Aiming to take advantage of the best riding guides I know--my brother and sister-in-law, I agreed during a trip to Colorado this weekend, to venture out with them on a full moon horseback ride on a trail in the front range of the Rocky Mountains near their home. We were soon surrounded by a bright night sky that encouraged me to look upward. My reward was the sight of a great horned owl perched on the rugged arms of a cottonwood tree. Rustling in the bushes triggered my imagination as I remembered the fox and the deer I'd seen near their home earlier in the week and their stories of skunks that can appear out of nowhere and ruin a ride. I was thrilled to be hiking in the cool mountain air. The physical workout wasn't strenuous but I later realized I'd had a great mental, social, emotional and spiritual experience in the quiet of God's country.

I was a child, at camp, the first time I went riding at night. I was in the not so rugged Western North Carolina mountains near my home. Despite the guidance of trusted counselors who were familiar with the terrain, I was terrified. There was a half moon and my flashlight shed little light. Those counselors were wise. The trip was short and the destination was stocked with hot chocolate and the welcome blaze of a bonfire. Once we arrived we were encouraged to "treat ourselves to night sounds" that terrified my friends but reached some deep soulful space within me. Since then I've always set off at night with a sense of anticipation of what I might encounter and an underlying wonder of what would happen if I got lost. Even when I was scared I have never regretted those adventures. And now, with a cell phone and an extra battery in my back pocket my confidence continues to soar whether, day or night, I'm on foot, on a bicycle or the back of a horse.

Nighttime workouts require caution. If you are on your feet you can't push yourself to aerobic limits when you are navigating in the dark. A hike at night means you have to lift your feet a little higher than normal so you don't stumble. Dark and light spots can be hazardous. The dark spots can be a hole and the light spots a rock that could be unstable. You need to be with someone who knows the terrain on a bicycle too. Speed is not the goal if you get to cycle by the light of the moon. Horses are a different story. Somehow they have a remarkable intuition to avoid danger. Maybe they simply know the way.

Night hiking or riding isn't an activity you should do alone. With the right company you can feel the solitude and enjoy the sounds of silence. Like me you may discover the rewards are great. And, if you are afraid of the dark, staring down an old fear can be the best way to discover a new world.