Full Moon Night at Fiderepasshütte

Late September 2015 brought a special full moon night: the full moon not only appeared larger due to its closer proximity to Earth, but it also passed through the Earth’s shadow that night, leading to a lunar eclipse and a so-called “Blood Moon” – a moon coloured red by rays deflected by the Earth.

For me, the mountains are a favourite place to enjoy the full moon and the landscape bathed in golden light; back in July, I had seen an impressive full moon rise at the Totalphütte in Rätikon. This time, I chose the Fiderepasshütte (2,070 m) in Allgäu because its excellent location on the pass offered an unobstructed view of the spectacle to the southwest. Unfortunately, the ascent to the hut from Faistenoy was entirely in the clouds, and I feared I wouldn’t be able to see the full moon, but during the night, the clouds cleared, revealing the impressive sight – albeit in already frosty temperatures.

This was followed by an equally glorious sunrise and a clear autumn day, during which, after crossing the Fiderescharte, I was finally able to enjoy the magnificent view of the already snow-covered main ridge of the Allgäu Alps, which had been denied to me the previous day.