Does anyone here like to night hike?

Back when I was using public transportation to get to a backpack I would plan them around the fullness of the moon. I'd use either a headlamp or not depending upon the time I would want to make. Without the headlamp, I adopt this sort of stumble walk, anticipating bad footing with each stride. Slow, but I've never fallen. Just follow the darkest portion ahead of you to stay on trail.

I had one occasion to bushwack at night. I found it much easier than in the day, though keep in mind the woods weren't thick. Using a high beam head lamp you take a compass reading on a tree and follow the beam to the tree. Probably the only time I actually did "real" taking bearing, follow to landmark and repeat compass work.

Now that I've been car camping and day hiking more than backpacking, I've not had a chance to do any real night hiking. I've been missing it.

One other thing - poles are a real help when night hiking. They give you a better feel for the terrain. Foot placement a few inches further (or nearer) than you expect can make for a bad fall and the poles help you pinpoint where you want to place your next step.

Group Hikes at night suggestions

I have led four night hikes, and have found that headlamps are not useful when there is a large group (ten or more). It is very easy for headlamps to shine in other people's eyes when talking. I prefer a small flashlight with two AA batteries, and a duplicate flashlight in case batteries wearing out or the bulb burning out. It is very easy to hold a small flashlight, and swinging your arms naturally helps show the trail.
It obviously helps to hike on a trail you are familiar with, and also select a trail that does not have overhead branches that can hit your head. I also suggest picking a trail that faces West to see the sunset. Overall, I like night hiking a lot, but feel the need to be a bit more cautious.

I'll just toss this in from my own "lessons learned" file.

There are plenty of good, powerful LED lights out there for night hiking (i think petzl makes one with 8 leds), but nothing beats a halogen or incandesent light for water crossings at night. The LED lights are really of limited help when u cant see the "landing" at the other bank.


Also, if your be walking along a road at any point, a flashing red light on ur back is really alot a better than black rainware and a black rain fly over your pack.....

YMMV

Yes

My avatar says it all.

I get lost easy enough in the daylight so I only night-hike obvious trails I know fairly well. I've done a few planned night hikes on trails that follow old logging rail beds that are rather easy to follow in the dark and have few if any water crossings. In the winter, snow on the ground really amplifies night visibility.

I wouldn't bushwack at night, nor would I do any difficult water crossings if I could help it. I generally don't hike w/poles, and I wouldn't want to night-hike a trail where I would need them in the daytime.

I find night hikes great for getting a jump on weekend hiking crowds by going up on a Friday night and hiking a mile or two into a shelter or campsite. An early start on Saturday morning saves several hours of driving and starting from the road and can make the difference in getting a shelter or site for the rest of the weekend in places that often fill up early, as well as extend the range of the hike just enough to see stuff I might not get to on a regular weekend overnight.

Night hiking in winter is great. I've done some unplanned night hikes out. I think the time my friend and I did Fir and Big Indian in the winter, we came out in the darkness but it was so bright because of, like you said the snow, it was very cool. Kind of spooky in a way. Spooky in a good way, not spooky in a scary way.

Jay

oh yeah!

no blackflies, cooler temps, and when else can you hike on popular trails naked w/o worrying about embarrassing anyone?

I should really try and do this, "for fun".
We've so many trips over the years that have started and ended by headlamp, that I associate darkness and nite hiking with the start and end of very long days.
We've also done many trips where the terrain, snow or trail emergencies caused a nite trip out.

It would be fun to plan something where the trip is planned for nightime.

The only deviations to the above were a handful of planned bivouacs.

PB

night hiking

Damn- another lunatic

I love to hike at night-especially in the fall and winter during the full moon.

For some strange reason, I've always been nervous about night hiking. I think early on I got used to planning day hikes that would safely put us back to the car before dark. I remember a couple of hikes that I started to race the final mile to beat the dark. While I always had a headlamp with me, somehow dusk made me nervous. Maybe it's some kind of childish fear that scary animals will come out after the sun sets.

I really want to do a moonlight hike to get over that fear. I've skied back to camp in the dark and it was ok, but never navigated over rocks up to a ridge - which I really would like to do.

I've done several night hikes. I actually prefer less light as I can better discern the trail with my headlamp. The one full moon i hiked in just confused me - my headlamp did little yet for whatever reason I had a tough time staying with the trail. I'm sure it must be me.

My first night hike was a rush. I've done all but one alone. My first was by myself and every whacky thought that could come into my head did. But reality is, that the chances of bear or a lunatic attacking you is very very little to almost none. I've heard some odd ball noises hiking in the middle of the night that you just don't hear during the day and it can be creppy but again, all those noises were off in the distance. I wondered after reading of Bigfoot reports in the Adirondacks if some of those strange calls I've heard, deep in the woods, were of the big furry beast.

Your imagination can get the better of you at night. That's one of the reasons I'm attracted to it - having to face your fear is part of the challenge and fun. I remember hanging out at the summit of Overlook past dusk and hiking down past the creepy ruins, hearing strange grunts and cries in the woods. Could have been a housecat or a raccoon for all I knew but my mind busied itself imagining bears and mountain lions.

The woods at night are a far different world than the woods during the day and I think we have an instinctive fear of them that lingers in us from a time not so long ago when the woods were filled with predators. That's also why a campfire can be so comforting at night, fire making being one of the first skills that separated humans from other mammals.

I once had a job working a rotating shift schedule and would occasionally get home around midnight, throw a few logs in the wood stove, grab my XC skis and go out skiing for a couple of hours. In warmer weather, I'd canoe around a lake in the middle of the night.

I've wanted to do a moonlight hike since this past winter. Just haven't gotten there yet...thinking about something local here in MASS...maybe Watatic or Wachusett...bring a few beers...hike with a few people...fun time. Hoping to get out there soon.

Donna,

I have done both Watatic and Wachusett. I enjoyed Watatic more because there is no annoying blinking lights at the top. Wachusett does have the benifit of a road if you are concerned about footing at all.

Both are really good choices for a first night hike. By the way I found it very useful if you bring a pair of binos and a field guide on stars. Word of caution: Princeton Police use the parking lot at Wachusett for speed traps at night.

i LOVE night hiking. some of my most memorably hikes have been at night...it really just enhances the sense of adventure for me. I did mt. washington at night in september under a reasonably clear sky, and saw the most stars of my entire life (it wasnt clear until about 1 in the morning, and it started getting lighter at 3 in the morning). Honestly, that trip is up there as one of the most serene times in my life. Also, another that sticks out is the time me and a friend did Greylock at night in a blizzard i think this past febuary...that was nuts. We actually could see the trail overall better without lights, but could see our footing much better with light, so we alternated depending on the terrain.

Night hiking, especially on a clear night in northerly areas is something that must be done. Its always fun to throw in your snowstorm for that extra punch in your bada** story. Just make sure you do it on Greylock or something of the like lol.

About 10 years ago i went up Buck in the Lake George area at night. It was early march and we used snowshoes. There was not much moon so we had to go with headlamps the whole way. It was great fun and easy to stay on the trail, due to the track already made. Started at 10 pm and was down by 2 am. On the way down we saw a deer curled up in the snow off the trail a ways. We just looked and then continued on our way. The deer didn't move, but was checking us out for sure.

My motto used to be "it's not a good hike unless I've used my headlamp!" I LOVE the challenge and the emotional experience of being "out there" at night.

However, now I hike with a couple early risers who like to hit trailhead about the time I would normally go to bed (well, it SEEMS that way anyway! ) and now I hardly ever hike at night. I guess I should hook up with a couple of you on this thread and get back to old form!

been night hiking in the summer and winter in new york state, this last weekend i did some night paddling on the saco by just following the moons reflection in the center of the river GORGEOUS!