Sunrise in the southern Adirondacks, the Great Sacandaga Lake.
Heading out into the dark, it was anyone’s guess what the morning would bring. The thermometer hovered just above freezing, accompanied by an intermittent, spitting drizzle. No stars showed through the overcast, but way off to the east, was that a faint break in the cloud deck? There was only one way to find out, so I pointed the truck toward Lanzi’s on the Lake.
Perched on the western shore of Great Sacandaga Lake where the water spans widest, it’s an ideal vantage for sunrise. As dawn approached, a narrow seam of open sky revealed itself low on the eastern horizon beneath heavy, slate-gray cloud cover. The drizzle lingered—barely noticeable once the light began to change.
The gamble paid off. While the whole sky never ignited, that narrow horizon slit gave way to a brief, intensely dramatic burst of November sunrise.