Well, I must say I don’t usually carry a flashlight when I hike in the dark and I haven’t fallen yet.
I did it again the other morning as I wanted to get a little exercise before my packed day. It was a nice morning. My wife had hiked the day before and said it was very slick and icy so I came prepared with my crampons (yes, mountain climbing type!). I carried them in my hands but never had to use them. The weather had warmed overnight and melted the ice.
Panorama of the Tri-Cities Just Before Sunrise
I find that the lights of the city help illuminate the trail and so I don’t even use a flashlight. I admit when I look directly at the city lights, my vision has to readjust to the dark trail but it doesn’t take long. Fortunately, I was hiking the Canyon Trail which has minimal large rocks to trip over (the other main trails, Sagebrush and Skyline are also well established without large rocks).
I hiked this too Paul on New Years Eve at 11pm. The snow illuminated the trail nicely and didn’t use the lights on the way up. Used them on the way down so I knew where to put my feet so as not to slip since I just had regular hiking boots on. It was nice to see the fireworks all over town when midnight struck.
Watching fireworks from Badger sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll head up there on July 4th! Thanks for your comments, Jennifer. Paul
No, it is not safe to hike in the dark without a flash light. The hiking flashlights will allow you to have light in any moment and place. Hikers and backpackers need a dependable light source when trekking in the dark.