Strange light on Valley Way

[peakbagger-paul]

I got.a late start Wednesday (Aug 23) leaving Madison Hut with my dog Patches. I think we started down around 6:30 PM. We were doing good until we got about 1/10 of a mile above the Lower Bruin junction. Patches started getting really slow and kept trying to lie down I sat down and put her in my lap but I wasn't sure what to do next. She has booties but refuses to wear them. Then a hiker named Sean and his daughter, who were on their way to the hut, stopped and helped me figure out a way to carry Patches down. I was only wearing a day pack, but Sean took some of the stuff from my pack and helped me get Patches into the pack. Patches only weighs about 17 lbs. At any rate, I started down with Patches in my pack but I had to go really slow and step carefully on the damp rocks. Around 2:45 AM, we got to the area where the Valley Way, Beechwood Way, and the Randolph Path meet. I didn't see a sign that pointed out which of the trails was the Valley Way. After a couple of tries that didn't seem right, I gave up and sat down among some rocks with Patches in my lap. We were both wearing warm coats so we weren't cold. We had been hiking since 6:30 AM on Wednesday so, other than a couple of short rests, we had been at it for over 20 hours. We ended up falling asleep. I wasn't worried because I knew we would be able to figure out the correct way to go when it got lighter. After turning off my headlamp, I could see a number of bright stars through the tree branches.

I woke up around 5 AM and it looked like the sky was just beginning to get a little lighter but it was still dark in the woods. Sometime between 5 and 5:30 AM, I noticed a light moving, apparently down a trail, in back of me. I was sure it was someone's headlamp coming down the trail. I called out to them, hoping they would be able to point me in the right direction to Appalachia. Nobody replied, so I tried again. The light stopped moving, as if the hiker stopped along the trail and then suddenly rose straight up in the air and disappeared. Swamp gas? Oddly enough, I wasn't frightened. I.just fell asleep again. But I'm sure it hadn't been a dream. Later, closer to 6, I woke up again and heard voices. I called out to them. They had just come from Appalachia, and pointed out the Valley.Way. The nap had helped Patches.

Any ideas on what this was?

 

[NHClimber]

I don’t but sounds like an interesting experience! I carry this in case I need to carry a dog out.

https://mountaindogware.com/dog-carrying-harness-usa.html

 

[Grey J]

You may have just had a Betty and Barney Hill experience.

 

[JoshandBaron]

The Aetherius Society recharging the mountain

 

[DayTrip]

I don't know if it corresponds to the day I saw on MWOBS, but they documented what they called the Zodiac lights on the summit. These "lights" are some sort of early sunrise looking phenomenon but it happens well before sunrise. I'm guessing that was probably what you were seeing.

EDIT: Found an article. It was WED. Heavens above: Extraordinary view of Zodical Lights seen from Mount Washington

 

[peakbagger-paul]

I don't know if it corresponds to the day I saw on MWOBS, but they documented what they called the Zodiac lights on the summit. These "lights" are some sort of early sunrise looking phenomenon but it happens well before sunrise. I'm guessing that was probably what you were seeing.

EDIT: Found an article. It was WED. Heavens above: Extraordinary view of Zodical Lights seen from Mount Washington

I've heard of Zodical Lights, but this looked exactly like a headlamp moving along the trail as if a hiker were wearing it. I've seen plenty of hikers approaching with their headlamps on over the years and this looked no different from them until it suddenly rose straight up and disappeared.

 

[jrcinnh]

I'm excluding extraterrestrial or paranormal. My guess, big truck on Rt2 or early start hiker that got startled by a person sleeping on the trail with a dog, and quickly changed his route

 

[peakbagger-paul]

We were still almost 1000 ft higher than Rt 2 and couldn't see or heat it. The hiker theory is more probable but we weren't on the trail, and I don't see how he/she/it could have gone straight up. There were no sudden steep areas around there. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[peakbagger]

During an unplanned late hike down Caps Ridge trail a few years ago we were hiking in near dark conditions and literally almost stepped into a couple heading up with no lights. They obviously did not plan to encounter anyone. Since I tend to hike very early, I do tend to run into late night hikers heading down and while most are quite friendly, some are obviously introverts and avoid a guy sitting in trail with a dog. My guess is it is a combination of that and for most folks, sleep is not an on/off switch, there is a transition between the two and its quite easy during the transition to see or hear things that may or may not exist.