[pct-l] This Year's Going to Be Awesome! Woo!

[Eric Martinot]

Stephen,

I'm one of those people who loves night-hiking, some don't.  Seeing the stars and moon, and silhouetted versions of the mountains and terrain around you (you can still see a lot out there, especially with some moonlight), plus new sounds and smells and wildlife that might only be there at night, plus a different type of calmness, is as "real" of a PCT experience as daytime in my book, not to be missed!  And the trail itself is still there, the physical interaction with your feet is still as real.

As for "accomplishment", one of the most memorable accomplishments of hiking the PCT for me was becoming completely at-ease on the trail at night, a bold "in your face" to the eons of human evolution that have made us afraid of the dark and the unknown.

Eric


On Jan 24, 2014, at 11:16 PM, Stephen Clark <rowriver at gmail.com> wrote:

If the point of hiking the PCT is to 'experience the trail' why hike at night?  Doesn't experiencing the trail means being able to see your surroundings, dealing with the elements, and feeling good about what you have accomplished/over come?  Why hike at night?


On Fri, Jan 24, 2014 at 5:57 AM, Eric Martinot <eric at martinot.info> wrote:

Yes, night hiking is a great way to reduce water use, plus lots of fun.  Did most of Hat Creek Rim at night with probably 2 liters less water than daytime, for example.

But I disagree with Robert about the trade-off against injury.  I night-hiked parts of SoCal and also hot parts of NoCal and never had any problem with stumbling or injury.  I think the type of lamp you use makes a big difference. I found the Princeton EOS lamp had a great circular beam that lasted about 10-12 hours on one set of AAA on the "medium" setting, easy to walk all night without paying much attention.

The main trade-off for me was less heat/sun/water, versus prolonged sleep deprivation.  I hiked late afternoon through late evening, then before-dawn through late morning, but never could sleep more than about 2-3 hours during afternoon naps.  Only 4-5 hours per night plus afternoon naps wasn't enough, and sleep deprivation became serious enough to reduce enjoyment of the trail.

Eric

Robert Henry rrh.henry at gmail.com
Thu Jan 23 16:24:24 CST 2014

Amplifying a little on what Barry said...

HIke at night, get some sleep, then get up before first light and hike at
first light.  Sleep during the day.

When night hiking, you are trading off hydration issues against injury by
fall as you stumble along.

_______________________________________________
Pct-L mailing list
Pct-L at backcountry.net
To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

List Archives:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.