The most beautiful sunset you've ever seen

[Senauer]

I was climbing Timberwolf Mountain for the second time in 3 days. My first visit to the summit had rendered a huge amount of loot and, of course, I didn’t want to leave anything behind. Even if that meant scheduling a handful of trips to the top of the mountain in the forthcoming days. Greedy me.

I was at the base of the last rope. I was weary, as the effort to climb the previous rope had taken its toll. I looked into my backpack only to find out that I had left my coffee back at Mountaineer's Hut. It was past midday and it was snowing gently, so I decided I could sleep for a few hours to get some rest and push for the summit later in the evening. I lit a campfire inside a hollow tree, fueling it to last for over 4 hours, and laid my old bedroll close and ready for a reinvigorating nap. When I woke up my fatigue bar was 3/4 full and I was ready to face the last stage of the ascension.

As I left the bedroll behind in order to save some weight –why not? my cozy bear bedroll was still waiting for me in the summit after my previous trip there, anyway–, I firmly grabbed the climbing rope and I boosted myself into the last stage of the climb. I was not even half way to the top when tiredness kicked in strong, so I desperately aimed for the nearest ledge to catch my breath, fatigue meter roughly at 50%.

“OK, good that I dropped the bedroll, otherwise I would be already encumbered. Yep, good call, but now I cannot rest anymore. Shall I withdraw? Screw it, I’ll just go for it. All in, babe”. I push myself up from the ledge, clutching the rope one more time with weakening force. My hands hurt. No, they burn. I am pretty sure they are bleeding inside my thin and worn mittens. My body feels numb. At this moment it is no better than a chunk of dead weight. “Ha, dead weight. That's funny". Should I give in and let gravity do its part? I gasp and I choke. Do I hear a mesmerizing music or is it just a filthy trick of my unsettled mind? I’m on the verge of exhaustion. Ah, so this is how it ends…

… or it isn't? Because somehow, my feet are touching solid ground once more. I fall to my knees, vision blurred and eyes filled with tears, struggling to get air into my lungs as a helpless newborn. I vomit. Perhaps I even pass away, only the noisy companions that are the crows may tell. And then, raising my head up, I see it. The most beautiful sunset that I’ve ever seen. Burning clouds of napalm fire, a palette of blood and fury bathing the mountains and valleys as far as the eye can reach. Above, the endless indigo of the vast void. Below, a mere mortal. A lone survivor fading into oblivion.

But after all, I will not be fading into the Long Dark. At least not today, for what is worth.

[Hotzn]

Arrrgh... where is the sunset? Give it to me!

[Senauer]

Thanks for the compliments! I’m sorry, I didn’t have a clue on how to take a screenshot with the PS4 -I looked it up and now I know, though. So, I owe you a nice and crisp shot 

[Pillock]

You're not allowed to come down until you've got that picture.

[ThePancakeLady]

There are so many, and they are all beautiful. Sorry, I can't pick just one. So, here are a few...

The last 3 are old 35 mm photos taken by me, scanned into my PC.  A sunset during a violent electrical storm, where the sky turned a beautiful shade of purple during a lightning strike. A sunset looking down from the porch at my old farm, one of the most spectacular I ever saw there. And the lst, a sunset while camping in the desert, Lavender Canyon, Utah (just outside of Canyonlands National Park boundaries). Just me, my husband, a few rattlesnakes and maybe a ground squirrel of 2 saw that one. We were camped just below some old NA ruins, and I doubt any other humans but the 2 of us saw that one. 

The game has some awesome beauty. But the real world, when you find places away from the light pollution and smog of the cities... Yeah.

[MarrowStone]

@ThePancakeLady, Great photos. I have a photo of purple lightning as well, it surprised me that it could be that color.

I have wayyy too many TLD screenshots (over a thousand....)

[ThePancakeLady]

1 hour ago, MarrowStone said:

@ThePancakeLady, Great photos. I have a photo of purple lightning as well, it surprised me that it could be that color.

I have wayyy too many TLD screenshots (over a thousand....)

I have around 5000,  stored between my HDD and a 5GB external, lol!  I really need to go through and do a cleanup, get rid of a bunch of duplicates or similars. Someday.  

Yeah, purple lightning! Only caught it once on actual film. Nature can be amazing, can't it?