As I’ve spent more and more time outdoors, I’ve come to realize how much I appreciate the moon {natural light, fires, etc..}. Artificial light has a certain unappealing aspect when in nature. When your eyes adjust to a powerful beam of light, your vision becomes restricted to only that area. You might be seeing a small area in greater detail but you can’t see the bigger picture. Conversely if you let your eyes adjust to the natural light, you’ll see all around you. It’s amazing what the eye’s can make out with just a little bit of contrast. This is especially true in the winter when the ground is blanketed in white snow. It’s one of the many reasons us humans have managed to survive for so long.
The stars alone make it worth turning off the flashlight. There’s not many things as awe-inspiring as looking up and seeing the stars once your eyes have adjusted properly, especially on a trail away from light pollution. With that said, I always have a light source on me. Sometimes you just need to better see what you’re looking at. I enjoy seeing the forest for a forest, but sometimes you need to see it’s trees.
A lot of very friendly critters love night time too; here a beaver with a plan added to the beautiful soundscape. I might not have been able to see much of him but without sound pollution I could hear even the smallest splash of water. I could see the moon reflecting off ripples of water as he swam by and make out silhouettes of lily pads floating on the surface.
In the distance I could see moonlight bouncing off snow capped peaks and the silhouettes of the enormous mountains looming over me.
I just wish my tarp was clear.. maybe I’ll have a post about how I make one later.