NIGHT HIKING

                                                            
                                                NIGHT HIKING

     Plans are mandatory for backpacking trips, as no planning can result in a crappy trip. We've all been there once. As we all know life is, well, indeed life. Plans change and move. Two months ago in September, my friend and I planned a trip to Royal lake, Olympic National Park. Plans were made weeks in advance and anticipation was growing day by day.
     The night before the trip my boss asked me to work a 9 to 5 shift instead of the usual 6 to 2, so we changed our approach. Getting off at 5pm would make arriving to the trailhead at 9 pm in the dark. After talking, we decided to keep course and hike through the night!!!! Crazy!!! But sane.... right?!!Don't answer that!
     We hit the trailhead at 10 pm. Pitch black! Headlamps turned on and off we went up the trail. After 4 hours of hiking, our destination appeared before us. The rest of the backpacking adventure was hiked in daylight.
     Now that I look back on the trip I would have it no other way. Hiking in the dark was simply amazing. It was my first time hiking in the dark, definitely not my last. Most of the time hiking is done in daylight, of course, with night time being reserved for cooking dinner, star gazing and getting zzz's at camp.

     Night hiking has many benefits. The first is that if the night's sky is clear you will gaze upon amazing views. I've seen the night's sky littered with stars before but it's even more amazing as satellites and shooting stars stream across the sky and as galaxies encompass oneself . A full moon is the best time to hike as it lights up the night. I didn't expect shooting stars but in retrospect next year I am going to plan a trip during an asteroid storm!
    The first 3 miles of our hike was under old growth forest but the rest of the 4 miles, the trees disappeared and stars and mountain ridges outlined the starry sky. Any snowy mountains were bright because of the reflection of the moon and made an awesome contrast of black and white. We were able to throw off our head lamps and hike by pure moonlight. Unfortunately my camera batteries died and I was not able to catch all the great contrasts.
     We hiked to Royal Lake on day one and explored Mount Deception's northern basins on day two. Day three we hiked up and over Mount Fricaba off trail and connected to Marmot Pass Trail.  If we had hiked back out the same way we came in, the whole hike would still be new. The last mile out, Marmot Trail, connects to Royal Lake Trail which was on the same trail we were on day one and all I could remember was tall trees and the elevation gain. I didn't see the huge boulders and gigantic downed trees which were scattered in the dark. It's like hiking two different trails which is awesome and makes hiking more interesting on a non-loop trail.
     Safety is a big concern, so mom you can now relax a little. I Never go hiking alone in the dark. The danger of predators is nerve racking as the darkness brings the unknown. Animal behavior at night can be more active for certain animals. Our headlamps were very bright, therefore any animal would see us before we see them  preventing us from starling a bear. I always hang my keys or a pot from my backpack so there is always noise as we hike.
      Night hiking is unconventional and will never be the norm. But as i discovered at Royal Lake night hiking will always be apart of my trip planning in future years. With special advanced organization of future full moons and meteorite showers 2012's night backpacking will be notched up one bar. So don't be surprised to hear a group of hikers straggling in around 2 or 3 in the morning setting up camp during your next outing!!!
Thanks to Cody France for the great Photos!!