1:15 a.m and the Sunrise Hike

What was I thinking?! We do some crazy things for what we love, right?!

Like get up so early no one else is up and go traipse up a mountainside just to watch the sun rise?! Yup. That sounds about right. Sounds like me, because it is. It’s something I would do. And I did.

Chocorua, I’m coming back for seconds…

My first few memories of getting up for the sunrise were of dark…and more dark. I did not feel like leaving the comfort of the house. Heck I didn’t feel like leaving the bed! But there was a feeling deep down inside that made me want to do this, and soon I was up and ready to go…reluctantly! Which brings me to the first tip regarding what to bring and when to pack, because I did NOT want to try and second-guess myself that early in the morning. I just wanted to throw stuff into the car and be on my way.

First Tip: Make sure all camera equipment and other supplies are packed the night before and you’ve triple-checked everything you need for the trek, because come morning you’re not going to feel like remembering much! It will make for a less stressful start if you’re confident everything is in place. Here is what I recommend for your packing list:

1. Water (and plenty of it!) (or water filtration bottle system like Lifestraw)

2. Great back pack to carry all your items

3. Camera with large enough storage card or film (this still a thing?!)

4. batteries for the camera

5. headlamp

6. mosquito spray

7. change of socks and shirt

8. sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt (even though it was 58 degrees in the morning it still felt cold)

9. some kind of food or nutritional item

10. sunglasses & sunscreen

11. cell phone or GPS

12. notebook and pen-you’ll want to write down how you felt!

13. prelim first aid kid with moleskin and some band aids

14. A hearty sense of adventure & FUN! <-VERY IMPORTANT!

Silence

During this time of the morning, there are hardly any other hikers on the trail so it’s just you, mother nature, and the voices in your head. It’s a great time to reflect just who we are in this world and how brave we are. The feeling of fear will hit at all times and sometimes the internal voice can be loud. How we choose to handle it defines who we are.

The strange cross I found lashed up in the tree made me think of the Blair Witch Project film and that I could be stalked by some unearthly force out there (silly I know, but fear replaces reason in a big way). I could have succumbed to the fear and discomfort, but the promise of a summit sunrise was too great of a calling to ignore. Even rational feelings from fear of bear or wild animal attacks didn’t last that long. Onward and upward.

Second Tip: If you are the type of person that needs something to distract the voices in your head and need other means to do so, then definitely take a phone or portable entertainment device with headphones. Uplifting podcasts or music can put you into the right frame of mind and may even provide a hiking rhythm for you to fall into.

UP Next: 5:00a.m. & I don’t think we are going to make it…