The Ascent of Piton des Neiges

"My first sunrise over a sea of clouds. It looks like an abstract painting—it seems so unreal."

Crossing Réunion on foot also means climbing Piton des Neiges, the island’s highest peak. At 3,070 meters, it towers over the Cirque de Mafate and Cilaos.
My plan is simple: to watch the sunrise from the top of Piton des Neiges. This means hiking at night with a headlamp. There are two options:
The first is to set out at midnight from Cilaos at 1,214 m and hike straight to the summit in one go, hoping to arrive by 5:30 a.m. This is a very strenuous hike where the change in elevation can be difficult to manage.
The second is to spend the night at 2,478 m at the Piton des Neiges mountain hut, known as the Refuge de la Caverne Dufour, and set out at 3:30 a.m., again using a headlamp.
I opted for option number 2, because in either case, you have to descend the same day.
My first afternoon of hiking was in the rain as I set out from Cilaos to reach the refuge. That was a 1,250-meter climb. Something to keep in mind: to stay at the refuge, you have to book up to a month in advance. Very popular with hikers, the refuge is in high demand and spots are hard to come by. I know people who’ve had to give up on the climb because they didn’t have a reservation. I don’t have one either and am counting on my lucky star. Everyone I’ve met has told me it’s risky. I’m willing to take the risk, and at worst, I’ll sleep in the dining hall, my inner voice tells me. I have a sleeping bag just in case. Besides, they’re not going to let a poor hiker sleep outside.

I arrive around 4:00 p.m. Someone canceled, so I got a bed—BINGO!

Up at 2:45 a.m., I’m feeling great! The stars are shining, and yesterday’s mist has cleared. It’s not as cold as I thought it would be, so I’m the first to set out on the climb. Behind me, a swarm of fireflies follows me. The 80 people at the shelter and the campers are all doing the same thing. No one wants to miss the show. Armed with my headlamp, I follow the white markers for two hours to climb the 600 meters separating me from the summit.

I reach the top early, and the temperature drops sharply. I’m exposed to the wind, and even with my three layers of clothing, I’m almost cold. I settle in to take in the view—and what a view it is! My first sunrise over a sea of clouds. It looks like an abstract painting—it seems so unreal. The clouds dance and the colors shift—red, pink, orange, white, blue—as the sun illuminates the sky and eventually warms me up.

It’s time to say goodbye to Piton des Neiges and head back down. In two days, I’ll tackle the other volcano: Piton de la Fournaise.