The first sunrise of the year

While most of the world welcomes the new year with countdowns and parties, and sleeps in the next morning, I wanted something slower. I don’t judge anyone for celebrating their way. I just wanted to begin each year quietly, meaningfully and on purpose.

So since 2013, I have spent every December 31st outdoors. I hike up a mountain, or travel somewhere to camp, and spend the night in what I call my billion-star hotel, sometimes by myself and sometimes with my family. In the morning I watch the first sunrise of the new year.

It is a night for gratitude. I think back on the year that has passed: the good things, the not-so-good things, and the lessons in both. I thank God for all the good He has done for me. So many people didn’t live to see another year, yet here I am, in good health, with a loving family, dear friends and everything I have. I made it through the whole year, and now I get to walk into the next one.

The walk to the top, the night under the stars and the sun coming up give me a new beginning. I want to step into every new year full of gratitude.

Over the years, my best friend Ben and his family have taken up the tradition too, in Alaska.

Each year has its own post, with the photos and what I wrote at the time.

2013: Mt Diablo, California

Naresh standing beside the summit sign, Elev. 3849 Ft.

Welcoming 2013 from the summit of Mt Diablo, California: the first of my New Year summits. Read 2013 →

2014: Half Dome, Yosemite

Naresh in a green jacket sitting on a granite edge, a deep valley below

Welcoming 2014 at Half Dome, Yosemite. Read 2014 →

2015: Mt Doom, New Zealand

Naresh with his arms raised as the sun rises behind him

Up Mt Doom through freezing rain, mist and gusts to see the first sunrise of 2015 before the rest of the world. Read 2015 →

2016: Kodaikanal, India

Naresh with his arms spread wide as the sun rises over misty hills

Turned back by an elephant herd, a plan B peak, a billion-star night and a glorious first sunrise of 2016. Read 2016 →

2017: Tongariro, New Zealand

Naresh in a yellow jacket beside an orange tent, a mountain hidden in cloud behind

Stinging rain and a horrendous gale: no sunrise this year, but a lesson in patience before Freedom Seat. Read 2017 →

2018: Sentinel Dome, Yosemite

A green tent pitched on bare granite, Half Dome and snowy peaks in the distance

New Year’s Eve on Sentinel Dome with best friends, Half Dome to the east and El Capitan to the west. Read 2018 →

2019: Nag Tibba, India

Naresh standing on a ridge watching the sun rise over layers of mountains

Camped at 11,000 ft on the summit of Nag Tibba, at -8°C, for a glorious first sunrise of 2019. Read 2019 →

2020: Mt Magazine, Arkansas

Naresh in a yellow jacket beside a bare dead tree, a wide valley below

A night at Hawk’s Bill Point, then the first sunrise of 2020 from Mt Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas. Read 2020 →

2021: Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri

A green tent on the shore of a lake at dusk

A cold snow storm at Lake of the Ozarks, and no sunrise. Read 2021 →

2022: Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon with snow on its rim, the sun on the horizon

Proposed, and watched the New Year sunrise in Grand Canyon National Park. Read 2022 →

2023: Guadalupe Peak, Texas

The steel summit marker on Guadalupe Peak against a red and orange dawn sky

New Year sunrise on Guadalupe Peak, in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Read 2023 →

2024: Cliff Cave County Park, Missouri

Naresh and three others, two of them wrapped in blankets, on a stone overlook above a wide river

Very cloudy and cold at Cliff Cave County Park, and no sunrise. Read 2024 →

2025: Castlewood State Park, Missouri

A person in a hooded jacket at a wooden overlook, the sun rising over a river winding through bare woods

The first sunrise of 2025 over the river at Castlewood State Park. Read 2025 →

2026: Grass Valley, California

A cold, rainy, foggy day and no sunrise, but Maggie, Mahi and I went out to an overlook in Nevada City. Read 2026 →