Down time...

I took this picture a few weeks ago on a Saturday hike in the mountains an hour from where I live.

It is a place called 'Le Col des Aravis' in the French Alps and there are several hiking trails there to follow.

The weekends are valuable time for me to decompress and get perspective again. To get some exercise and chill out - something I can do simultaneously in such majestic surroundings!

Yup, I've been working pretty hard and from the time I get in to the time I pull the plug ten odd hours later it is non-stop. No time to call friends, send the odd email or even chat to my fellow workers in the office - it's just go, go, go.

Come Friday I feel the need for some fresh air and as the autumn weather at the moment is perfect, I saddle up and head out and spend a day one and half kilomotres up seeing the big picture.

There are so many trails to explore and a lot of the locals of all ages use them - young couples, families with kids, older folks. The trails are of varying lengths and degree of difficulty so you can go as easy or hard, as short or as far as you want.

Last weekend was funny - I saw one youth group leader chasing after his charges on his mountain bike. 'Have you seen a bunch of kids go past here?' 'Yup, about ten minutes ago M'sieur'. Fit as this guy was - the little tackers had roared off over the summit on their bikes and were half way down to the next village! But everything was cool - its almost impossible to get lost and they were in world class scenery out exercising in the fresh air. Some very lucky kids and the good thing is I think they appreciate how lovely their region is.

Being an amateur photographer, I'm gonna have to lug up my big gun SLR to get some serious snaps of the mountains one weekend instead of the quick-pics from my pocket digital.

Trouble is - where to start? It's all so Wow!