Night Hiking

[Stogie88]

Hello All,
I wanted to get some input from the community about night hiking. First off, I have hiked at night many times (never solo) and I know the "dangers" that are associated with it but lets put that part aside... Do any of yall have anything against people hiking at night? And I mean NIGHT like 12am-3am... We are very quiet and do our best not to wake anyone up if they are sleeping while we pass shelters and such.. just curious to your oppenions on this because the last thing we want is to make anyone upset on the trail or break any "rules" that I am not currently aware of...

If you are asking yourself "why do we like to hike at night??" my best answer is because time is limited and normally our group doesn't get off work until after 7pm and drive times are about 3 hours to the trail heads from our home town. (some people dont have PTO days at work so taking off doesn't work well)

thanks in advanced for any input, and i have pretty thick skin so feel to "hate" ,but really this world is cruel enough so keep the hate to a minimum.

Peace,
-Stogie

[FarmerChef]

I have no problems with night hikers at all, provided they are quietish around me and don't shine their headlamps in my eyes (closed or otherwise). A quick flip to red or low if available is always appreciated.

[aficion]

I have no problems with night hikers at all, provided they are quietish around me and don't shine their headlamps in my eyes (closed or otherwise). A quick flip to red or low if available is always appreciated.

The trail is open 24/7 and night hiking is just plain fun. Anyone who pitches tarp, tent, or hammock right on the trail
has them self to answer if awoken. Hike on and have fun!

[T-Rx]

No problem with night hiking as long as you don't disturb other hikers trying to sleep. Hike on and have fun.

[Stogie88]

We do travel quiet like ninjas in the night so glad to hear no one has any issues with this. plan is to head up near Standing Indian tomorrow night, first hike of the year! thanks for the responses.

[Trail Bug]

Only problem I had with night hikers was coming into the shelter late at night and waking everyone up as they laid out their gear, cooked some food and finally deciding to go to bed. If you night hike bring a tent and sleep in it.

[Stogie88]

Only problem I had with night hikers was coming into the shelter late at night and waking everyone up as they laid out their gear, cooked some food and finally deciding to go to bed. If you night hike bring a tent and sleep in it.

I totally agree and see how that could be not only annoying but disrespectful in general. we are tent only hikers so no worries on that side of things. not sure how i would feel about sharing a shelter anyway, i like my space haha

[fertilizer]

As long as you can avoid waking folks up in the shelters, have at it......night hiking sounds fun!

[Malto]

The trail is open 24/7 and night hiking is just plain fun. Anyone who pitches tarp, tent, or hammock right on the trail
has them self to answer if awoken. Hike on and have fun!

+1. Came upon a group in north of Pearisburg last weekend camped right on the trail, about 5 tents. Did I wake them? Who knows and frankly I didn't care, but I did stay as quiet as possible and minimized shining my headlamp directly at them.

[Tom Murphy]

Ty Webb: Let me tell you a little story? I once knew a guy who could have been a great golfer, could have gone pro, all he needed was a little time and practice. Decided to go to college instead. Went for four years, did pretty well. At the end of his four years, his last semester he was kicked out ... You know what for? He was night putting, just putting at night with the 15-year-old daughter of the Dean ... You know who that guy was Danny?

Danny Noonan: No.

Ty Webb: Take one good guess.

Danny Noonan: Bob Hope?

Ty Webb: Ha ha ... No, that guy was Mitch Comstein, my roommate. He was a good guy.

[maybe clem]

I'm a night owl by nature and I love night hiking. Go for it.

[rocketsocks]

Did you say "Night hike"....sure, love night hiking! Not all who night hike do into the wee hours of the morning, here Rain Man and I are pushing to get a few more miles in so the next day will be a easier finish to a long awaited close to his PA section hike.21189

[Another Kevin]

Hike your own hike, don't make me hike yours, don't put yourself in a position where you're forced to hike mine.

In other words:

Don't camp where you'll be disturbed if I pass through late. In return, I won't tent right on the trail, either.
Don't come into a shelter late at night, talk, cook, shuffle gear and wake everyone up. I won't either. I'm an old man, though, so I must reserve the right to a modicum of coming and going in the night. I'll be as quiet as I can.
Don't shine your headlamp right at sleepers, and use 'low' or 'red' settings wherever possible. That also preserves your night vision better, which is a help for night hiking.

Clueless weekender that I am, I've never got into the night-hiking habit, mostly because I spend a lot of time on trails that are much less well-blazed than the A-T (or off-trail entirely). I should try it more, since my partners tell me it's the only way to go in winter.

[keepinitsimple]

Hiking at night is the bomb. We try to plan it around a full moon. Or sometimes I will just start the day late, knowing that the last few miles will be at night. If you do not turn on a flashlight or anything on as the sun goes down, my experience has been that you can hike for hours past sundown with just that beautiful dim light. Even after its gone, we have hiked on and on without light, in some of PA's rockiest areas. not smart mind you, but fun. One time I think I saw the dew formulate and lay, a grey haze came to visibility and gently consumed us. once that pupil is fully open for extended times you can see the most amazing things ( a boulder that looked like Bob weir). As far as bothering others- I dont know if people have a right to claim that. the animals don't seem to keep quiet hours. As long as you are respectful, the woods are open 24 hours a day. I don't stay at shelters when overnight, so I cant speak to that. And after that thread of the virus that went through a shelter, dont think I will be staying in one any time soon

[DeerPath]

Did you say "Night hike"....sure, love night hiking! Not all who night hike do into the wee hours of the morning, here Rain Man and I are pushing to get a few more miles in so the next day will be a easier finish to a long awaited close to his PA section hike.21189

Is that a Halo around Rainman?

[Biggie Master]

It's especially nice in the hot months...

[Stogie88]

Thanks again for the responses everyone. Heading up to N.C. tonight, praying the rain is gone by the time we get to the trail head (1am-2am) First hike of the year so i'm pretty excited! yall have a great weekend and stay safe out there.

[FarmerChef]

Hiking at night is the bomb. We try to plan it around a full moon. Or sometimes I will just start the day late, knowing that the last few miles will be at night. If you do not turn on a flashlight or anything on as the sun goes down, my experience has been that you can hike for hours past sundown with just that beautiful dim light. Even after its gone, we have hiked on and on without light, in some of PA's rockiest areas. not smart mind you, but fun.

I agree. There have been times, especially in the fall, where I found that hiking with my light off and just the light of the moon made it EASIER to see the trail. When leaves or snow cover the trail the directional light of an LED can make them shiny and difficult to pick out the depression you could so easily see during the day. Turning it off allows for shadows and lets you look around to enjoy the stuff around you instead of having to stare straight ahead or see a couple brightly lit trees and inky blackness beyond.

[Dogwood]

I address high daytime humidity and temps and hiking crowds by hiking at night. The AT, much of the SoCal and OR PCT, and the CDT in NM and WY(Great Basin) is tailor made for it. Like others said be careful of where you shine your headlamp and keep the noise down. Don't stop at shelters after about 10 P.M. particularly during thru-hiker season. I hike solo almost exclusively so I'm not yakkety yakking in a group. How you plan on keeping that noise level down in a group I don't know. Like I said one of the big reasons why I night hike is to have the trail basically to myself.

On the AT during the hottest parts of the summer I would find a quiet place to nap between about 1 - 4 P.M. which was usually a spot far into the woods when not raining. Get up, hike until about 8-9 P.M, eat, then hike until 1 -3 A.M., sleep until 6 or 7 a.m, get up, and hike until 1 P.M. Repeat. It's kinda neat because it's a different world at night with the stars, moon, planets, shooting stars, shadows, and the nocturnal wildlife that's active. Night hiking in the DARK deserts where there is little light pollution like in Utah, northern Arizona, and southern Cali and in winter when ice and snow is hanging on the trees and underfoot are so special to me.

[Dogwood]

Sometimes a red or green light(in the snow) can help adjust to and keep the night vision. Those colors can also be more stealthy and be less alarming to other people and nocturnal wildlife.

[rocketsocks]

Is that a Halo around Rainman?Actually it's a round fluorescent tube....pretty neat huh?..... kidding, just the brim of the hat caught by the flash of the camera.

[Stogie88]

Actually it's a round fluorescent tube....pretty neat huh?..... kidding, just the brim of the hat caught by the flash of the camera.

gives new meaning to "trail angels" LOL

[Stogie88]

I address high daytime humidity and temps and hiking crowds by hiking at night. The AT, much of the SoCal and OR PCT, and the CDT in NM and WY(Great Basin) is tailor made for it. Like others said be careful of where you shine your headlamp and keep the noise down. Don't stop at shelters after about 10 P.M. particularly during thru-hiker season. I hike solo almost exclusively so I'm not yakkety yakking in a group. How you plan on keeping that noise level down in a group I don't know. Like I said one of the big reasons why I night hike is to have the trail basically to myself.

On the AT during the hottest parts of the summer I would find a quiet place to nap between about 1 - 4 P.M. which was usually a spot far into the woods when not raining. Get up, hike until about 8-9 P.M, eat, then hike until 1 -3 A.M., sleep until 6 or 7 a.m, get up, and hike until 1 P.M. Repeat. It's kinda neat because it's a different world at night with the stars, moon, planets, shooting stars, shadows, and the nocturnal wildlife that's active. Night hiking in the DARK deserts where there is little light pollution like in Utah, northern Arizona, and southern Cali and in winter when ice and snow is hanging on the trees and underfoot are so special to me.

normally my fellow hikers are so out of breath they cant speak lol, so noise is never an issue except for the occasional "hold up i need to rest!"

[rocketsocks]

gives new meaning to "trail angels" LOLhehehehe.......hey he is a Saint...good man there.

[Seatbelt]

I agree. There have been times, especially in the fall, where I found that hiking with my light off and just the light of the moon made it EASIER to see the trail. When leaves or snow cover the trail the directional light of an LED can make them shiny and difficult to pick out the depression you could so easily see during the day. Turning it off allows for shadows and lets you look around to enjoy the stuff around you instead of having to stare straight ahead or see a couple brightly lit trees and inky blackness beyond.

I've done this a few times too. I had to flip the lite back on last Oct going from Curly Maple Shelter down to Erwin, pathway was too rough and rocky for no light. Enjoyable after dark tho, especially in hot temps.

[Another Kevin]

normally my fellow hikers are so out of breath they cant speak lol, so noise is never an issue except for the occasional "hold up i need to rest!"

I'd be out of breath too if I went hiking with a stogie!

[Stogie88]

I'd be out of breath too if I went hiking with a stogie!

haha! thanks, I got a good laugh out of that one Kevin.

[Del Q]

I have no issue with being in the woods or hiking at night......

BUT

Just came back from my Spring section hke.............there were like 5000 steps per day (TN/NC) where one misstep and you have a really bad day / night on your hands.

I am 54, 220 lbs, orthopedic "issues", a fall like that could be a serious issue.................
in a lot of spots, the tumble would be 50+ feet.

Coming into camp or a tenting spot after hours is one thing............choosing to hike at night on the 1475 miles on the AT that I know..........

Very risky

[Dogwood]

....inky blackness beyond.

It's that inky blackness on an overcast night with NO MOONLIGHT that I sometimes enjoy especially when I quickly turn off my headlamp and can't see my hand 1 ft in front of my face. Then I hear faint breathing and perhaps a rustling in the forest. I feel like Clarice Starling in Buffalo Bill's(Jame Gumb's) basement.

http://www.syfy.com/_cache/images/assets/totalblackout/2012-02/silence___CC___685x385.jpg

[Even]

I agree. There have been times, especially in the fall, where I found that hiking with my light off and just the light of the moon made it EASIER to see the trail. When leaves or snow cover the trail the directional light of an LED can make them shiny and difficult to pick out the depression you could so easily see during the day. Turning it off allows for shadows and lets you look around to enjoy the stuff around you instead of having to stare straight ahead or see a couple brightly lit trees and inky blackness beyond.

I love it! I was in Maine one night and walked up on a moose. I wasn't sure it was a moose so I took my light out of my pack and still couldn't tell but the eyes were way up there. Once my light was off the moose left. Had to be a moose eyes up that far! LOL

[WalksInDark]

If you nigh hike often enough you are likely to experience this....the soft sound of, maybe, lightly moving leaves in the dark....then an almost imperceptible low whistling sound followed by the feel of whooshing air (and maybe your ball cap being torn or knocked off you head)....:eek: and before you know it a large owl will have strafed you in the dark.

Yep, I have experienced it a time or two. The scariest owl to have going over your head in the complete dead of night is the Great Horned Owl. Man, in the dad of night those Horned suckers seem as big as a wild turkey! :D

[aficion]

I love it! I was in Maine one night and walked up on a moose. I wasn't sure it was a moose so I took my light out of my pack and still couldn't tell but the eyes were way up there. Once my light was off the moose left. Had to be a moose eyes up that far! LOL

My favorite was the pair of eyes that went from knee level up to well above eye level, quickly, then dropped down again after about 15 seconds. No moose around here.

[Dogwood]

normally my fellow hikers are so out of breath they cant speak lol, so noise is never an issue except for the occasional "hold up i need to rest!"

Heavy breathing and gasping for breath when in the outdoors wakes me up. Keep your group away from me at night.:D:banana

[Dogwood]

My favorite was the pair of eyes that went from knee level up to well above eye level, quickly, then dropped down again after about 15 seconds. No moose around here.

Don't you love that when the green, yellow, and red glowing eyes you have not yet identified suddenly go from below knee height to chest height? I wonder how or what color some of these animals see as my eyes?

[saltysack]

I did a night hike on the AT from standing Indian campground up to carter gap shelter a few months ago. I left about 7:30 and stopped about midnight. Nothing like bring out in nature at night...esp with full moon and alittle snow. My dog loves to night hike also. Have fun !