Alpin Cave

About 950 kilometers separated my home from this place. A long trip, to which I added an extra touch of adventure: avoiding the toll roads in France. In the most expensive country in Europe for that kind of thing, every kilometer of highway feels like you're paying in gold. The result? A slower, longer... and far more exhausting journey.
I was traveling alone. Which meant fewer stops, fewer breaks—just the road and music filling the van as the landscapes rolled by like an endless reel.
By the time I finally arrived at the parking lot that leads to this location—my base camp for the next three days—I had only two things on my mind: a hot shower and some rest. I had plans to do a few hikes, explore some lesser-known spots, and disconnect completely. I already knew there would be no cell service out here, and honestly, that was part of the plan.
But first, I had to back up the night shoot from two days earlier in Navarra. As I was going through the files and letting the laptop do its thing, something started changing outside the van window.
The sky.
Little by little, it began to shift. Warm tones started creeping through the glass—soft oranges, faint pinks, touches of purple brushing across the peaks of the French Alps. I hesitated. Fatigue had its grip on me. But after a few seconds of silent watching, a thought echoed in my tired mind like a spark:
"We came to play."
I laced up my boots without another thought. Opened the door. And stepped out to see what I could make of that unexpected sunset the mountains were offering me.