Hiking In The Dark?

[forestkeeper]

Now that the days are sooo short and it seems we have more darkness than light, I've been pretty stressed out on which hikes to do. I've been wanting to hike to 7 1/2 Mile Falls, on the Eagle Creek, to get some good pictures of it with an excellent waterflow, but am hindered by darkness. I don't possess the Looney hiking speeds, and when carrying my DSLR, tripod and pack, I'm usually good a 2.6- 2.8 mph. So while I would get there in the daylight, after spending an hour taking photos, plus photography along the way, I will definitely be hiking back in the dark.

Should I go for it? And do any of you hike in the dark, especially in these cooler winter months?

Thanks!

[retired jerry]

I do it a little

LED headlamp with 3 AAA batteries

make sure you have good batteries, maybe spares, maybe a spare flashlight

I wonder if you're more likely to encounter animals, and is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[Guy]

I say go for it by starting as soon as it's light. Start at 7:00 am just as soon as it's starting to get light. That would give you 10 hours to be back by 5:00 just as it's getting dark.

Even a 2 mph that would be 7.5 hours of travel time with 2.5 hours to spare for photos.

In periods of heavy rain like we have just had Wy'East Creek which crosses the trail at the 5 mile mark can be a difficult crossing.



Sure is fun up there after lots of rain though!

[derwoodynck]

I do it a little

LED headlamp with 3 AAA batteries

make sure you have good batteries, maybe spares, maybe a spare flashlight

I wonder if you're more likely to encounter animals, and is that a good thing or a bad thing?

From our very limited experience I would say yes to the animals. We night hiked from Golden Lake past Green Lakes to the Fall Creek Trailhead last year and couldn't believe the number of deer we spotted along the trail. There were also several large toads sitting in the middle of the trail and we could see many other eyes staring back at us from the forest. Here are a few pics I got.









We enjoyed hiking in the dark, it was a very different experience. I don't know how I would feel if the trail wasn't as obvious and easy to stay on though.

[forestkeeper]

I wonder if you're more likely to encounter animals, and is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I'll have to bring my laser guided slingshot with me, after reading that reply.

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[kepPNW]

Go for it, Will. I don't think I've finished a hike in the last month before dark. Just bring backup light sources. (I have a headlamp, small CREE flashlight, and <gulp> cell phone, at a minimum.) Oh, and probably plan for a 20% reduction, or so, in speed in the dark, too. If you haven't done it much before, it doesn't hurt to choose a hike you know inside-out the first time, just to build confidence.

[Limey]

Yes, definitely do it. It is a whole different experience, completely different feel to it. I actually haven't hiked a trail in the dark but have done several off trail explorations which ended with two to three hours of darkness. Saw many deer and always hoped to see the elusive cougar but never have.

[Chase]

Just build up to it slowly, starting with a short amount of time in the dark and increasing with confidence, conditions, and gear. Some people shouldn't hike in the dark at all and some can go all night. You just need to know your own place in the spectrum.

[aiwetir]

One good way to get used to hiking in the dark is to hike before dawn. That way you have the comfort of knowing the light will be coming sooner than later.

I did marbled murrelet surveys for 6 years which normally consisted of hiking about an hour, off-trail, in old-growth starting around 3 am. In the woods, I never saw many animals, but I've walked into the middle of a herd of bedded down elk once. That was quite alarming when they all got up and started running and crashing all around me. Most critters were more visible after dawn. I did have a mountain beaver hang out about a foot away in the dark once.

[Lurch]

I prefer night hiking personally. Quieter, less populated, etc...

While you're at it, if you're doing a photo hike, study up on your night/astro photography and you could give some nice night shots in there