Today I finally got around to going through the pictures from the Germany trip I took with my brother. I was actually forced to, because a newspaper is asking for it. Matt was hired to do a global warming piece for German Life magazine and a few other outlets…some newspapers and hopefully a travel article for National Geographic Adventure magazine. As it happened, there was just enough in the budget to include a photographer on the trip.. and it just so happened I had about 9 days of vacation coming to me from my other job. So off we went to Munich to catch a bit of the Octoberfest and then to Bavaria, one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth.

Matt (left) and I on top of Mt Watzman, the third highest peak in Germany.

It pains me a great deal that my my camera failed me on a recent trip to Tajikistan. I was forced to use my camera phone which challenged me to no end. To get a sharp image you have to shoot subjects that are relatively stationary. “Stealing” pictures of people’s front sides proved to be very difficult, hence the following back shots. Urgh! As disappointed as I am, I thought these dresses were too interesting not to share. Nearly all women there own and wear these dresses which look a lot like bathrobes from the 1970′s.

The country is in an early Spring after one of the most brutal winters on record. The women seemed especially happy to be out and about enjoying the 70 degree day.

Hiking the Muir trail in 2007 was the hardest, longest hike I have ever done. My brother and I hiked the lower half, totaling about 100 miles, while while cousins Andy and Zac hiked the entire thing. Plus some side excursions, they totaled over 220 miles of hiking. Both Zac and I ended up hiking in our sandals because our boots caused red-hot blisters. There’s no easy exit off the trail either so we committed to finishing it with climbing Whitney on the last day. My brother Matt, the writer of the family, wrote an article on our trip for Sierra Heritage magazine which is set to publish the piece this summer (2010).