Whatever happened to setting realistic turn around times? Summit fever, not trail conditions, is the culprit here. If you start at midnight and still can't return to the trailhead by sunset, then you don't belong on the mountain.
It is experience and good judgement, not arbitrary turnaround times and bans on hiking after sunset that keep us safe. I have never set a turnaround time before starting up. I suffer from chronic summit fever, so I’ve only turned around once in the last 13½ years.
I constantly ask myself how much longer it will take to reach the summit, how long it will take to get back to the car or camp, and what shape I will be in when I get there. I carry a headlamp. If I expect to need one, I carry two. I routinely hike after sunset, sometimes long after sunset. Four years ago (minus three days), happytrails and I spent some time wandering around in the dark on the way down from the Whitney summit. We eventually found the trail and hiked out. No big deal. Please don’t tell me I don’t belong on the mountain.
