Guess what, you guys!? Tonight, I saw a baby tarantula and a few little scorpions! Prior to tonight, I’m pretty sure that seeing one or both of these little guys, outside of a cage, was NOT on my bucket list. But, despite my greatest (aka: most irrational) expectations, they did not leap across the path and attack me. And the teeny-tiny scorpions were actually kind of cute. 🙂

>>Fears, not wildlife, squashed! <<

I ventured out to Cowles Mountain, with a group from REI, to hike under the stars and in the light of the full moon. This was a night full of firsts:
-my first time up Cowles Mountain
-my first trip with REI
-my first night hike
-my first real-life encounter with the little fellas mentioned above.
(This might also have been the first time I haven’t slipped going back down a mountain. YAY for new hiking boots with super grippy soles!)

Cowles Mountain trail is approximately 3 miles, round trip. It was a pretty easy hike and we completed it in about 2 hours (including numerous stops to enjoy the views and time to just hang out at the summit). Given the full moon, there were lots of other people out enjoying the trail, too. Some people were even running up/down the mountain…in the dark! I’m pretty sure I could run up the mountain without much issue. Down, however, would be a different story. That’s when gravity would no longer be my friend. 😉 But, since it is dog-friendly, I will have to take Charlie along another evening so we can enjoy walking the trail together.

One of my favorite parts of this hike, on this particular evening, was how many other people were on the trail. Generally speaking, I prefer the trail less travelled. But I found it so cool to see the lights of everyone wearing a headlamp/carrying a flashlight making their way up/down the trail ahead of me. It was almost like watching lightening bugs on a southern summer night. 🙂

~malama pono~