Started off up the trail from Cragmoor at an easy jog, a bit after 6:20pm and it was a bit damp from the recent rain and pretty dusky due to the cloud cover. At the slab, I dug out my new Fenix LD-20, 205 lumen light for a bit of assistance and it soon became a necessity once into Fern Canyon. The air was very calm, the temperature was perfect and I found myself to be a bit over dressed with light tights under shorts and 2 shirts. I have been up Bear and a few other peaks at night before, but this was my first solo trip. I’d be lying if I said that I was not at least slightly on edge about what might be lurking in the shadows and even heard “something” on two occasions, but just passed it off as paranoia. Once on the summit, I shut off my lights and just took in the utterly amazing views of the lights along the front range and enjoyed the peacefulness. I quickly chilled and was now thankful for the clothes I was wearing and added a light windbreaker, beanie and glove liners for the descent. The Fenix light is awesome and even though I typically have trouble in the dark, I did OK with the help of this light. It is even a bit too bright on the highest setting and found it to be perfectly adequate on the medium setting. The ground was damp, so my shoes were always a bit wet/muddy, which make traction a bit of an issue at times, so I took it very cautious. Once past the Mesa Trail, I clicked my light to the brightest setting and opened up my stride a bit.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed this night run, I would hope to change two things next time. Having company would be great to make the outing a bit more enjoyable, along with a decent headlamp to compliment the handheld light. I hope to do something like this again soon, let me know if you are interested.
48 up/31 down
