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St. Regis Sunrise

By Justin Levine, Adirondack Council Communications and Outreach Assistant

The alarm went off at 2:30 a.m., and I rather angrily sat up in bed knowing, that if I hit snooze, I wouldn’t actually get up again. Stumbling downstairs in the dark, trying not to wake up the rest of the family, I started the coffee pot and looked at the thermometer. It read a disheartening 39 degrees.

I’ve climbed St. Regis Mountain well over 100 times in the last 20 years, and it’s by far my favorite hike. But this was the first time I planned on hiking up in the dark (I’ve hiked down in the dark quite a few times), and with sunrise just a few hours away, I didn’t have time to dawdle. Or so I thought. I pounded coffee like it was the Nectar of the Gods on the short drive to the trailhead and thanked the past me for being smart enough to pack everything I needed – including a headlamp and extra batteries, extra clothes, food, and water, and microspikes for traction just in case - and put it in the car the night before. I threw on my pack, fired up the headlamp, and double-checked to make sure I had a thermos of coffee for the summit before starting out. Even with vast experience on this one particular mountain, hiking in the dark can be a little unnerving. Was that a stick that fell behind me or a blood-thirsty black bear trying to fatten up before winter? Was that reflection up ahead the eye of an animal stalking me or just a trail marker? Despite the mild heebie-jeebies, I made my way up the trail in the dark, honestly worrying more about slipping on some wet leaves than any maniacal killer. After making it to the top in good condition, I set my pack down and gulped some more coffee. It was cold and windy but pretty much clear as a bell with just some wispy clouds moving across the sky as an almost full moon shone brightly. I figured I would have a little time at the top in the dark before the sun came up, but I ended up having more than an hour. I climbed the tower and walked around a little, and then set up my camera to take some night shots, all while still enjoying that coffee and thankful that I had gloves, a winter hat, and an extra fleece shirt to put on. At about 6:15, the sky in the east started to get a little lighter, and I didn’t need my headlamp to move around. I went up in the fire