Majestic Sunrise

One of my all-time special places, particularly at sunrise. It’s spectacular. It’s spiritual. It’s one of the places where I feel a deep and calming connection to a limitless universe. There is a sense of being when I stand here. 

This photo of an August sunrise still brings me a sense of awe, helping me remember what I experienced that early morning. I had begun hiking at midnight to gain this vantage point before the sun rose. I stood there in a chilling breeze gazing up at the sky’s purple-black dome, salted with stars. Across the expansive meadow below, Mt. Jefferson began to awake. Its presence going from a barely visible outline against a dark sky to the majesty of painted slopes dominating the world around.

Mt. Jefferson was one of the first peaks I climbed in the Cascades. I have traversed its slopes and flanks many times, in all its seasons. During one mid-winter overnight adventure we had trekked up the mountain on skis for 15 miles to this point. And then, with the reward of 20 miles of downhill in front of us, we headed down the mountain. Within 50 feet I broke a binding on a ski. That night we carved the handle of a toothbrush into a replacement part, and along with some wire and duct tape, made a jerry-rigged repair to the binding. Skiing with the repair was awkward, clumsy, and tiring. But better than traveling with only one ski and one foot. We worked our way back down the mountain, but were now a day late and reported overdue. Because bad weather was quickly closing in on the mountains, a chopper was sent out to search for us. Normally they would have waited another 24 hours. They found us 300 feet from our car.