On Saturday nights you can catch
late night horror stories on AM radio and my favorite are those narrated by
Vincent Price. Vincent Price was a
master of imagery and with his voice he could trigger the mind to visualize
what it could not see. I was excited about the challenge to describe
my experience from a perspective of sound rather than sight. My first solo night ride on a trail I'd never ridden, Marshall
Mesa in Boulder Colorado, I would discover a whole different experience in the
dark.
It was 9:00pm Saturday night and
a harvest moon was the only light on the trail.
I had spent the previous 2 hours scouring for a light bright enough to expose
the unseen. As darkness descends, a
faint breeze blows as I prepare the Genius for my journey. There’s no way of knowing what I may
encounter; the tiny feet of a frightened rabbit or the white tooth fang of a
rattlesnake. I didn’t want to think
about it but with warning signs posted at some of our trail heads, I couldn’t
rule out the possibility I could cross paths with a Colorado Mountain Lion. Nervous as I was, all I could think about was
what an exhilarating experience this was sure to be.
I found a light with 150 max
lumens which under this moon would be plenty.
For this ride there was no question, I should prepare for losing my
direction. I would take my Garmin Etrex,
as well as my Garmin Edge, because I knew if I got lost I would need a map that
I could read in the dark and the Etrex would be the perfect tool. I also packed a flash light and my Cat Eye
headlamp for the strobe.
Tonight there are no other trail
goers, it’s dark and it looks like I’ll be the only one on the trail. I fire up the lamps and I head for the
trail. The trail head is not far off a
two lane highway and I can hear the sparse evening traffic. There are scattered lights in the distance so
I don’t feel completely isolated. I’m
familiar with the area so I had some clue about the terrain; some tree cover,
rocky in sections, mild ascents and descents and large open spaces set up
against the Boulder Flatirons. I also
knew that there would be plenty of nocturnal creatures out searching for their
next meal or trying to avoid other predators-the thought was starting to give
me pause.
I start out and the first
obstacles are sandstone rock beds.
Normally nothing difficult but with limited visibility I had to exercise
caution. Its cool this evening and thin
cloud cover begins to surround the orange moon like thin brush strokes over a canvas. The trail winds downward and as I let off
the brakes I start to forget about what lurks in the darkness. The air rushes around my ears and as the
trail turns upward, my speed slows and the open space starts to come alive.
Insects fill the darkness with a cacophony
of unusual sounds. Lizards and toads
scatter from the trail as I approach and my light catches glimpses of bats on
their night time feast. The Great Horned
Owl is known to call this area home and as I slow I scan the night for the
chance to spot this magnificent bird of prey.
Off to my right I can hear something in the bushes and although I’m starting
to ponder my choice to ride solo this evening I continue.
I come to a community ditch which
takes me back towards the highway and once across I take what appears to be a
service road down into open space in the direction of Eldorado Canyon. Now an hour into my ride, with every pedal
stroke I stray further and further from the main road and even though I
increase the lumens from 65 to 110 it doesn’t help to illuminate the area
around me. The temperature is dropping
slowly and I decide to stop for a moment to decide if I should continue or turn
around. Up ahead I can see faint
lighting from a house or cabin. Eldorado
Canyon erupts with jagged rock walls and dense forest and although I foresee
delights we mountain bikers only dream of, I decide to turn around. I’m alone and if this path does lead me into
the forest the risk of losing my way increases.
I decide to switch into a high
gear to shorten the ride back. Once back
onto the trail I take an alternate route to the trail head. A bit rockier with sharper turns and with my
senses on high alert I make great time until I notice some shaking. I stop to find out what’s making the bike
wobble when I discover my front wheel quick release has come loose. A quick adjustment and I’m off. On this trail the trees are taller and as I
make my way the moon provides an unbelievable backdrop behind a silhouette of
pine trees.
I would have liked to have made
this an all night ride but it became perfectly clear why most guides will tell
you never to ride a trail at night alone; too many things can go wrong. My
colleagues will claim it takes a bit of courage to go out alone in the dark and
even though I would not recommend it, a little fear will elevate your senses
for a truly magnificent experience.
Happy Trails!
Alan Romero
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