With these dramatic clouds, the shardlike pinnacles of the Aiguille du Midi (Needle of Midday) resemble the spires of a ruined Alpine cathedral. This is just one of the many spectacular peaks of the Mont Blanc massif, the storied Alps range in eastern France that stretches across the border into Italy and Switzerland. It was here in France"s Chamonix valley that mountaineering became a sport in the mid-1700s. This dramatic peak was first summited in 1818, a feat that helped to popularize mountain climbing throughout Europe.
Atop the Needle of Chamonix
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Arbor Day
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A species worth defending
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Zion National Park turns 103
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Blackbird in Essex, England
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The village of Castelluccio above the Piano Grande, Umbria, Italy
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Daintree Rainforest and Noah Beach, Queensland, Australia
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A snuggling ball of cute
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National Park Week begins
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Hiking the High Trestle Trail
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Joshua Tree National Park
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Bryce Canyon National Park turns 100
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Over and under the delta
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Unbearable cuteness
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Full moon
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In the Navajo Nation for Code Talkers Day
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A night of art and culture
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Cloughoughter Castle, County Cavan, Ireland
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Can you see the family resemblance?
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Cold? What cold?
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National Bird Day
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Wildlife crossing, Wierden, Netherlands
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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
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Lighting the way to new beginnings
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International Women s Day
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A Portuguese fort takes a star turn
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Let the Highland games begin
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Mapping courage in the Seventh Ward
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Shadows on the solstice
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A tower of light
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The snows of Fuji