the Way of the Turtle

FOGGY NIGHT
6 Mile Run in the Pine Bush (and a bunch of bushwhacking)
Wednesday, December 13, 2006

My new headlamp came today - a Black Diamond Zenix IQ. My old Black Diamond lamp has been great, but I really hoped that switching to an all LED lamp would improve battery life, since I pretty much go through 3 AA batteries every run with the old one.

I'd been planning to run tonight anyway, so I geared up and headed over to the water tower area of the Pine Bush. Nice warm night (for December, at least) but very damp and very foggy. Visibility ranged from almost normal to only being able to see six to ten feet in front of me. So it was a slow run.

I like the light from the Zenix - it seems to do a better job of contrasting things that are sticking up in the path (like roots!) The beam is narrower than my old halogen, which takes some getting used to. Unfortunately, my goal to use fewer batteries may not happen - the high beam setting drained enough power that I hit 50% battery life after about an hour and it switched to a lower light setting to conserve power. Still, even at lower power there was plenty of light for me to see.

Good thing, too, because I ended up making my way through the habitat restoration work area toward what I thought was a section they'd cleared (it was all clear when I was there a week and a half ago) but which unfortunately was buried under downed trees. So I ended up bushwhacking through the swamp and over and under the downed trees for about half an hour. My new pair of Saucony Omni's are now well-christened!

Once I was back on the trail, I made my way back out as it got foggier and foggier. VERY disconcerting... I know those trails like the back of my hand and I couldn't have told you exactly where I was much of the time.

Clearly more tests of the Zenix are called for - I like it so far, despite the possible lower-than-expected battery life. I think I'll pass on running through the woods in the fog for a while, if I can... it's a bit too claustrophobic (but it could have been a GREAT night for a walk!)

JMH