Acceptable Reasons For Getting Up At 0-Dark-30

Saturday night I went to bed sometime after midnight-30, after spending the entire day celebrating Merrow and C's wedding.

Sunday morning the alarm went off at 3:45, and I (mostly) willingly dragged my ass out of bed at 3:49 and got dressed. Those of you who have ever seen me upright before 10AM know that I am NOT a morning person. So what made me get out of a comfy bed at the ass-crack of dawn?

The opportunity to watch the sunrise under perfect conditions from the highest point in New England, Mount Washington. The Mt Washington Auto Road opens early 3 times a year. Serendipitously, the last one for 2013 was the day after the wedding. J told me about it several weeks ago. I blew it off as an insane idea at the time - 3 hours of sleep to wind up socked in a cloud with freezing temps? No thanks. As the weekend got closer though, the forecast kept getting better and better. By Saturday night, the sunrise forecast called for 100+ miles of visibility, temps in the mid-40s, and "light" winds of 15mph. That's about as good as Mt Washington gets - EVER. We couldn't pass it up. 

So. Early morning alarm - check. Significant grumbling on Kate's part - check. Driving fast on dark twisty roads - check. Being on of the first 300 people to see the sunrise in the US - check and CHECK!