Hiking At Night!

[Northern Dancer]

...that's novel - I think I might try starting out in the early morning hours; I know that is the best time to spot wild life. I love the night sounds too and have never been scared. I use to instruct a program for youth called the Beaver Program. Learning the sounds of the night was a prerequisite before sleeping on their own for a night. In the morning they had to prepared breakfast for themselves and their sponsors and talk about their experience. Rather interesting, my leadership corps, guys 18 to 20 found if far more difficult to stay out by themselves than the younger teens.

 

[ppine]

Most people are not accustomed to being out in the woods alone, especially at night.
The one time I have done it a lot is during hunting trips. We always like to stay out until the last light of day in our hunting areas, and then hike back to camp in the dark.

I have ridden mules and horses in the dark quite a few times trying to get back to the ranch or back to the trucks and trailers. Critters can hear and see much better than we can. I would much rather be on a mule than a horse at night, especially if there is little moon and some water crossings. Some are night blind, but it is hard to know for sure how well they can see until you try them at night. I would never paddle at night, but have skied a lot by moonlight with the moon reflecting off the snow.

 

[Northern Dancer]

...paddling at night wouldn't be my usual activity but with a full moon lighting up the terrain it's rather enjoyable. As I mentioned the water is so calm it's like sliding across a sheet of glass. There is a rider though - one must know the territory very well for safety sake. My kayaking friends tell me it's even better and they can move at lightening speed. Both of these methods aren't really hiking though.

 

[ppine]

Hiking at night mostly occurs when returning from a hunt, packing meat or an emergency.

 

[Cappy]

Every one is freaking over the super moon but it no one told ya ya prolly wouldn't notice. Clear crisp nights under a full moon I have fly fished a bayou with wooded bank. A lil use less trivia:

When a bright full moon it cast shadow on the bank that looks like bank from the wheel house of a boat. The other bank is lit and the bayou seems to have gotten narrow and it makes you want to hug the lit bank. An illusion ya have to adjust to and has actually caused the rookies to get too close to the lit bank and run aground or find a hidden stump

 

[Northern Dancer]

...the moon is the closest to the earth than it has been since 1948. Depending where you live I think it is marvellous. I sure would love to be on one of the lakes at this time to lay in the formed sand and just stare up and enjoy.

 

[ppine]

I love the moon and we get to see it most of the time in Nevada. I used to always plan trips around the full moon. But for fishing it is best to have a new moon.

It becomes really important in the spring and fall to have some moon. In the winter it changes everything. I will never forget a week on the Colorado River in February. Some nights it was hard find wood for a fire. We had 14 hours of darkness. We brought some cheap solar lights for around camp. We had a cold snap and there was frost every night. Finding some Russian olive trees or mesquite made fire building a lot easier.

 

[Northern Dancer]

...agree - I tend to look for full moons as I plan my interior trips. A few years back I camped on Lake Huron and managed to take in the most spectacular eclipse of the moon that I've ever seen in my life. It was breath taking. There was absolutely nothing to obscure my view. I laid out a blanket on the sand by the shore and just enjoy the stunning event. Once in a life time I'm sure.

Lake Huron taken from the front of my tent.
​

 

[dinosaur]

Northern Dancer: paddling at night can be a beautiful experience. I highly recommend it.

Many years ago I was out paddling a canoe with my father on our way back to our campsite in Southern Indiana. There was a full moon and it was beautiful. I looked off to my left and saw an object that appeared to be about the size of a basketball moving through the water on the surface. Suddenly there was a noise that sounded like a gunshot. It was quite loud and the basketball disappeared.

It was a beaver and he had slapped his tail on the water before he went down. I stopped paddling and sat in the front of that canoe and laughed. I looked back at Dad and said: Well, there's something you don't see every day.

 

[Northern Dancer]

...When I was camping at clear lake I watched a beaver doing it's thing. The pattern was the same and he was right there every evening at the same time. It's marvellous what fascinates us in the wild. Like the time as was on my own at Canisbay Lake; I was sipping coffee at a table and heard a faint noise. I looked up and ten feet from my tent was a bull moose. He hardly took notice of me until I got a bit closer. He gave that sort of huffing sound as if to say stay back dude. I did - and in a moment he moved off into the thick of the woods.

 

[Jackie Cooper]

I never take the hike at the night, I think it is very dangerous.

 

[Northern Dancer]

I never take the hike at the night, I think it is very dangerous.

--------------------------------- >
How would it be dangerous?

 

[Grandpa]

I never take the hike at the night, I think it is very dangerous.

Nightime is the best time to meet Sasquatch. At least most of the pics I have seen of him were taken at night. Yes, night hiking has it's dangers but so does staying home. Preparing one's self for those dangers enhances the overall experience. But....not everyone likes hiking, fewer like backpacking, and fewer still like hiking at night. So...
we each hike our own hikes.

 

[Northern Dancer]

...I hear wisdom Grandpa - I interpreted that as meaning - "We all hike our own trails". We surround ourselves with opinions, attitudes, fears, and experiences and we head out into life whether we want to or not. Whether we like it or not, whether the trail is long or short, hard or soft - it's life.

 

[Cappy]

Once I took a young cousin on an epic 1 day fishing trip he had been begging me to show him this particular hidden part of the Atchafalaya basin. He had read an article by famed photographer Lockwood claiming it to be the most beautiful area of the basin. I lightly loaded a 16 ft flat bottomed aluminum boat and hung a small out board on it. motored to a little known spot on the bayou bank and stashed the out board in a hollow log. then I paddled and push poled us to the small bayou and bay. He was thrilled and the Crapie were biting and he begged and begged just a little longer. My mistake was letting him have his request and letting dark catch us. We started back down the twisty trail through the cyprus and I missed a turn in the dark. I continued going forgetting a turn my cousin was sitting in front warily looking about at how dark it was while I push and paddled from the back. I paddled him into a big red wasp nest and he got stung several times while I tried to ease us back. Once we escaped the wasp I realized I was very turned around no light on this day trip and we were stuck tween the Cyprus trees. it was then he told me he was allergic to wasp and had left his benadryl at the camp. Long story short I did not panic sat quietly for a while thinking and praying. I could hear an ole 1 cylinder oil field pump in the distance and knew where it was. I kept the occasional back fire located and navigated slowly out the swamp thank fully the water was high and the jon boat drafted only a few inches. We were able to wiggle around the cypress knees and over many of them finally making it out the swamp onto teh bayou a few yards from or entrance. I picked up the out boartd and motored back to our fish camp and got to the fish camp right when my cousins air way was about to close I shot him up with benadryl and learned several lessons that night

 

[Northern Dancer]

Once I took a young cousin on an epic 1 day fishing trip he had been begging me to show him this particular hidden part of the Atchafalaya basin. He had read an article by famed photographer Lockwood claiming it to be the most beautiful area of the basin. I lightly loaded a 16 ft flat bottomed aluminum boat and hung a small out board on it. motored to a little known spot on the bayou bank and stashed the out board in a hollow log. then I paddled and push poled us to the small bayou and bay. He was thrilled and the Crapie were biting and he begged and begged just a little longer. My mistake was letting him have his request and letting dark catch us. We started back down the twisty trail through the cyprus and I missed a turn in the dark. I continued going forgetting a turn my cousin was sitting in front warily looking about at how dark it was while I push and paddled from the back. I paddled him into a big red wasp nest and he got stung several times while I tried to ease us back. Once we escaped the wasp I realized I was very turned around no light on this day trip and we were stuck tween the Cyprus trees. it was then he told me he was allergic to wasp and had left his benadryl at the camp. Long story short I did not panic sat quietly for a while thinking and praying. I could hear an ole 1 cylinder oil field pump in the distance and knew where it was. I kept the occasional back fire located and navigated slowly out the swamp thank fully the water was high and the jon boat drafted only a few inches. We were able to wiggle around the cypress knees and over many of them finally making it out the swamp onto teh bayou a few yards from or entrance. I picked up the out boartd and motored back to our fish camp and got to the fish camp right when my cousins air way was about to close I shot him up with benadryl and learned several lessons that night

-------------------------------------- >
WOW! This read like a thriller novel - I was racing over the words to see what would happen next. This experience will not soon be forgotten. And your young cousin? Did he ever go fishing with you again after that adventure?

 

[Cappy]

At the time he was 12 now he is 40 he went with me til 18 and we had several other funny mishaps. He joined the marines and now lives in Colorado. I haven't thought of the story in years so thanks to you guys for reminding me. Maybe I'll write it up right, and have Peg illustrate it and include it on our blog.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Cappy - your story reminded me of an incident of a young lad that was one of our camp leaders. It was at Canterbury Hills and he was out on a sleep over but had to return to the main camp to get something. As he headed out over the trail It started to pour down in buckets and was punctuated with crashes of lightning and deafening thunder. He got a little panicky and started to run only to trip over a root on the path and tumbled head over heal. The circumstance just heightened his fear and then he remembered what I had said in one of my sessions. "When you are lost or frightened in the forest hug a tree." That he did until the sun rose the next morning. He told me that when the welcomed light came he stood up to survey the surrounding terrain. He told me he had a cold streak go up his spine when he saw he was about ten feet from going over a cliff.

...but it doesn't stop us.