Strange Blue Mountain Light In The Santa Ana Mountans

I had been hiking in the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, California all day long. I had hiked up from Silverado Canyon on the Silverado Truck Trail, up to the Main Divide Truck Trail, all the way to Pleasants Peak, the second highest peak in Orange County. The hike had taken all day. It was 11 miles up to the peak and then 11 miles back to the trail head. Thus, it was getting late into the evening when I reached the upper side of Silverado Canyon for the descent down along the trail to the canyon bottom and the trail head. It was late at night and very dark, but I could see the trail clearly in the sparse chaparral and starlight. I had descended just under the canyon rim when I saw it. On the other side of the canyon opposite me there was a glowing blue orb of light. This was perhaps a 1000 feet away, directly across from me, on the other side of the canyon. The orb glowed a brilliant bright blue. It flickered on and off, like a flame of fire slightly moving in a light breeze. It was round like a ball. It did not seem to move as it just hovered there flickering. The canyon was very dark and was miles away from the city lights and this caused the blue light to shine even more brillantly again the dark background of the canyon side. At first, I thought it was someone lighting up a joint across the way on a trail opposite me. I knew there was an old trail that lead up to an old mine on that side of the canyon, the Blue Light mine, if I recall correctly. No joke, the Blue Light Mine. I wonder why they named it that? But the light was blue, and far bigger than a simple cigarette lighter flame. Anyway, I took out my flash light and flashed the light at the blue orb. However, this did not seem to have any affect, nor did I receive any type of response. I watched the light for a while longer until is finally faded out and did not come back. So I continued on down the trail to the trail head (still about 3 miles away) and my car. To this day, I do not know what that light was. But I wonder if the original namers of the Blue Light Mine had encountered it, as the name they picked for the mine seems to reflect a similar encounter. I don't know, but it seems plausible. So, a strange blue orb floated across silverade canyon from me, opposite of the Silverado Truck Trail. I wish I had had binoculars.  This happened in 1995

Submitted by:  TC