AGeoJO wrote:Kevin, thank you for your kind words! To take advantage of Bromo within the constraints of time, you have to hire a local guide that knows the area inside out AND familiar with photographic spots.
The Bromo trip did push the limit of my body. Frankly, I am out of shape . The hikes were quite strenuous and the driving around in an uncomfortable 4X4 on rough terrain was tough. Twenty or so years earlier, it would have been better to do this trip. The guide and his 2 assistants we hired helped quite a bit though. They carried some of my gear and literally, pushed me and/or pulled me through the toughest sections and we rested quite a bit on the way up. Keep in mind that we had to do it while it was still dark to reach the point to do some astro photography, well before the sun was out. They picked me up at 2:00AM from the hotel. Yes, the view from the higher elevation was breath taking and it was worth-while. The following day, we climbed to a different and even higher elevation but more to the east. Too bad, the fog wasn't that thick in the second morning.
Now, that the trip is over, and I started to forget the aches and troubles, and while looking at the images, I seem to enjoy the trip more and more now . It seems that you are age-wise younger than myself and you are in better shape, too. So, this trip shouldn't pose any issues. I can give you more info on the guide I used for that trip, Please send me a PM when you are ready.
The images of the Great Wall are spectacular. I have been to Badaling twice but again, not really on a photography trip without much preparation. The section you visited at Jinshanling is absolutely more intriguing and beautiful.
That would be awesome Joshua - thank you I'll PM you tomorrow (past midnight here now).
I think age-wise we are not too far apart (I hit 60 this year) ? However I've lost 39 kgs over the past 2 years and hiking in the mountains of Nepal and China has definitely improved my fitness/health. I'd recommend it to most people.
Your trip sounds awesome and yes we tend to focus on the positives and generally forget the negative aspects of any trip or at least their significance lessens - such as my chronic insomnia at extreme altitudes (4,000 - 6,000m) !
Thanks again Joshua. Badaling and Mutianyu (better than Badaling) are fully restored sections of the wall. Jinshanling is partly restored (still has a cable car up though so that helps) but there are many other sections (of course - with over 6,000 kms of Great Wall !) that easily surpass them. I'll post some shots from Gubeikou and Jiankou later. Jiankou is terrifying .. and utterly superb. Take a look at this video of Jiankou in full screen (it's not mine - I took my drone but my video is not in the same league as this) I didn't take all of this route (I was way too terrified in places to do it all) but a lot of it :
May 10, 2018 at 11:49 AM
Previous versions of Frogfish's message #14463794 « Sony FE Images Thread »
. The hikes were quite strenuous and the driving around in an uncomfortable 4X4 on rough terrain was tough. Twenty or so years earlier, it would have been better to do this trip. The guide and his 2 assistants we hired helped quite a bit though. They carried some of my gear and literally, pushed me and/or pulled me through the toughest sections and we rested quite a bit on the way up. Keep in mind that we had to do it while it was still dark to reach the point to do some astro photography, well before the sun was out. They picked me up at 2:00AM from the hotel. Yes, the view from the higher elevation was breath taking and it was worth-while. The following day, we climbed to a different and even higher elevation but more to the east. Too bad, the fog wasn't that thick in the second morning. 
. It seems that you are age-wise younger than myself and you are in better shape, too. So, this trip shouldn't pose any issues. I can give you more info on the guide I used for that trip, Please send me a PM when you are ready.