View Full Version : Night Hiking....
Wise Old Owl
09-14-2010, 20:19
Well we haven't talked about it in a while, positive memories about hiking in the night.... Ideas that work and what doesn't ... Try to keep it positive, that kid from the other side of camp that fell down a twenty foot cliff while you giggled in your sleeping bag isn't what I am looking for here.
What makes a night hike special to you!
Hikerhead
09-14-2010, 21:41
Seeing those little spider eyes sparkle like diamonds.
Roughin' It
09-14-2010, 22:43
the cool weather in summertime.
A tip: make sure you've got a headlamp that emits a good amount of light. I recently did the last few miles of a 50 mile trail race in the dark with a pretty wimpy light and won't do that again!
Tip #2: it's nice to have company on a night hike.
grizzlyadam
09-14-2010, 23:08
There is something freeing about hiking at night. Especially by the light of the moon. One game I always like to play when night hiking, is going as long as I can without getting out the headlamp.
I recently posted a trip report on here about a night hike:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=64308
I like to night hike in the pre-dawn hours - getting up and going by 3:00 AM.
This way if I get turned around I can stop for a few hours and wait on it to get daylight rather than having to sit all night.
My first real night hiking experience was on the Foothills Trail - it's very well maintained and the blazing is good - a perfect trail for a night hiking beginner.
IronGutsTommy
09-14-2010, 23:45
i want to night hike the "haunted" regions. through my extensive searches ive compiled a list of 18 different areas of civil war battles, ghost stories, deaths etc. wouldnt mind scaring the crap out of myself some night at one of these areas.
Seeing those little spider eyes sparkle like diamonds.
Just experienced that for the first time a couple weeks ago. Cool little buggers.
That was a cool response Hikerhead! Funny thing is, you are exactly right.
My fondest nighttime hike was in Zion NP after a 18" snowfall with no moon at 2 a.m. The pine trees were all bent over almost to the ground laden with icecicles and snow. The only way I found the trail was by pushing through the trees as the light from my headlamp glistened off all the snow and ice. It was dead silent other than for my breathing, the crunching of snow under my feet, and icecicles hitting the snow. The night was so dark and clear and the stars so many and bright. I felt as if I could reach up and grab the stars and put them into my pocket. MAGICAL!
Pokey2006
09-15-2010, 01:48
Warm, heavy air, a cool breeze, stars overhead, maybe a sliver of a moon, silence all around, no one else on the trail, an easy, smooth path to follow...ah, the trail through, say, Virginia in the summertime at night. There's nothing else like it. So peaceful, so natural. I recommend giving it a try. After a few nights, you lose that "fear" of night-hiking and start actually enjoying it.
I love a good night hike. Whether it's change or temperature and air or the different animals out that you will experience or the magical "Calm" that seems to be over the forest during the night. There are many great things about night hiking, don't knock it until you try it.
First night hike was in Maine with a dead headlamp. Oops.
I like being forced to focus harder on individual things instead of being overwhelmed by the entire forest. Sometimes you can see more in the dark than in the light.
I haven't night hiked since I was a boy scout. I really liked having to use my senses more fully, although things got interesting when we walked into a group of cows under a very dark bit of tree cover. Unfortunately I can't really night hike in the dark anymore because my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be. Wearing glasses with night time dew points doesn't work out very well for me when I'm active. I would have to use a fairly bright headlamp to see, or have a favorable dew point.
Do watch out for reptiles on warm nights...
Night-hiking in the winter is great. The leaves are off the trees. If there's snow on the ground, it softly catches the light of the moon. Since there's so little daylight, you can spend more time hiking than if you stick to daytime. And you keep warmer for longer!
My first experience with night hiking was in 1960 with a Boy Scout troop. We were hiking south from Clingmans Dome and were late getting started and heading for Spence Field. Night set in before we got over Thunderhead so we walked the last 4 miles or so in the dark. I remember that the stars seemed so close and the ground even closer as we stumbled along without much light. Flashlights in those days were heavy and didn't last very long. But we made it and setup camp at Spence Field. Ahhh... to be 13 again!
Odd Man Out
09-15-2010, 13:42
Night-hiking in the winter is great. The leaves are off the trees. If there's snow on the ground, it softly catches the light of the moon. Since there's so little daylight, you can spend more time hiking than if you stick to daytime. And you keep warmer for longer!
I did a winter night hike when I was a boy scout. There was fresh snow and a full moon so it was really bright after your eyes were adjusted. I remember when we started out everyone insisted on having the flashlights on. But the leaders made us turn them all off. At first it seemed so dark and creepy, but after while, it was amazingly bright.
Oh man, you guys reminded me. My last night hike was in the snow. It was a very nice pleasant hike at first. I learned a valuable lesson. Don't climb up slippery rocks at night when you're by yourself. Wait, that part wasn't bad. Let me revise. Do not climb down slippery rocks at night. I slipped and hit my hip hard. It hurt so bad I consider myself lucky I didn't break it. It was a slow painful walk back to the car and a long drive home. I would do it again though, except for the bit about the rocks.
Johnny Thunder
09-15-2010, 21:48
Night hiking the shennies (specifically, the Northern stretch where there are more overlooks off of skyline drive) is something every through hiker should do.
I did the last 10 miles of the maryland 40 at night and was glad to have a partner with me or else i wouldn't have finished.
My best night hike was from boiling springs to duncannon leaving at 2 AM to arrive at the billville hiker feed on july 4th. somewhere along the way there were two horses in a field...which looked like 8 ft tall giants on account of the fact that i could only see their enormous eyes.
johnnybgood
09-15-2010, 22:12
Hiking atop a clearing and looking skyward at the constellations on a clear night.
The feel of cool crisp air in the early morning is also very invigorating while hiking .
In SNP the wind howls on crystal clear nights which adds a certain aura to night hiking.
Hikerhead
09-15-2010, 22:23
That was a cool response Hikerhead! Funny thing is, you are exactly right.
My fondest nighttime hike was in Zion NP after a 18" snowfall with no moon at 2 a.m. The pine trees were all bent over almost to the ground laden with icecicles and snow. The only way I found the trail was by pushing through the trees as the light from my headlamp glistened off all the snow and ice. It was dead silent other than for my breathing, the crunching of snow under my feet, and icecicles hitting the snow. The night was so dark and clear and the stars so many and bright. I felt as if I could reach up and grab the stars and put them into my pocket. MAGICAL!
Thanks. Some of my best hiking memories are from night hiking.
1) Going across Tinker Cliffs for the first time, at night, in a raging thunderstorm.
2) Another time I somehow stopped my foot from going down on a copperhead near Tinker Mtn. I didn't know I could jump that high on one leg.
3) Seeing Roanoke on one side of the ridge and Botetourt on the other side hiking to Daleville from Rt 311. J5man's first 20 miler and he blew his knee out so it was slow going. I would just move ahead a little and just gawk at the cities all lit up while waiting on him to catch up.
4) Getting lost coming down from North Mtn bushwhacking in the dark. I've been all over this piece of land, no way I could get lost...I did, for a couple of hours. It was fun. I came across a 10 ft deep room sized hole in the ground that I've never been able to find again.
5) Hiking around Terrapin Mtn near Apple Orchard Mtn in the dark and seeing eyes on the trail ahead of me. Stopped and studied them for a little bit. Too low to the ground to be a bear.....it was an opposum.
6) And it always good to see headlamps up ahead of me. That's when I know I finally caught up to my hiking buddies at camp.
WalksInDark
09-15-2010, 22:42
My trail name says it all.
Hiking at night can be a blast. For an added sense of adventure, if you can't see well enough for no light..use a red light. The critters don't seem to mind the red glow...and it makes their eyes glow in the dark.
Two best night hikes: alone, 1 a.m. Graceland Highlands...about 2' of snow on the ground, light sleet...heavy fog. It was super spooky and almost dead silent except for my foot falls and trekking poles; second best, alone coming back to Daleville in the dark from Tinker Cliffs on a pitch black night.
To get the most enjoyment out of my nocturnal adventures, I dim my headlight as low as possible...but still just enough that I can see most hazards.
Wise Old Owl
09-15-2010, 23:27
My trail name says it all.
Hiking at night can be a blast. For an added sense of adventure, if you can't see well enough for no light..use a red light. The critters don't seem to mind the red glow...and it makes their eyes glow in the dark.
Two best night hikes: alone, 1 a.m. Graceland Highlands...about 2' of snow on the ground, light sleet...heavy fog. It was super spooky and almost dead silent except for my foot falls and trekking poles; second best, alone coming back to Daleville in the dark from Tinker Cliffs on a pitch black night.
To get the most enjoyment out of my nocturnal adventures, I dim my headlight as low as possible...but still just enough that I can see most hazards.
Wow I like where this is going ... I did not expect the great responses so far and I am goingto have a conversation with troop 78 about doing it once again,,,,, Yea! keep it up!
The critters don't seem to mind the red glow...and it makes their eyes glow in the dark. - WalksInDark
With a trailname like WalksInDark how appropriate for you to be posting on tis thread.
It sure is a strange/eerie feeling when you are new to night hiking and you are hiking with no moonlight not being able to see your outstretched hand in front of your face if your headlamp was to go out and all of a sudden several pairs of glowing eyes are staring at you! You ask yourself in a trembling voice, "what is it, what are they? I hope it's's not a bear or mountain lion." Then the things/demons from hell/animals? start stomping their feet and snorting. And, then you see the dark rough outline of a deer's head. You say to yourself, "I wasn't afraid, I knew it was deer all along!" HA!
That's why I enjoy stopping in the middle of the trail while hiking on a DARK night and turning off my headlamp and just listen...
AtomicLlama
09-16-2010, 14:52
I've never done any night hiking, but on a recent whitewater rafting trip we rowed all night to get through a 30 mile flatwater section at the end of the trip. New moon, so the only light was from the stars, which was still just barely enough to navigate by (along with occasional use of a flashlight). Seeing the milky way above the canyon was amazing.
LIhikers
09-16-2010, 18:00
Last month my wife and I hiked part of the AT in New Hampshire.
We hiked up Garfield Mountain in the dark but couldn't find and follow the trail at the very top. We knew we were within 1/4 mile of the campsite but also knew it was down hill in every direction. Instead of taking a chance of getting lost, or hurt, we got out our sleeping bags and did some cowboy camping by the side of the trail. In the morning we couldn't believe how straight forward the trail was or why we couldn't figure it out the night before.
Lightfoot70
09-17-2010, 03:27
Most of my hikes usually begin on friday nights because of my drive from atlanta. I love the peace you experience at night especially under a full moon and how effortless it seems to cover a lot of distance without feeling tired. My dad and I covered lots of territory in the Cohutta wilderness and the smokies this way. I highly recommend trying this once on a full moon. I promise you will be hooked!
jersey joe
09-17-2010, 08:19
I generally wasn't fond of night hiking but...
...On the last night of my thru hike I pulled an all nighter to get to Katahdin Stream Campground where I was meeting my family the next day. I was in the middle of a 44 mile day and came to the top of a mountain, I don't recall the name, and saw the most beautiful full sky of stars. It was so dark and my views were 360 degrees. It was like I was floating in stars. I just sat on a rock and took in the moment, one of my most memorable from my hike. All because of night hiking.
A couple of years ago I was night hiking the AT in northern Virginia. (Can't recall the specific location off-hand.) I was about .5 mile from the blue blazed trail to a shelter when a glimpse of something on the trail ahead caught my attention. I stopped and switched my headlamp to high beam. About 20 yards ahead, a skunk was stopped in the middle of the trail, watching me.
We faced off for a minute or two. The skunk gave way first. It turned around, walked about 25 yards back the way it had come, then stopped and turned around to face me. I walked toward it slowly and stopped about 20 yards away. It turned around and backtracked another 25 yards. I walked forward a bit and stopped. We continued like this all the way to the intersection of the spur trail to the shelter. At that point, the skunk remained on the AT and I turned off.
Wise Old Owl
11-21-2010, 20:02
Night-hiking in the winter is great. The leaves are off the trees. If there's snow on the ground, it softly catches the light of the moon. Since there's so little daylight, you can spend more time hiking than if you stick to daytime. And you keep warmer for longer!
Wow did that tonight went out prior to sunset at Tyler Arboreteum and the moon came up just as the sun went down - I was looking for owls, spotted a hawk, Great time.
Section Hiking every year there is that day where you just don't feel like stopping. I usually stop by 6 or 7, but those nights i'll stop by midnight.
sasquatch2014
11-22-2010, 20:39
Both my old section as well as most of my new section are all tagged for night hiking with Bright eye reflector tacks. You can go from the i-84 to Morgan Stewart Shelter or from Telephone Pioneer Shelter to the Train crossing at night with little problems.
The only section not tagged is the field. ?If you get lost in the hay field at night you deserve to wonder lost until daylight.
Half Note
11-22-2010, 20:50
All this talk...
I cannot wait to do some of these night hikes. Lovin' the stories y'all.
cavediver256
11-22-2010, 22:01
I just walked from Indian Grave Gap to Tray Mountain Gap and back on a night hike last Wednesday.....weather was perfect, air was crisp and clear, and the moon was bright enough that a headlamp was optional. I even had an owl yell hello and I was making my way through the "Cheese Factory Site". If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it.
Very fun.
In Spring, how beautiful the flowers and plants look at night.
Sitting on Lover's Leap north of Hot Springs, giggling quietly )since there were campers nearby) waiting for a little light to go down for breakfast in town.
In the summer, watching out for those reptiles. Spider eyes.
In the fall, seeing your campsite really for the first time in the morning. Either a leaf pile or a beautiful spot next to a pond you did not know was there.
In the winter, how you can really see your breath.
Hikerhead
11-22-2010, 22:31
Last month my wife and I hiked part of the AT in New Hampshire.
We hiked up Garfield Mountain in the dark but couldn't find and follow the trail at the very top. We knew we were within 1/4 mile of the campsite but also knew it was down hill in every direction. Instead of taking a chance of getting lost, or hurt, we got out our sleeping bags and did some cowboy camping by the side of the trail. In the morning we couldn't believe how straight forward the trail was or why we couldn't figure it out the night before.
Don't feel bad, I couldn't follow the trail in the day time. Went straight down a trail thinking it had to be the AT but couldn't find a blaze even after going down a good ways. Turned around and went back up, found the blaze at the very top and proceeded to go back down. Yeah, night hiking is fun. I usually end up doing some on every hike, intended or not.
Thanks. Some of my best hiking memories are from night hiking.
1) Going across Tinker Cliffs for the first time, at night, in a raging thunderstorm.
2) Another time I somehow stopped my foot from going down on a copperhead near Tinker Mtn. I didn't know I could jump that high on one leg.
3) Seeing Roanoke on one side of the ridge and Botetourt on the other side hiking to Daleville from Rt 311. J5man's first 20 miler and he blew his knee out so it was slow going. I would just move ahead a little and just gawk at the cities all lit up while waiting on him to catch up.
4) Getting lost coming down from North Mtn bushwhacking in the dark. I've been all over this piece of land, no way I could get lost...I did, for a couple of hours. It was fun. I came across a 10 ft deep room sized hole in the ground that I've never been able to find again.
5) Hiking around Terrapin Mtn near Apple Orchard Mtn in the dark and seeing eyes on the trail ahead of me. Stopped and studied them for a little bit. Too low to the ground to be a bear.....it was an opposum.
6) And it always good to see headlamps up ahead of me. That's when I know I finally caught up to my hiking buddies at camp.
Dude, that was the longest night of my life! You should have just shot me and put me out of my misery. My takeaway: Night time hiking sucks and hiking 20 miles a days sucks! LOL.
Hikerhead
11-22-2010, 23:16
Dude, that was the longest night of my life! You should have just shot me and put me out of my misery. My takeaway: Night time hiking sucks and hiking 20 miles a days sucks! LOL.
Harden the hell up. :) <you knew that was coming>
chiefiepoo
11-22-2010, 23:43
Night walking in Isle Royale NP this past August on a moonless night brought a display of meteors, the milky way, a clear view of Polaris and right below Polaris, northern lights. Amazing. Night hiking in Acadia last summer in total darkness with out light kinda challenged the senses. Practice trying to stay on the trail by feeling the tread and sensing changes in texture and discerning the few visual cues available from starlight as you make your way is a fun exercise.
Wise Old Owl
11-23-2010, 01:05
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/LEDLIGHT.jpg
Just fixed this lamp - removed the CR batteries and soldered a AAA battery package to it, now I can get 30 hours of light - total cost $6
Now back to Night Hiking.
Sasquatch the reflector tacks near the Telephone Pioneers shelter sent me from a habitual night hiker into an addict. I knew I wasn't alone at that point. I am slow and rarely made more than 14 miles before dark. I will sleep anywhere and love walking into the sunset, through the sunset, through the last parts of light and even with the nocturnal animals.
I think it works better to have a hand-held flashlight or one attached at the waist. For some reason the headlamps don't cast enough shadows to see all the texture of the trail. Of course, I don't use my bike headlamp, just a wimpy LED light. Maybe I'll try my bike headlamp sometime.
[QUOTE=sbhikes;1071701]I think it works better to have a hand-held flashlight or one attached at the waist. For some reason the headlamps don't cast enough shadows to see all the texture of the trail. /QUOTE]
Try two. One on the head, one in or on the hand. Works slick for that depth perception issue.
Thought it was loco when I read about it but it does help.
v5planet
11-24-2010, 18:25
Night hiking is an interesting experience. I'm not the biggest fan and so didn't do it very often, but I have some general recommendations:
1) as others have said, make sure you have a bright headlamp and extra batteries. It's no fun watching your headlamp go out and not knowing what to do except wait for the sun to rise.
2) keep a gauge on the weather. the first time i went night hiking a storm rolled in just after dark and it made for a pretty miserable situation. bailing in the dark is a lot harder than bailing in the light. rain and lightning is scary at night, but what might be worse is when fog rolls in (pretty common actually). your flashlight or headlamp will become as useless as high beams on a car in a fogbank
3) on that note: when you start out, try not to walk too quickly, especially if you're looking around with a headlamp on your head. pretty easy to lose your footing in the dark, especially on trickier terrain. it seems obvious, but all it takes is for you to turn your head to look in the direction of some sound you heard -- you won't have your daylight peripheral vision to fall back on to help you keep your footing. as soon as your headlamp swings away, so does the ground's visibility.
4) unless you hike under a full moon. which is probably best for night hiking. that satellite of ours pumps out a lot of reflected sunbeams when it's near or at full. the difference between a cloudy moonless night and a clear night with a full moon is staggering.
5) on the other hand -- during a full moon your views of the stars will be greatly inhibited. the moon saturates the sky with light and will erase the milky way and all but some of the brightest twinklers. camp sites are generally in cozy little groves, so the widest skies tend to be while you're walking: if you're going for a long distance hike, treat yourself to a dark moonless sky at least once. it's pretty awesome.
6) if you're planning to night-hike in the summer, consider how much you like bats. the first time i went i was not surprised to find that my headlamp attracted all manner of bugs. i WAS surprised when bats kept swooping inches from my forehead to eat them.
7) if you stumble upon someone's campsite, turn off those highbeams and switch to red light to navigate around them. i'm guilty of failing in this, and really, it can be hard to navigate without full beams on, especially if it's foggy. regardless, having been inside a tent when loud nighthikers stroll by flashing their lights on every tent to get a lay of the land, i can tell you it's pretty annoying.
I don't care much for night hiking, but it is something everyone planning to do a long distance hike, or who gets out regularly to hike should give a try. The forest is very very different at night. Totally different animals, smells and sounds.