09/03/2026
Sunrise from Mt. Willard. One of my favorite hikes, I have done in all seasons, in all weather, at all times of day and night. The first time I recall, is when the Bartlett Library and staff, used to have a book mountain club, where there were hikes all summer/all, and you got to hike the next one, each time you have read a book. That was when I was around 8 years old. Iv’e done it at least once every year since, often 2-3 times per year, and many times during Covid. I’m now sure I have hiked it over 100 times (guessing I’m in the 120-130 range).
I have some awesome winter and fall images from Willard, but my summer ones, which most hikers are asking for, were all rather ok. Nothing special. So last week, I saw a forecast for possible good clouds/color, and I tried again for a good sunrise image. Which involves getting up at 3:30am, the usual morning routine, and then driving to the trailhead, to be on the summit for pre-sunrise at 5:30.
I arrived at the trailhead in the dark at 4:45am, donned my pack and headlamp, and headed out into the night. I’ve always enjoyed hiking in the dark, with the near complete silence, except for the sounds of a nearby brook, or early morning bird song. It was the same beautiful silence this morning, and I arrived as planned at 5:30. When I arrived, I could already see the clouds had mostly moved out earlier than expected, meaning once again, I will not get the “WOW” summer image I was looking for.
Nonetheless, I adjusted my camera settings and started taking a couple shots in the early light. While waiting, a couple young lads, looking all of 18-20 years old, had also hiked to catch the sunrise. Being young and brash, one of them was hiking with his shirt off, in hand. We had a pleasant conversation, while I waited for better color…..which never materialized. Eventually I packed up my gear/hat/gloves etc, and bid the adventurers adieu.
The funny thing is, about 1/3 of the way down, I decided to take my fleece off and put it in my pack. To my surprise, in my haste packing up and talking at the same time, I had inadvertently packed the shirt of the shirtless one. Doh! I figured he’d be fine, so I simply laid the shirt down on a rock in the middle of the trail, and headed the rest of the way down. I would love to have been a fly on the wall, when they packed up to head down….. “hey, I think that guy took my shirt” lol:)!
While this image was an improvement over my best summer one from this spot, it still lacked the WOW factor. So I would have to get up again at 3:30am another day, to try again, ugh. That day however happened rather quickly this week, and I will be posting those images tomorrow….stay tuned, because they definitely have the WOW factor!
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