I decided that we needed to get some night hiking practice in before our big trip. I knew that Mount Lowe Trail was a well known trail to us all, and relatively close to civilization, so it was the obvious choice. The only potential problem was wildlife, aka mountain lions, and the well known fact that the area is a refuge for devil worshipers, witches, and other dark gatherings. What could go wrong, right?
Elizabeth and Jen met at my place around 2 am. We gathered our gear and made the drive over to the trail head. We got out of the car and put on our backpacks. Just as we did, the street lights flickered, then turned out, leaving us in total dark. Must be a coincidence. the area couldn't really be as haunted as they say it is, right?
We walked up to the front gate which lead to to old Cobb Estate and the beginning of our trail. As we approached the gate, 3 gothic teens crept out of the dark and exited the old Cobb estate and out onto the street. After seeing this, we knew we would be in for an interesting hike.
We hit the trail with out headlamps on out heads, guiding the way. I took the lead and the 2 girls followed closely behind. This was our first time hiking in the dark, and I do have to say it is a strange experience. Our headlamps use blue LED lights, which washed out all color from our views. It was like watching an old TV show in black and white. The other odd experience was the tunnel vision. With out lights spotlighted in front of us, everything else in our peripheral vision faded into the darkness.
As we approached our 1 mile mark, we noticed small objects swooping around and fluttering around us. We frequently had to dodge these objects and they often almost fly into our heads. We stopped to observe these objects. We realized what they were. BATS. and they were everywhere. We tried to ignore them as we pushed on.
As we continued we were met by a few other night time creatures.... Tarantulas, Spiders....and something we didn't expect. As we rounded a bend in the trail, I saw something large sprint towards me on the trail then dart off into the brush. My heart stopped and I froze trying to figure out what was running toward us. 2 more creatures ran towards us, then again into the brush. My first thought was, Mountain Lions! but as the last creature ran into the brush, I saw the hind leg of the animal kick into the air. It was a family of deer. We must have snuck up on them. I don't know who was more scared, us or them.
We pushed on and finally reached the old Mt. Lowe Hotel Ruins (the white city). It was a little past 4 am. What we saw was amazing. We could see the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena, Glendale, Los Angeles, San Bernardo. Each city blending together, creating a giant blanket of lights for as far as we could see. Absolutely Amazing! We stopped for a moment to snap some photo's then continued our appretiation of the city lights.
We grabbed some snacks out of our bags and gazed at the city lights for quite some time. We decided it would be a wonder experience to sit and wait for the sunrise. The sun soon broke from beyond the horizon and lit our view of the valley. We had had enough rest, and started our way back down the trail.
We passed some folks making their way up as we made our way down. They seemed very shocked to see someone coming down at 5:30 in the morning. They must have figured they were going to be the early birds. They must have thought we were crazy. The rest of the hike was uneventful. It only took us 40 minutes to come back down to the cars and then a quick 15 minute drive back home.
While the phyisical hike itself was not challanging, learning to navigate a trail in the dark, getting bombarded by bats, being spooked by wickens, and sneaking up on wild animals, made this trip quite the adventure.
Next Stop..... Mt. Whitney!!
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