The Joy of Walking at Night
Ten of us met up at 4 a.m. at the Bimont Dam, where the Imoucha Trail winds its way up the rocky slope to the Priory of Sainte Victoire. Some had already hiked this long, rocky ridge during the day, but no one had done it at night.
There was an atmosphere of anticipation and excitement as we gathered in the light of our headlamps. Despite having had little sleep, we all sensed the uniqueness of what we were about to do. Ben and Claire had even come all the way from Paris, Vincent from Montélimar, and the rest of us from much closer by. Due to a shortage of gas, there had been some cancellations; but the size of the group was still perfect for our little adventure.
I’ve run and walked at night quite a bit, so I was very surprised by how bright it was that night. I didn’t even turn on my headlamp to cross the long parking lot that separated me from the van where I’d spent the night and our meeting spot. The light pollution from the cities of Aix and Marseille struck me as incredible; it was only when looking toward the north and east that we found the ink-black sky one would expect on a moonless night.
Typhaine—who’s currently doing an internship as a local hiking guide with Explore Training—set the pace for us. It was a pretty brisk pace for the hikers up front; I stayed at the back with those who weren’t in such a hurry. Our small group began its ascent. We alternated between moments of silence, moments of conversation, and inevitable photo breaks.
Finding Your Bearings and Understanding
Landmarks look very different at night; the limited perspective provided by the headlamp’s light flattens distances. Much to my chagrin, I set a trap for Typhaine by confidently pointing out a trail that was completely the wrong one. I was absolutely sure of myself, having run along that ridge dozens of times. Nice one for the trainee—it was her first official guiding assignment! She reacted very quickly, though, and calmly led us back onto the trail. Typhaine had put a lot of work into the hike, not only by doing a “recon” — meaning reconnaissance — but also by researching the trail’s entire history. She was able to share the story of the priory with a few attentive listeners when we arrived there. Dawn was breaking, and the horizon was spectacular. We were so quiet that two people sleeping in their sleeping bags in the priory’s courtyard didn’t even stir.
Yoga and breakfast at the summit
We then climbed a little higher to the famous Croix de Provence, which overlooks… Provence. A 360-degree view and a magnificent sky, tinged with a thousand colors. Dawn is a special time—nature is just beginning to wake up, it’s still cold, but everything is full of possibilities. We welcomed the dawn with a few moments of contemplation and some sun salutations. This was followed by a breakfast of all sorts of goodies we pulled out of our backpacks.
We then made our way back down, chatting along the way—a bit tired but happy to have shared these precious and rare moments.
More hikes to come
- Typhaine is offering a series of hikes to teach you how to navigate.
- A sunset with a picnic.
- And much more.
Feel free to let us know what you’d like to do—the entire Explore Training team will do its best to create tailor-made adventures for you.