175. Sunrise in and on the Mountains

Sunrise over Moscow as viewed from Moscow Mountain

There are few things more enjoyable than to be in the mountains. Typically, I think of being in trees when I’m in the mountains, but the desert mountains are also enjoyable if you brought some water. One of the best ways to really enjoy the mountain experience is to be up at sunrise and watch the sun come up, lighting up the entire mountain range in a splash of gold.

I’m not a morning person and most of the time when I’m in the mountains, I mean really camping in the mountains—not at home—it’s summer. You have to get up really early in the summer to see the sunrise, though it is likely to wake you up eventually. But if you really want to see it you need to be up around four o’clock. If you can get yourself up that early, get some coffee brewed and watch for the dawn in the east, you will understand why I say this is the time to most appreciate the mountains. And, of course, it’s best to be on a peak somewhere where the view is panoramic and you can watch the constellations fade into the dawn of sunrise.

There is both physical and symbolic beauty in a mountain sunrise. First, you just went through a lengthy period of darkness and, if you were sleeping, oblivion to the world and then with effort you rose to greet the dawn, to be renewed and refreshed. This miracle happens every day, yet we can still be afraid of the dark. Second, you are experiencing the greatest beauty in the universe. Shadows and night are dispelled by the vibrancy and brilliance of the sun. The green trees are gilded by the warmth and light of the sun. The black sky turns magenta, gold, sapphire and myriads of colors as the sun touches it, gilding what clouds there may be with pinks and golds and cottony whites. This event happens EVERY DAY, though more often than not, we are sleeping and miss the dramatic presentation of life, of living.

So, if you are feeling a little down with winter or pandemic blues, I encourage you to get up early tomorrow morning and get up in the hills to watch the sun rise. It will present to you a fresh start, what gratitude is all about.