Hohe Wand 20.12.2007
High air pressure for more than a week with icy coldness and constant fog over the plains however reaching not very high up. Today at last I can manage to go out for a walk from Dreistetten on Hohe Wand to Herrgottschnitzerhaus, about 2 hours and 400 m of ascent.
The walk is beginning inmidst the dense fog, ...
... which however brightens up soon, ...
... permitting a glimpse of some blue sky.
Spruce trees enlightened by hoarfrost
The route now temporarily leads to the northern flanks of Hohe Wand with a view into the Piesting valley ...
... with Unterberg as a backdrop ...
... and Hoher Mandling.
The route is now leading trough the forest and is heading for the southeastern escarpments, ...
.... towards the sun.
First sunlight in a clearing
Further up deciduous woodland is predominating in some places, which lets pass much more of the sunlight.
Near Herrgottschnitzerhaus a goruous view on the sea of fog - click into the picture for a larger version.
Smaller areas are a bit devoid of the mist - compare with the last picture of the series with opposite direction view.
View in northern direction - somewhere under the blanket is the city of Vienna
The Rosalia mountains are coming up like islets in the sea of clouds.
Dog roses near the escarpments.
Sheila is waiting patiently while I take pictures.
I proceed the walk for about a kilometer into the plateau - here the fog is seen only from afar.
On the return, near Herrgottschnitzerhaus, the one branch of the road on Hohe Wand is coming to its end. Due to construction work in the steep serpentines of the escarpment area the road had to be closed last summer and in the nect summer. During this time, a narrow gravel road can be used (indicated the signpost "Notabfahrt), which however is not needed inwinter and therefore not cleaned from snow.
In the forest again, near the upper outskirts of the fog. Thiick hoarfrost everywhere ...
Grassland on the foot of Hohe Wand. The mist has receded a little bit giving free these views ...
... but the mist is still hanging on the small side ridge leading down from Hohe Wand.
The lower parts of this grassland are still wrapped in the mist.
View back: up there is Herrgottschnitzerhaus - look at the corresponding view down
22.12.2007 - meeting friends in Kirchberg. The mist is not proceeding up here, but still it is cold in this place, about -5 C, whereas St. Corona, 400 m higher and at a distance of only a few kilometers, is experiencing +6 C at the same time. This area also has had misty times - hoarfrost an a snow heap on the fence, ...
--- on the compost pile ...
... near the beck ...
... and on the apple tree.
