Already Thought About Doing A Sunrise Hike?
What it is like to hike up 800 meters to see the sun go up
I love sleeping, let me tell you that!
There is nothing worse than not getting my 8 hours of sleep (I can also do 10 without any problems). I simply don’t function well if I am tired.
Yet, I never hesitate to get up for a sunrise surf or a sunrise hike. Ever thought about doing one? Here is a little story of my last one.
3 am, my alarm goes off. I am slightly confused: what day is it? Am I going to work today? What time is it?
My thoughts are still a mixture of the present and that weird stuff I dreamed about —
Then I realize it: I go hiking!
Excited I am jumping out of bed and am in full active mode. I brush my teeth while doing a little dance in the bathroom. I put on my hiking clothes: although it is spring, it is probably going to be very cold up there. I am preparing myself for the snow: thick socks, headband, jackets…
I am preparing some coffee, that I put in a thermos flask. From experience, I know: that warm drink on top is going to be like a vacation in a 5-star hotel for me later.
Still excited I am jumping into my car and start driving to the little alpine village, singing to some random radio song.
I am arriving about an hour later. 4 am. I need to get going. I am getting out of the car. My breath turns into a visible cloud of condensed water. I am putting on my gloves, my backpack, and most importantly, my headlamp.
Then, I look around. I don’t see much. But I know the way. So I start walking. Feeling like a complete idiot. Nobody within 100 miles (because nobody probably has ideas to get up at 3 am to hike up some mountain at 0 degrees).
I walk and walk and feel stupid. Then I see it: A huge, huge rock. The “Big Myth” has a very distinct shape. I look up and see thousands of stars around this impressive mountain.
After about 30min of walking towards the mountain, I start the steep ascent. Left right, left right going up and up and up. The path has 46 curves until one reaches the top. I am ascending steadily. Sometimes, I pause and listen. Listening to my own, warm breath and the snow crackling. There is still so much snow around me, that the whole world feels isolated.
I am completely on my own, but I don’t feel lonely at all.
Having passed these 46 curves, I can see the last bits of the path leading to the top. The sun is not up yet, but it is already bright enough to see something. I look to the top. Are these people?
I laugh. No matter when and where there are always other people as crazy as you.
Once I reach the top, I briefly greet the two other guys that arrived before me. I sit on a rock. And observe the sun rising.
The view is breathtaking. At almost 2000m, one has a phenomenal view over the Alps, and over Lake Lucerne.
I am laughing. Sometimes, it really is worth it to get up early.
The mountain is called “Grosser Mythen” and lies in central Switzerland. I usually start this hike from Brunni, which can be easily accessed by car and train.
The mountain is 1898m high and one should wear the right gear when doing this hike. Don’t underestimate it, although it can be done without any climbing, you need to be very sure-footed.
Here are two articles I enjoyed reading recently.
JoAnn Ryan in her article talks about different activities. Whether it is something active — well, that is for the reader to decide!
In her piece, Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages guides us through her journey and transition from a very active adventurous traveling life to, let’s say — a more risk-averse approach. Nevertheless, Jillian is still very much into staying active.
