Flat white light describes the headlamp's dull beam. Spooky flat white light best describes it...as in "The Blair Witch Project" spooky.
I begin my warm up trot heading to the mouth of the canyon. Calves are tight and quads are sore from yesterdeay's run, but within the quarter mile to enter the canyon, they free from constraint. It feels good breathing the brisk morning air. The sense of freedom trail running creates while communing with nature is difficult to explain, but is so easy for me to experience.
Scents of flowering berry shrubs lightly touch the air while my earbuds pipe in my favorite playlist of mostly high energy, loud rock 'n roll music. My brain likes the intensity, especially during a climb where it tries to match my footfall cadence to the rhytm of the music. Descents with tricky footing also will employ the hard charging music to keep the feet dancing amongst the rocks. Butter smooth single tracks sometimes will bring easier listening music, even country music, where the lyrics make me smile as I eat up the mileage.
I stay focused on the flat white disc of light that is consistently right in front of me. The single track trail winding up the canyon requires strict attention due to all the rocks. Periodically, I notice little flecks of glitter along the trial reflecting a glow from the headlamp. Assuming it's some type of shiny mica or similar mineral, it's noticed but ignored. Only mountain bike parts left on the trail will stop me where I'll pick them up, question where they once attached to the bike, and marvel at the little parts so intricately tooled.
Distance is covered with the flecks of glitter still sprinkled along the trail to the point it is like a mountain bike reflector had broken off and exploded into tiny pieces. I stop to analyze how big of a piece of reflector is needed for the reflection and crouch down with the headlamp's broad white disc of light tightening into a small, circular beam.
Whoa! A monstor wolf spider is sprawled out on the trail where I want to look, so I elect to traipse further along the trail to evaluate the next flickering piece of reflector.
Whoa! Another giant wolf spider. Wait a minute, is this coincidence or something else?
The next possible reflector also results in a wolf spider. A pattern is established. Do wolf spider eyes reflect light? If they do, how come when I'm baring down on them for a closer look, the reflection dissipates?
I ponder the discovery as I enter a heavily wooded section. Glow from eerie eyeballs looking at me from the within the forest grabs my attention. Those creepy eyes startle me everytime as I reach for my knife thinking today is the day the lion will attack. I know I'll lose, but I'll go down fighting and make it sorry it thought I was an easy meal. All my trips up and down the trails in the dark with a headlamp have always resulted in deer owning those ghostly eyes in the forest (at least that's what I tell myself--sometimes it's good not to know everything!).
But, how about those wolf spiders reflecting light from the headlamp?
I later return home and fire up Google.
Sure enough, Google provides direction where I prove my theory. Articles state they have 8 eyes that reflect light and my riddle from the morning run is solved.
But, how come the reflection goes away when crouching down with the headlamp? I do not know. And, I do not want to know.
Remember? Sometimes it's good not to know everything.
Appreciate nature and leave some things a mystery.
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