Brent & Dorian, Day Hiking Ambassadors
So Dorian is at a “girls thing” and I’ve got a few hours on my hands. Hey, it’s clearing up and there’s an awesome half moon beckoning me to spend some time up in the hills. Nights up the mountain by the light of the moon are some of our favorites, and we actually keep pretty close tabs on lunar activity, or lack thereof. Which brings up a timely sidebar: when buying a headlamp try to get the most lumens you can possibly afford. Lumens equal light, and you really can never have too much. Most better headlamps have settings so you can dial in the amount of light that works for you, and conserve battery power if need be. Basking in the moonlight is a treat in the mountains. It makes me think about when people didn’t have much more than fire torches. They must have loved the moonlight. If you’ve never had the chance to snowshoe by the light of the moon, we highly recommend it. Just make sure you have all the stuff you need to be and stay safe.
The area where I went is very well known to me, so I don’t get too concerned about being alone. Dorian knew where I was anyway. Well, except for a few side trips, but those were kept short (and safe). I tend not to gamble and tempt fate when I’m by myself. Being prepared to spend the night on any given occasion is what needs to become standard procedure anyway. Sometimes we run into people who look under prepared, and we politely ask them 3 questions: 1) do you know where you are? 2) does someone else know you are here? and 3) are you prepared to spend the night if you need to?
These 3 questions actually often strike up some good conversation about safety and preparedness. (and snowshoeing!) Lots of people ask “well, what kind of snowshoes do you like”? Um…let us think about that…
Anyway, the night adventure was better than hoped for. I came across all these really interesting ice features and frozen twigs. It looked like rain had almost suddenly turned to freezing liquid and encased things. Very interesting icicles and frozen waterfall artifacts.
Hopefully you can get an idea of what was there based on the photos with my headlamp shining on them. When I picked Dorian up later that night from the “girls thing”, she was envious of my adventure, but I didn’t rub it in too hard.