Towards the sun

My hike to Pendlinghaus

2:15 am

At 2:15 am my alarm goes off, and wakes me from my short sleep. Seriously? 2:15 in the morning??? Yes, really, and the thought of the glowing red fireball over the "Koasa" forces me out of bed. My goal for the day: enjoy sunrise over the Kaiser Mountains after an early morning hike.

It's ambitious: get up, have an early breakfast, then go to Thiersee and from there up the Pendling within 2 hours. But in the middle of the night every minute extra sleep counts. Sunrise is officially at 5:37 am, and I want to be on top before it gets light. So: hurry up.

2:30 am

I packed my backpack the night before, which saves me a little time, and I'm able to head out at 2:30 on the dot. The drive from Ebbs to the starting point of my little sunrise hike takes about 25 minutes. My car has already completed its biggest challenge as we park in the car park of Gasthof Schneeberg, mine is only just beginning. The fact that I'm so early means that I don't have to pay parking, an unexpected advantage to being out and about at this time of day...

3:00 am

My headlamp guides me through the darkness toward Pendlinghaus. For 1.5 hours I walk through the early morning stillness, partially along a forestry road, partially up steep steps. I need to push ahead, time is short.

At a little after 4:30 am, and somewhat out of breath, I reach the Pendlinghaus. It's still very dark, but you can already see a little lightness on the horizon. The weather report forecast a clear sky, and the bright stars make me hope that it's right. So I sit myself down on the terrace of the hut and wait, wrapped up in a blanket that I brought along just in case. The sky starts to lighten up slowly, and a wonderful view emerges from the darkness.

4:30 am - The exciting moment:

My effort was worthwhile! The sun slowly pushes past the "Koasa", and shines toward me. Although it's been light for a while now, it's still impressive to see the fireball in the blue sky. The crowning glory was the breakfast I brought with me, after which I made my way back down the mountain.