Hike #5: Dawn

When

Wednesday, 2015-01-07

Where

Camelback Mountain, from the Cholla Trailhead

Duration

1½ hours

Notable

Watched the sunrise from atop Camelback.

The sky first hints of the new day to come with a deep purple to the east, and soon the few brightest stars, visible in the city the night after a full moon, disappear. The faint purple glow isn't enough to see my way by and I've still got half a mountain to climb, so I continue upwards by the dim beam of my headlamp. By the time I reach the summit, the purple has given way to dark blue, and soon thereafter pinks and oranges and lighter blues yet. Several hikers stand at the summit, and together and separately we wait for the main event, when the sun first shines its radiant yellow over the horizon. Like clockwork, the big moment arrives, and instantly the sun proves too bright to look at, even when it's as yet a tiny sliver peeking over the Usury Mountains. My heart fills with happiness to be alive on this planet, this morning, watching this nuclear explosion rise into the sky.