This mountain optical situation is one of the hardest to find and requires very specific and unusual meteorological conditions. Sergi Cabeza documented his experience during an outing to the Bages massif, where he reported that to have a chance of seeing it, one must venture into the mountains on “the worst possible day,” the kind that invites staying home.
“"It is not a ghost, but it looks like one"
The Brocken Spectre appears when the sun is low, there is fog, and the observer is at a sufficient altitude. It consists of the projection of one's own shadow onto the fog, which appears distorted, gigantic, and surrounded by colored rings, resulting from a “rare, ephemeral, and ghostly” meteorological event typical of high mountains.
Among his tips for hikers, Cabeza recommended climbing to the highest visible aerial peak and traversing the fog. Once at the summit of Montserrat, and with a bit of luck, this effect can be observed in addition to enjoying a spectacular sea of clouds.
