San Miguel Mountain sunrise and a coastal sunset
At about 6am, clouds above San Miguel Peak. Early sun radiates off false peaks while editor trudges. Our editor does not enjoy sleeping much past 4:20am these days, the time she woke us to head for San Miguel Mountain, another favorite hike. The reason for the early departure is, of course, to see the show the sun provides each morning. We have said many times before, it is not always the place of the hike that reveals beauty but rather, the time. The problem with early hikes is that to reach a summit, one has to leave well before sunrise. The higher the peak, the more accentuated is the challenge. This presents its own issues such as walking in the dark, leaving very early in the morning as well as finding one's way over rugged terrain with illumination from a flashlight. The answer might be to do the hike in the late afternoon when there is sunlight for the climb. However, then one descends in the dark. Putting those hazards aside, the rewards far exceed any hardsh...