FINAL DAY IN VALSAVARENCHE & IBEX

Punte Foura 

Tresenta & Ciarforon peaks

Gran Paradiso, Tresenta & Ciarforon 

Fabulous views to the head of the Valsavarenche 

Grand crags

Alpine Rock Jasmin 

Spot the Ibex, how many?

Gran Collect 2832m

Piano del Nivolet 

Panoramic Gran Paradiso 

Final walk in the Valsavarenche today. Another beautiful clear skies morning and staying blue skies all day. Perfect for  some good landscape photography of the big peaks around the Gran Paradiso. I chose my last walk in the Hope of that elusive Ibex. I was sure a quiet area would hopefully give me an opportunity to observe these wonderful beasts of the high Alps. My walk took me to the high col of Gran Collet, at the top end of the Valsavarenche. A wonderful steep path winds up through rocky outcrops and to lovely grassy hollows. The ideal terrain for the ibex. I was in luck. A female and her four young were grazing high up in a hollow. I had the privilage of spending 40 minutes photographing them, they were totaly unbothered with me close by. Of course you can't photograph  wildlife with a mobile phone so stay tuned for the proper images later. In the afternoon I headed up to a very loose and rocky summit about 200m above the col.  It was similar terrain to a Cuillin summit on Skye. Fabulous views.
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