A planned sunrise hike turned into an early morning drive to the Adirondacks, and a few last minute Instagram DMs found me a crew and a plan to hike Big Slide, an ADK High Peak.

As usual, I had planned to hike alone, but at the last minute, I waffled. I had been struggling with my winter seclusion for the past few weeks as spring approached, so I reached out to photographer Nick Blackwell who I knew was visiting the area.

Next thing I knew I was meeting him, Luke, and Emily at Noonmark Diner in Keene.

I had hiked Big Slide a few years before, but I didn't remember anything about it, and had never been up the ridgeline over the winter. To say the least I was excited

The Brothers

Despite the knee-deep snow in the woods, the trail was so well packed from other hikers that we didn't need snowshoes as long as we kept to the trail.

I had forgotten how steep the hike could get, and soon we were trudging up slick sections to the first views of the day. As we dug our microspikes into the snow, we joked about how fun it would be to slide down on the way back.

The views from the first vantage point were unbelievable. The skies had started out overcast, but had grown to be scattered with blue and motes of sunshine as we hiked. Looking out over the Johns Brook valley and out to the Great Range (rated one of the toughest hikes in America), the mountains were hazy despite being so close.

We kept pushing up to the next vantage spot, grabbing more photos, taking our time to enjoy the beautiful day that was unfolding for us. We had gone in expecting clouds and snow, but we were rewarded with blue sky and scatterings of snowflakes in the sunlight. It was breathtaking.

After a winter of hiking up summits alone, mornings spent bundled up watching sunrises flicker to life on the horizon by myself, I wasn't used to hiking with people. I would lapse into my usual routine silence as I walked, but having company, sharing jokes and stories, helped me relax.

Big Slide

After the brothers, the trail descends to the backside of the ridge. It rises and falls with the land before easing up to the shoulder of the mountain.

The final stretch was .3 miles of almost vertical slope, made much more difficult from the snow. There is an outlook beside one of the slides on the mountain that looks down the valley, but the real magic is up top. If you aren't used to pushing up steep stretches like this, take your time, either way you will reap the rewards.

The day had cleared up even more by the time we summited and the mountains were crystal clear across the valley between us. There were a lot of other hikers on the summit with us, most of them from an adventure group from SUNY Oswego.

Luke and I who had summited first made friends with them, pointing out the mountains in the surrounding landscape. I sat there, snacking on a PB&J, enjoying the day and dreaming about hiking up all of the peaks surrounding me.

Solitude VS Company

I just took a moment for myself, breathed in the sweet mountain air, and let myself just be. In a place like the Adirondacks, in a place that felt like home, I could relax and be myself.

I thought about the differences between being alone in the woods, and being with others. I am able to relax and calm myself down when I'm alone in nature. It is my escape, it excites me to be surrounded by beauty without a soul in sight.

There is a comradery on the trail though that also fills my chest with warmth. You can't put words to what it's like meeting someone on a mountaintop and sharing a moment with them. I honestly had only met Luke and Nick once or twice before through Instagram, but sharing moments out in nature made it seem like we had known each other for much longer.

Even meeting that crew from SUNY Oswego on the summit, and chatting with them over snacks at the trailhead after the hike, it seemed natural just to sit and have a talk. We all had something in common, we were out there living.

There is a place and a time to be on your own, in your element, but that same environment can help you build relationships you never knew were there.