I'm not much of a morning person, but figured it was a nice time to check out the sunrise as it is getting earlier every day.  I almost missed it as I thought I had  alarms set for 4:45 AM and 4:50 AM.  My watch beeps on the hour and I was awake and heard it.  I looked at the clock and it was 5:00 AM!!!  I set my alarms for 5:45 AM and 5:50 AM.  Woops......  

My destination was Haystack Mtn.  It is not a very big mountain, around 1,340 feet, but has excellent views from the top and is easy to access.  Haystack wasn't so small 430 or so million years ago when it was a volcano!!  It is estimated it may have been an active volcano for around 50,000 years. 

I really didn't need much time to prepare, but I was running late.  I needed to stop at a store to grab a breakfast sandwich and chocolate milk before the hike.

I arrived at the trailhead and quickly ate most of my sandwich before starting the hike.  The snow was solid enough so I didn't need snowshoes, but I did put microspikes on, which made the going easier. 

I arrived at the top with literally one minute to spare!   It took me 12 min. to hike up the mountain.  I hung around for 1/2 hour before heading back down.  My total time was 50 min.  The trail up the mountain is about 0.3 miles long.  The elevation gain is around 340 feet, but you gain it quickly.  The temperature was in the mid 20's with a slight breeze, but I was sheltered from the breeze at the spot where I took the sunrise pictures.  I did not meet any other people on this hike, but there were birds flying around the summit.

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