giant mountain

“One of the misfortunes of advancing age is that you get out of touch with the sunrise. You take it for granted, and it is over and done with before you settle yourself for the daily routine. That is one reason, I think, why, when we grow older, the days seem shorter, we miss the high moments of their beginning.”

– John Buchan aka Lord Tweedmuir (1875-1940)
Excerpt from The Quotable Climber, Edited by Jonathan Waterman

I was flipping through one of my favorite books on my shelf. A collection of quotes from rock climbers, mountain climbers, adventurers, trekkers and outdoor pioneers. This quote jumped out at me as being very applicable to me. My previous blog about summer memories really got me thinking about all of my summer memories of camp and backpacking trips. The friendships, the scenery, the solitude, the pace.

The pace, most importantly, is what jumped to mind when reading the quote. It doesn’t take much for my imagination to dream myself back into the wilderness… Sitting on a sloping rock next to a quiet lake – morning fog still floating like a ghost above the soft, silent ripples. The echo of bullfrogs at night and the cry of loons in the morning. The smell of the smokey cinders in the fire pit from the roaring blaze the night before. Seeing that big ball of fire rise and feeling its warmth as it crests over the ancient, rounded mountains of the east. Even the buzz in my ear from the first mosquito of the day puts a smile on my face – especially after I SQUASH it.

I’m guessing that Mr. Buchan was not trying to convince the general public into setting their alarm clocks a few hours earlier each day just to see the sunrise – but I believe he was trying to convey a very important message. A message that, if followed, leads one to a more fulfilling life. After all, isn’t life lived day by day? Each day is another attempt to improve yourself and your outlook on life. If waking up a little earlier and seeing the magnificent, miraculous sunrise each morning does it for you – great. I know that it does for me. Maybe it’s a morning jog or that first cup of coffee that really gets your day off to a great start.

Whatever it is, the sacrifices to make it possible are worth it. I know that I haven’t been making those sacrifices lately. I’ve gotton myself into a lazy, sloppy routine that puts me at the bottom of a very steep hill each morning. A hill that leaves me completely exhausted at the end of each day. I’m going to live the sunrise. Feeling its warmth on my unshaven face and letting its rays of sun erase the hardships and stresses of the day before so that I can tackle the new ones with a freshness that I have not known in a long time.

What’s your morning routine? Have you gotten into a similar pattern as me? What are you doing to get out of it? I’ve never been much of a “new-age” kinda guy, but I do believe that God has built a certain level of healing into mother nature. After all, didn’t he pick a garden with beautiful trees as the original dwelling for man? Okay, not the strongest of arguements, but still!

I shot the photo above from the trail up Giant Mountain (or, The Giant of the Valley) in the Adirondacks of New York.