I just ran across this and had to share. If you were going on a sunset hike, wouldn't it seem like a good idea to carry some means of illumination? Luckily, SAR was on the ball.....

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/feb/16/sunset-hike-goes-awry-for-six-college-students/

lol ...and if you are hiking someplace to watch the sunset, the odds are good that it will be dark when you hike back



Sorta OT:
Speaking of walking around after dark, REI Outlet has the 2013 model Black Diamond Storm on closeout.

Cell phones but no flashlights. Yup. college students.

One thing about twilight. If you sit there and let your eyes adapt to the dark, you can see surprisingly well. Combine that with the ability of your feet to sense when they are on the path or off trail (there is quite a difference) and you can travel surprisingly well. If the moon is up and/or the stars are out, in some ways you are better off not using a light at all, or just using it sparingly. I have been able to read a newspaper on a clear night with a full moon.

My daughters often turn down the offer of a flashlight when going out night thinking its nerdy and, after all, their cell phones have a flashlight. I guess the concept of having a dead battery after a thousand texts or that a 50 lumen cell phone camera flash literally does not hold a candle to one of my Fenix or Olight tiny monsters.

Fortunately, these hikers lived to learn from their mistake.

Fully nighted adapted eyes can see remarkably well with moonlight. OTOH it's tough for your eyes to adapt to the dark when staring at a cellphone.

I've come across this before, especially from folks who are from suburban and city areas, (i.e. inside the M25 Ring road in the South of England it never really gets truly dark) when taking them into areas where there is no urban light pollution. Some folks have never seen or experienced true darkness being brought up all there lives in the city and suburban areas.

They tend to panic when this happens, when the bright fiery ball in the sky lowers beyond the horizon.

"Nightfall", by Isaac Asimov

That book alone is a excuse to buy a flashlight or 3.

The thing is, they weren't in full dark. I checked the lunar phase of February 15th, and it was a full moon that night. If they were hiking out under foliage or it might explain why they were having trouble seeing. OTOH, if they didn't keep their cells pointed down trail instead of their faces, their night vision has no chance to develop.

Ironically, I've found you only need about 9 lumens on a moonless night to navigate a trail. Most of our EDC lights will do that. You don't need a 100 lumen battery muncher for on trail night hikes.

Yeah, classic rookie mistakes all around. But that does remind me that I've been running the same battery in my EDC light for quite awhile. It's an Energizer Advance Lithium and not frequently used but it's probably better to change it out early and waste a little battery than have it die when I really need it.