I climbed some mountains.
The climbing part was not fun, but naturally the summits delivered some incredible views once the weather cleared. We were pretty high up (second tallest mountain on the east coast) and were looking down on bumps that were bigger than any "mountain" in my home state of Maryland.
During the assent, I was struck with how the plant life changed with the altitude. The colors and textures stood out the most. There were times I would see a color on a plant and remark to my friends how unique it was. I often see things and consider how I would paint them. Or how I would mix a certain color.
I did do some quick sketching, and took a few photos, but it was enjoyable to just take everything in for a change, without having to "capture" it. However, I did take some pics, and they speak better than my rambling.
Photos by Andrew Appler, Ron Appler, Matthew Bird