I had planned to hike along a small river with some nice rapids and waterfalls, located in the Harz Mountain area.
But I could only make it less than halfway up to the highest point of this area (called "Brocken").
We've had a mix of snow and frost than heavy icy rain in the last few days and the trail was basically covered with thick ice.
The first picture will give you an idea about the conditions
With these conditions it was impossible to get to my favourite places. I don't like to climb over fully iced rocks with a heavy backpack full of camera and lenses and a solid tripod.
Nevertheless it was nice to be out for a few hours and at least I could play with some ND filters.
Please click for a larger version.