who are these crazy people?

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eagle

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Hi. I was camped near Lake Colden this past weekend and awoke to hikers at 3am. I later learned that they had hiked Algonquin, Wright, Iroquois and Marshall from the Loj in the dark. What is with this new fad? Is there an existing club of in-the-dark 46ers?
 
eagle said:
Hi. I was camped near Lake Colden this past weekend and awoke to hikers at 3am. I later learned that they had hiked Algonquin, Wright, Iroquois and Marshall from the Loj in the dark. What is with this new fad? Is there an existing club of in-the-dark 46ers?

was last weekend a full moon, other than that I don't know.


i've been know to hike into camp at 2:00am - 3:00am from time to time, so, not really out of the norm, perseu(SP?)
 
crazy night hikers

i believe those are those hikers who disappeared many moons ago & now can be seen by a rare few & only at night! hang some garlic outside the lean-to/tent & you'll be ok. ....maybe :D
 
It's a good way to avoid the usual Algon's crowds on a summer weekend;)
 
Maybe they were out looking for a stolen kayak, or maybe punishing themselves, hiking non-stop through the night trying to rid themselves of thier bad karma. Apparently the eagle has landed...
 
I did Algonquin this past winter at 3AM from the loj... I actually prefer night hiking during some seasons (generally lighter winds and cooler with fewer bugs during the spring and fall). Sunrise on Algonquin was sweet :D.

I've hiked in pretty late to some camp spots in the past as well. Sometimes you can't get out of dodge as early as you would like and get to the trailhead late in the evening with 4-5 miles in to the camp spot...

I'm planning a summer night hike up one of the bare-top peaks (maybe algonquin again) to soak in the stars.

I don't care if there are people on the trail, often it's someone I may know from the internet or friends I just haven't met yet. If I wanted absolute solitude I'd put noise dampening headphones on and crawl into my closet at home :p.
 
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Some entertaining replies... some I didn't get... but thanks also. I do agree that there may be times when hiking in the dark could be considered rational, however, my question is whether this is another subcategory of the 46ers, and if anyone has heard of, or is involved in, such a feat.
 
little bits

eagle: nice quote. Try this one out for size too: "Education is not about filling a bucket; it's about starting a fire." -William Butler Yeats

ADackR: it's per se, I believe.

And now on to nocturnal hiking. The stars are worth it. The lack of sleep isn't. Maybe they were "cramming"... Perhaps not. Do you feel any more confused now?
 
AlpineSummit- I would worry about getting injured in the dark, but I guess if there is 19 others, I wouldn't be so uneasy.
Ben W- thanks, and thanks again for reminding me to give him the credit! I am intrigued by the nocturnal hiking thing now... I imagine the stars would be nice. I haven't really hiked after sunset on purpose before, so it's always been thought as something negative for me. Hmm...
 
some good lines...unfortunately I am not feeling witty (which is not only the norm, but also a blessing for you).

Ben, as far as night hiking goes, I haven't done anything like Algonquin or even hikes like Stoopid references, but that said, I've done a fair share of night hiking. Short hikes in to a leanto in the Catskills on a Friday night in the fall or Spring when the days are short, or just hikes around an existing camp. If you have never tried it you should. The woods are a completely different experience at night.
 
I don't give much thought on whether people hike at night or not but I do think it is major rude to show up at a shelter or tent sites in the midle of the night waking people up.
It's one reason I tend to avoid them.
 
I'm with Spider

I must be getting older or something. Can't stand when people pull into camp at some ungodly hour and announces to the whole place - we're here!!

Do have to admit that night hiking has its perks though...
 
I have always enjoyed night hiking. Started doing it in the army as a reconnaissance specialist (scout). Part of our training was actually how to see in darkness. Learned there is an amazing amount of things you can see depending on sky conditions without any extra light.

When I started hiking again I used to go camping about one weekend a month. Usually arrive at the trailhead somewhere between 10PM to midnight on Friday night driving up from CT after work. Usually hike until 3 or 4 AM. Don't worry though. We almost never go near huts or tentsites or shelters, unless its just to walk past. :D

Depending on sky conditions and the trail we may or may not use headlamps.

Keith
 
Well Keith, considering your training, I doubt snoozing hikers would have heard you even if you were to go right through camp! Very interesting.
 
As one who has to travel many hours to get to most places and then night hike in to get to a campsite I'm guilty of the late night lean to/ campsite approach, though if possible I'll grab some spot off the trail away from the sites and lean to's. Usually I'm solo and therefore quiet, if there's signs of the area being occupied, I move on. The exception is where the regs require designated only areas, don't have much choice in those cases.

Now a similar story: A few years back I was camped on a rock off a feeder trail in the Catskills. I was just settling down, the bus/taxi/walk got me there around 12pm. Just as I was nodding off and began to hear hooting and hollering coming the trail. Began to make out flashlights and more loudness. Certainly more than 6 people coming down the trail. What the heck?... figured them for some really odd locals.

The next morning I found out it was the Cavedog and his team celebrating the completion of his Catskill walk. Neat.

That all said, I prefer to night hike in near silence. It's pretty much the only way to find wildlife and the sound of your boots against the rocks and trail confers a fair amount of info of what the footings like.
 
I'm a member of the "people who burst into camp in the middle of the night LOUDLY are RUDE" club. I had my first experience with this recently in the Adirondacks. In fact, it was MY first experience sleeping in a lean-to and I was snoozing quite nicely, thank you. Hubby wasn't sleeping as well, was on self-inflicted "bear watch" so every little sound had him bolt upright.
I was rudely awakened by a pair of hikers shining their headlamps in our eyes, and speaking to us as though it were midday, "what time d'you guys get in?" "how'd you like that mud?" "you doing the whole range tomorrow?".

EXCUSE me, I was sleeping! Yes, I will happily move over so you can bed down in the lean to with us, but PLEASE stop chattering at me!

I whispered to hubby that I thought this was rude and he explained that lean-tos ARE public, after all and we need to share. Well, I agreed with that part, but it was the whole LOUD and CHATTERY part that I felt was rude.

Glad I'm not alone on this.

ADKatie
 
I always wondered what the stars would look like from the top of a mountain. I need to find a group like this and do a midnighter. That sounds like a blast!!!
 
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