Early Morning Blues

Whether it is a solitary mountain or an entire ridge, there is a reason "blue" is an integral part of Appalachian nomenclature. In order to catch a shuttle into town, I woke up and hit the trail by 6:30 this morning, my earliest morning yet. And as I hiked, I was reminded of why.

Before the sun breaks the edge of the horizon its rays begin to provide a faint glow as they bend around the earth. And as you look across the mountains, the nearby greens and browns fade to blue, and the blue then disappears into the distant morning mist. On clear, mist-less days the blue spreads past the mountains into the valleys below, offering a reminder that there is life beyond the Appalachians. And on cloudy days, you often can't tell where the mountains end and the clouds begin; mountains and clouds, clouds and mountains, they are all one blanket of gray-blue.

Then the sun begins to near the horizon's edge. The gray and blue give way to pink and purple. And as the sun's eye emerges into view, pink and purple give way to yellow, orange and red; and a new day is born.

Each day I am early to rise, I will enjoy my early morning blues.