Well, we’re a sports blog of sorts, but what about activity rather than viewership? My favorite sport to do is hiking. Nature didn’t make me much for explosiveness, but I have calves that could walk out the womb and scale Everest. July 23 marks the start of the Perseid Meteor Shower. The Perseids is active until August 24, and peaks August 12.
↵If you’ve never been to a meteor shower or not been since appearing in Bill Hicks phone book, that is, old enough to appreciate it, I strongly suggest finding a chance to venture outside city lights, rolling out a blanket and watching the cosmos for a little while. Here’s what you need/need to do:
↵1. Get far from city lights. Light pollution sucks, even if it’s necessary. Mount Rainier National Park is tantalizingly close, but Squak Mountain is close enough to be convenient but far enough away to be worthwhile. Those outside the Seattle area are probably close enough to a wildlife area to not need further direction.
↵2. Wear pants and long sleeves. A wet spring has created a rare-bad mosquito season. You can spray yourself with toxin and enjoy limited benefits, you can buy bogus pseudo repellents, or you can do the common sense thing and cover up. Biting insects can not pierce most clothing, and packing long sleeves, pants and a hat should suffice. Plus, it could be kind of cold.
↵3. Bring food and other basic camping stuff, even if you’re not camping. Just be prepared.
↵Night hiking is a joy, but I would not suggest it for a trail you do not know. You can observe meteor showers just off the road. I hope some of us that enjoy watching sports also enjoy sports, and hiking is low intensity, requires few skills and a few times a year, can allow you to see something a lot more majestic than a Russell Branyan dinger.