Simple Silver Sunrise

Simple Silver Sunrise

The alarm went off at 4:50am. A quick cup of coffee, we get dressed and prep our gear. We double check the temperature – 25 degrees. We add another layer of clothing. We hit the road at 5:30. We arrive at our sunrise location on schedule at 6:10am. Sunrise is still 40 minutes away, but we want to set up for the blue hour – that time just before the golden hour.

Why do we do it? When the alarm goes off, we often ask each other this question. We are already sleep deprived! Why cut the night short to leave a comfy bed and go out in the cold, dark night? There is something magical about being present in the stillness of the predawn hour and watching God’s hand light the scenery before us. The sky brightens, often turning an alpenglow of pink and blue, the landscape colors are a rich hue, and if we are lucky, we have a spectacular show of clouds and color. When the sun hits the scene, it is golden.

Then there was this morning. Poised on the edge of Silver Lake, we waited for the magical light to hit the mountains in front of us, hoping for the rock faces to glow and reflect into the lake. Perhaps, the mist would rise from the water. Perhaps, those aspens would glow yellow with fall color. Perhaps, there would be colorful clouds. Perhaps.

Nope…. The sun did indeed rise, but there was no magic, no special color. Just a simple sunrise over Silver Lake.