At the lower elevations, under the blanket of low clouds, the landscape was gray and dreary.
The ascent – one step after another on the well-known path -, did not portend anything exciting.
Instead, once past the misty curtain, surprise materialized in the form of a clear sky overlooking a newly snow-covered landscape: it was the first snow of the season, and it had arrived suddenly. Not much, but enough to provide the right winter mood. The accumulated flurries on the ridges and in the depressions had reshaped the mountain. Arabesques of ice, thickened on the rocky terrain, left obvious signs of the raging wind. Now, however, peace reigned supreme. Soft light caressed peaks and summit ridges, while darkness engulfed the narrow valleys, protected by steep overhanging walls.
