Gaming or hardware is not my only interest or "hobby", which may have been revealed already. Actually would be interesting what other hobbies, apart from gaming... many gamers got. Why i am bringing it up now is because, despite some accusations... i got a lot of "other" stuff running in my life as well, no matter the forum-activity or the amount of games. I simply can do many of those things more or less at once...

My most recent other activity was just today... although it was rather the peak for me as it was kind of heavy today.

At first i was standing up about 5 AM in the morning, and now i am back at about 21 PM, so basically in a single long day.

First destination was Samnaun which took me over 3h just by driving there with a car. The distance was about 200 km, but this is meaningless as this is about 50% alpine territory with the most difficult conditions in any case. Some oversized truck was trying it... and he was in average driving at 20 km/h it was hilarious and it was almost blocking the street; it is just asocial even allowing such trucks to drive up a alpine road... unless they have to deliver goods toward some alps, thats a different story but this is rarely the case. As well during peak-time the mainstream is very active and they usually drive at least 20 km/ slower than officially allowed and possible with their car. Instead of letting me pass them somehow... and i NEED their help else it is almost impossible making a take-over on those small and curvy streets, just too dangerous as i never know when another car is on the affected lane. In the end it is simply very tricky for driving but the best time is either at night... then i can drive with full speed as the stupid mainstream is usually sleeping then (you need your sleep... every bit helps me) or simply outside "working hours". If not done so... i generally can not drive as fast as officially allowed... rather 20 km/h lower due too all those "human-brake-wedges",
So... in general i had lesser issues with speeder instead of those living-brake-wedges that are making any smooth and economical drive-style near impossible; yet only the speeder will become punished in usual. In the end due to those "external brake-wedges" i often need very long for things that could be done in a more timely manner.

Anyway, once i was arriving in Samnaun... i had in mind to try "Muttler" instead of "Schwarzhorn", which both are the biggest mountain in their local-territory, both above 3000 m... Muttler even higher than Schwarzhorn. Muttler is a difficult mountain as he will need very high endurance due to its total length (both ways) of nearly 15 km and a difference in altitude of nearly 1500 m, which is in this term nearly as challenging such as many of the 4000 m mountains. The only advantage is that neither Muttler nor Schwarzhorn are technically demanding, so they can be climbed klnda with hiklng.. yet this is not the full truth as this high altitude alpine-hiking is far away from any "casual hiking" it is another league. Speed is not the important thing even, it is endurance or the fitness-level... simply for how long the body can "keep up" the high demand. In my case.... today... i was hiking those mountains for about 7 hours 30 min total, which is very demanding on the body.

More details.

Muttler was an attempt i unfortunately failed. Not sure about the body (i would say, with todays experience it is probably doable for me, but it is difficult)... but i was not able to finish this hike/clilm due to official "prohibition" by the state. They said there was a recent rock fall, so they was closing the upper-territory of the mountain. Hopefiully next summer it might become opened again. So... all i did was to visit its attraction, which is known as "Rotes Seeli", actually correct term is rather "S Rot Seeli" (how it is spoken) which is at a altitude of about 2550 m, so i had to climb roughly 700 m over a length of roughly 10 km (which is at least 2/3 of the entire length it would take in order to climb Muttler). So... "Rotes Seeli" is not with a easy accessibility.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rote+Seeli/@46.9152706,10.3686292,2528m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x478335ee5a7325c1:0xf5d8c7d6401b6cb7!8m2!3d46.912922!4d10.371546!16s%2Fg%2F11b8r74sm9?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MTAxMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

So, after my failed-Muttler atempt (but sucessfull Rotes Seeli attempt at least) i decided to go back to Schwarzhorn and try to finally make it happen, as there was as well a failed attempt there due to too very strong winds (so i had to cancel it last year). In order to have a go i was driving 1.30 h toward its feet... at a altitude of about 2300 m and was starting to hike it. As it was already pretty late, about 14.30 at this moment... i did not have too much time left.

As well... i was already somewhat strained from the previous hike at the same day, just few hours ago. So i did not feel so well but decided to "have a go" and put on my fighting gloves. I took it very slow, and even if the legs did already hurt a little somehow i was noticing the will of the body to overcome this "challenge":

As well i had the big camera with me... which is actually not too much of a burden as i can stand still by using it... which will as well rest my legs a little. In the end the time spend is used well but... the time was still scarce so i always was somehow in a rush to hurry a bit... so the photos was rather "limited" in amount and i did not always put out my camera on every nice scenery.

Nonetheless... i was fighting hard with my legs and some fatigue but i was not giving up. With a iron will i was slowly walking up this stubborn mountain and at around 16.30 PM i was finally able to set my feet on its very peak; so the mountain is "taken" now by me and i made some shots with the big camera too.

Another roughly 8 km length and 850 m of additional altitude on this single day, so in total around 18 km length and 1550 m altitude-difference i had to "crack" with a iron will.

I will for certain show up some photos soon but today... all i want to do is now "go to sleep", i really need rest.

I was now attaching some pictures about the pathways and 2 different routes for Muttler. Unfortunately the "normal-route" which is over the north-ridge is up to at least summer 2027 closed down. So the only alternate-way which unfortunately is more technically difficult is over the south-west-ridge... which i tried to make visible (difficult because i lack accurate data... it is rarely done).

Photos has been uploaded now:

Muttler:
https://ibb.co/album/TKKb9k

Fluelä-Schwarzhorn:
https://ibb.co/album/sp9zwd

Ah yeah, i was using my very versatile Wide-angle RF 15-35 mm f/2.8 which is my most commonly used lens.

In some special occasions if i am looking for new challenges in perspective and possibilities i got 2 other RF lenses stored, a RF 50 mm f/1,2 and a RF 135 mm f/1.8 which are both prime-lenses. Nonetheless, the only zoom-lens and as well the one i use the most is not much weaker in quality, but indeed... prime-lenses under special conditions are able to produce some refined results. No hurry using them, they are usually used when i was already visiting the same mountain or location several times and looking for improvements when i already know the place very well. I always only have 1 lens with me which will be chosen before traveling; so i do not need to haul way too much and can focus on a single lens with its characteristics for a whole day or even longer.

About, how i see the photography and how i prefer to approach it:

I mean, in my experience... photography is a mix between "having proper equipment" but as well "knowledge on how to use it properly" and on top of that "being able to meet a good scenery which is a lot based on luck, sadly" and then the ultimate factor "being able to detect such a good scenery and then making the shot at the right time"; so a lot of factors that need to "work together". In the end... it is usually easy making some "fine stuff" but very difficult to "get the edge out of it, if it should be at its peak", the last percent makes the difference and as well the luck-factor is playing a role in any part of the life, even photography.

My own "style" is rather... not being too much focused on the content itself, which for many people doing it is the most important stuff, but rather looking at how its colors and in the end effect is "impressing me". I am usually impressed the most when i think "the colors are suitable, great or simply fitting" and if i think "wow... it is so natural but at the same time able to provide every nuance of colors which was TRULY apparent"... without fake... simply the entire brilliance without trying to fake it. Simply take what has been offered to me and then try to "store it" into the photo for almost a eternity... such as the mountain itself with their ability to stand there almost a eternity.

Of course, then... a modern camera or lens is being said to be "too less dirty", too clean... even boring... those are many of the "accusations" being said by critics. However... in my mind, by my experience... it is absolutely possible, even without forcing it... to see a lot of "dirt" or individual "quirks" even on very modern cameras and lenses (which as well are having many individual quirks by themself). An expert could even say pretty precisely if i was using a Sony-lens or a Canon-lens... so this "charisma" is still there, for certain. If you can make a "flare" of the sun using a wide open lens... super difficult... yet i have on of those, so it is possible.

A Canon lens, for example... is usually with a pretty warm tone, a Sony lens rather with a cold color tone... this is the most apparent difference. There are other details such as "how the flares or other dirty artifacts" are behaving... which is in some term more prominent on a Canon-lens... for those that enjoy it... which i was trying to make "visible" by some dirty pictures which i was trying to force it and which has been picked for that reason.

In general, i do not edit my photos because i am happy with the results and if it is less than perfect then i simply had bad luck or bad skills... i do not need to be a master-editor in order to produce a picture that was never really in front of the camera... rather the expression of some AI or what it makes "out of it". I do respect the photographs that think "nothing works without editing a photo" but to me... i am happy without doing it... this is as well a position that should be respected. If a photo really has been screwed up, which happens... absolutely... then i simply will have to throw it away... simply how it works. Perhaps next time "i am able to perform better or i may have more luck".

About the mountains in general and their difficulty:

The alps are geographically at a latitude pretty far away from the equator... which means, naturally... the climate conditions are more harsh than what we may get, on the same altitude, for anything closer to the equator such as "the highest mountain range in Africa" (which goes up to the upper 4000-5000 m range) and as well the highest mountain range in Asia (yes, those spicy 7000-8000 m stuff).

So, the alps are in general "more hash on the climate" than a comparable mountain on the Africans or Asians highest mountain range... i would say roughly 3000 m in the Alps is about comparable to 4500 m in Africa or Asia if it comes to the "harshness" of its climate. So... Mont Blanc would probably be equal to 6000 m in Africa or Asia (which means it is about equal to Mount Kilimanjaro in my view).

For example, in the Alps at about 2500 m there are already the first glaciers appearing and at 3000 m and more it is becoming increasingly difficult avoiding glaciers for every hundred additional m above sea level... so it is with a high risk going there alone... i do recommend NEVER being along when crossing a glacier, else it could be deadly (no one knows if there is all of a sudden a hole somewhere).

In Asia or Africa... it usually takes at least 4500 m in order for glaciers to appear as the climate is less harsh on the same altitude.

Now the Andean mountain range is very special in many cases because it is the longest mountain-range worldwide and it is by far the mountain range with the highest difference in latitude.

So, for example, in Ecuador... there is a about 6000 m mountain that is pretty precisely sitting on the equator-latitude... and it makes its climate way less harsh... so it is in general less harsh.

On the other hand... there are 2 notorious mountains on almost the most southern (= very far away from the equator) part of the Andean... in Argentina... and those mountains... despite ONLY being a bit above 3000 m, are two of the most difficult mountains in order to climb, due to their extremely harsh climate! Those notorious mountains are called "Fritz Roy and Cerro Torre". Not even Rheinhold Messner, who was climbing every 8000 peak... was ever climbing those two 3000 m mountains. So, nope... it is not all about altitude but... altitude of course plays a important role on the harshness of its climate AS WELL as... with every 1000 m, oxygen will decrease which makes the body less and less "powerful". Of course at about 7500-8000 m there is the "dead zone" = no regeneration possible anymore, yet this is very common knowledge... so i was only trying to add some of the "missing knowledge almost no one knows about".

Just as i said, altitude is NOT the only factor playing a important role... which is rarely known by anyone without great "mountaineer-knowledge".

Just to correct this statement "that i do not edit", which is usually the case: It does not mean that i do not shot in RAW; it just means that i as well shoot in JPG or are not "touching" a RAW. My camera got the option to process RAW and JPG at the same time, so all the options are always available

However, in my view a RAW only makes sense if something with a very high potential got a certain failure, so "It can be saved" or in term i would want to print it out by a professional photo-labor. Those can make use of the increased gamut that is stored in a RAW, which can achieve better results than what most monitors are "capable to show". Those monitors in usual got a capability barely higher than what a JPG (which is already big enough at high res) is able to deliver.

So, dependable on situation, processing a RAW makes sense but not always... and even a digital camera can still "create analog material" if we send the RAW to a labor, of course, so this "good old time" is not completely gone... yet in usual very rarely done as it is pricey and not very practical.

Just because we got digital games or digital photos does not mean that we can not make a physical BD or a printed-photo out of it... it just is increasingly rarely done due to corporate-greed or simply because of our laziness and/or pockets.

Of course, always store the RAWs, even if not used, perhaps someday you may want to create a photo-book... and THEN it will improve its quality.

Well... anyone into trekking or even some higher grade climbing? So far it does not look like...

Now that Nvidia and the other parts of the hardware.-industry is slowly making me incapable to get a new PC i have to increase my focus on "cheaper hobbies", because... compared to the stupid hardware-prices even super high quality shoes for alpine-hiking is now almost a bargain, i can barely believe it.

So... as i enjoy to visit the mountains and my old Salomon-shoes are now almost destroyed, i had to get me some new shoes. I have no use for Sneakers... sorry gamers, but so far it was sufficient for me using "standard-hiking-shoes" which usually are offered from brands like Salomon. The stuff is okay but not a good fit for difficult conditions in the winter or when it is snowy with ice. So... basically shoes got 3 different main-categories:

Class 1 Difficult hiking conditions, almost always with snow or ice: Fully compatible with every climbing-iron. However... those shoes are very stiff, got the highest weight and in term the condition is not very difficult it is making the hiking way harder without any advantage; so it is in many cases totally overkill. They are not per se the best shoes, it depends on conditions.

Class 2: Intermediate hiking conditions with snow and ice involved: Compatible with semi-automatic climbing iron and "Grödel", but can not support full-automatic. Usually less stiff to wear, less heavy but still more sturdy than standard-hiking or trekking shoes. In many cases a good compromise if it goes a bit higher than usual.

Class 3: Easier and less challenging conditions, rarely with snow or ice involved: Those shoes usually are capable to support fully manual climbing iron only. In my case i only prefer to use small spikes, else the entire advantage of having it "light weight" with highest flexibility is almost gone.

Sneakers: Oh, those are not alpinist-grade-shoes but some people already climbed huge mountains with, as some of them enjoy to have a lot of risks in their life. Arguably, they are the most comfortable to wear, yet not for me as i feel "it is already too soft", i lack stability wearing this stuff. Nike is a sneaker, yes... and i never had in mind they are good shoes but teens find them "super cool".

Climbing iron: Those can be gotten in 3 different categories... automatic, semi-automatic and fully manual.

Automatic offers the best stability but they are very rigid, making it very exhausting to walk with. The advantage is that they offer the best capability in very difficult conditions. They need as well very rigid shoes able to support them. It is not easy to walk with but they can overcome high challenges in case the ground is very slippery or lose.

Semi-automatic Those are offering a rigid heel but the front is more flexible, resulting into a more flexible "hiking-style"... still powerful but it needs some support from the shoes and from the hiker (in less stable grounds). Those seems to be preferred by me as they offer almost any capabilities but are less exhausting due to increased flexibility and reduced weight. It is possible to tackle any challenges with but not the most secure doing it.

Fully-manual, usually called "crampon" or "Grödel" in German: This type of "climbing-iron" is not in need of any support from the shoes as it simply will become attached like a basket around the shoes and then fixated after... kinda like any snoe-shows. It is more some sort of spikes and useful in less harsh conditions, slippery but not very challenging. It can be attached on any shoes and offers the highest flexibility... very easy to walk with. Crambon do not necessarily need a "Antisnow" but in my mind it is not suitable for deep or sticky snow unless it is only with small spikes, no big iron-edges, used, which is the only use making sense to me going fully manual. Without small spikes it may already require Antisnow (Antistoll in German) protection that will come close to the weight and stiffness of "semi-automatic"; which does not anymore make sense as it would lose its flexibility-advantage. As well, small spikes does not necessarily need strong soles... but it would still be required in term it got big iron-edges... making it almost as heavy such as semi-automatic. So, without small-spikes it is almost a useless "class" to me.

So now, what shoes i got?

Asolo Alta Via GV: Those are Class 1, so they can support any climbing-iron. However... i heard that they work best together with semi-automatic, my preferred use. They weight roughly 1 kg each; are not fast shoes... but i plan to try them out on more difficult conditions when there is snow or even ice on some of the easier 3000 m mountains (as far as i can go up...). It is the first time i ever try out shoes of this class but due to a great offer (priced way lesser than usually asked for, barely pricier than my last Salomon-standard-shoes) i wanted to experience it and test it out.
Those shoes are made with Vibram-soles and Perwanger-leather locally sourced and manufactured; it is very high quality.
https://perwangerleather.com/en/

Camp Stalker Semi-Automatic Those are climbing-irons very suitable for the class 1 shoes (with some class 2 capabilities, being a bit more flexible on the front). High quality NiCrMo steel, Made in Italy.

La Sportiva Aequilibrium Trek GTX: Those are Class 3, so they can only support fully manual (Grödel-type) climbing-iron, but they offer a capability, with Vibram-soles, coming close to Class 2 while being very light weight and even suitable during cold winter-conditions with some snow and ice involved. Optionally i plan to use spikes with. The weight is about half of the Class 1 shoes, even less than half with spikes instead of big-iron attached. Ideal for trailrunning or fast hiking. They as well are made with Idro-Perwanger-leather.

Snowline Chaine Hexa Spikes that can be attached on them... light weight but pretty effective on slippery conditions. I will see if they are good enough or if something heavier might still be required.

So, yeah... i made some "step up" now... as the life is too short not to enjoy it using good shoes. Despite the high quality, i had a very fair price (when i compare it with other products of the same quality-level). Still have to test out the stuff now but it looks promising.

Where can I find a hiking simulator? lol

I am almost sure GOG got some hiking and/or climbing-sim games...

Since summer is leaving us, I'm going into baking season. No more homemade ice cream for my family until next year. It's all bread, cookies, and cakes. My mom keeps dropping hints that she wants homemade hand pies even though I've never really been into pies of any sort. I am not aware of any that are actually here on GOG. There is Insurmountable, but the game is more of a roguelike with a mountaineering theme to it than a game that is actually about climbing.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/insurmountable

Do you hike alone? If so, do you ever fear that you may need help for some reason and, in the worst case, no one will ever know what the hell happened?

Group activities have their own problems. I like to play tabletop games. But getting the people to the table and selecting a game everyone wants to play, and then making it to the end... it can be difficult. Solitary activities don't have this problem.

Recomended:

Cairn - https://www.gog.com/en/game/cairn
Jusant - https://www.gog.com/en/game/jusant
A short hike - https://www.gog.com/en/game/a_short_hike

For some people, as soon as there is snow: The season is STARTING.
Although, if it comes to mountaineering, stuff gets way more difficult; so, not for amateurs with weak shoes. Good idea... yet i can as well buy pretty well made hand-made pies using a woodstove at a bakery not far from my place.

In many cases i am technically but not naturally alone, as... although i am going my route alone i am still meeting many other hikers that could in a emergency support me.

However... i would recommend having a satellite-phone, because a "standard phone" does not always have a stable connection due to the very high distance toward the next antenna. When i was on my Muttler-trip for example my phone-antenna often stopped to work as the distance to the next village was close to 10 km and no antenna anywhere close to this place. This is stuff the people living in a city got no clue about... so i do not recommend for them making such trips without some experienced people with them. It is not sufficient just to have enough of battery, nope. Especially young hikers are often very careless and are hiking in very light clothing, with sneakers and with a dog up toward pretty big mountains sometimes in the 3000 m range and then they may still wonder why they may at some point face some serious emergency: At least... they usually are rarely alone. The people walking alone are usually experienced hikers with good equipment.

Oh and yes, i still need to get me a satellite phone but i heard the newest Xiaomi may as well support a emergency-satellite-call. In the future even some good "standard phones" may support it, but just as an emergency-call. In theory a satellite internet may work as well; this is stuff i will have to investigate. If doing any serious mountaineering, it is foolish not to make use of it.

Now i am investigating which class 3 shoes i should get, as i still may require some very light "daily" and "easy-hiking" boots for when there are no difficult situations in the summer. It will be more comfortable to wear, allowing for a faster approach (usually in a single day). So far i am not sure which "class 3 boots" i should be getting. So far

DOLOMITE Nibelia
and
Merrell Moab Speed 2 Leather WP

looks interesting, both pretty much with the same price range (a bit cheaper than the other shoes).

Asolo Alta Via Gv is a class 1 with some class 2 flexibility, so effective around class 1.5. Yet only useful when there is snow and ice-contact. Totally overkill for any other approach.

La Sportiva Aequilibrium Trek GTX are advanced hiking and trekking-shoes about class 3 with class 2 capabilities, so effective around class 2.5.

The only shoes missing are class 3, that are comfortable enough for daily use on lighter terrain in which even the class 2.5 boots are already overkill (and demanding for no reason).

Usual sneakers are more like class 4, but this is not a mountaineering-class anymore and i would not even use it on light outdoor-terrain.

So far, i do not really know a situation i am going to approach very soon in which i would require the class 1.5 boots but i was in luck of finding a very good deal on those boots (about half the usual price) and so i was getting it for future-approaches, not yet finalized.

I plan, somewhere in the future, not any sooner than next summer... to visit the Vincent-Pyramide, a 4200+ m mountain in Italy. Although i will not be going there alone, of course, as i have to cross a glacier. As i said... in the alps there is not really any 4000+m without a glacier and it starts already at about 3500 m or even at 3000 m already. So, either i am gonna hire a mountaineer-guide or i may find some capable "private person" with serious mountaineer-skills.

This mountain is one of the easiest 4000+ m to approach but it is a 4000+ nonetheless... any foolish action or lack of respect can lead to someones demise, no need to have any illusion here. This is then a mountain where i would totally need the class 1.5 boots. Yet not sure if i am going to need it on the other mountains i plan to visit, so far.

Usually the class 2.5 is the most commonly used for my needs, and in the summer even class 3 is already sufficient in many cases (the usual hiking-boots the mainstream is using such as Salomon X Ultra or Merrell Moab 3.)

It doesn't actually snow here. We're expecting very heavy rain this coming winter and flooding in some areas. I prepare to stay in place for the duration of the storm plus up to a week after due to fallen trees. The only tree of concern in my immediate area is tilted towards a neighbor's garage, which means that's where it's most likely going to land if it comes down. It will suck for that neighbor if the tree comes down onto her garage, but better a garage gets hit by a tree than an actual house where it's more likely to land on a person or a household pet.

Anyway, I may start a baking thread once I actually start baking.