A hurried, weary scramble to turn off the alarm as it blurts out its 3am reminder. Half out of my sleeping bag, I start the process of putting on yesterdays damp cold clothes whilst mentally questioning whether its worth the hardship. Maybe I should just sleep a few more hours and awake for sunrise? I unzip the tent fly and the stars are twinkling. This is why i'm here.

I say goodbye to the tent and set off in the dark to find a ridge i'd located the previous day. Buoyed with enthusiasm, the ascent feels easier with only camera equipment on my back. I find the ridge and focus on finding a central viewpoint out towards Single Cone. My attention is firmly fixed on my footing as I make the traverse. The faintest moments of first light start to appear and I'm happy with my position. I speedily set up the camera knowing the rising light will wash out the stars. I take the shot...

Arcadia