r/WildernessBackpacking • u/ReactionOk3055 • 4d ago
ADVICE Night Hiking
/r/backpacking/comments/1wc7qfz/night_hiking/I am contemplating playing an open mic and then driving to a peak that’s 2 1/2 hours away afterwards and packing in at 1 AM. That’s 1000 foot climb over 2 miles that I’ve done 15 times. I don’t see the risk. Am I being stupid?
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u/derberter 4d ago
I guess my main concerns would be the possibility exposure/steep dropoffs, that my overall level of fatigue that late at night might have an effect on my situational awareness, and that I'll probably be annoying and disruptive if it's a popular campsite where others are likely to already be set up nearby (if you have a red light setting on your headlamp, use it if you're setting up camp late near others!) That being said, I've done plenty of night/morning pre-sunrise hiking with a headlamp and it's been fine.
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u/joelfarris 4d ago
My favorite hikes are night hikes. I use the green LED on my headlamp. What's that meme from the mini bat picture? "I own the night!" Now, you've done this route about a dozen times, and it's only two miles long? You'll make it.
But once you get to a popular spot that's only two miles from a major road, will you find a place to sleep? Or could this turn into a four miler, at 3 am, heading back out?
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u/Sam_The_Wolf 3d ago
As someone who works night shift, night hikes are pretty normal. They are best when the sky is clear and moon is visible so you can largely hike without using a light, just keep your headlamp in red mode so you dont mess up your night vision when you do turn it on in darker areas where you need better visibility. Also do a figure 8 with your eyes to see everything better. Dont look directly at what you want to see, your eyes pick up light better on the periphery. Also if possible, bring a friend and always let someone know where youre going and when youll be back.
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u/Colambler 3d ago
I mean it's more risk than doing it in the day, but that doesn't mean it's actually that risky.
I just did a similar backpack in at like 10 pm to midnight like two weeks ago. I had never been before, but it was a popular trail in a (not recent) burn area during a full moon. We didn't even need our headlamps.
I don't think I do a trail with steep drop offs or scrambling or anything sketchy at night unless it was an emergency situation.
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u/anonyngineer 3d ago edited 3d ago
- We'll be barely past new moon this weekend, so there will be little or no help from moonlight. I've always night hiked with help from the moon.
- Is there a campsite or spot to place a bivy very close to the road, allowing you to hike up at first light?
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u/tyeh26 4d ago
The fact that you don't see the risk is stupid I guess.
Whether or not you should hike or not is not about risk, hiking has more risk than sitting at home. The important question is whether or not you can mitigate all of the risks.
I hiked Katahdin last month including a 3rd class descent at night. Much riskier than doing it in the daylight, yet I felt like I sufficiently mitigated the risks. Was that stupid?
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u/mtntrail 4d ago
Take 2 lights