The initial dream of a 40-mile dayhike was quickly nixed. There’s just not enough daylight to work with any more. (And I’m out of shape, but never mind that). Maybe next spring. I did actually end up leaving “waaaaayyyyy early” on Saturday, and was able to start walking in the woods around 5am. I ended up splitting the hike into two pieces. About 4 nice ‘n easy miles of night-hiking before sunrise, and once I had enough light, I worked in a bit over 16 miles of trail running (I use the term loosely). Back home by 3pm.
Night hiking is a special experience. Luckily, I had a full moon, so I went without a headlamp. There was just enough light to see in black and white, and creep along at a slow stroll. I knew within about a half-hour that no matter how the rest of the day turned out, those quiet moments made it all worthwhile.
The highlight of the trip came just after the day properly began. The sun had just come up, and I was heading back north for the ‘adrenaline’ portion of the morning’s activities. Instead of the familiar yellow globe, the sun took on an amber twinkle as it filtered sort of low and curious through the trees–a happy reminder that the stars are not so distant after all.
Mark Larson 