[pct-l] Night lighting

[greg mushial]

> Subject: > Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:32:23 -0800
> From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Night lighting
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Message-ID:
> <3188A4BF-E25F-41FE-88CE-295C281C5BB0 at santabarbarahikes.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
> 
> I found a headlamp a few hours beyond Mojave Dam at a little camping  
> area somebody carved into the chaparral near a spring. If it's yours  
> and you can tell me what year you lost it and describe it, I'll  
> return it. It has three LED lights. It's very light. It's very dim.  
> It was perfect for my needs.
> 
> I have usually hiked without any light at all, or at most with a one  
> LED light that I could clip to the bill of my cap. I enjoy fumbling  
> in the dark for some reason. I really, really hate light at night.  
> Years ago I had a studio apartment in town that faced the street.  
> Somebody came to the door asking me to sign a petition to put street  
> lights on my street. I told them I would never sign such a petition.  
> What about safety? Criminals? I countered, What about stars? What  
> about sleep? They put the darn light in and I had to pull down a  
> blind every night to sleep but my room was still pink from those  
> infernal sodium vapor lights. Curse from hell, those things are.
> 
> I'm not a big nighthiker, but one LED is enough to hike a little bit  
> at night if you aren't in a hurry. Three is absolute luxury. Mostly I  
> use it for reading.
> 
> There's so much excitement involved in getting ready for a big  
> adventure like hiking the PCT. You think of all these cool things you  
> can get to enhance your experience. By god you NEED some of these  
> things. The real gift of hiking a long trail like this is you learn  
> you don't need most of it. You start sending stuff home so you can  
> lighten your load. You start sending stuff home because you really  
> don't need it. Your gear gets smaller and smaller and your happiness  
> rises higher and higher. You acclimatize to being outside. You aren't  
> cold anymore. The heat's not so bad. Hills? Yeah, so what? 15 miles  
> to the next water? Yay, that's one of the shorter stretches. Soon you  
> don't care that your stove is made from an old can, your water bottle  
> brand names are for liquid long drunk not for empty containers  
> backpackers are supposed to have. Your maps were downloaded for free.  
> You have a sixth sense about the trail and can find your way pretty  
> well and don't need the GPS anymore except for its entertainment  
> value. The tent you have, the sleeping bag, you barely notice which  
> brand you bought and you couldn't care less what brand your friends  
> have. Ahh, the freedom of the trail, the freedom to just BE and not  
> to HAVE.
> 
> I miss the trail SO MUCH!

So so true, so so well said. :-) x1000