The 3rd week of June 2024 was going to see daytime temps in the high 90s in the ADKs and we just did not want to deal! In contemplating our options to still get our weekly Tuesday hike in, Christy suggested a sunrise hike. Great-I’m game! Oh wait, sunrise at this time of year is 5am…
Since neither of us live within the Adirondack Park, every trip we take averages 90 minutes or more of drive time each way. Where could we go that was going to give us a great view of sunrise with a reasonable hike? As I did my searching, I realized that any hike would involve leaving the trailhead in the middle of the night to be at a summit as the sky began to lighten. I knew that there was no way I’d be able to go to bed in the 10p hour, wake up just a few hours later, drive, hike and greet the sun. Timing wise, I figured the only way to do this and have it be worth it, was to load up on caffeine like a college student and pull an all nighter.
Recently, we had started talking about maybe going for an Ultra patch, completing a hiking challenge in 24 hours (there are several challenges in the Dacks that offer this option). So perhaps this sunrise hike could be our first step in figuring out our overnight capabilities. We’ve hiked in the dark several times but only descents after sunset. All night would be different. To be clear, this was not a backpacking expedition- we would not be setting up camp-so we only needed to make minor adjustments to our packs. As for gear, we carry first aid, emergency gear, headlamps etc on every day hike anyway, so the big thing we added to our load was sleeping bags just to have soft coverage on the summit. I always carry a whistle and bear spray, and we added jingle bells to ward off the nocturnal mountain residents.
***We’re in our 50s. This is crazy. Are we really doing this? Yes. Yes we are. And it’s going to be awesome!***
With the decisions made and a solid plan in place, we departed my house Monday June 17th at about 9:30 pm. Floki is always extra work for me of course, so I decided to leave him home for this first overnight experience. He was definitely confused, barking and watching us depart from the window without him.
Our destination- Lyon Mountain Fire Tower in the Chazy Highlands, 2 1/2 hours north. We got to the parking area just before midnight, geared up and hit the trailhead at 12:15 am.
For the most part, the hike up was like any other day. The newer trail is what we would consider moderate-difficult. We gained 1916′ in elevation in 3.59 miles, and because the trail has so many switchbacks it didn’t feel that strenuous. While our headlamps attracted plenty of moths, there were no buzzing or biting bugs. The only critters we saw were toads and a pair of mice. It was still hot though, about 70 degrees, and we worked up a real good sweat.
Along the trail, and from the summit, you can see a ton of red flashing lights. At first we thought it was Dannemora State Penetentiary (eek). It wasn’t until morning that we realized they were the windmill farms up North near the Canadian border.
At exactly 3:00am, we hit the tower at the summit! The wind was roaring at 20 mph, which actually felt great at the time.
We ate some snacks and pulled out our sleeping bags thinking we would rest for an hour or so. I even set an alarm on my phone just in case we really zonked out. It didn’t happen. The wind was so loud and by 3:45 the sky was already starting the lighten just a bit.
I’m trying to learn, but don’t yet really know how to photograph a night sky.
The stars were incredible and within 10 minutes, the sky went from black to blue.
Around 4:15 I decided to climb the tower and check out the view. The wind was still so strong it was definitely a bit intimidating in the dark. Fortunately, the cab was open and so I crawled in on my knees and only peaked over the sides. This is a sturdy tower- I expected to feel it rocking a bit like some others, but it was solid. I took a few pictures and attempted to set up a time lapse video of the sunrise but with the camera rattling so much in the wind, it didn’t come out well.
I believe the cluster of lights in the distance across the lake is Champlain/Lacolle customs on I-87, Canadian border.
I knew Christy would not be joining me in the tower in those conditions, so I descended and we moved to a lower spot on the summit in order to get a clear view of the East. We were excited to have made it up in time and with no problems. In less then half an hour, the moment we were waiting for would arrive. It was time to sit and just take it all in.
Cozy! At about 65 degrees, we weren’t cold at all, but the wind never died down so it was nice to have our bags.
I went back up into the tower cab to get some pictures of the 360 degree view. It was wild to think that just 45 minutes before I couldn’t see any of the surrounding mountains. Lyon certainly did not disappoint.
That darn wind blew my glasses right off my face! Fortunately, I did find them wedged between some boulders down below.
Christy down on the eastern boulder, enjoying the last few moments of dawn.
With our goal achieved, it was time to pack up and head down the mountain. We began our descent at about 5:45am, so curious to see what the trail actually looked like in daylight. It turns out, there are MANY red trailmarkers along the way- we only saw 2 on our way up. Overall, it’s a classic ADK hike. And it was getting hot again so we moved quickly.
Back at the trailhead, we got a good look at this abandoned camper which had really creeped us out in the dark. By 8am, we were back in the car, grateful for the a/c because by then is was already 80 degrees! The coffee I had made at 9p the night before was still hot in my thermos, so I was wide awake and ready to get us home by late morning.
We each spent the rest of Tuesday relaxing, got a good night sleep and both of us felt pretty much back to normal on Wednesday. It’s really exciting for us at our age to be successful at this and recover quite easily. We’ve had this incredible first experience where fortunately, nothing went wrong. By hiking overnight, we didn’t melt or suffer heatstroke. We have a little more confidence in ourselves and will plan to do this again. And we are one step closer to being ready for an Ultra hiking challenge. I wonder which one we will try……..
~Anne