The Resting Rock

I’m writing this in mid-March in the dregs of a long cold winter. We’ve sprung our clocks ahead, the birds seem to be excited that spring is on its way, and some days tease us with temperatures of May. 

Based on a favorable spring-like forecast, I walked to work the other morning. It’s invigorating. As I walked, I thought of another invigorating morning exercise that I’ve done the past two summers: a sunrise hike.

I experienced both sunrise hikes in the first week of August, when sunrise in that part of New York is roughly around 5:50 a.m., so in order to make the summit by the time the sun breaks the horizon, you have to be up early – like, really early. 

Seeing the sun set is routine for most of us, especially where we live in Buffalo, along the Lake Erie shoreline. In the summer, families, couples, and singles make their way to the waterfront watch the sun retire for the day over Lake Erie and Canada.

On the other hand, on the other side of night, watching the sun rise – actually rise  – is more difficult. It comes so early in the morning. 

My first sunrise hike was Hurricane Mountain (3688’) which sits generally between Keene and Elizabethtown, NY. It was August 6, 2023. Accompanying me were three of my nephews and my brother. The next year, on August 4, 2024, we hiked Poke-O-Moonshine (2180’) about 25 miles northeast of Hurricane. That time my son was with us. 

Hiking a mountain for the sunrise means you have two distinct experiences on the same hike. While doing an out-and-back trail you pass the same landmarks, terrain and scenery, you are coming from a different angle at a different time of day so it’s a different perspective.

My journal entry from the first hike: 

We hit the trail about 4:10 a.m. in complete darkness. The moon shone high above. Using headlamps and a hand-held flashlight, we carefully walked along the trail to the summit. 

Although the Adirondack trails are well worn, I’d shine the flashlight into trees looking for the reflection of the tin disk on a tree trunk, which reassured us that we were still on the trail. 

My notes continued: 

We approached the summit in the gathering light, with the firetower silhouetted against the pink-and-orange-and-purple sky. We reached the summit at 5:30 a.m…I watched the sun rise over Lake Champlain. I found Camel’s Hump (4083’), its profile distinct along the horizon of the Green Mountains. 

I’ll admit my throat tightened trying to hold back some goofy tears as the first morning arrived. The start of the day on top of a mountain summit, while most of the continent was still in bed, is an existential moment. It sounds dramatic, but it’s quite powerful.

My companions and I celebrated with a few pulls of Greenspot Irish Whiskey from a flask my nephew had surprised us with.

Everyone spoke in hushed voices. I felt some obligation to be almost reverent or respectful of other people who were viewing the event. 

About a half hour later, it felt like it was the right time to leave. We hiked the route we had taken on the way up, but now the morning sunlight revealed the trail meandered through a pretty forest with amazing views of other mountains along the way, and along a beautiful marsh in the slanting sunlight. It was quiet. 

The following year we chose to hike Poke-O-Moonshine. Like Hurricane, this mountain has an accessible fire tower. We selected both hikes based on the distance from our lodgings, and the distance of the trail itself to the summit. We wanted something manageable and not too lengthy. 

While our hike on Hurricane was chilly and clear, our morning for Poke-O-Moonshine was different. I wrote in my journal: 

Despite the early morning, it was very warm and humid. It was a fairly difficult hike and the five of us were sweating pretty heavily by the time we reached the summit at 5:30 a.m. The sunrise was somewhat obscured by trees, brush and clouds, but being on a mountain summit to watch the day arrive is a memorable event. 

On the way down, we realized how interesting the trail was – massive boulders, ledges and rocks millions of years old. We stopped to The remains of a fireplace and chimney of the Fire Observer’s cabin. 

Following both hikes, we celebrated our achievement over a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and coffee. Then we recharged with a late morning nap as the sun tracked across the sky, eventually making its way toward the western horizon, behind the Earth, and on to the east where on the summits of Hurricane, Poke-O-Moonshine, and others, people would be waiting for another beautiful day to begin.