> >> Bah humbug. All a light does is to ruin your night vision. If you
> >> stand outside for a minute or two, your eves will adjust and you'll
> >> be able to see plenty.
> >Plenty? On a moonless (new moon) night,
> >you (I) can't see your (my) hand in front of your (my) face.
> >You must have some light pollution.
>
> You must have lousy night vision. I'm out on the farm, and there is
> no light pollution to speak of. Miles from the nearest source. But
> you'll never find true darkness outdoors. Even on a moonless night,
> there is plenty of light to get around with.
How about under trees in the woods?
Ok. Come show me.
> In all seriousness, have you ever done any darkroom work?
Yes.
If you can see in a darkroom, it's not really dark or, you're not human.
Yes, in a small enclosed space, you know where everything is
and have a feel for your position.
I could also measure water temperature
to within 2 degrees F without a thermometer.
> Done any night hiking or camping sans lights?
Yes and I generally have the scratches afterwards to prove it.
No. I can't put the tent up in the light much less the dark.
Unless I practiced a lot which, is one thing with a weapon,
I can load my guns in the dark.
However, it's hardly worth the effort with a tent for a civillian.
> Been in the military or lived out in the sticks?
No. Yes.
>There are lots of folks who can testify to the
> ability of the human eye to adapt to low light conditions.
Yes, there are lots who can testify that they saw Elvis last year also.
>
> >> Of course, if you're walking around unfamiliar terrain or peering
> >> into outbuildings, a flashlight is a good thing to have handy, but
> >> anyone should be able to walk around their own yard at night. It's
> >> really not that dark - you have a million suns shining on you!
> >So, you stand there for a minute or two and, then turn the flashlight on?
>
> No, I just start walking, and keep the flashlight off unless I need
> it (i.e. to investigate a strange noise in the shed).
>
>
> >Well, it depends upon what your back yard is I suppose.
> >If you have it clear-cut and bulldozed into a neatly groomed little patch
of
> >grass
> >that you have paced off, that's one thing.
> >
> >If you have 13 acres of not-exactly-flat mixed woods and grassy plains
> >and have only lived there two years, that is another.
>
> When I lived in TN, we used to hike at night all the time. Edge of
> the cumberland plateau, tens of thousands of acres of woods, we just
> avoided the blufflines. All it takes is a little bit of pattern
> recognition and some common sense. We still troop up and down through
> the woods and swamps during duck and deer season getting to blinds
> and stands before sunrise.
You hiked a plateau it all of the time - therefore, you were slightly
familiar with it.
If you could see the blufflines, you weren't in the trees where it's a
little bit dark - even for you?
And, you did it with other people.
If I know there's no hole there where a fence post has been removed. I will
step confidently in that spot.
Otherwise, I could break my ankle and die before help came.
Have you ever been in a coal mine? Can you see there?
>
> >> For nighttime photography, I will confess to keeping a mini-mag light
> >> on a leather cord around my neck. It helps if I need to check the
> >> aperture, shutter speed, or some other small detail. But it goes
> >> right back out as soon as I've checked.
> >Ohh . A mini-mag light on a leather cord! Is that corinthian leather? :)
>
> I hunted and hunted for days and couldn't find a single Corinthian to
> skin. Tracked a couple of Naugas, but I stepped in a hole at night
> and twisted my ankle. So I finally had to settle for an old boot
> lace.
Exactly my point from above. What if you'd broken instead of twisted your
ankle.
Or your leg? My mailman and FedEx were here today so, it was especially
busy.
Normally, I could go and have gone for weeks without anyone within shouting
distance.
My neighbor does some trucking and, that moves the nearest neighbor to about
a mile away.
And I should do that - why again?
Jon
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