| I started moonlight hiking when I was a teenager | | | | You can hike a lot of miles at night, without any |
| prowling the streets and fields of Michigan. I later | | | | problems of over-heating. When the sky is clear |
| found that if I timed my backpacking trips to | | | | and the moon is full, or within three days of its |
| coincide with a full moon, I could hike every night. | | | | fullest, the moonlight is more than bright enough |
| The two primary motivations for doing this are | | | | for hiking in fairly open terrain. In thicker woods |
| the adventure and mystery of night hiking, as well | | | | you may need a flashlight for assistance. |
| as the practical advantages that it has. | | | | If you do try this, plan your trip with the full |
| Moonlight Hiking - A Unique Experience | | | | moon coming right in the middle of the time span |
| It's a great experience to hike away the hours of | | | | (if you can). This is how you get the maximum |
| the night under a full moon. My first time doing | | | | use of the moonlight before, during and after the |
| this on a longer backpacking trip was on a | | | | full moon. Also note the time that the moon rises. |
| five-day hike in the Sierra Nevadas. Every night I | | | | About an hour after moonrise you'll have enough |
| slept next to a lake, waking up when the cold | | | | light to hike, unless it is overly cloudy (something |
| bothered me. Then I easily hiked through the rest | | | | else to check on). |
| of the night by moonlight. | | | | When moonlight hiking on isolated beaches in the |
| This meant getting up between two and four in | | | | Upper Peninsula of Michigan I could clearly see |
| the morning and hiking the rest of the night. I was | | | | animal tracks in the wet sand along the water's |
| moving during the coldest part of the night, so I | | | | edge. They included fresh bear tracks. Though |
| was able to get away with a lighter sleeping bag | | | | black bears in this area are not usually dangerous, |
| on this trip. In fact, since there wasn't a cloud in | | | | it keeps your senses tuned in when you know |
| the sky during those five days, I just slept in the | | | | there are eyes in the woods watching you and |
| open, without a tent or tarp every night. Most | | | | none of them are human. |
| afternoons I took a leisurely nap in the sun to | | | | The lakes reflect the moon, owls swoop by |
| catch up on sleep. | | | | almost without sound, and animals move in the |
| Hiking at night meant no other people on the trail. | | | | bushes as you pass. The many shadows hide |
| Crowded trails were not actually a problem where | | | | things, but you walk on by them, leaving these |
| I was, but I would like to go moonlight hiking to | | | | little mysteries unsolved. The trees and rocks |
| avoid the crowds the next time I am in Yosemite | | | | take on a different, starker appearance than |
| National Park, or in the Smoky Mountains. | | | | during the day. Moonlight hiking is a beautiful and |
| Sometimes it is nice to have the trails and whole | | | | unique experience. |
| mountain valleys to yourself. | | | | |