NIGHT SWIMMING

Leaving Manhattan around 7:30pm, Cara and I caught a ride up to Bear Mountain for a night hike with a group from Outdoor Bound I’d heard about through Event Me, a networking resource that hooks people up for regional activities. Our destination was about an hour away, and there were 18 of us total, basically singles and some couples, a mixed, pleasant crowd of people, which slowly warmed up to one another as we made our way on a six mile hike to a lakeside destination. The full moon had passed, but what remained was almost, but not quite bright enough as the majority of the headlamp-wearing procession that made its way eerily through the woods, as if we were some kind of secret Pagan ritual.

Not much wildlife to be seen, as the group was at first loud enough to scare off almost everything around, though we did spot a small snake about the size of a night crawler that quickly slithered away. The terrain was a bit technical, lots of rocks to navigate and it was slow going at first, and I’ve never hiked in a group this large before, so there were some who were obviously unprepared for the amount of exertion that lay ahead and quite a bit of waiting for catch ups.

We reached the lake in about an hour and a half, beautifully illuminated by what I found out later to be New York City. Out guides (there were three) built a fire and we warmed ourselves up a bit, roasting marshmallows, making Smores and small talk. Cara, myself, a fellow named Lee and one of the guides went for a swim, the water warm, still and incredibly dark, and we gazed at the moon from our unique vantage, most of the others not even realizing we were actually in the water. Back at the fire there was some ghost stories, clumsy jokes and a riddle or two to keep the conversation going, one couple opting out entirely, spending most of their time on a hillside drinking and most likely getting stoned.

We left over an hour later and headed back, the fastest of us so far ahead we lost twelve of the others. We could see their lights in the forest and had planned to play a prank on them, but realized they had become separated and lost on another trail. As we went back towards them, we heard movement in the forest, as something else was with us as well, though we never saw what it was. We finally regrouped and headed back, the group growing more tired and quiet, as this part of the hike was primarily climbing over stacks of boulders and rock, once or twice taking a wrong turn while trying to find the sporadic blazes that marked the path. We summited two or three times, with more sterling views, taking a few breaks while the wind picked up and things became noticeably chilly. making it back to the cars at a around 2am. We ended up catching a ride with the guide and his girlfriend who drove us there on the way in, kindly dropping us off back in our neighborhood around three in the morning.