Nighthiking why or why not hike at night?

[nighthiker]

wondering why many are not so keen on NIGHTHIKING the trails. pro's & con's, I.E. hot days, take advantage of cool night...trying to make up distance, hike long days into the night...last thought, overcome the fears of hiking in the dark with wild animals...

what's your take on nighthiking?

[toemaetoe]

Many more rattlesnakes on the trail at night, waiting for mice.

[leaftye]

Rocky eroded trails are ankle killers at night, even with a powerful headlamp. I do like night hiking on smooth trail though, and have been doing a lot of it lately.

[Trailbender]

I did it several times. It was different and enjoyable.

[Lyle]

I've done it. Enjoyable on smoother trails as already stated. More risk on rocky, rutted, rooty trails. I do like being out during the very early morning and very late evening.

[jersey joe]

Nighthiking Con: Spiders and spider webs crossing the trail.

[DavidNH]

I won't ever nite hike if I can possibly help it.

why?

1) you can't see anything other than the limited space your headlamp lights up

2) should the batteries die in your headlamp and you don't have extra batteries you are screwed.

3) If I can't see anything (because it is dark) why would I want to be hiking in the first place?

4) the night is for sleeping.

[max patch]

All things being equal I prefer to hike until dusk, which means that I sometimes hike at night to get to a good campsite.

I don't like to hike at night as it is not as efficient as hiking during the day; ie, you can't hike as fast.

[leaftye]

Oh, and usually the reason I won't hike past sunset is that on longer hikes it is that much harder to find a good campsite. During the day it's easy to see through brush and off in the distance. At night it's tough to see past the first set of branches. It'd be different if I already had a campsite planned out, but I probably wouldn't be hiking at night if I had planned to that extent. This caused me to sleep on the trail once. It was a bit uncomfortable when a pair of illegal immigrants walked by and stopped to chat.

[Iceaxe]

Night Hiking can be a Hella cool experience. Yes, it probably could be more dangerous, lead to dead headlamp batteries.. whatever. It is, in fact, a totally unique immersion of the senses. If you allow your eyes a chance they can actually adapt quite well to the dark. On the PCT I did my first night hike ever. I did it to avoid the supposed "deadly" heat of the Hat creek rim. Well it turned out to be a total blast! The huge star filled dome of the sky, the thrill of night sounds, doing something completely out of my comfort zone.. it is intense. On the CDT this year I would hike late into the evening cause it was much cooler and from my previous experience I knew nothing was going to jump me and eat my carcass. Truly, there is nothing to fear. Youre not going to get a broken ankle.. trust your feet to "feel" the trail and they will! Sage and I hiked late a couple of nights in Glacier on trails that had huge holes and rocks. She did not even use her headlamp and I only had a tiny photon light. The amazing thing is that we rarely stumbled.
Anyways, don't let your fears of the imagined dangers keep you from trying a wonderful experience.
Yes you will miss a bit of scenery. But at night some places can be even more dramatic. I will never forget the black escarpment of the Hat Creek rim in California and the way I could sense the tremendous drop off and the void of space just steps away. Or iin Montana the huge looming shapes of the limestone cliffs being illuminated first by starlight, then gradually by a rising moon.
Hey, one trick that worked for me was to wear my headlamp below the eyeline. I hung mine around my neck. The lower angle produced shadows and made ever rock in the trail stand out. Anyways, just my impressions of night hiking. It ain't like I did it everyday on the trails. It is just another way to experience the terrain and you might be as surprised as I was at how enjoyable it can be.
I was going to insert a word about "caution" and "being careful".. blah blah blah.. Ya' know what? Just go for it. Trust you body. if the stinkin batteries on you headlamp die (Mine did) you will find a flat spot and sleep. Rattlesnakes? I thought about them a bit each time I hiked in the dark. I guess fears like those could lead to the conclusion that everything needs to be safe safe safe! That a person should carry extra batteries in triplicate, an extra bulb for the lamp, snake chaps made of kevlar, antivenom.. hell why not ride in an armored vehicle.
Sometimes letting go and surrenduring to the will of the trail can lead to a new understanding. I think one of the greatest gifts of the trail is the way it seemingly provides for us. I am not advocating taking ridiculous risks. I am advocating following YOUR heart and trusting YOUR instincts. You are not as feeble as other would have you believe.

[Luddite]

My Ultralight Headlamp is the reason I don't do any night hiking. Plus, you're missing all the scenery.

[nitewalker]

nighthiking under a full moon is pretty cool. i have night hiked many a time. the rush you get from being in the dark for hours upon hours is intense. it is amazing how the human senses tune into every little peep in the woods, every ridgeline off in the distance, the stars are just downrite superb. it gives one a feel of invincibility and total freedom.....i love it!!!

[SMSP]

I would love to try night hiking on a local trail in my area with a full moon and no headlamp. But, of course, I'd have a headlamp in my pack in case I suck at it.

SMSP

[nighthiker]

Well, many good & farfetched reasons to or not to hike at night...

Many good suggestions and a few I will, lets say simmer! THANK YOU all thus far, did i forget to mention, I am affraid of the dark,,,,guess not!

Details, thats my fear too overcome, since I have been doing test runs to get ready. Its working, a branch falls, i try not to flinch, when animals approach, i stop, get freaked out, only to see a small creature, sounds huge! ( lucky so far and tested my fiance ) she was 150 yards out one night & asked where are you? turned on my light an said here,,,,,l,oh thanks, she said, 150 yards ahead of me.

Anyway Iceaxe thank you, and nitewalker you also.

furthermore, I have purchased 3 headlamps....if AAA batteries last in a headlamp unused all the better. One outfitter told me that Petzl has a 350 lumens lamp, with a 300 foot reach, only problem is majorly expensive $$

Ultra powerful: ULTRA cost i was told is around $430 any one ever tried one?

Nighthiker

looking forward to the adventure, night makes it right...its a community trail, hope I dont light up the shelters or wake anyone along the way...i would expect the same from others passing at night

Now , How can one adapt to the fear of night and darkness?

Sisters, all older, jumped out of the woods at me to scare me,,,,this time it might or could be worse.....again, pro's and con's

thanks

[SassyWindsor]

I've hiked at night in the desert just to watch the amazing transformation from things blooming. Beautiful. Also, cooler. Other than this, not interested.

[Shutterbug]

wondering why many are not so keen on NIGHTHIKING the trails. pro's & con's, I.E. hot days, take advantage of cool night...trying to make up distance, hike long days into the night...last thought, overcome the fears of hiking in the dark with wild animals...

what's your take on nighthiking?

I often hike after dark or before dawn, but rarely hike in the middle of the night. It can be a fun expereince.

Last June my wife and I were camped at the Bright Angel Campground in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was so hot and muggy that neither of us were able to sleep soundly. About 1 a.m., I suggested that we pack up and head for the South Rim. We hit the trail a little before 2 a.m. We made it to Indian Garden before dawn.

The moon went down early, so most of our hike had only star light. It is amazing how many stars one can see when there is no other light. From time to time we turned off our headlamps and enjoyed the beauty of the heavens.

The night sounds seemed to be amplified. We heard a lot of animal sounds, but saw very little wildlife.

As the first light appeared, the canyon went from total silence, except for our steps, to a full chorus of birds in about 15 minutes. It was an experience that I won't soon forget.

I will do it again.

[George]

I hike in the winter with the days short and nights long I end up doing night hiking to make miles and to kill the hours with to much dark time for just sleeping, not very productive as I seldom do better than 1 mph after dark

[IronGutsTommy]

night hikings usually slower and not seeing too far infront and with no periferral vision can be sketchy but i usually try to fit in a couple nighttime jaunts, the stars and serenity make it an enjoyable time, especially if you rock out to a good classical song like Moonlight Sonata

[yari]

Sun goes down and I go to sleep.

Don't mind doing some hiking for pleasure in the dark once in a while.

[uberart]

In 2008 I hiked about 500 miles of my SOBO at night. I am a slow hiker, One of the great advantages of hiking during the sunset is that you will get amazing views, many prospectives of the same sunset . You will see all sorts of nocturnal animals, commune with the owls and bats. After a while you can feel like you own the night. You wont run into other hikers and if you do they will probably be in a desperate state wanting to find a "campsite". For places to camp, you can camp anywhere especially if you don't need water for your dinner. Also for fall hiking you just don't have as much daylight, so for slow hikers like me, its helpful to keep your miles up.

With an LED flashlight its almost impossible for batteries to go completely dead, so you will always have some light. In New York state there are reflective tacks for night hiking over a large portion of the state.

Perhaps you hike slower not so much for me, perhaps there are some risks. But I have some great memories getting caught on the south side of South Kinsman in the dark, a man thinking I was crazy going up Agony Grind in New York in the dark. My favorite experience was hiking towards an empty hiking shelter (they were all empty) for some water in Pennsylvania and my headlamp was dimmer than a candle I hiked off the trail and decided to camp where I was instead of getting lost. I was practicing my owl calls (I was terrible) and found the next morning I was only 200m from the shelter and could have been scaring (or scarring) the young woman sleeping there.

So dinner is wherever you are when you are hungry, camping is wherever you are when you dont feel like hiking anymore.