Hello. I have something special this week.
Yesterday my father celebrated his 74th birthday. This limited my hiking possibilities. I did however drive to the nearest mountain range (90km) and made a short hike to contemplate the sunrise from a mountain called Matyska (609m asl).
The road to the mountain and its summit are adorned with 14 monuments of a Catholic Via Dolorosa (“Way of the Cross”). It's not a usual set of sculptures. It's been made by a renowned artis and arts professor. and The last one, "Jesus placed in tomb", is spectacular.
First, it faces the east. Second, between the angels' wings, one can the highest peak of Beskidy Mts, Babia Góra. Add the colors of the sunrise and it's easy to understand my excitement.
Magical place
Sunrise from Babia Góra is probably the most spectacular known to me (the mountain is very prominent, with nothing higher in miles, the peak is open giving 360 degrees panorama), but it also attracts throngs of viewers. I did the Babia Góra sunrise three times, in the three different seasons of the year, including winter. But watching the spectacle of nature with 100 noisy people around, is not my favorite.
Matyska, which I visited on Saturday, is more than 1000m lower than Babia Góra (!), but no one else had the idea to be there. I was alone, with three friends, one of them aged almost 70. It's magical, mystical, exhilarating experience.
In similar cases, I tend to feel like I'm "dissolving" into the surrounding landscape.