Redwoods.
Dark until about 2pm in October.
Flashlight necessary to setup targets. The instrument has a laser plummet.
What is really cool is the Leica has a red laser. For reflectorless shooting of blazes (too dark to see through the telescope) I turned the red dot on. Really cool.
Some of the blazes have a bathey cap that really shines when hit by that dot.
It's also useful to see if any leaves or spider webs are in the way.
You must be speaking of N. CA? I spent 6 mos dredging for gold west of Redding. Beautiful country. I originally thought you were speaking on Prudhoe Bay area but your discription didn't fit...leaves and all. Have a great day.
yeah Redwoods. We've turned the corner and are heading south on a east slope; much better light during the day.