The other morning, I set out on one of my Adventure Ecology programs I had planned, a sunrise hike up Butterworth Trail to the summit of East Rattlesnake. Now at the time of planning this program it was a great idea that was far off in the future. And then all of a sudden it was that morning, and it was still a good idea but I was struck with a problem.
Now, I am a person who loves to see any sunrise or sunset. I have done this many times in my life–early beach sunrise for the spring equinox, early morning rowing practices, or just any other occasion I feel the need to wake up early or stay out late.
My biggest problem was that I was comfy in my very warm and comfortable bed when my alarm went off. I have to say that for the first few moments when the music was chiming away beside my pillow, every part of me was screaming just to stay in bed. But it's a good thing I am stubborn and knew that getting up would be worth it, and my problem was very quickly solved.
Earlier in the week I had checked the weather and was excited to see a normal winter weather temperature of 27° F. I love to bundle up, and I love the cold even though I am a cold person. You can always put on more layers, but there is only so much you can take off without being indecent. I have a habit I have instilled in myself that at the time of my alarm going off I check the weather right away. I was maybe a little disappointed to read 35° F. However, as any true New Englander knows, we just have to wait five minutes for the weather to change, and apparently now with the shifting of the seasons we just have to wait 2 minutes. Living in New England my whole life, I have experienced some different winters over the years, but this year is definitely the warmest I have experienced in a while, if not ever. Of course, packing for this hike I was in denial and wanted to be prepared for anything. So, I brought my extra layers, foam pad to sit on, and even a blanket.
Maria, my second on this program and also a fellow LRCC member, and I had a very quick drive over to the trailhead where we met up with our participant and hit the trail, talking about anything and everything as we hiked up to the summit.
Maybe reading this you already have an image in your head about what sight we saw at the summit or have looked at the picture and now know exactly what we saw. Well, sadly when planning these programs so far in advance, I do not know what the weather will be like in those upcoming weeks, so it was not exactly what I expected.
We broke from the tree line, and I was thrown into a world of washed blues. The sky was washed in clouds, maybe not the clear skies people might think would be the ideal for a sunrise. But with the clouds and the early morning fog that was hanging low to the land we could see from below blanketing our watershed, everything was calm.
There was no wind, not even the slightest breeze. After hiking up I was warm and comfortable with the air temperature. We just stood there and let the quietness wash over us. It was amazing to be up there and know that the sun was rising, that it was getting lighter out but also to not be able to see it in its yellows, oranges, and reds. I was able to take in all of Squam Lake and have this one day's understanding of what beauty there is to offer us.
I completely understand the feeling of waking up early to an alarm that you did not want to set, but if you need a sign to do that yourself and get out there to see the sunrise, this is it. Sometimes you don't get everything you want but if you let the natural beauty show through, you will get everything you need.
Meg is a full-time member at the Squam Lakes Association, serving as a Education and Outreach Assistant. Learn more about Meg here!