Each week on Twitter, there is a theme on Friday for people to share their photos called #FriFotos.  If you are new to Twitter, this is a great way to meet people, view fantastic photos and also see how the themes are interpreted (half the fun).  I’m in awe of the talent displayed each week and inspired by the photos to visit places I may not have thought of before.  What’s nice is that you can “favorite” a photo and then go back later to look at that person’s blog, read their stories and ask questions.

So with that, I figured, I would narrow down my submission around the theme with my story.  Let me know in the comments section below which photo you like for the “Hikes” theme – you can check twitter later to see what i posted. For this week’s theme – Hikes – let’s look at the contenders from my hikes around the world:

1. Hiking the Arizona desert at Miraval – my morning hike on the last day of my visit was about enjoy the environment and watching the ground for critters as well as around your legs for cactus – all of your senses are on alert when you hike in the desert and this awareness, for me, is always a welcome change from my daily life.

2. Lisbon Pena Palace – the guide dropped us at the bottom of the gardens for our hike up to the Palace (about 25 mins uphill) while he drove to the top.  The four of us had the gardens to ourselves – it was secluded and private.  We may have cursed a bit on the trek  but once at the top seeing the palace it was all quickly forgotten.

3. My first glacier hike in Alaska, sadly no photos at that time.  It was my first helicopter ride flying to the glacier where we were outfitted with crampons for our feed and poles. We would hike up the glacier and the I realize need to get down at some point (there were no steps), this was my first experience with rappelling (i was quite freaked out by the rope and my body weight).  It was an amazing experience greatly enhanced when the cruise ship broke down and we missed out on seeing the glaciers of Glacier Bay.  I had this wonderful day to remember.

4. My second glacier hike at Franz Josef Glacier, South Island, New Zealand.  South Island, New Zealand is about adventure and I wanted to try my hand at this glacier.  We would again take a helicopter to the top of the glacier and wear our crampons as we wandered around.  Sadly, due to the weather we need to leave early while the helicopters could still fly (otherwise this would have been quite a different hike).  Even cut short, this was a fantastic adventure.

5. Garden Route – South Africa – Along the three day drive, we stopped and i was told to hike about 30 mins on the path, up & down steps, etc. to the suspension bridges and the water views.  Well, as a tourist, I did what the guide told me and wanted to see the pretty views.  So off I went, not really knowing what to expect.  Alone for most of the trek, I was handsomely rewarded with breathtaking views of the water, three suspension bridges and time to just reflect on the beauty of nature (ok, really taking a break knowing the 30 min hike back was many steep steps up).

So all of the photos above qualify for this week’s #FriFotos submission with the theme, Hikes. Not sure which I will choose yet, if you have a favorite, leave a comment below and check my Twitter feed to see what photo won out this week.