just to put my 2 cents in, I really like night hiking, but I prefer it w/o using a flashlight, under an open sky where you know you can get some star or moonlight (forests are too dark and too much tripping hazard). Also, if you're hiking in park areas that are near urban areas, you can end up with quite a bit of spillover light pollution that helps.
Lastly, I use to love night hiking with my dog. She could tell where the trail was regardless, knew I wanted to follow it, and I'd just listen to the jingle of her tags when I was in doubt. Of course, following her once led me into a full-force face blast by a skunk. Luckily I wasn't backpacking!