Night Walk

I began a walk at the foot of the San Gabriel mountains Tuesday evening before sunset that I intended to take me high into the mountains, not to return until after the sun rose again. This was an exercise in staying up for 24 hours and moving alone in the dark over dirt trails, as I will have to do to run 100 miles in June. I chose this night for the full moon and pleasant temperatures we have had. My willingness to go through with this was irresolute even before I began. I was already feeling sore from workouts over the previous days, and thought I may have been doing too much not yet a month out from the ironman, so I was far from fresh, but I told myself that was the better to simulate how I'll feel on the 100 mile day.

I parked at the top of lake and walked up to Mount Lowe by the time the moon crested the horizon. I dreaded the thought that I wouldn't stop my walk until that moon set in the west. It made beautiful light on the mountains though and I walked usually with my headlamp turned off. Sometimes tree cover or technical terrain made me turn it on. I saw a tarantula that didn't like my light. At one point, passing through a tunnel in the mountainside, I turned on my lamp only to be horrified in seeing dozens of millipedes that were walking on the ground. I turned the lamp back off.

It was earily quiet in the mountains, the wind still. Not even crickets. From the top, near the observatory, I watched as the blanket of clouds formed over the city and blocked in the lights. I walked along singletrack and when there were forks I explored some of the paths I've never tried before. I constantly fought the desire to return to my car and drive to a warm bed, and even thoughts of lying down on the ground to sleep. My mind was coming up with excuses, like the typhoid vaccination med I needed to take in the morning for my Africa trip, to return and make sure I had that empty stomach I was supposed to take it on. This is exactly why I was doing this walk; to explore all the things your mind will do to get you to stop. In the end, I did give in and it would have been over a lot sooner if not for the fact that I had walked a long way from the car and had to get back. I had caved in by about 1:30 am, but didn't get to me car until 5:30. I thought I would be back by 4:30 but I was farther out than I knew. Still, I was at least an hour short of sunrise. I'm glad I stopped because I faught to stay awake driving home, and I did need to take that last typhoid vaccine pill. I have a mind to try this again in April, next full moon, or I might just go for the 24 hour walk.

Sunset, planning to go til sunrise

Moonrise

Tarantula