Hohe Wand 22.11.2007
Today it is misty and dull all day, but a short view on Schneeberg - webcam teaches me that Hohe Wand is out of the mist and in the sun. So I enter my car in the morning and drive up.
At first, I park the car near Kleine Kanzel where I am enjoying a first breathtaking view to Schneeberg..
Panoramic view from kleine Kanzel - click into the picture for a larger version.
Larches in the forest are losing their needles on the snow blanket, so they are covering the snow.
In the forest
All of a sudden, the plateau comes to its end and escarps down by steep rock walls. The view now goes over the sea of clouds covering the southern Wiener Becken ("Vienna´s plain).
The escarpment.
View over the clouds to the Wechsel mountains.
Panoramic view from the southern end of Hohe Wand to Wechsel and Schneeberg. To the right the cross on "Grosze Kanzel". click into the picture for a larger version.
The cross on "Grosze Kanzel" with Schneeberg behind.
Zooming in on Schneeberg. The small island in the sea of clouds bottom right is "Gelaend" with the homonymeous lodge.
Eicherthuette, situated close to Grosze Kanzel.
Walking further to Plackles, which is the highest point of Hohe Wand (1135 m).
Back to Kleine Kanzel, I drive to the opposite end of Hohe Wand. On this point, near Herrgottschnitzerhaus (826 m), you are on the upper outskirt of the mist. On other days, there is a great view from here.
On places of wind drift there is only a thin blanket of snow.
In backlight the mist is so bright that you even cannot see it.
Another stop on the way back, near Kohlroeserlhaus (900 m).
Here you are slightly above the clouds.
One more detour to Waldeggerhaus (1.000 m): around the house in the forest numerous larches that drop their yellow needles onto the snow.
From Waldeggerhaus a fine view, this time also Oetscher (1.893 m high and 62 km far!) can be seen.
Schneeberg, in the foregrund the recently built view tower near Kleine Kanzel.
Panoramic view from Waldeggerhaus in western direction. Click into the picture for a larger version.
Once more the same panorama, taken with a bit higher focal length. Click into the picture for a larger version.
View in northern direction
Zooming in on Unterberg with clearly discernable Ski pists.
Once more Oetscher - the light being a bit different now.
One more detour to Hochkogelhaus - a Lerche in the garden.
Panoramic view from Hochkogelhaus in southeastern direction - the sun is reflecting so much that you are nearly dazzled. Click into the picture for a larger version.
View to Bucklige Welt and Wechsel. This exposure has been taken with 1/4000 second and aperture 8!
A last detour to Postl´s inn - a similar scenery here, from which I cannot get enough. I have to "store" some light for the rest of the day - on the drive down the clouds are so thick that they reach from the plateau at 900 m nearly down to Winzendorf - thus more than 500 m thick, resulting in considerable bleakness in the valley.
