Who witnessed the drama?

First blush on the Klingspitz

It was a no-brainer. Go down into the cellar and sweat it out for half an hour on a bike on rollers, or head out into the frosty dawn as the rising sun paints the tips of the mountains that surround us.

Early morning is the best of times: all the opportunities of a new day lie ahead. Even in the old life, back in the city it was a good time but here in the mountains, where the night sky sparkles and the mountains loom in the dark waiting for the dawn, it is drama of the highest order.

 

Baukogel's peak catches the first rays

As the stars fade and a pink glow profiles the Rauchkogel, it is time to get out and watch the magic. The valleys below us still snooze under featherbed covers of morning mists as the highest peaks begin to blush. First the Baukogel’s peak with its sharp edges and behind us the softer, rounder,  Klingspitz, still thickly coated in snow.

The Hochkönig is veiled in mists but further along the valley other peaks begin their morning transformation from grey to delicate rose.

 

Klingspitz glows while the valley lies beneath the mist

The air crackles, the woodpecker rattles out a few sharp volleys and a blackbird begins its welcome to the dawn. The ground is frozen and the snow underfoot crunches like the munching of breakfast cornflakes.

Within a few minutes, the overture to “Another Brilliant Day” has ended. The snow on the mountains glistens white against the deepening blue sky. Who witnessed the drama? How many people missed it? There are still a lot of visitors in the village but being on holiday, they probably slept through a virtuoso performance.

But still, there is another chance to see it tomorrow.

Blushing pink - the Baukogel