2:24 am
The alarm was set for 2:30 am, but my brain is anticipating this so much that I’m already awake. I’m lying in bed, no sound outside other than the crickets. It’s a lovely summer night.
2:30 am
Bzzz bzzz bzzz, the alarm on the watch on my wrist is vibrating. I’m already up, and have already put on both t-shirt and shorts. I can feel the fact that I slept only a few hours in my eyes: they are heavy. It doesn’t matter, though. I’m going for it.
2:35 am
There is no chance I get to sneak out the house without waking up the dog. I leave my bedroom, and there he is, already awake, watching me. I don’t have to utter a word, only a small gesture with my head that says “we’re going”, and he jumps up and runs downstairs.
2:44 am
I’m not gonna have to walk a lot, but I have to eat something nonetheless. I won’t have coffee; it’s too early. I heat some bread and I put some peanut butter and jam. Good enough for a quick breakfast.
2:53 am
I put the collar on the dog, and he’s excited. He’s always excited to go out, no matter the time, no matter where we’re going.
2:56 am
We’re in the car. It’s 22°C outside.
3:01 am
The first yawn of the trip. I know it’s not going to be the last. The darkness both outside and inside the cabin is not helping me stay awake.
3:05 am
Two cars are coming in the opposite direction. I doubt I’ll see many on my way up.
3:17 am
First deer spotted. He was minding his own business on the side of the road.
3:27 am
I passed through the last town. It’s gonna be just nature from now on.
3:32 am
Engine is off. It’s 18°. Gonna be a fun hike up to the summit.
3:58 am
I stop for a second to catch my breath. This is by no means a challenging hike—I'll have to ascend maybe 350 meters—and I’ve done it plenty of times in normal conditions. But doing it right out of bed, after having slept 4 hours and having hiked almost another 4 the day before, is making this harder than usual. But that’s fine.
4:03 am
I’m back up. Time to finish this hike.
4:17 am
A familiar sight in front of me: the small church that sits at the top of the mountain. The summit is just a few minutes away.
4:19 am
After 44 minutes of walking and 322 meters of elevation gained, I have arrived. And because life can be funny sometimes, there are more people up here than I saw since I left the house. I guess I’m not the only one who enjoys a good summer night.
A couple of tents, a person in a sleeping bag—which I didn't even see at first—one sitting on the steps of the church, staring at the horizon. I wonder what she's thinking about.
4:30 am
I see a headlamp in the distance. Someone else is coming up. I don’t enjoy company, not even a silent one, so I leave. No need to stay all here at the top when there’s a whole mountain at our disposal.
4:41 am
I can see the night starting to brighten up behind the mountains. I say brighten up, but it was plenty bright already. I hiked up without needing to turn my headlamp on. The full moon is shining bright.
4:45 am
I decided to start hiking back down. A frog jumps in front of me. Wonder where he’s headed.
5:08 am
People chatting on their way up. I guess they don’t appreciate the beauty of a silent morning in the mountains.
5:11 am
Another couple coming up with enough LED to light up the entire northern hemisphere. Also completely pointless: there’s enough light that I could easily read a book. They also blinded me, but they didn’t seem to care.
5:21 am
I stop to take a few pictures. The crisp, dark ridge line standing in front of a perfect gradient, only a few lights still visible in the sky: Venus and Jupiter, our planetary siblings.
5:25 am
I can see the parking lot in the distance. The moon is still up and bright in the sky on my right. The sun is rising on my left. It’s a beautiful scenery, but the part I enjoy the most is over. The first few minutes of sunrise, when the light starts to creep into the darkness of the night. That is what I was here for.
5:41 am
I’m back in the car. I ended up walking 3.8km. Took me a bit more than 2 hours. Saw one lovely summer sunrise. Not as solitary as I was hoping for, but I’ll take it. The dog is happy. I’m happy. We can get back home now.
6:32 am
It’s almost an hour later, and I’m typing this on my laptop rather than on my phone. I’m back at home, sitting in the kitchen, drinking the coffee I didn’t have when I woke up 4 hours ago. Another hot summer day is ahead of me, but that doesn’t bother me all that much. I’m happy and grateful. Grateful to have a healthy body that allows me to walk up a mountain at 3 in the morning. Grateful to live in a place where I can do such a thing without having to worry too much about what I might find up the mountains. Grateful to live on a planet with a moon. Grateful to have seen the sun rising once again.
— M