Photos from August
An early start to beat the heat. 27 August 07
The last few metres to the Col des Grangettes. 27 August 07
The glacier de Seguret Foran snakes down from the Dome de Monetier. 27 August 07
The lac and pic d'Eychauda (2514m). 27 August 07
The valley de Chambran, unusually wide and flat for the Ecrins. 27 August 07
An old barn shelters beneath the Crete des Lauzieres. 27 August 07
The chapelle St Joseph at Le Sarret. 27 August 07
Villar d'Arene, houses packed tightly together to leave the ground clear for crops. 26 August 07
The head waters of the river Romanche. 26 August 07
All mod cons at the refuge: summer and winter loos! 26 August 07
Masses of tadpoles cram into the warmer shallows so they can mature quickly. 26 August 07
A glacial lake in front of the pic de Neige Cordier... 26 August 07
The snout of the glacier d'Arsine, 15m high, near constant ice and stone fall. 26 August 07
Ice-melt colours the sinuous meanders of the torrent de Petit Tabuc. 26 August 07
The Italian artist Zarbula painted many sundials in this area. This one is designed in his tradition. 26 August 07
Fountain in the the centre of Besse en Oisans. 25 August 07
Sculpture at Besse. 25 August 07
The boundaries of disused fields at La Serre recall a time before the rural exodus. 25 August 07
La Meije (3983m), long thought to be unclimbable, and the 'finger of God'. 25 August 07
The village of Le Chazelet, opposite the mountain of La Meije. 25 August 07
The town of Bourg d'Oisans, built on the site of an old lake. 24 August 07
The roman bridge above the village of Huez. 24 August 07
First sight of La Meije and Le Rateau. 24 August 07
An Oratoire (a little shrine to a saint) at Clavans. 24 August 07
Morning view above the refuge de la Muzelle. 23 August 07
Cliffs fall from Pointe de Confolans into the lac Lauvitel. 23 August 07
The lac Lauvitel, largest and deepest of the lakes in the Ecrins. 23 August 07
The main street in Bourg d'Oisans. 23 August 07
Fountains piped from a spring are found in every village, and people would often gather there to exchange news. 23 August 07
Nature gets a grip in the smallest of places. 22 August 07
The Aiguille des Marmes from the col de Cote Belle. 22 August 07
Pointe Swan from the Cote Belle. 22 August 07
Closer to the col de la Muzelle, it didn't look any easier .... 22 August 07
Slipping and in difficulty on the steep col de la Muzelle, I climbed up the slate wall in a stream, grateful for secure footing. 22 August 07
A nice glissade down fresh snow from the col de la Muzelle to the lake. 22 August 07
les Orgues de Villar Loubiere; rocky pillars like organ pipes. 21 August 07
The path to the col de Vaurze crosses a ravine on a rocky ledge. 21 August 07
The col de Vaurze. Snow fell gently in thick wet flakes on the lee side; on the other side, it was driving in on a strong wind. 21 August 07
Raindrops glisten on ripening seedheads. 20 August 07
Four chamois on a ridge in the cloud; as surprised to see me as I was to see them. Reward for going out in the rain! 20 August 07
Moments earlier, dappled sunlight was playing on this ash tree. When the sun went behind a cloud, it seemed to have left its impression on the bark. 20 August 07
Sundial at la Chapelle en Valgaudemar: 'Kill time, or live every moment' - says it all really. 20 August 07
View from the col de Gouiran. 19 August 07
The col de Vallonpierre, slate ravines shadowed by early light. 19 August 07
This thistle is reputed to bring good luck, and big ones are cut and nailed on stable doors around here. 19 August 07
The refuge de Vallonpierre looks out on a little lake, with the Sirac just behind. Idyllic. 19 August 07
The head of a dragon fossilised in the rock ... 19 August 07
The path tiptoed through debris left behind by the retreating glaciers of the Sirac. 19 August 07
The GR54 crosses the braided torrent flowing down from les Bans. 18 August 07
The cascade de l'Ale tumbles down a ledge from the upper valley. 18 August 07
The long scree slope leading to the col de l'Aup Martin. 18 August 07
From the col, the crete de l'Aup Martin looms over the valley. 18 August 07
The Pointes de Verdonne and Chabourneou; next days path can be seen winding its way up on the left. 18 August 07
Blue aconite. 15 August 07
The chapelle St Pierre, at 2050m, in the middle of nowhere. 15 August 07
A great view from the Tete de Clotinaille. 15 August 07
Touching memorial to nine children and two adults killed by an avalanche. Their names are carved around the statue. 13 August 07
An unusual dark-centred blue flower. 13 August 07
La Montagnette, a steep-sided outcrop that makes a traverse of this ridge system tricky. 13 August 07
Rock sandwich! 13 August 07
A degree of poise required on this narrow trail above a steep ravine. 13 August 07
Cargneule (limestone and dolomite) is eroded by solution and freeze-thaw to give this dramatic landscape. 13 August 07
The Glacier Noir, so-called because it is covered in stones, creeps down valley. For scale, tiny walkers can just be made out on the lateral moraine wall. 12 August 07
Walkers round the corner on the way to the Glacier Blanc, with the pic de Dormillouse on the skyline. 12 August 07
One of the great ridge systems of the Ecrins: The Pelvoux, the Pic Sans Nom, the Coup de Sabre and the Ailefroide. 12 August 07
The tongue of the Glacier Blanc hangs down the cliffs. At one point, it was 100m deep here. 12 August 07
Chocards, or choucas; these clever opportunists are always on the lookout for a free meal. 12 August 07
The Glacier Blanc cracks into deep crevasses as it turns the corner. 12 August 07
A dash of colour in a mineral landscape. 12 August 07
Bog cotton waves its head in the breeze. 12 August 07
Ice melt from the glaciers forms a braided river on the Pre de Mme Carle. 12 August 07
Typical farmhouse near Chateauroux, with hay storage in the loft and undershot waterwheel. 11 August 07
Streams idle across a high meadow, reflecting the sky colour. 11 August 07
Nature the unconscious artist: abstract patterns in the slate. 11 August 07
Even after blooming, this dried flower spike is a fine sight. 11 August 07
The lac du Distroit (2519m) on a perfect morning. 11 August 07
A scrambly little limestone ridge above the lac du Distroit. 11 August 07
Different types of Zygaena fueling up on thistle heads. 11 August 07
The twin limestone towers at the col des Tourettes. 11 August 07
A hungry scarab beetle. 11 August 07
The Orientation table just below the Aiguilles de Chabrieres. Clouds to the left of me, clouds to the right... 8 August 07
The path approaches along the Western cliffs. 8 August 07
A squeeze through a tunnel.... 8 August 07
....followed by a narrow ledge above this gully.....8 August 07
...leads to the summit, and a fine view of the Aiguilles. 8 August 07
The valley of Freissinieres was once a glacial lake. 7 August 07
Climber on the "Cimetiere des Vaudois" - not me! 7 August 07
Clouds drape the peaks overlooking the hamlet of Les Viollins. 7 August 07
The meanders of the river Durance contrast strongly with the limestone ridge. 7 August 07
Yes, this photo IS level! The crazy contortions of the ridge distort the horizons. 7 August 07
The cycle of renewal: young larches colonising a decaying tree stump.7 August 07
Old Arollo pines with side branches like candelabra. 7 August 07
A shepherds summer quarters: hay and grain upstairs, shelter for sheep below. 7 August 07
The lac d'Orcierette. 7 August 07
A fine pair of heavy horses. 7 August 07
Extraodinary ravining below the arete. 5 August 07
Carpets of wild strawberries alongside the path. 2 August 07
The Crete de Gaulens at first light. 2 August 07
Inside a beatiful little cave. I'm not that thin, this is a secondary entrance!. 2 August 07
Spring-fed fountains here are all wood so they still flow below freezing. 2 August 07
The Croix des Enfers (Crosses of Hell). 2 August 07
Older graffiti are carefully hammered with a pick. Modern ones are hacked by a knife. Sniff - quality isn't what it used to be!. 2 August 07