For some people, outdoor adventures tend to be much safer, more fulfilling, and more enjoyable during the day.
But for those who choose the darkness, the gifts that the flora and fauna of a forest can offer us, the starry sky of the desert, or the experience of going up a mountain in the middle of the night simply has no point of comparison. .
One of the most fascinating aspects of the relationship with nature, regardless of whether we practice hiking, trekking, mountaineering, camping, downhill or other outdoor activities during the day or at night, the activation of our senses in a distinctive or peculiar way is one of the great gifts that only the outdoors can provide.
For Antonio Márquez García, co-founder of Voortus, a sustainable project of outdoor experiences around the human-nature exchange, in addition to the benefits to our immune system or the peace of mind that these experiences can give us, the relationship of our senses with the environment, call it the aroma in front of the pines or visual contact in front of the imposing landscapes, is something unique and transcendent.
In the case of mountaineering, points out Jesús Rivera, a mountaineer guide with more than ten years of experience, there is a radical change between doing an ascent during the day or at night, "because the weather becomes more radical after noon, clouds gather , air currents, winds.
High mountain (more than 3 thousand meters high) in the afternoon becomes very complicated, so we usually make the ascent around midnight, contemplating from six to nine hours, being on the summit at dawn and dedicating the rest of the downhill tomorrow."
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Observe, reflect and learn
Despite the fact that the activities commanded by José González, founder of Latino Outdoors, are carried out during the day for reasons of custom, wide audience and versatility, the night in natural environments is unique and powerful, to say the least.
“Despite the fact that I prefer hiking during the day, I have had to do several walks at night and it is wonderful;
the night sky offers us a completely different view, especially if we come from a city, where the astronomical spectrum is limited.
When you're out at night in a desert or forest sky, the stars can be a real eye-opener, but you can also appreciate the contrast when the night life comes out.
But both sides (day and night) have their ways of enjoying them.”
On the other hand, the revelations of day or night in natural environments are part of a complete "whole" that should find us attentive and respectful, ready to appreciate wildlife regardless of weather or geographical conditions, even with an attitude that escapes a bit of the generalized idea of tourism, so that the experience is much more complete and memorable.
This is affirmed by Jorge Olvera, founder of the international project around outdoor adventure with a social focus World Lineage, for whom day and night are ying and yang.
“In the mountains, at night, when you walk to the summit at night, for me it is the best therapy.
You go with your tiredness and you go liberating, with the cold and the weather conditions, it is a mental work.
In other environments, when you sleep and listen to the animals, you point your lamp and see eyes or animals grazing.
Stormy nights in the jungle, on the beach or in the forest are totally different from each other, as are the stars and the relationship with the environment.
(Image: Jordan Siemens/Getty Images)
“The night is always going to be more of a space for reflection, because in the morning everything is alive.
But it should not be limited to this dichotomy, because there are also the moments of transition, the changes, from night to day and from day to night, where wonderful things also happen.
In some parts of the world, for people, seven in the morning is one o'clock, and this goes according to their perception of sunrise and wildlife," says Jorge Olvera, who concludes that when one decides to go and is given to outdoor activities, regardless of day or night, there is another type of astrological connection, with lightning or the force of the rain that generates life.
You are also part of nature.