gentians

We have something like a cottage in the mountains. I haven't been there for ages so I took two days off (meant to go to work on Sunday anyway but for reasons described below I did not). So, I arrived up there and went for a hike and got totally wasted. And... couldn't resist this. A travelling glove.... to remind the wearer that even things can have their experiences. or something. And in the evening I realized that no-one has sucha big paw si I ripped it whole but for some 38 stitches of the first row... but the yarn has been to that peak. It was not a long hike but it was quite tough and I haven't been anywhere for quite a time.
I'm a city girl, first and mainly of all. I put on a black top because I look thinner in it. Not that I met anyone who would notice it and when one is sweaty and panting for brath, anything may come to mind but certainly not 'good looks'. But at least I don't look like mature cheese on the pic.
Next day I wanted to do some pics of plants. There is a locality.. sort of nature's botanic garden. I'm not giving any names because it's not allowed to go there outside the marked trails.. which I did like every year. It's an avalanche area (in winter) and it's hell of a steep. I climbed the mountain first... well, walked somewhere to the top. From the other side it's just a big hill with flat top. And an alpine meadow well above the timber line, where only some grasses (Festuca sp., mainly) grow and it's lovely to walk there barefoot. [I'll add pics later.. I need to sort them out]. Another reason why i happily walked barefoot was that I produced a nice blister on the soft part of my foot and it felt better without the shoes.
Anyway, descending to the valley was fantastic, at the peak, there're just grasses, some fifty metres lower, blueberries and cranberries start to grow and nearly with every metre the environment changes. In fact, I went there to see whether i can find one of the gentians that grow there (but, basically anything grows in that place), Gentiana verna. It was too late for that one but I discovered another species up on the hill, Gentiana punctuata, which I hadn't hitherto seen. In fact I saw more of them but from distance they look quite ugly, something bleak in the grass.. I don't understand why I like gentians so much...

As I hinted, the terrain is quite steep and under the grass which looks quite even on the surface, many nasty things hide. Holes, sources of water with deep slicky mud.. or there are things that don't bother to hide, stones too hot to step on or anything too steep to step on. I'll upload the pic of my bloody leg later on - it doesn't work. Oddly enough, I didn't notice the wound for quite long. I was interested about the health of my camera because holes in the skin heal by themselves whereas a camera.. I'd have to earn for a year for another one. (And, a second chance in such a short time to see my knees:-)))
I found my way back home, I was tired like hell and I just neded up lying flat in bed. Well, I had a shower first, I was covered by mud and stuff and I'm quite civilized. Although some of the mud had nicely found its way to my skin so I just left it to fall of by itself later, especially around the wound, which showed to be a neat long deep scratch, no real hole. Notice the view into the valley behind the (fat, unshaven and dirty) leg... cool, isn't it?