Mission Peak
MVP
Ozark Trail Headlamp—I bought a “nicer” and more expensive lamp, but I keep going back to this one due to it’s red led bulb. This headlamp did an awesome job of helping me be less scared of the dark, and helping me not trip when I was hiking in the dark.
Hike Review:
Mission Peak is a trail that I used to think was a beast, but I was happy to find out that it wasn’t so bad, now that I am a better hiker.
The trail was almost exactly the same as I remembered it (I believe that last time I hiked this was 8 years ago or something).
The trails are wide, dusty, and steep in certain parts.
There is no cover all the way up, which was a plus for night hiking, since it just mean the starlight could guide me better when I wanted to hike with the headlamp off.
I was worried that the temperature at the summit would be too cold, but it wasn’t. I was fine hanging around the summit just in my t-shirt. I was actually pretty cold when I started the hike, but after about 30 minutes, I was fully warmed up and took my sweater off.
Because I started so early (4am), there were only a few people on the trail (two people over took me and two other hikers passed me in the opposite direction). On the way down, however, there were so many people. I believe I passed by 30+ people on the way down.
The parking lot officially opens at 6am, so if you’re wary of paying for parking tickets, it’s best to park on the side streets if you’re doing a sunrise hike like me.
What I Learned:
This was my first time night hiking a non-trivial trail, and it worked out pretty well! The only hiccup was that I had to switch off my audiobook which had a creepy part of the story.
I hiked at a 2.4mph pace on the way up, which was way faster than I thought I’d be. Still, I got overtaken by two fellow hikers, so, I need to get stronger/faster.
After the initial 30 minutes, the fears of the dark vanished, and I really enjoyed the hike. I found it to be peaceful and beautiful as the sky turned from a pitch black to various shades of blue until I reached the summit.
All the photos I took without a tripod in the dark with the camera (even with the ISO pushed up) were not very good. Rather, for night photos, the iPhone was superior.
What Happened?
6.6 miles, 3 hrs 23 mins, 2050 ft of ascent
I decided the night before that I really wanted to see the sunrise from the summit of Mission Peak, so I set an alarm for 3:45am and went to bed. I got to the trailhead at 4:30am and started hiking.
At first, I was really cold (even with the sweater on) and a bit afraid of the dark, especially with my audiobook being all creepy. But, after 30 minutes, I was warmed up where I didn’t need the sweater, and I was laughing along to a great podcast, so thing were much better.
The views on the way up were awesome. Behind me, there was the view of Milpitas and San Jose, with all the lights providing a halo of protection to the cities from the dark. In front of me was Mission Peak, with the twinkling stars above it. I even saw two falling stars, which made me feel extra lucky.
I got up to the summit before 6am. There were three others on the summit, but—curiously—two left before the sunrise, and the other left soon after the sunrise. I hung out at the summit for about an hour, as I enjoyed the sunrise (and had an extra peaceful time when everyone else left and I was all alone at the summit).
I started to head down right around 7am, and was surprised at the number of people I walked past going down the mountain. I knew Mission Peak was a popular place, but I didn’t think it’d be this popular on a weekday! By the time I got down to the trailhead, the parking lot was full. Though I parked on a side street since the park’s parking lot didn’t officially open until 6am.