October 25th - Ridiculous Pumpkin Haul

Almost every month this year, I have been doing a full moon hike.

Walking along by the light of the full moon is simply magical.

A headlamp is not needed. The mountains have a silver glow to them. The familiar trail takes on a mysterious and deeper quality.

I also like to do "theme Hikes". Last month we fondued by the full moon.

This month was no exception. We did a hike called the Ridiculous Pumpkin Haul. Take a large orange gourd, hike to the top of local summit, carve said orange gourd and light up for the whole world to see. It is a tradition that has been going strong since 2001. (Alas, I did not do it last year, I was kind of busy...)

The RPH was extra special this year. Besides a a full moon and the pumpkins, we carved the pumpkins at an actual bat cave!

What could be cooler: A full moon, a bat cave and Jack O' Lanterns all just before Halloween??!?!

So we met for 6:30 and made our way up the trail.

The night was unusually warm. The sky was clear. The moon looked very large since it was closest to the Earth it has been this year. Our friend Nahum also pointed out a very faint comet. (Having an astronomer along for a night hike is very nice!)

We then made the last scramble, went into the cave and carved pumpkins! Cocoa (with some schnapps), some cookies and chocolate made the festive atmosphere complete.

Deb carving her super secret pumpkin

The pumpkins were lit...and my friend Deb surprised me with a pumpkin that was a bit, er, freaky to me. :O

The pumpkins are lit!

The scariest pumpkin of all! :)

All in all, a wonderful evening.

All the photos