Under Cover of the Night

[DapperD]

I was wondering what other's thoughts are about doing significant hiking at night, like is it worth it, say during the hottest summer months during a long-distance hike, to avoid the heat, or is the risk of injury by falling, getting lost, etc...just too great?

[Red Hat]

Lots of folks do it.. But, I prefer to get up early, rest during heat of day, then hike later before dark.

[kayak karl]

I was wondering what other's thoughts are about doing significant hiking at night, like is it worth it, say during the hottest summer months during a long-distance hike, to avoid the heat, or is the risk of injury by falling, getting lost, etc...just too great?
moon lit nights are great. you can see better then a foggy morn. night hiked into garfield ridge SOBO at night. that waterfall was not fun at all.

[Jack Tarlin]

I think it depends where you are.

Sure wouldn't do it in Vermont or New Hampshire or somewhere pretty.

But Pennsylvania?

Hell, yeah.

[Tipi Walter]

Obviously, it depends on where you are. Often the AT is an excellent trail to nighthike as it's a pretty open boulevard compared to a lot of other trails out there.

Then again, there's a much greater opportunity to get lost during a nighthike, unless you've done the trail before during the day and know it. Not all trails are like the AT with well placed blazes(most of the time), but even there you'll be a bit flumoxed at road crossings(etc)during the night. Just make sure your headlamp batteries are fresh.

[chknfngrs]

I love nighthiking. You will see things at night you won't during the day. But, you will miss vistas you'd normally see during the day. Like JT said, Pennsyltucky is appropriate. I would say Maryland as well.

[Erin]

I had never done it until we met thrus on the AT so we did it one night also. Beautiful. It was our last day on the trail so we made it into Hot Springs down Lover's Leap just in time for dawn and breakfast. The spring flowers just glow at night. I would not do it alone, since I am the one in glasses, but I would definitely do it again with others. We loved it.

[Marta]

As others have said, it's a different experience. Amongst thru-hikers, there is a subset who sleeps late and does a lot of night-hiking. I will comment that the ones I knew had significantly more navigational misadventures than I did. I can't say those were all due to hiking in the dark, though. But all's well that end's well, and they have some great stories to tell.

[garlic08]

There are definitely more risks, but the rewards are there, too. I was a member of an informal group in Seattle called AHM, After Hours Mountaineering, that met weekly for a day hike at night. Great way for a busy office person to get out during the week.

And I did some night hiking in the Mojave section of the PCT during a heat wave. The rattlers out there hunt at night, and when they're in hunt mode they're more dangerous to hikers. But how cool is it to see a rattler hunt? Like Marta says, great stories.

[1azarus]

I prefer pre-dawn night hiking, so that the ooops i got lost -- better stay right where I am time, if that happens, is limited to an hour or two with daybreak imminent, and you don't have to camp, worry all night, and figure it out in the morning. I've been fortunate that I've never gotten that badly lost at night, but it always seemed like a possibility. Night hiking becomes more attractive the shorter the daylight hours are -- and winter brings more moonlight to the trail with the leaves down. I pretty much walk a couple of hours before dawn every winter hiking day. Nice to plan to hit a summit as daybreak approaches and walk thru a sunrise.