The Solar Eclipse of 2024

It was a perfect day to climb a mountain and witness a celestial event unfold.

What can I say…?

It was an unbelievable day filled with friends, great weather and a full blown celestial event. By now, most people are probably sick of hearing about it, as your social media feed is likely littered with images, both good and bad, real and artificial. Yes, I got some good images to bring home, but it was the experience itself that twisted up my heart and mind, and that literally  brought tears to my eyes.

A small group of friends and I ventured to New England for the solar eclipse on April 8th 2024. The goal was to be in 100% totality, so we snagged a nice little Airbnb that was located in Bethel, Maine, about an hour from the trailhead. Our plan was to do a day hike, climbing approximately 3,000’/ 915m (a total of 3400’ / 1030 m above sea level) to set up shop and watch the magic go down from a mountain top. What ended up ensuing was something that I will likely never forget.

The location was Percy Peaks, located in Nash Stream Forest Natural Area, in New Hampshire.  Percy Peaks consists of 2 pronounced peaks with both summits displaying a great view of one another. The largest of the peaks is the ‘North’ peak, and when we arrived, there were already many hikers settled in with tripods, air mattresses and even a few tents that apparently spent the night up there in anticipation. For the main event itself,  I’d say, there were 2-300 people in attendance. Luckily, the summit area is pretty large and accommodated everyone that wanted to be there very comfortably. Vibes were high, there were lots of smiles and everyone that was present was there because they really, really wanted to be there.

Depending on where you started your hike from, most people would have had to travel 6-8 km, one way, to participate. We started our hike at Christine Lake, a parking area with access to a gorgeous public lake that was still frozen over when we visited. Our route consistently rose at a gradual pace for the first 5.5 km, but then forced you into a 183 m elevation gain over the last kilometer, before reaching the ‘pass’ (a valley between 2 mountains). This is equivalent to climbing a 50 storey building’s stairs, in about 1400 steps. I think it is safe to say that it was ‘fairly steep’ at times. Once you conquered that, the ‘slide’ of the north peak was awaiting you. A ‘slide’ is an open and bare-faced stretch of rock that can be nearly impossible to negotiate in icey, or even just wet conditions. It can be a harrowing experience, especially if you are afraid of heights. Going up is one thing, coming down - well that was a whole different thing altogether. 

Blue skies and blue jeans.

Once we reached the summit, we claimed a rocky spot that was dry and sprawled out on it in anticipation of the main event. We arrived maybe 15 minutes before the start of the eclipse and didn't even really notice it had started because there was not a cloud in the sky, making it impossible to even look at the sun without solar glasses on. I asked a neighbor of ours with 2 cameras set up ready to go, “Hey, when does it start again?” 

“It already has!!!” he responded in disbelief, as no one had noticed yet. So I ran to my backpack and quickly distributed the glasses that I brought for the group.

Sure enough we were already 5-10% into coverage, and just like that we were in the middle of the first full solar eclipse that I had ever witnessed. I set up my GoPro to take my chances at getting a decent timelapse of the event, spoiler alert - the finished product wasn’t really something that you’d want to bring home to mom, so I won’t be sharing that, unfortunately.

The excitement increased and the bellows of laughter were broadcasted through the crowd. It was so sunny that you couldn’t bare to look up at the sun without the solar lenses. This is not a complaint by the way. I’d hate to complain about 15c, no clouds and no wind on a mountain top in April. Especially because I knew that back home, and in many other places, they were likely being plagued with cloud cover. However, one thing that I did notice about the partial solar eclipse that occurred here in October of last year was, that if it was a bit clouded over, you could stare directly at the sun and watch the coverage change with no ill effects on your eyeballs. I guess you just have to deal with the hand you are dealt sometimes - and this time, we were dealt a full fucking house.

As we reached 75% coverage, the energy started to ramp up. You could hear the voices of those surrounding us describing what they were seeing, with lots of chatter explaining the ‘double diamond ring’ starting to appear long before the actual corona presented itself. It was a faint, but very noticeable ‘sharpening’ of the far edges, or ‘top and bottom’ of the sun, that actually started to look like a ¼, or waxing crescent moon shape. Instead of just an edge, it was split into 2 sharp edges, like a shadow of a shadow. It was the precursor to the special and inconceivable event that was just about to occur.

Then, it happened. The sky started to darken and the bright sheen of the snow on the peak of the mountain started to dim. The sky started to fade to darkness, and then… Venus appears, slyly being mistaken as just a star by most people. Then, Jupiter came out to play as well. It all happened in the matter of about 30 seconds or so. My heart started to race and a feeling of bewilderment doused my amygdala. A shortness of breath then presented itself, not unlike when you are about to take the first BIG drop off a rollercoaster that you have never experienced before. As a human being, it was an unbelievable shock of emotion that I was sincerely not ready for.

The sky continued to dim and an ominous energy started to mount as the horizon went into deep sunset mode, filled with colours that I have never seen before. The temperature started to plummet. Shadows became alive at this point and things started to evolve so quickly, paving the way for a truly surreal experience. It was like a gorgeous, alien-esque summer sunset happening in fast forward.  Truly out of this world.

And just like that, the darkness stabilized and the corona presented itself.  A wide black pupil with a double diamond ring stared back at earth. The shimmering perimeter of the sun tried its hardest to peek around the moon. Solar prominences could be seen trying to breach the pathway to Earth. At this time, people were able to take off their glasses and view with the naked eye.  It was nothing short of a miracle.  An experience that was unexpectedly captivating to say the least. 

It was truly unbelievable.

The crowd was silenced as jaws hit the ground. It was actually happening. One of the universe’s biggest magic tricks was playing out right in front of our eyes, and even though we have, and know,  ALL the information on how this phenomenon occurs - in the moment, none of that mattered. It was an unprecedented mystical and emotional moment that baffled every person in attendance. It was at that second that I realized how tiny the earth is. And, how precious life is, in the grand scheme of the cosmos. 

The incredible beauty of the corona is something that changes your life and how you perceive the world around you. Somehow, it is able to pull at your heart whilst giving you a deeper glimpse into the universe that we reside in. We do not just live on planet Earth. We are not just part of a galaxy. We are the fabric of a complex and elaborate plan that I am personally happy not to fully understand. Its part of the experience.  And, if seeing a full solar eclipse and its inherent corona does not make you glad to be alive - then absolutely nothing will.

I can’t quite explain why, but my eyes filled with tears of joy and my voice started to quiver as I spoke. So, I chose to just be quiet at that point because the last thing I was expecting was to be triggered into a good solid cry.

 After we all uttered our disbelief of what was transpiring, a celebratory element started to set in. Gratefulness, ecstasy and euphoria rained down in my brain as I was finally able to start to digest what we were witnessing. It’s the kind of thing that instigates a primal and ancient trigger in your mind. I immediately started to consider how jarring this experience could have been to earlier generations of humans that were likely caught off guard by a full solar eclipse in the past. It must have been, straight up, kind of scary.

Two and half minutes seemed like an eternity that transpired in just seconds. And then it was gone. The double diamond ring disappeared, the light started to flood the mountains around us again and the snow started to shine again.

Looking back at that experience, I truly feel emotionally re-charged having had the luck to witness that. And I sincerely feel bad for those that ‘chose’ not to view the eclipse of 2024.

Thank you for reading.

The Eclipse 2024 Crew.