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El Jay

Joined
Mar 29, 2022
Messages
178
I can't fathom why people hike in the dark without a flashlight. Here in Monrovia we have bears, mountain lions, skunks, coyotes,scorpions and rattlesnakes. Time and time again I find people hiking alone in the dark with no light on steep trails where a wrong turn leads to a long fall. I usually take inexperienced family members out for hikes and I make sure they have water and two sources of good illumination. People don't seem to care for their own safety anymore.
 
I have frequently hiked in the dark in Sequoia National Park on trails I have done previously. Mostly above timberline on very light granite, so visibility is very good even with no moon. And yes, there are bears, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes where I go.

I remember one time I was doing that, and I kept seeing movement on the ground around me. I turned my headlamp on and saw that it was a very large population of voles scurrying about.
 
We have a huge population of inexperienced hikers here. Most just want to take selfies and try to look cool on certain trails. I saw a guy drag a Christmas tree to Mt. Lowe so he could have his buddy photograph him with it. Los Angeles never fails to bring out the weird.
 
El Jay said:
We have a huge population of inexperienced hikers here. Most just want to take selfies and try to look cool on certain trails. I saw a guy drag a Christmas tree to Mt. Lowe so he could have his buddy photograph him with it. Los Angeles never fails to bring out the weird.
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Spent a week in Santa Monica in a hotel on the main drag. I forget the street name but it was right off the beach.
I had a 2nd floor balcony. It was very entertaining. Hit the dispo down the street and spend the evening with takeout on the balcony.
You can't unsee some of that sh(t.
 
El Jay said:
We have a huge population of inexperienced hikers here. Most just want to take selfies and try to look cool on certain trails. I saw a guy drag a Christmas tree to Mt. Lowe so he could have his buddy photograph him with it. Los Angeles never fails to bring out the weird.
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On the trails that attract a lot of attention the inexperienced show up in droves...Half Dome and Mt Whitney come to mind. I have seen people heading up the Whitney trail carrying their gear in their arms - tents still in the store boxes, water in 2.5 gallon containers, etc. The most recent SAR on Whitney is a classic example. Two people attempted it with over 150 lb gear between the two plus five gallons of water.

 
lambertiana said:
On the trails that attract a lot of attention the inexperienced show up in droves...Half Dome and Mt Whitney come to mind. I have seen people heading up the Whitney trail carrying their gear in their arms - tents still in the store boxes, water in 2.5 gallon containers, etc. The most recent SAR on Whitney is a classic example. Two people attempted it with over 150 lb gear between the two plus five gallons of water.

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Oh man! That is just plain crazy. Feast or famine!
 
Drop bear said:
I am likely to step on a snake in the dark in my carport.

I wouldn't go bush without a torch.
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I often wander my pastures on foot at night, in all seasons, [edit: without a light] and have generally not had an issue with snakes (yet). I think my heavy boots thump the ground enough to give them fair warning to scurry out of the way.

The only time I ever have snake problems is when my sister discovers a baby rattler while wearing flip flops on the back porch.
 
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oldmanwilly said:
I often wander my pastures on foot at night, in all seasons, and have generally not had an issue with snakes (yet). I think my heavy boots thump the ground enough to give them fair warning to scurry out of the way.

The only time I ever have snake problems is when my sister discovers a baby rattler while wearing flip flops on the back porch.
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We have degrees of snake a bit. So we have red bellies and stuff that are more interested in running away. But some of the bigger pythons are just too lazy to get out of my way.
 
I try to avoid hiking in the dark, but it has happened, and while I always have a light, usually more than one, there have been times I have preferred not to use it. If the ground is open, without much tree cover, the trail is not too lumpy or dark, and there is a moon, your eyes can do surprisingly well without a flashlight, if you have allowed time to adjust. A light cuts you off in a small pool of visibility, and when it’s turned off, the night seems even darker.
 
El Jay said:
I can't fathom why people hike in the dark without a flashlight. Here in Monrovia we have bears, mountain lions, skunks, coyotes,scorpions and rattlesnakes. Time and time again I find people hiking alone in the dark with no light on steep trails where a wrong turn leads to a long fall. I usually take inexperienced family members out for hikes and I make sure they have water and two sources of good illumination. People don't seem to care for their own safety anymore.
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These are the people in movies who make all the wrong decisions and end up eaten by monsters.
 
Hide in that cave. And explore it. Split up to cover more ground.
 
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