Weekly Photo Challenge: Sun – Tanzania

Giant Groundsels of the Barranco Valley, Mt. Kilimanjaro

This photo was taken on the fourth morning of my trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. I was so amazed by the rapid transition of ecological zones we had already traversed, starting our hike in dense tropical jungle and passing through forest zones to the tree line and entering the alpine grassland of the Shira Plateau at almost 14,000 feet before descending for a night in the surreal otherworldliness of the Barranco Valley. The strange plants like these Giant Groundsels loom over you like aliens against a backdrop of the great Barranco Wall, an 800 foot vertical climb that we all would have to make on this morning. Uhuru Peak, the summit of the mountain, would not be attainable for another two days and through two more climate zones. After climbing the wall, a stark landscape of volcanic eruption strewn giant boulders and scree await ahead of the final six hour summit mount passed arctic glaciers to the top. Experiencing such ecological diversity in one place was immensely awe inspiring.

Ever since I started participating in these photo challenges, I’ve been looking forward to them each week. They really make me think about my photos in a different light and to revisit ones long forgotten in order to reinterpret them again. This challenge was a difficult one since the number one rule of photography is not to shoot directly into the sun. And ruling out sunsets make it even more challenging. This shot is probably one of the only times I’ve ever framed a shot pointing directly at the sun, but I really wanted to show the translucence of the leaves as well as include the summit peak in the back ground.

See my other Weekly Photo Challenge submissions:

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast – Uzbekistan

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual – Uzbekistan

Weekly Photo Challenge: Through – Turkey

Weekly Photo Challenge: Arranged – USA

Weekly Photo Challenge: Journey – Namibia

Weekly Photo Challenge: Two Subjects – USA

To add your own photo to the challenge, visit WordPress Daily Post. Have fun!

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