I'm always chasing the sun. If it's a clear day in the northwest, I'll find a trail to hike or park to play at with my kids.
I was in Seattle seeing a client, so I planned to drive the extra 50 minutes to Mount Si, a hike recommended to me since we moved to the PNW in 2020. Ranked #8 of all the trails in Washington by AllTrails, I get it: easy to access, beautiful views, and a unique, compelling lookout.
It was a smooth hike to the top outcropping of rocks. I left at 2:00pm. Arrived at the lookout at 4:10pm, clocking 4.1 miles one-way. I hadn't planned on going to the “haystacks” based on what I read with the snow, but then I figured I would check it out. I put on microspikes to cross the small snowfield and ran into a couple coming down. They said I wouldn't get down until after dark. It was 4:30pm, sunset was at 5:02pm and it took them 30 minutes to go up. I thought about it, saw their concerned faces and turned back hesitantly.
20 minutes later, I see a couple that passed me reach the top. Immediately, I felt regret for not following my intuition to keep going. Two lessons from that:
– Don't let other voices dominate your own. I had the desire and skills and safety (other people around and provisions for night hiking), but I let this couple talk me out of it.
– Embrace night hiking. I don't know why, but I kept thinking I need to get down so I'm not hiking so long in the dark, forgetting to realize there's nothing wrong with hiking at night. There's this stigma about it. I get comments all the time about why I'm heading up so late (3/4pm), even though sunset summits work best for me (timing/ crowds-wise). Most of us will get up early and hike before sunrise, why should hiking at night be any different or anything to be afraid of?
So, next time, I'm going to go with my better judgment and keep going until my intuition tells me to stop. AND – I'm going to come extra prepared and feel good about hiking in the dark, taking advantage of all the daylight I can get.
Moral of the story: Trust your intuition, stay safe and enjoy the mountain views.
Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes (includes 40 minutes at the top)
Total Distance: 8.2 miles
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