Sunrise Cloud Inversion on Whiteface (and Esther)

The universe has a special way of aligning experiences that leave you in awe and wonder. This trip was one that I’ll never forget.

This particular day, my friend, Josee and I initially planned on hiking Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge. The night before we were chatting and decided to change plans to a sunrise hike on Whiteface, we would then hop on over to grab Esther.

We started our hike at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center around 4am. This was my 4th time hiking these two high peaks and I was dreading the steep trek up Marble Mountain.

The mountain follows an old ski trail and there are several blocks of cement and the occasional emergency rescue cache. These caches were used to hold first aid supplies and a toboggan. Pretty neat to see.

From the parking area, the trail drops down a bit and here you’ll want to bear right and continue up Marble Mountain. There are snow mobile/ATV trails and you won’t want to be mistaken by taking one of those. It is 0.9 miles to the top of Marble Mountain and then the grade starts to even out a bit. I was happy to catch my breath and quicken my pace. We had a sunrise to catch!

At 2.5 miles we reached the junction for the herd path to Esther. We continued on straight toward Whiteface. The trail is relatively flat and quick through this part until you reach the toll road at 3.5 miles. From here you can take the toll road to the summit or re-enter the trail by climbing up a giant boulder. We took a little water break and downed a quick snack. We also put on some more layers as we were soon going to be entering the open ridge line and would be exposed to the elements. I’ve never taken the toll road, however it reaches within 250ft of Whitefaces summit.

4 Miles from the start of the trailhead and we finally reached the summit of Whiteface. I cannot even begin to tell you the happiness that overcame me as I took in the sights! I’ve always prayed that I would see a cloud inversion and was so surprised that I was finally seeing one with my own eyes!

I was so happy I could have busted right open! We still had an hour before sunrise so we kept moving around to keep warm. I couldn’t stop taking photos! The sun started to come up and the idea popped into my head that I might even get to experience a Brocken Spectre for the first time as well!

The sunlight scattered on the rocks and clouds and I was in pure bliss! We had been on the summit for a while and were beginning to get chilled, but I knew something magical was about to happen as the sun rose even more to shine its light on the opposite side. My patience was rewarded because as the sun came up, a faint Brocken Spectre illuminated over the shadow cast by the mountain!

After taking far too many photos, it was finally time to descend Whiteface to head on over to Esther. I was sad to leave these magical sights. We made our way back down and I had to make my routine stop at an old abandoned ski lift to grab another photo.

Soon we were back at the junction where we would take the herd path to Esther Mountain. Although, this is an unmaintained and unmarked herd path, there is now a sign pointing towards the footpath and it is pretty easy to follow. Following the trail for 1.2 miles brought us over Lookout Mountain and to the summit of Esther. Here, there is a plaque in the ground commemorating Esther’s accidental ascent when she was just 15!

Esther is a wooded summit, but if you look back towards Whiteface there is a nice view.

We made quick time back to the junction and followed the path back towards Marble Mountain. The trail was beginning to fill up with many people and I was glad to be almost finished. People were hiking up with skis to ski down the toll road after their ascent to Whiteface. Some day I would love to do this!

Before we knew it we were back at the car reliving the memory of the beautiful cloud inversion sunrise and Brocken Spectre.

Total Mileage: 10 miles

Total time including breaks: 6hrs 17mins