Danielle Lancashire

Sometimes a hike isn't what you'd expect.

A rocky trail lined with dead and bare trees. The photo is black and white. It leaves a feeling of sad melancholy. As you look closer you see cairns built from loose rocks on dead stumps and stripped bark.

This recent trip to Brocken/Harz National Park was definitely one of those where the joy was drained out of you. They kill many of the lower trees and just… leave them to rot… to “protect” nearby commercial forests from bugs - and this is the result 😔.

A tight shot of dead trees, some still standing, some fallen. In the distance you can see some new-growth trees with a little life to them.

A rocky trail lined with dead and bare trees. The photo is black and white. It's hard to believe it was taken in the middle of summer, as even the standing trees are bare.