Thru hike at night.

[George]

My dream has been to hike the Trail with raccoons on both shoulders while wearing a butt plug and going as fast as possible on a supported hike, i.e. wearing an athletic supporter---and never taking off my pack, like a turtle. It CAN be done. Like Dogwood it's my dream and I can do it; we must go after our dreams.

be sure and make that plug out of fresh ginger root daily

[Bansko]

I love night hiking. About once a week I'd hike all day, then all night and into most of the next day. It's just something I liked to do, for a lot of reasons. That said, the idea of doing the entire AT at night is nuts.

[bamboo bob]

I remember talking to a guy who hiked the PCT mostly at night. He got in the habit in the deserts early on and continued it further up north. However, on the PCT, you can often see at night due to the trees being spaced far apart or being above tree line. That won't work on the AT with how dense the vegetation is. What would be the point of thru-hiking the AT at night if you can't see anything outside the spotlight of your light? You'd miss all the scenery that you are there to see.

I hiked at night in the rain on the PCT. Thirty-nine miles into Snoqualamie Pass. It was an idiotic thing to do.

[Tipi Walter]

Heck sometimes I don't even hike during the day.

[rocketsocks]

be sure and make that plug out of fresh ginger root daily

if ya use a hot pepper you'll go faster.

[Bansko]

I remember talking to a guy who hiked the PCT mostly at night. He got in the habit in the deserts early on and continued it further up north. However, on the PCT, you can often see at night due to the trees being spaced far apart or being above tree line. That won't work on the AT with how dense the vegetation is. What would be the point of thru-hiking the AT at night if you can't see anything outside the spotlight of your light? You'd miss all the scenery that you are there to see.

I definitely see your point about night hiking on the AT, but I had few night hikes down south before the trees leaved, on moonlit nights, when I hiked for hours with no headlamp. That ceased once the leaves came out.

[dudeijuststarted]

I love night hiking on a clear night. In a monsoon, it is a brutal experience, but quite exhilirating. We got the idea to continue on to Waynesboro and the infamous Ming after a 21 mile day to Blackrock Hut. We got to the bottom of the mountain and it started to rain. Then a text came in from my girlfriend in California about flash floods hitting Virginia. Within seconds it was pitch black. We made it 7 miles in 3 hours and slept 2 men to a tent in a parking lot in SNP, then had to wake up before rangers found us in this precariously embarassing predicament.

On another night in the Whites I heard a voice south of Kinsman say "hello" and saw no one. I kept hiking as I had suddenly lost my appetite for this potential stealth spot and I saw a man hobbling ahead of me. He was injured badly with a severe ankle sprain, and thought it was only one mile to his car at Beaver Brook. I had to correct him and inform him it was at least 4 miles. This man refused any assistance but insisted on staying within range of him. Several hours later we were out of the woods and he cruised back to Boston, ego shattered. Such as the Whites are ought to do.

Night hiking provides for the best adventures.

[RockDoc]

"Don't hike at night because there are things that will eat you out there"---a direct quote from a NC lodge owner as he drove us up to Fontana Dam.

[4eyedbuzzard]

if ya use a hot pepper you'll go faster.

LOL. I didn't even have to look over to the left to know who posted this. Not that it's a bad thing or anything.

[CrumbSnatcher]

over 1000 miles of night hiking with my Dog over 4 thru hikes. mainly cause she was a big black haired dog that stayed much cooler at night. i remember talking my friends into a night hike from walnut Mountain shelter into Hot Spring N.C. about 8 of us cowboy camped til around midnight i believe, about 3 hikers went on to Deer park Mountain shelter just outside of Hot Springs to be closer to town for an early arrival into town. we packed up and hiked out around midnight & took it pretty easy all the way, sun came up around the time we reached deer park Mountain shelters turn off. i stopped waited for the others, i was starring down the shelter trail and someone ask me if it was nice down there? i said **** i don't know, never been down there, too close to town for me! anyways it was funny as **** when the 3 hikers that moved on to deer park to be closer to town, rolled into the smoky Mountain diner and saw us all already ordering our breakfast they thought we yellow blazed into town...i night hiked a few times without the dog, didn't really care for it. with her i felt safe as could be! we even crashed right on the trail a few times.

[saltysack]

if ya use a hot pepper you'll go faster.

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[Greenlight]

My second section hike on the AT, I night hiked from Washington Monument south into Boonsboro MD, got a beer at the Old South Mountain Inn as they were closing up, and continued on to Dahlgren Backpacker's Camp where I hammocked for the night, then backtracked to my car at the pedestrian bridge over I-70. This was the end of March last year. It was quite fun. I think I'll do it regularly when I attempt to thru in a couple of years.

This isnt in the humor forum? The responses should be.

There are some people who night hike the AT. It becomes very popular in the Summer in the mid-atlantic states. Some people do it by accident.

[saltysack]

if ya use a hot pepper you'll go faster.

Please dispose of that pepper properly when finished! LNT!


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[glassman]

I've gone on night hikes on clear full moon nights and it's great. On one occasion we had just decided to push on to the next camping spot and it had gotten so dark the trail became not clear visually so we used the more dense feel of the ground where others had gone help lead us until we saw the next blaze.

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[Tipi Walter]

"Don't hike at night because there are things that will eat you out there"---a direct quote from a NC lodge owner as he drove us up to Fontana Dam.

Reminds me of a trip I did about 12 years ago when I came out of the woods after a couple weeks backpacking and stopped in a campground and talked to a lifelong hunter in the TN mountains. I asked him why hunters don't carry packs and spend the night outside. "We don't spend the night because there's too many critters!!!"

Weird.

[NY HIKER 50]

if ya use a hot pepper you'll go faster.

Hey,, not to take over the thread but most people seem to use paper for pain without realizing it. It does seem to do this because of the capsicison. (I know I did not spell that right.)

[shelb]

Interesting question! I love hiking at night!

[Starchild]

I'm sure it can be done, but as said some sections are very sketchy, especially southern Maine. One would adjust to night hiking over the time and be able to read the trail, many times might go without a headlamp on.

The sections that would be closed that I can think of would be the Bear Mountain Bridge is/was closed to pedestrian traffic and that IIRC depends on the terror alert color. Bear Mtn Zoo, one would need to take the bypass trail. And I believe, though hikers have done it, Katahdin is closed at night. Also I don't think you would technically need a permit for the Smokies as the permit is for staying at the shelters at night, you can't get one to stay at them during the day. But that may be something you would need to state in front of the judge.

[terryg49]

I believe that Father's Day is the traditional hike naked day