From bobcats repatriating the area (they’ve recently been seen in Clark and Greene County) to bluebirds nesting in boxes and bobwhite quail calling, the most unique outdoor experiences require being outdoors. While I love a good sunset, starting the day with the sunrise is my favorite time to be out for a number of reasons.
I wasn’t always that way. Now I try to see the sunrise whenever possible, and summer versions rank high for a variety of reasons.
It’s cooler
Especially this time of year, early morning provides relief from the oppressive heat of the day. If you think 72 degrees and sunny is the perfect temperature, your feet better hit the boards before 11 a.m. or you’ll miss perfection.
One thing about Southwest Ohio is that our morning low temperatures seem more temperate and predictable than midday. It’s rarely too hot and never anything you could really call cold.
It’s quiet
Especially with summer sunrises starting the earliest of the year, there’s a good couple of hours of sunlight before the regular business of the day gets started. Parents and buses aren’t rushing kids off to school.
Vacations, holidays and fairs abound and that means people are somewhere other than where they normally are. That means less activity on roads and trails in general.
It’s good for you
Morning sunlight creates a natural rhythm to the day that sets the tone for the day, among other things. There’s science to prove it.
“Viewing sunlight within the first hours of waking (as soon as you can, even if through cloud cover) increases early-day cortisol release (the ideal time for elevated cortisol) and prepares the body for sleep later that night,” writes Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a tenured associate professor of neurobiology and of ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he directs the Huberman Lab. “A morning spike in cortisol will also positively influence your immune system, metabolism, and ability to focus during the day.”
Additionally, adding movement and activity to viewing the sunlight only helps the body settle into patterns humans have followed for centuries.
Animals like it, too
The early bird gets the worm (probably because they see in additional light spectrums) but that’s not all. Many animals are most active at dusk and dawn. Others are primarily nocturnal. That first break of sunlight finds the overlap between late-moving nocturnal animals and those that require daylight. The result is more creatures out and about and a better chance of seeing them than at any other time.
The other thing you’ll find is that many animals don’t move around much during the middle of the day, especially in the summer. Pheasants, for instance, get up with the sun, eat, rest in cover, eat again in late afternoon, then roost at sunset for the night.
The golden hour
The hours right after sunrise and right before sunset are called the “golden hour” for photography. The lower angle of the sun lengthens shadows as well as diffuses and softens light.
The result is more dramatic and interesting photos if you’re into that, or just more dramatic and interesting views if you don’t care to take pictures. But with the sunrise, you’re more likely to have the views to yourself.
Eat a frog
Mark Twain sort of famously said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” I get it. Getting up with the sun isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some might rather actually eat a frog. But if you do get up and get out, you’ll have done something. And you might see things that you won’t have otherwise.
From great-horned owls to mink to new flowers blooming to just another spectacular sunrise, I can’t count the things that I wouldn’t have seen if I hadn’t been out.
Devin Meister is a local outdoors and wildlife enthusiast and has a blog called “Average Guy Outdoors.” He is an Ohio University graduate. Reach him at meister.devin@gmail.com.
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