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My response referred to the story about the wildlife biologist being shot with buckshot while sleeping in a hammock.
Whoever had that buckshot shotgun could have been startled by a noise and thought it was a bear. People get very jittery in the dark.
Yes, it's absolutely pitch black out there. I once almost walked into the outside wall of a shelter (coyotes howling all around me), because it was so pitch black, I couldn't see it.
Another time, I got caught in the woods after dark. Even with my headlamp I couldn't see the rocks on the trail or where the trail took a turn. I kept tripping and thought I might lose my way by accident. I was only a mile from the trailhead but had to bivouac for the night (brrrrr).
Another time, I pitched my tent in the dark and woke up in the morning to find I'd pitched it on top of a yellow/copper heap of mine tailings. Absolutely, categorically pitch black.
We're not used to being out in the dark like that, so it's a surprise when it happens. You can go outside for a pee in the night and lose track of where your tent is.....