Almaden Quicksilver County Park—Night Hike
Hike Review
I hiked a similar, but smaller path at a previous time, though on this night, I did hike a portion of the Mine Hill Trail that I had not previously hiked before.
The Mine Hill Trail is an exposed, almost-no-shade fire road and I was glad to have hiked it at night, when it was cool with a nice breeze. The elevation change was so gradual that it surprised us how much elevation we had gained when we looked back from the top of the hill.
Friends
I hiked this trail with Gene and Pranay. It was a lovely time just chatting and hanging out with people that I love. My favorite part has to be the conversations that shifted between laughter/seriousness and superficial/depth—it hit the full range and couldn’t have asked for better company.
What Happened?
5.1 miles, 2 hrs 38 mins, 1196 ft of ascent
Gene and I had such a good time night hiking a month ago, that we planned another one out. This time, we invited a fellow night hiking enthusiast—Pranay.
We entered the park before sunset from the Webb Canyon Trail entrance and quickly made our way up the steep slopes to enjoy the views of the sunset over looking Almaden valley. We enjoyed the views, settled into a good pace, and started hiking without thinking about the pace or miles. We were (at least I was) so engrossed in the conversation about life, work, dating, death, etc. that I barely noticed how dark it was getting, and how fast time was passing.
We saw many things that were alive on this hike. We saw deer, quail, opossum, a bug with an iridescent light (glowed in the dark), giant ants, and moths. A few things made noises in the bushes near the trail and put a little bit of fear in us, but that’s just the cost of doing business ;)
Once we hit the high point, we turned on our headlamps (and Gene is cell phone light) and started hiking down. We didn’t run into any issues until we hit that super steep section of the trail near the start, where it was definitely sketchy—but not one fell or got hurt, so it was a win for all.
After we finished, we made plans to hike more in the future and I can’t wait until the next night hike!
