Hike Mt. Jefferson at Night

Caps Ridge trail is the highest trail on Mt. Jefferson, with very steep sections going past treeline. Hike began at midnight with a crew of three. Headlamps on everyone, speaking loudly to avoid wildlife. Trail is relatively easy to stay on while below treeline at night, but becomes much harder past treeline. Be sure to take your time once above treeline and always have the lead hiker having their head up constantly looking for cairns. Trail leading to summit will be extremely jagged. Multiple false summits, with a steep drop-off to the right of the trail. Summit will have three peaks, with the middle one being best to take shelter on depending on wind direction. Once at the summit, make sure to take off wet clothing and begin eating/constant hydration. Be aware of the large drop in temperature from windchill. Sunrise will come over Mt. Adams for a long time before the Sun actually becomes visible. Be sure to bring a good tripod for whatever camera you use. Strong winds will be very difficult to shoot in. 

This hike was done with three Intermediate-Advance hikers, and is highly dangerous to do at night. I do NOT recommend doing this with anyone not comfortable with being in the woods at night, or anyone who is not in good physical shape in case of emergency. Speed will hurt you. The two biggest dangers are loosing footing in the dark and going off trail. We did the hike as an experiment, and if we did it again, we would bring much more gear in preparation for bad weather and emergencies. 

Again, I do NOT recommend doing this hike with anyone not physically capable of carrying a second pack or fellow hiker in case of emergency. Nor do I recommend doing this in any other season than mid Summer.