Headlamp running

It's that time of the year again.   Running with a headlamp on the trail is so unique.  You can only see as far as the light beam ahead and around you.  Everything else is in its own world of blackness.  If you're also listening to music, as I was tonight on a 4 mile run on the Railroad Trail, the world outside of your bubble is a parallell universe indeed. The moon and stars were out, and even though it was only 6:30 when I started, it could have been 3am.  As I was running up the trail, a light gained on me.  I figured it was someone on a bike and watched as the light grew brighter and brighter, overtaking and dwarfing my own.
But it got REALLY bright, I mean we're talking car headlamp bright.  Turns out it was a pack of 7 mountain bikers zooming past, with the combined magnitude of 7 strong lights, then 3 or 4 slower ones came by in their own pack.  About 200 yards ahead they stopped to regroup and wait for more riders.  How refreshing to see responsible trail users as they left me enough room to run in between their gauntlet of bikes on both sides of the trails.
People piss and moan about how dark it is in the winter around here, and it does get old.  But all you gotta do is turn on your light and get out and enjoy the parallell universe waiting outside.  And it sure beats running on the treadmill. Just sayin'.....