BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEP..You know, that sound of an alarm at 3:50 in the morning to go chase the sunrise and climb a mountain with friends. Thankfully, I know people who are just as anxious as I, to say “screw sleep” and go with me. I pack my gear and pick my buddy Steven and his friend Andrew up from Stevens house. I had never met Andrew before but enjoyed having another adventurer on board! And Steven’s energy is just rowdy as hell, he’s like a hype man. Every time I hike I meet at least one new person. It’s pretty awesome! During the Vance Creek Bridge adventure I think I met at least 10 new people! Pretty cool, huh!?

Anyways, I picked those two cats up and we stopped at the gas station, grabbed some snacks, and a pair of bright orange hunting gloves because I could not for the life of me, find my gloves before I left. I am so glad I bought gloves because once we arrived to the parking lot, I stepped out of the car and it was pretty chilly out there. And of course, those gloves went on instantly along with the most comfortable beanie ever from Proper Clothing. Steven, Andrew and I, made our way up the to Lower Stevens Lake to catch the sunrise. We then reached this sweet valley filled with luscious yellow, orange and red colored leaves, that took our breath away and left us in awe any direction we looked. We engulfed our minds, bodies and souls with these stunning views and continued onward. We weren’t so sure we were going to catch the sun breaking over the mountain or if it would even peak due to an overcast morning. We ended up reaching the lower lake where we came across another groups camp who were all sound asleep. We tried being quiet while we snapped a few photos and enjoyed the views once again. There were so many views in every direction. We hiked up about 1600 feet along 2.5 miles to get to Stevens Lakes. The hike is moderately difficult so bring plenty of water and a snack or 3.

We continued along the trail sneaking past the tents and sound sleepers to make our way to the ridge. We had a little picnic at the ridge while we enjoyed more views. I must say I am so glad Andrew came because he is (or was) a head sushi chef at a local restaurant and brought some delicious salmon dip. Whoo man that stuff was so good after hiking that much. We followed the ridge all the way to the peak. I had never been to the peak before, only close to it once in the winter time where I hiked up in my slippers through waist high snow and icy trails that I slid down on accident. To reach the peak we hiked up to about 6800 foot elevation (the parking lot is at 4400ft). The views at the top are incredible, where we could see for miles and miles of beautiful Idaho and Montana territory. I definitely recommend doing this hike in every season. If you go during the winter, make sure to bring crampons for your mountain slippers, or else you’ll have one hell of a slippery time! For more detailed information on how to get there and such check out this link here: http://www.summitpost.org/stevens-peak/152130