Night Hiking - Tips?

[DougPaul]

Even if you don't usually hike with them, poles can help keep you vertical when it's dark. It's like having two extra legs to keep you up when one of your feet get caught on something that you didn't see.

Ahh-yes thanks for the reminder.

Was doing another of those night-hikes-without-lights along a familiar trail, only this time it was a dark night and the trees were fairly heavy. I was on point. Sometimes the only thing I could see was a very dark grey path in the sky between the trees. (Everything else was pitch black.) The person behind me had to hold on to my pack or have me make constant noise so he could follow me and everyone else linked hands to stay in line. This time, unlike the Monadnock night hikes, I had poles. They were fantastic--i used them as feelers the way an insect uses its antennae. I litererally felt my way down a mile of trail, down a broad ravine, and out onto a 3 ft wide bridge--time for the lights. (I have also done the same hike pre-pole. Much easier with.)

You can frequently feel the path with your feet--the tredway is usually a little lower and harder than the edges. There is also likely to be leaf litter (and brush) along the edges.

A white shirt (or hang one over your pack) makes it much easier for others to follow and/or see you.

One other thing for night hiking--think twice about wearing sandals. You may not be able to see small details in the tredway and much of the footing is by feel. Expect to kick lots of rocks, sticks, and waterbars.

By all means--give night hiking a try. (Go with someone experienced if you wish.) A good safety skill and it can be fun in its own right.

Doug

 

[jfb]

It would also be a good idea to wear eye protection of some kind.

 

[^MtnMike^]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses!

^MtnMike^

 

[WhiteMTHike]

A compass with luminous marks for use at night and a GPS.

 

[TCD]

Reflective tape on all your gear so when you put something down you can find it.

 

[critter]

I would use a camel back or similar device if you don't normally. Hiking at night can require the use of two free hands much more often than during the day. Also you would not want to look for a water bottle in the dark.

 

[Quack]

Night vision goggles.

 

[DougPaul]

A compass with luminous marks for use at night and a GPS.

I have read of someone using his GPS to find the outhouse while camping in Mongolia. It was so dark, he used the backlight to see his way...

Doug

 

[Remix]

Have a headlamp that can throw a long beam of light if you are doing any rock stepping over a wide stream. If you just have a light duty led headlamp, its not going to be fun crossing a wide stream not knowing where the blaze is on the other side-- let alone whether there is anyway place to step from that shaky position you now find yourself in.

Edit- And if you are going to be walking on a highway to get back to your car, do get something that flashes or reflects to put on back of your pack- some rain, a black pack cover and dark rain pants does really make it hard for motorists to see you.

 

[Barbarossa]

I've had some great full moon hikes in the past couple years. I did Bond from the Guyot tree fort last October in the full moon, no head lamp required. I just walked a little slower. Also, if the moon is full but you are fogged in, you get really cool ambient light.

For off trail travel: 'see' the ground with your feet. I learned this skill in the army. It's a bit like snowshoeing. You don't lift your feet normally; you just glide over the ground, letting them drag a bit.

 

[DougPaul]

And if you are going to be walking on a highway to get back to your car, do get something that flashes or reflects to put on back of your pack- some rain, a black pack cover and dark rain pants does really make it hard for motorists to see you.

I carry bicyclists reflective velcro pants straps for this purpose. Weigh very little and strap around arms, legs, pack parts, or whatever.

Another technique is to turn toward any oncoming traffic so the drivers can see your headlamp.

Doug

 

[Neil]

Who would ever have thought that this thread would have taken off the way it has? For me night hiking has always been a means to an end. Drive down to the Dacks on a Friday night in December, switch on the headlamps and tramp one's way into the Blueberry or the Bradley Pond LT so as to be poised for an early start. However, reading this thread I get the impression that there are plenty of people who night hike for the sake of night hiking.

All I can say is, Well, I'll be ...

 

[DougPaul]

However, reading this thread I get the impression that there are plenty of people who night hike for the sake of night hiking.

I'm not sure I'd want to make a full time career of it, but it can be fun at the right time and place. And if done only occasionally, it retains novelty.

And when it is just an early start or a late return, might as well enjoy it if you can. As I said earlier, "it's just like day, except it's dark. (Well almost.)". I enjoy hiking and XC skiing during the day, why not at night?

I also find it hard to get excited about religiously setting turnaround times so that one can get back to the car by dark. I just want to get back to relatively safe terrain by dark--the rest is just a walk without an excess of light. During my solo Isolation bushwack this winter, I had no fixed turn-around time. I turned back at 4pm (100-200 yds from the summit) so I could navigate, break out a new section of the route, and make the stream crossing by dark (6pm). The rest was just a walk following the ingress tracks and a trail. It was nice (although a "bit" tiring.)

Also I'm not that fast, so including night travel increases my range.

It is also possible that a bit of insanity runs in the family too...

Doug

 

[bobmak]

I've done quite a bit of night hiking. I often would drive up on a Friday and either hike into a camp site or in winter would hike up to Grey Knob, Tucks or Carter. I haven't made the switch to LED yet, still using my old faithful Petzl. My 2 cents:

I've traveled solo a lot, so I always carried a small flashlight along as a spare. This is especially good thing to have when your bulb burns out.

In the winter having a battery pack that will fit under your outer layer is a good idea, especially if you are using alkaline batteries; they die fast in the cold. Almost any headlamp can be altered to be used with a remote battery pack if you want to spend a couple of bucks at Radio Shack.

I put a connector plug in the wire between the batteries and the lamp, and carry a spare battery pack with the same connector. When the batteries run low I unplug one and plug the fresh pack in.

A relatively strong beam can come in very handy when you find yourself temporarily misplaced and are looking for the real trail.

Bring a dog. They have an easier time following the trail at night than us bi-peds.

Near my house is about a 800 acre state forest that is criss-crossed with trails. A few years back Chica and I went out for a ski after work and I brought with me a lamp with almost dead batteries. It got dark quick, the lamp was almost useless, and it seemed like I found every path except the one that would lead me back to my car. Finally I just let Chica run ahead and I followed her.... 15 minutes later I found the right path.

 

[Jaytrek57]

I would echo the line of thought that...well...you really don't need a light source on most nights...at least that has been my experience. Your eyes will adapt pretty well to established trails...bushwhacking is a different story.

One thing not mentioned, or at least I did not see was, hiking at night in grizzly or mountain lion terriotory...big no-no.

Peace.