulation. Then we approached terraced fields and a small farming village, maybe a few houses, more a hamlet than a village. There was a water powered prayer wheel and a farmer hard at work collecting tried turnips which had been spread about the field. The dominant color was brown, but there were green daikon leaves and even a small tomato vine running along the stone wall of the terrace.

Our trip down was less eventful. The snow relented. The sun emerged. Even gravity cooperated with the trail running properly downhill. It was a true winter hike and a great final hike in Bhutan.


A stream in the low country near the hotel, only 9000' up or so

A stream farther up the trail

Misty mountains

Distant snow

The trail at its worst, not too bad

Snow and ice at a stream crossing

Winter mix on a winter day

Some color

More color, more mountains

Near the village

Winter colors

More winter colors

Looking back into the valley

Daikon, still green

The village

Winter fields

We'll look up this bird and update this.

Magic, heading down and spying the dzong in the valley

Like something out of a fairy tale

Keywords: bhutan

January 2019February 2019 March 2019