Clouds play an important part on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Generally speaking, people rejoice when they are high, and enjoy seeing white fluffy clouds in a blue sky, but are far less keen on them when they are low, covering part of the mountain in mist or fog, and preventing any kind of distant view.
Nor are people so fond of a totally overcast sky, even if the cloud is high; there’s something about seeing individual clouds which gives pleasure.
Most of us can name a few types of cloud, but once you start delving into the different types – and the reasons for those different types – they become infinitely more interesting. So much so, that the lack of any view from the summit can be balanced by the excitement of being IN the cloud. Perhaps we should be more like children; many is the time when I have seen children excited and amazed about the fact that they are actually IN the clouds, something they might never have done before.
And have you ever seen a cloud form? There are those occasions when a sky can be totally clear, then clouds start to bubble up out of nowhere. Or have you reached a ridge with no clouds around, only to find that on the other side it is totally clagged in with cloud (or vice-versa)?
As much as people like cloudless skies (and yes, they sure make for great pictures in the mountains), some would argue that a total absence of clouds is actually dull.
Most people love temperature inversions (sometimes, though incorrectly called ‘cloud inversions’), when the top of the mountain might be in the sun, under blue skies, and below is a bank of cloud you’ve had to walk through, probably not knowing that it was clear above. Sometimes the inversion is partial, with the cloud rather broken up, but at its best the cloud will be flat and smooth, like the surface of a lake.
Clouds, like the weather, can affect people’s moods; it’s not hard to associate cloud types and cloud cover with how people are feeling, and indeed brighter moods will generally be associated with fewer clouds. But is it fair that clouds are associated with bringing depression?
The view west from the summit, with fluffy white clouds and a blue sky. Lovely!
Did you know that there is even a Cloud Appreciation Society? It has over 60,000 members in 120 countries (despite the annual £30 subscription) and their website (cloudappreciationsociety.org) features a ‘Cloud of the Day’ and a ‘Cloud of the Month’.
The Cloud Appreciation Society has a manifesto, which states:
- We believe that clouds are unjustly maligned and that life would be immeasurably poorer without them.
- We think that clouds are nature’s poetry, and the most egalitarian of her displays, since everyone can have a fantastic view of them.
- We pledge to fight ‘blue-sky thinking’ wherever we find it. Life would be dull if we had to look up at cloudless monotony day after day.
- We seek to remind people that clouds are expressions of the atmosphere’s moods, and can be read like those of a person’s countenance.
- We believe that clouds are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul. Indeed, all who consider the shapes they see in them will save money on psycho-analysis bills.
- And so we say to all who’ll listen: Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds!
OK, you may not want to be a member of the society, but why not adopt the sentiment of their manifesto anyway? It’ll make your mountain walking more interesting!
And next time you’re on Yr Wyddfa and the cloud is down, rather than being despondent at the lack of views, why not instead rejoice that you’re walking IN the clouds?