Heading Down Late

This is a problem I consistently have, no matter what time I leave to go up. Maybe partly because the best light is always at high altitude right before sunset. There is no other kind of light that compares to "Alpenglow". So it's nearly impossible to put the camera down and start moving! Plus, I just don't like to leave a summit. Standing alone on top of a 10,000 foot peak in the hidden back country somewhere is true peace. There is no other feeling like it. And I wont try to express it with words because I can't. I am always loathe to leave that feeling of wholeness and well being that I have in those situations. But everything has it's due. And spending the night on a cliff somewhere because you messed around too long, can be one of those dues. And I don't recommend down-climbing in the dark unnecessarily to anyone, wether in familiar or unfamiliar surroundings. I spent a night on these slopes, which are supposed to be "familiar" to me, because it is always better safe than sorry when hiking alone in the wilderness. And huddling by a fire and not sleeping for a night so that you can find a safe route through loose rock cliffs, is better than lying with a broken leg or neck off trail somewhere until you die or someone finds you. But before you do any of those things, just leave the summit in time to get back by dark!