Adventure #6 - Mulholland Ridge Night Hike
Objective Reflection:
This was the first Night Hike I've ever done on my own intentionally after sunset. Since I'm not used to hiking at night, especially alone, I picked an easy and mostly paved trail that I know well and is close to home. I really love hiking, but I always felt limited to the daylight, which has been especially rough since the sun sets so early in the winter. By sunset I'm usually wrapping up my days, but today I gathered up my gear, my headlamp, and laced up my boots to hit the trail instead. I set out right at sunset time, so I still could catch the last rays and cotton candy skies on my way up the hill on Ascot Drive. By the time I was on the Mulholland Ridge Trail, the last colors left the sky and the lights of Moraga started to show up below me. This was absolutely the best part of the hike. It was incredible to see all of the hills turning green again, the sky turning from light blue to indigo to strikingly black, and the rest of the town twinkle as the lights went on. This was definitely a moment to pause and be grateful for where I live and how accessible these views are being just in my backyard. On my way back down Donald Drive, I passed through the Hacienda de Las Flores Park on the La Sala Trail, which winds through the Moraga Parks and Rec Botanical Gardens. It was such a clear night that I took a moment on the quad to just take in the stars and the quiet. I also played around with the Star Walk 2 app, which helps you locate and identify what constellations you can see. The moon is also in a waxing gibbous phase, so mostly full and extremely bright. The weather was perfect for this hike, and I made it home before it got too cold. I also used Alltrails, like I have for all of my hiking adventures this semester, as part of the Tech Tracker Challenge. Overall I really enjoyed this night hike, it was short and refreshing after a long day inside.
Personal Reflection:
I didn't think much about going on a night hike until I was leaving and my roommates checked in and reminded me to be safe. As a single female hiker, it isn't often that I'm not extra aware to be safe, but at night or in dark spaces this is especially a concern. It felt very freeing at that moment to be the only one on the trail and see so much of the town below, but it quickly got dark and I realized that I wasn't as comfortable with that alone feeling anymore. I was glad that I was well prepared, knew the trail, had my lights, had cell service and maps, and was trackable. There was no obvious threat and I felt safe, but when the sun went down that little voice inside just screams to be even safer. I was happy that I had pushed myself to do this night hike alone, since it is so safe, so I can become more comfortable with that feeling. I'm also a huge fan of the night sky, so being out on the ridge when the stars came out was such an incredibly awe inspiring feeling. In moments like this I'm often reminded of the feeling of sublimity; a philosophy from Kant that encompasses how small we are in comparison to the immeasurable world around us and give that awed terror feeling. I truly appreciate that the Moraga hills have significantly lower light pollution than the surrounding cities, and I always find myself drawn to look up at night to check out the constellations and moon. I was happy to have been able to take this hike on such a clear night and be able to experience that feeling again. I think that awe of the world tends to drown out the fear I feel from being out at night, while keeping me hyper aware of my surroundings in a good way. I would absolutely recommend doing a short night hike, or semi sunset hike, near home to other young females to embrace the confidence that comes with smaller starting solo adventures such as these.
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