Having three kids and working a rotating evening shift it's hard to find time for quick trips. So the other night I though...why not go after work! My shift ends at midnight and I got changed into my hiking clothes. My pack was all set and my snow shoes were in the car. It's only a half hour drive from work to the trail head at Bulls Bridge in Kent, Ct. The temp was around 34 degrees and it was partly cloudy with a slight breeze. From the trail head it's only one mile + to the camping area. With head lamp lit I headed out. My snow shoes made a hell of a noise on the now crusty snow, I'm sure I scared away any wild life in the area. The camping area is at the meeting of the Ten Mile and Housatonic river. I hang there often so finding trees was not an issue, I knew exactly were to go. I was set up by 1:30am, the stars were now out and I decided to go tarpless. As the night sky cleared the temp dropped to the mid/upper 20's with little to no wind...perfect! The stars were bright and the rivers rushed. Food prep was easy as I only needed breakfast...oat meal. I hiked out around 8:30am in bright sun shine and was home by 9am. I have a feeling that "midnight hikes" will be a part of my hiking future.
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