RE: [Paddlewise] Night Vision

>Infrared spotting sources can direct an undetectable beam of
>light on the
>viewed subject, illuminating it further, but not typically
>detectable by the
>human eye. The infrared can brighten alot of retina's, and
>damage them, so be
>very respectful.

I certainly agree with all the rest but infrared, especially in the form
used in built-in or supplemental IR illuminators for Night Vision use
should not damage retina's.  The most damaging portions of the light
spectrum are on the blue-violet (UV) end.  Near-Infrared and infrared are
on the opposite end.  In fact IR light is 100 times less damaging to the
eyes than visible blue light.  Additionally the risk is constrained by
the distance from the source.  The user of the device is in fact at more
risk than the subject.  One manufacturer of Infrared illuminator flood
lamps put it thusly in their safety information when referring to safe
viewing distance, "If you can feel the heat, don't stare at the lamp".

Also it bears remembering that since in Night Vision devices the light is
being amplified, when it comes to illumination, a little goes a long way.
So we're actually using less illumination than we would be simply using
the naked eye and a white illumination source.

All of that said, I've been using a fairly cheap ($300Can, 3rd gen) set
for a few years.  It has pretty grim optics but it serves it's purpose.
I've had it along for hikes, boating (great for after dark anchoring),
and even just at the cabin.  In fact I've even found it useful on late
night drives to the cabin.  When it's been rainy or foggy, I find that
periodic quick scans with the NV over one eye can make Deer/Moose (and
other animals) eyes show up from the headlight illumination kilometers
ahead, where they can't been seen at all with the naked eye.  I'm certain
by now I've saved myself from one or more potential run-ins with animals
on the road that I'd have otherwise have not been nearly so forewarned
about.

Another time a hike ended up taking much more time than the pre-trip data
would have indicated.  We had to make a crossing through a pass into the
valley to camp.  The sides of the path at this point were just too steep
to camp even if we'd wanted to quit for the day, and my wife was
physically and emotionally exhausted.  I was initially quite concerned
about the diminishing light, and yet knew my expressing concern of this
fact would not have had the desired effect on my wife.  Our white-light
illumination reserves were with light camp use in mind, not the last
couple hours of hiking and camp setup in darkness in mind.  But then I
recalled that the NV was in my pack, and that on my own I'd done plenty
of through the woods navigation in darkness, and that I had the
equivalent of weeks of illumination with that.  My unit seemingly runs
forever on 2 AA's (I use one or two sets a year).  My apprehension eased
and we set down for a long rest.  With that rejuvenation we were able to
make better time than we were, and fortunately the trail also became much
more forgiving, and in the end we made it on time without having to pull
out any plan "b" gear.  In fact I've found that we enjoyed our trips far
more than we used to now with the addition of safety gear that we're
proficient with but fortunately haven't had to press into service.  Much
of the safety gear we talk about here gives a reserve safety factor that
not only makes us more appropriately equipped for the rigors on the
environment, but can also help us just enjoy more of the trip due to the
reduced stress level (GPS and Gore-Tex are other personal favorites).
The only thing I temper that with is that I don't mean to infer that one
can simply buy a piece of equipment, throw it in the pack, and enjoy the
"ignorance is bliss" false sense of security effect.  One certainly must
be proficient with their gear for it to be of ready and immediate use
when the situation calls for it.  But also I don't advocate using up that
safety reserve by going beyond your wisdom and abilities in a trip
because of the equipment you have with you.  It's not supposed to be your
main support rope, but rather that last net to catch you and preserve
your life after you've screwed up, or Nature has thrown a curve.

Apart from all that Night Vision can just be plain fun.  On another
hiking trip in the mountains we knew there were a lot of fish in the
small lakes around us, because the surface looked like it was raining,
there were so many fish nipping at bugs on the surface.  I assumed that
they were small fish though based on the few that broke the surface
enough to give evidence of their size.  However after night fall I went
down to one lake near where we were camped to see what could be seen.
Often times you can watch bats or birds doing circuits in the clearings
over water like this as they hunt insects.  Well I flipped on the
illuminator and panned over the water and just about fell over because
immediately I could see hundreds of fish, large trout sized fish in the
water.  I'm guessing that most of the lake was shallow and accounted for
why I didn't see any fish jump out of the water, but it also kept them
near enough to the surface that their scales all reflected the IR light.
It was like putting on the mythical X-ray goggles.

Some time later as I was still sitting by the waters edge I was startled
by the sudden awareness that I wasn't alone.  Something quite large was
approaching me from behind.  I stood, and whirled around, scanning and
zooming the focus.  There was a deer coming along the path slowly to the
water and was at this point a mere 20 feet or so away.  I was surprised
that though I was standing in full view on the path, it didn't yet seem
to have seen me, as it was continuing on, right at me.  I waved my arm
broadly for some movement, but still on it came.  Closer to 12 feet I was
really worried how surprised it might be to find itself so close to me
with a last minute detection that I softly called out, and stepped to the
side of the path, not knowing which direction it may bolt.  To my relief,
it simply stopped and calmly we watched each other motionless for what
seemed like many many minutes.  Then it simply turned to it's right and
continued on at a pace that seemed entirely uninterested in my
attendance.  A proper bucket of cold water on my ego, that I should think
the encounter to have been a bigger deal to the animal.

I've still never been able to get past the feeling of being out of place
or environment while watching goings on at night, even though with NV I'm
much more aware and a part of it.  While I'd prefer that nature feel
un-threatened by my intentions and designs, so as to be ambivalent to my
presence, I accept and enjoy at least their unawareness (for the most
part) of me at night, which is so much rarer by daylight.

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