A Ranger trick for unaided night navigation and travel is to let your eyes adjust and to squat, or even lay flat, to catch silhouettes against the skyline. The sky is never completely black. Even on a moonless night the sky provides some light. Even surrounded by fairly dense woods it is often possible to spot a clearing indirectly by looking for a bright spot of skyshine.

It also pays to do everything possible to avoid using any lights. Even a dim red light viewed indirectly can take the edge off your night vision. If you are in a group it pays to designate a person to read maps and use lights while everyone else preserves their night vision. It sometimes helps if this person wears an eye patch. The eye not exposed to light will sympathetically react to the light even if not exposed but the effect will be muted.