Teufelsmühle – Loffenau, Germany

MY MOMENT

Sometimes the most beautiful moment comes after the rain.

Even the name Teufelsmühle had made me curious. This mountain in the Black Forest has since become a familiar training ground: by train from Karlsruhe to Bad Herrenalb, up on foot, then back down beneath my wing or on foot, depending on the day.

On my first planned flight, however, Teufelsmühle showed its darker side. Dark clouds gathered, heavy rain set in, and the summit disappeared into fog. I could barely see anything and thought I had come all this way for nothing.

Then the rain moved on. The clouds opened, and golden sunlight broke through their layers. I stood at the edge of the rocks, looking out over a landscape that suddenly seemed transformed. It was one of the most beautiful views I have ever experienced. I did not fly that day. Yet I went home feeling I had been given something extraordinary. Sometimes a surprise is waiting just beyond the next cloud.