[at-l] Night Hike Trip Report

[pmags@yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

So what to do on a Wednesday night? Watch an episode
of "Law and Order" and see what the bad guys in NYC
are up to? Catch a re-run of StarTrek? Watch a bad
movie rented from BlockBuster? How about a night
hike?!?! Yes...what better way to spend a (nearly)
moonless evening than hiking!  I co-lead a trip last
night. A friend  is attempting to hike all the 10k+
summits in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.  For less
interesting summits, he enjoys hiking them in unsual
ways. Me? I just wanted to hike.  So hike it we did.
Check out this description, he best describes what we
did (in a somewhat jokingly manner! :D ):

***********
Wednesday, Oct 17: "Cursing in the Woods" - Interested
in a steep, difficult, snowy,unpleasant, forested
bushwhack in total darkness to reach the viewless
summit of a rather insignificant bump? Good attitude,
sense of adventure, and working headlamp required.
We'll leave from Boulder at 7pm, destination is secret
to avoid last-minute deserters  (Hint for map freaks:
it's a 10,800ft weirdo topo misprint mountain on
Roach's Indian Peaks list) Contact: (boring phone
number and name info here..:D ).  Barely more fun than
sitting at home watching TV. 
********
So at 7pm, the group of seven all met in Boulder and
we carpooled to the the trailhead.  It was supringsly
warm night, considering it was in the low 20's two
nights ago in Boulder, never mind in the mountains. We
trudged up the trail with our headlamps. Let me see,
seven hikers...seven head lamps...I kept on expecting
to see Snow White. Hi Ho! Hi Ho! Off to the summit we
go...

Up the trail we went. Not a cloud in the sky. The
stars were extrmely bright, could even see the Milky
Way. The night was pleasently cool and the stream next
to the trail sounded quite nice. After a while we
turned north towards the summit. Now bushwhacking in
Colorado is rather easy compared to bushwacking to in
say, Maine. The woods aren't quite as thick so it is
easy to see the final destination, even at night. Up
we climbed...and climbed some more, and climbed even
more.  About 3/4 the way up, heard the eerie sound of
coyotes yipping. First time I heard that sound a few
years ago, made the blood curdle. Finally reached the
treeless, viewless, summit covered withs snow. :-) 
Another friend had packed in a celebratory Guinness
that we all took a sip of... We then hiked down, which
seemed to take longer. But, on the way down, had some
nice views of the snowcapped Indian Peaks framed by
the night time sky.  

Despite my friend's description, it was a great night.
Good people..and night hiking to nearly 11000 feet is
a much better way to spend an evening that being
subjected to commercials for dish detergent...even if
I went to bed at 2am! :O

Yep..I have a tough life...

Mags


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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau

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