Walks at dawn

Double rainbow on the trail down to the lake

One of my most cherished camping traditions is taking a sunrise walk.  While back home I take every chance I can get to sleep past 6 am; when I'm camping I find myself out of the warm tent and into the bracing morning air as early as 5 in the morning.

There is nothing quite so peaceful as a stroll through the transition from night to dawn.  Early mornings are particularly magical in the mountains where granite peaks light up with soft alpenglow and ridges create a mesmerizing dance between shadow and light.

Rain falling lightly on the lower lake

Camping near Twin Lakes last month offered me a chance to pursue this simple luxury.  Leaving Katie behind in the tent, huddled up against the chill of the mountain morning, I took a daily trek down to the lake, arriving at its shores just as the sun cleared the last ridgeline and flooded the valley with its radiant warmth.

This daily walk offered me some of the most amazing experiences of the whole trip. Daybreak on the first morning was incredible. There was a storm up in the High Sierras to the west but only light rain made it into the Twin Lakes Valley. Scattered clouds to the east made for a dramatic interplay between light and shadow, while bright rays of sunshine treated me to a vibrant double rainbow that seemed to spring from the heart of the valley.

By the second morning, the storm had cleared, and as the first rays of light lit up the valley, my tired eyes were rewarded with brilliant pink alpenglow on the bare granite and snowy cornices of the Sawtooth.  Although the clear skies yielded little color, the unimpeded rays of sunshine painted the forested slopes with broad strokes of vibrant gold.

Alpenglow on the granite peaks

The morning walks revealed more of natures secrets than stunning vistas. One of the advantages of early rising is that mornings offer some of the best wild life viewing, and in that area, Twin Lakes did not disappoint. Returning to my camp on the last day my light footfalls disturbed a pair of bald eagles, sending them soaring majestically into the sky.  This rare sighting was a fitting capstone to several gorgeous mornings.