03/11/2026
High and lowlights from yesterdays sunrise hike:
》I love hiking with my sister and our pups. we're both mountain women and feel our best on a summit. This was her first sunrise hike which felt special to share together but also came with challenges
》Sunrise hiking means sacrificing sleep which is my least favorite part about it. Like most things, the hardest part is getting started. It almost always feels worth it to experience nature in the still of the night, and the sun peek over the horizon (before most people are even awake). Neither of us slept the night before because we were so excited so this was mostly fully powered by our love for mama naynay
》ground temps were forecasted at 64° that day, summit temps (with windchill) felt like 35°. It's somewhat unheard of to have 'warm' summit days in early march in this area (other days this week are forecasted at -33° on this same summit). I knew this was going to be the only day for weeks to get up here in safe conditions, so we made it work, luteal phase and all.
》hiking in the dark can be scary. Youre climbing deeper into darkness, hearing things in the forest. It's taken lots of practice for me to distinguish fear from danger. (For perspective, i used to be terrifed to even hike during the day alone.) Through continued solo trips ive gotten comfortable hiking alone in the day and eventually in the dark, so if someone is joining there's a low chance of fear arising for me
》this was my sisters first time hiking in the dark. When we got to the trailhead there was only one other truck there, which was the first trigger of fear. About an hour into our hike we saw clothing with reflective gear ahead of us on the trail and she thought these two men were walking towards us (they werent). Cue her mini panic. I reassured her we were safe, had protection, and2 pups that are very in tune with the energy of people and environment and warn us when needed. The dogs didnt even flinch or bark when they noticed the men up ahead which is a great sign. We eventually passed them and continued up to the summit where my sisters fear turned to excitement.
》watching the sun rise with my sister after what we experienced on the dark journey up felt like a warm flood of oxytocin wash over my sleepy-but-running-off-mountain-vibes being (the hormone of love and connection). The light always feels more powerful when it follows a challenge because it usually means youve moved through *the challenge* to *the other side*
》a safety disclaimer because this is #1: if you plan on visiting the white mountains, please only hike if youre prepared with proper gear and knowledge of weather, trails, risks, conditions, etc. I look at mountain forecasts/trail updates religiously and know what my boundaries and limits are, ive learned through experiencing not-so-ideal conditions and know that I prefer to winter hike if 'feels like' temps (factors in wind chill) are above 20° with wind chill below 20mph. I use the paid mountain forecast app. Another thing that must be considered with winter hiking is avalanche risk. With warm temps and lots of snow/ice, theres avalanche risk in the presidential range. We made sure to hike a low risk mountain. I also keep hikes under 8 miles when im alone or in colder winter temps. Anyways, there are many factors that go into hiking safely. If you have any questions, please reach out.
》if you've made it this far..thank you...AND..there may be offerings for group hikes in The Conscious Cabin future🤭👀 who's joining?
