Mount Pilchuck
2:30 am - My eyelids slowly open to the sound of my painfully loud alarm.
2:40 am - Okay, time to get up.
2:45 am - I am absolutely waterboarding myself trying to wake up enough to put my contacts in.
2:50 am - Currently brushing my teeth, this is the longest two minutes of my life
2:55 am - My hair is going into a bun, I'm going to have to fix this later
3:00 am - Everyone is tying their shoes. I need to find my truck keys.
3:05 am - Wow its chilly. No worries, I definitely think I can drive at this hour.
3:15 am - First stop: 7/11 because I need caffeine and a snack.
4:25 am - Mt. Pilchuck Trailhead! Where is my headlamp? Or at least a flashlight would be helpful.
4:27 am - Contemplating if we will make it to the top by sunrise.
4:30 am - The ascent begins.
Two years in a row we hiked Mount Pilchuck in the summertime for sunrise. This beautiful hike is located in the Cascade Mountain range and is only a short drive from my little neighborhood a few minutes from the Mountain Loop Highway. It's one of those "this is my backyard" hikes, it feels just like home.
The first attempt at seeing sunrise from the lookout three miles up was pretty much a fail. Not only was it complete daylight by the time we got to the top, but it was an extremely foggy day so the views were nonexistent. To be honest, as great as the company was, the hike sucked.
So naturally, we did it again the next year. This time we made sure to check the weather and we left an hour earlier. The hike up was silent. I was half asleep and we were all focussed on keeping a steady pace to get to the top in time.
I vividly remember going up some of the switchbacks and looking behind us. In the middle of the forest there was a little break in the trees and I could see the city lights miles and miles away in the distance. I paused for a moment and looked around and remember feeling such a sense of tranquility. I could've been sleeping in my bed like everyone way out there. But instead I was breathing in the freshest air Washington State had to offer.
We continued the climb.
The last quarter-mile of the hike is a bit of a rock scramble. Usually it wouldn't be a challenge, but in the dark it took some navigating. We finally made it to the ladder that led to the lookout. It was pitch black with stars peppering the night sky. We made it before sunrise and the skies couldn't have been clearer.
It's pretty common for hikers to camp overnight inside the lookout at the top. So we sat on the balcony as to not disturb them and passed around our snacks. We ate panera bagels and granola bars. We didn't talk louder than a whisper, but even in the near silence we had so much to say. It was a bittersweet experience in the middle of July. This was one of the last times we all got to experience an adventure together before we went off to college. So there we sat, waiting for the sky to wake up, sitting side by side looking out at the expanse.
As the sun began to rise, the earth felt so fragile. From 5,300 feet in the air, there sat the Olympic Mountains, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, and the rest of the Cascade Mountain Range in all of its glory. It was a perfect morning with the perfect company.
Before starting our decent, we met the hikers inside the lookout house. We signed our names in the book and found where we signed the previous year. We looked over the pages of names that had walked the same path we did. So many people have stood on the same peak, but I am convinced we had the best view.
I encourage you to find your Mount Pilchuck moment. Find the one view that will stay engrained in your mind no matter where you travel, the one view that brings you back home. And once you've found it, share it with anyone who will listen and look because if it's a special place in your eyes, it will be in so many others as well.
