Pin Valley National Park, India

Clouds always add mystery and dynamics to any landscape, but Spiti is mostly without any clouds as it is a mountain desert with cloudless skies for long periods, and during my travel here I did not expect any clouds in my landscape captures. But microclimatic conditions provide exceptions to the norm, and here I found beautiful clouds appearing just in time for the sunset. And in the “right” place – where the sun was setting! Without the clouds the sun would just vanish below the peaks and the sky would quickly darken without much of any warn hues as the air here is so dry and thus with a less diverse twilight color palette.

While I was sitting on a rock in the Pin river I noticed that this seemingly lifeless river is supporting quite a number of fish, and so is the fact with all the rivers I investigated. How these species survive the flash floods is simply unbelievable as the roaring torrents are as destructive as it gets with rock of all sizes tumbling downstream destroying everything in its path.

Soon winter will ensure this river freezes over and everything is put on hold until the sun once again has the upper hand. For now I enjoyed a tiny slice of the amazing national park that holds many amazing plant and mammal species.

Elevation: 3692 meters

Last updated on 8 November 2024