A path down the mountain towards Ōwakudani valley (大涌谷) in Hakone, Japan. The dead trees at the sides of the path were probably killed off by fumes from the sulphur vents in the valley. The name "Ōwakudani" literally means "Great Boiling Valley".
In the distance is Kamiyama (神山), the highest peak in Hakone. Covered with clouds in the far distance is Mount Fuji. Hakone is popular with tourists for its mountains and hot springs.
NEFs converted with -0.3 exposure compensation in CNX2
Images stitched, blended, and exposure fused in PTGUI 9 Pro
Images blended for exposure and nadir patched in PS CS5
Tripod shadow cloned out in PS CS5 with aid of SuperCubic plugin
Lens flare cloned out in PS CS5