Hiking at night

“Hiking at night and or early morning. I have two large young dogs that need walked and I get some excellent exercise as well.There are old roads that make excellent hiking trails in the prairie.Can be danged bitter cold but its useful to keep in shape.”

“I don't mind it sometimes McGrunt, but after a long day on the trail, I like setting up camp during the day.”

“Where ya from, mcgrunt, since ya mentioned prairies?? And bitter cold? I'm guessing SOUTH DAKOTA??? Watch out for gopher holes... nasty for sprained ankles!!

Hiking at night is fun, but yeah setting up camp during the day is better. (Have set up camp at 2:30-3 a.m. after a hike of a couple miles. LOL)

A question: Does anyone use their headlamp for biking at night? Am trying to think of the advantages and disadvantages of the headlamp, as compared to a bike headlight. I guess I could see the headlamp being troublesome in that when you move your head a little bit, you would potentially lose illumination of the trail right in front of you.

Guess I'll just have to try it on a hard-surface road and see how it goes, before hitting mountain bike trails.”

“I'm hoping to schedule a winter camping trip in mid-March to coincide with a nearly full moon, then hope the weather is clear for some night-time skiing! Haven't done that before; could be fun....”

“Full moon X-country skiing is one of my favorites! (Does anyone downhill at night? could be hard to convince the machine operators to crank them up) I hope to do some of that next weekend near Crater Lake Park.”

“Use both, that way the trail in front of you stays lit up, and you will have light wherever you are looking.”

“I thought the trails were reserved at night for copperheads, etc.”

“Location South Central Wyoming . High desert . Don't spend the night at it have to get to work in the day. Every other night hike 3 to four miles with dogs.
Another drought coming , very little snow.”

“Location South Central Wyoming . High desert . Don't spend the night at it have to get to work in the day. Every other night hike 3 to four miles with dogs.
Another drought coming , very little snow.”

“Location South Central Wyoming . High desert . Don't spend the night at it have to get to work in the day. Every other night hike 3 to four miles with dogs.
Another drought coming , very little snow.”

“Location South Central Wyoming . High desert . Don't spend the night at it have to get to work in the day. Every other night hike 3 to four miles with dogs.
Another drought coming , very little snow.”

“I hike in the dark, it lets me forget I'm in the suburbs.

Love to XC ski at night. Many aurora nights doing that in Fairbanks.

When backpacking I've gone on in the dark many times. I'd rather walk than sit around, especially when solo.”

“The site is a little slow, mcgrunt. Once you hit submit, if the indicator shows a page loading, just wait, otherwise you get duplicate posts. No biggy, everybody's done it.”

“So where do you live mcgrunt ;)?”

“Tahoe, good idea!!! DUH!!!”

“I've know people to use both bike light and headlamp. Bike light lights the way, headlamp lights where you look.

Warning about full moon skiing: shadows are very, very dark.”

“oops. Missed tahoes post.”

“Ok, thanks Pathman.”

“I love to hike and/or snowshoe at night with a full moon (in winter). I haven't started hiking at night in summer, but have come out of the woods after dark many times. If I set up camp after dark, I like a backpacking fueled lantern.”

“Used to come home from work and head to the local golf course (I get off work at 11:30pm), with Birch, to XC ski. We'd see red fox and deer. It was great. We moved away from the golf course and Birch works days now....no more skiing at night, after work. =(”

“I like hiking at night. With the headlamp on it's like hiking through a tunnel. All you can see is what's in the light. Without the light it's just a whole other world.”

“Full moon illuminating on snow...awesome hiking! I'm with ya, Catskhiker!

Hey, the FYAO III trip will be full moon on snow, btw...
whoohoooo!”

“I cross country ski and snowshoe at night, but have never hiked at night. Full moon skiing is great!
My upcoming Baxter trip is during the full man, can't wait!

I've thought about the headlamp while biking thing mostly because I think the headlamp would last longer. At the least it would be a good backup. I once went on a "sunset" ride with a group that turned into a full night ride after we got lost. (the map was wrong) Our bike lights only lasted a couple of hours and we were riding in total darkness.”

“Mere Freudian slip, twiggy?

"Full man???"

lololol heheheh ;-9”

“Hiking at night on a dirt road with no light but star light is great. Your sense of hearing is sharper. You can sense the area around you, and your eyes become accustomed to seeing in the dark.

Doesn't work as sell on a narrow, twisting, rocky trail though!”

“sell = well”

“omigawd! LMAO!

I meant to say that, really I did, hehe - we all know a full man is always preferrable to a partial man anyday, that's why I can't wait!

=D”

“http://www.kirotv.com/news/9211007/detail.html

NEAR NORTH BEND -- King County search and rescue teams are attempting to recover the body of a Seattle man, killed in a hiking accident near North Bend.

A King County police spokesperson says that someone called 911 late Saturday night to report that his friend had fallen down a ravine near Granite Mountain.

Rescuers responded to the Pratt Lake Trail area and discovered that the victim had fallen at least 100 feet down a ravine.

Police say the hiker who died is a 61-year-old man from Seattle.

The other hiker who called 911 was not hurt. There is no information why the men were hiking in the dark.

Is it really worth hiking in the dark? I don't see the pleasure in it, and it certainly increases the risk.”

“Hiking at night makes hiking more of an "extreme" sport. I've enjoyed some solo and small group night hiking on familiar trails, and did think it was "interesting", but agree there wasn't a whole lot of pleasure in it. Wouldn't try it on unfamiliar territory.”

“I have hiked up Granite Mountain. I would have to think what exactly would be classied as a "ravine" on that trail. It would not be a lot of fun to hike on at night. Lots of switchbacks and rocky areas.

They must have been near the top. There is a watchtower/shelter up there. When I was there the snow made a cornice where you could easily fallen off.

Sad story.”

“I've done quite a few night hikes but never anywhere near a ravine.

Its always been to get a jump on the weekend by heading out after work on a Friday or Thursday.

Night hiking on trails with the option of using a light beats the crap out of trying to follow a compass heading in the dark off trail while trying to be tactical.”

“I've hiked Granite Mountain several times. I'm thinking that the ravine in question might be the gully that you cross where the trail crosses from forest to meadows. It's an avalanche chute.
last edited: 5/13/06 9:28:13 PM”

“try hiking in the dark while youre ummmmmm firefly. it aint easy”

“USA: that's near the "waterfall"/cascade, right? it's been a long time. i know the area you are talking about... you can see right down the chute.”

“I've night-hiked before on a few occasions when I got to the trailhead after dark for whatever reason. It's not too bad on a trail that you're familiar with, but I still wouldn't get too close to ledges, waterfalls, etc.

New York also does a good job in helping you out after dark by using reflective paint on the blazes and discs that mark the trails. This way they glow in your headlamp beam hundreds of feet out in front of you...”

“Full moon hikes are a lot of fun, but you should be careful and hike a route that your familiar with.

Accidents can happen anywhere and at anytime to anyone. Sometimes they are trajic.”

“Watch out for eye-pokers!!”

“I love hiking at night, but I usually do it in colder weather. (phobia w/snakes). I'm extremely carefull around water, especially in winter/solo. Eye prtection would be a good idea. I've poked myself in daylight. Most of the time I don't care if I'm on the trail. I like bushwhacking but do hit a lot mure cliffs, gourges & drop-offs. Even with well marked trails in NY (catskills), they can be hard to follow in a freah snow. Adirondack trails spider off more & aren't as well marked. It's esier to see in winter snow with a moon, but I do know the trails. I don't like LED lights because even though they are bright, they have no depth. I like multiple mini-mags with spare bulbs & batteries in reserve. Don't like headlamps. I have good night vision. Probably why I don't like camp fires, which severely limits my depth of field. I've drawn a few reluctant people out with me, but most insist I bring my service weapon. All have liked it.”

“Night hiking on familiar trail is one of my favorite things, especially on a super clear night with a bright moon, very surreal.Winter nights are topshelf too.

I have night hiked in the PNW and it was no fun. Risky to say the least especially when we couldnt use lights and were bushwhacking. Never again.”

“I think we are talking about the same place, Jimmy san. You can look straight down a long ways. I saw on KIRO that this accomplished climber fell some 500 feet, can't imagine anywhere else on Granite Mountain he could have fallen 500 feet down a ravine while on the trail.”

“Shucks birch, I heard Ft Lewis was a vacation spot where the weather was always great!”

“The article I read said "hiking near Granite Mountain". It went on to say that, "The two reportedly were on a training hike. The area they were in was icy."”

“What the..............zip, boom!!”

“Hey guys, look at meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”

“I end up doing a lot of night hiking, sometimes not by choice, but generally similar to what MarkO does, to get a jumpstart on the weekend. Most of my night hikes have been on wooded trails, but I have gone over one bald summit in the dark, trying to find the paint blazes on the rocks was a bit difficult but not too bad. I’ve found that narrow wooded trails are generally a lot more obvious and easier to follow than wider trails in open forests or fields. I prefer an LED headlamp, which I point down towards my feet for night hiking. The beam doesn’t give me great range, but lights up lights the immediate area around me very well. One problem I’ve found with LEDs is at water crossings, they make it hard to tell if the rocks are above or below the water line.”

“I started night hiking about 2 years ago when I was anxious to get into the Sierra on a Friday night after work. I had planned to drive to the trailhead and get up bright and early. My inpatience encouraged me to venture on. I got to my destination at about 3 am and awoke at 8am. It was great to have a weekend with 2 nights in the backcountry. The distance can be so much greater if you start at night.

Of coure, there are dangers... but for the same reason we hike during the day - some things are worth the risk. I know enjoy hiking in at night, then the hike out is a new one - not simply a return hom.

robertr”

“Dogs are the key - especially light in color, like yeller.

Sarabelle walks point. Darkness has little affect on her vision. She follows the trail, I follow her.”

“A hike last year started with a 5 mile hike in the dark. My Petzl zipka did great. It was a bit strange, but was over a trail I had done previously, didn't have any big dropoffs, and was pretty safe. It resulted in a pretty lousy nights sleep on a really bad camp site, but the next day became a very easy hike, with a lot of time to nap and fish. It was also cool, temperature wise, and the scenery was so-so, so I didn't miss any great views.”

“Night hiking RAWKS!!!”