Night Hiking with No Moonlight

[saltysack]

That area 1/2 -3/4 mile south of Muir hut would be confuzzling at night. A well known ultra runner had a guide for fkt there so they wouldnt lose time going thru at night.

I got off trail several times in that area, was glad to have the guthooks app...Walked up on a big buck not far past it....


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[Tipi Walter]

Thanks saltysack for the pic. Reminds of the times I nighthiked a terrible trail in Pisgah called 268A on Upper Creek south of Grandfather Mt. It was tough at night for the blowdowns and the section we called heartbreak hill. Those were the days when we all carried mini mag flashlights and drooled down them profusely. Here's my buddy Johnny B arriving in camp on Upper Creek at night and setting up his tent, circa 1985. Note the drooling.

One time we did a midnight backpack into the place on snow and there were 3 of us with just two flashlights so we sandwiched our friend in the middle.

[chknfngrs]

I just did that section and the rocks are no joke. Granted I went through at 11am.... I have found great success with a hand held light is best for depth perception. I actually used a red tail light for biking and felt like it beat my white as day headlamp. Less tripping.

[clusterone]

Some trails you would never want to nighthike---I can make a long list if interested. They're almost impossible in full daylight.

I'll bite Tipi... sounds like my favorite type of trails?

[clusterone]

Some trails you would never want to nighthike---I can make a long list if interested. They're almost impossible in full daylight.

. ...the almost impossible in the daylight part is what spurred my interest. Need some new places to check out. Thx

I'll bite Tipi... sounds like my favorite type of trails?

[NJdreamer]

I have backpacked at night 3 times in past 6 months, including 6 miles last week, and enjoy it. I "do" the waist thing, using a solar pillow light at the waist, and supplement with a traditional headlamp if rocky for a few minutes at a time. I will note that one time I did not intend to night hike, just kept procrastinating where to camp, and ended up cowboy camping on boulders until sunrise. I could not determine where the trail went, and decided it was my best option (over falling off the cliff, taking a wrong turn, etc.). That was not so much fun. Since then I have tried to be more careful and only night hike when the terrain is most likely to be easy.

[Tipi Walter]

. ...the almost impossible in the daylight part is what spurred my interest. Need some new places to check out. Thx

I'll bite Tipi... sounds like my favorite type of trails?

Two trails for hardcore Nighthikers: Brush Mt trail in Citico wilderness, up or down. Upper Slickrock Creek #42 aka Nutbuster trail from Big Fat trail jct up to Naked Ground Gap.

[MtDoraDave]

To see the trail, not many lumens are needed. To identify the critters 40 feet away, more lumens ARE needed.
I couldn't make out anything but the approximate size and the white reflective eyes of the critters I encountered while night hiking once while using a 100 lumen Energizer.
.
I now use a headlight that has a 200 lumen mode, though the low power mode is fine 99% of the time and is better for battery life.
.
YMMV, HYOH, etc... but I'm "packing my fears" with ample lumens.

[nsherry61]

. . . I now use a headlight that has a 200 lumen mode, ... but I'm "packing my fears" with ample lumens.

For trail hiking, I rarely use over 40 or 50 lumens (I most often night hike without any light), so I also rarely carry anything over 100 lumens or so unless I'm planning on being off trail at night.
That being said, it's really fun hunting for my dog in the woods behind our house with my 1000+ lumens of headlight off my mountain bike. You definitely see a lot more!

[chknfngrs]

Nice Lint reference

[clusterone]

Brush Mt trail in Citico wilderness... heck this is easy enough to get off trail with plenty of light!

[Tipi Walter]

Brush Mt trail in Citico wilderness... heck this is easy enough to get off trail with plenty of light!

Yes, a great trail to nighthike.


Welcome to Brush Mt!!

TRIP 154 204-XL.jpg
Brush is easy at night.

[jjozgrunt]

I only ever use a headlamp at 80 lumens, my petzl is programmable. I had to do a lot of my training for the AT at night as it's a million degrees and 99.9% humidity here during the 6 months before a March start. Plus I usually start when I wake in the morning, so often walking in the dark. If you plan to walk in the dark, then like anything else practice it.