Catskill 35 question

[halia and flammeus]

Hey - anyone know of any women out there who have completed the catskill 35 - all hikes solo?

I've done a bunch of Catskill and regional (shawangunks, taconics, AT, Harriman) hiking alone - but to complete the 35 solo seems daunting.

Plenty of men complete all 35 alone? Or is that a misperception I have?

Just wondering.

Please feel free to email me if you'd prefer to respond privately: [email protected]

thanks,
Halia

 

[TMax]

I completed the Catskill 3500 all solo. I slowly built up my map and compass skills while doing so, and got through it just fine. Took me a few tries to get Balsam Cap and a few more to get Rocky, but once not only my skills but my confidence with map and compass improved, I snagged them repeatedly!

 

[halia and flammeus]

Do you hike with a dog(s)?

I've never done any hikes truly solo (i.e. no dog), but plenty with no human companions.

Do you use a GPS device as well as the map and compass?

I think the daunting part for me isn't exactly the skill set - it's the combination of fears/nerves about injury, accidents, and malice (human or wildlife). I've set off to do a solo hike and walked 5 minutes into the woods only to get a strong intuitive feeling that this is a bad idea. On those occasions, I've turned around and left. Just bagged the hike, even if I drove an hour to get there. Back then I was a single mom, and I just felt like I couldn't take certain risks - it wasn't fair to my daughter.

I am so blessed and happy to have married a hiker but I wonder what other women have done, and how it has felt to them.

Thanks for responding!
Halia

 

[JoeCedar]

Rusk and Halcott

Developing navigational skills (and gaining confidence) takes time.

Two good peaks to start out on solo are Rusk and Halcott. They are true bushwhacks (you can't always trust/follow some footpaths you see) but not very far, and if you do lose your way (or your confidence) you can always go back "down" the way you came and come out to the roads.

 

[halia and flammeus]

My Halcott trip report belongs on that other thread (the funny/stupid mistakes thread). The compass readings were too infrequent, and the corrections no where near adequate... I was with my husband. Sure wish I could blame him, but... anyway, it was lucky that we were as close to the road as we were... but that unexpected 5 mile road walk was eye-opening and humbling. We got better at navigating quick after that.

We'll head for Rusk this year at some point...

My question is really more about a different kind of challenge - not so much about developing the skills, but a sense of confidence being in the woods alone. Don't get me wrong, I feel much more confident in the woods alone than on a darkened city street alone, but it is that sense of personal danger and that vague creeped out feeling that I'm wondering about. Does it stop other people (male or female) from hiking alone? Do others experience it at all?

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

I guess backpacking and camping solo ain't happening. I haven't had a problem soloing, in fact I've hiked and bushwacked solo for many years in all seasons and really enjoy it. Maybe being a thick headed male has something to do with it! I'm not sure if you can build up a "tolerance" or your confidence for such things. I'm also not sure if I would want my wife or daughter to solo either (double standard?). I'm sure you will do and enjoy what you're most comfortable with. The mountains are beautiful with and without companions! Perhaps some of the other ladies can chime in.

 

[TMax]

I was always comfortable hiking solo on marked trails, the bushwhacks were another story. Joecedar's recommendation of Rusk and Halcott as starters is a good one. It really did just take time (and successes) to improve my confidence. I was initially nervous about solo camping in the backcountry but really wanted to do it. So my first solo "camp" was at Roaring Brook Falls (in the Dacks). That way I was only 5 minutes from the safety of my car! Then I just went further and further into the woods each trip. Now I barely even note the remoteness and in fact prefer it. I tend to find camping in campgrounds more scary sometimes, especially if there's a VFTT party happening nearby! I still have moments while camping (usually at night while I'm in the tent) where I'll hear something that will trigger a bit of a panic response. I just can't let it take over. I divert focus from the thoughts of what it might be and do a reality check. I've also learned to take a peak at the noise rather than try to deny it! The only time I get nervous on day hikes is when I get myself into a tricky situation that I know could be real trouble! Like a recent pressie traverse where I wound up late in the day with no identifiable trail and deep crappy snow! Then I became very aware of my aloneness.

But if soloing isn't your thing, don't push it. There's lots of great company to be had around here!

 

[halia and flammeus]

I've hiked and bushwacked solo for many years in all seasons and really enjoy it. Maybe being a thick headed male has something to do with it! I'm not sure if you can build up a "tolerance" or your confidence for such things. I'm also not sure if I would want my wife or daughter to solo either (double standard?).

Thanks for putting it out there so clearly. This is exactly what I'm wondering about.

Although I no longer have to go alone if I want to go at all (that was the case years ago), I guess I still have a special respect for the solo thing. It takes a certain type of guts. And a certain ability to tolerate your own thoughts, mile after mile... I would get way too pensive and philosophical when loneliness threatened.

 

[MattC]

Interesting thread. I'd just like to note that Terri accidentally spelled "peek" as "peak." I wonder what that means.

Matt

 

[halia and flammeus]

Ok, pensive, philosophical and analytical!

BTW - I'm a psychotherapist by day, and I missed that peak/peek. What does that say about me?

 

[TMax]

Interesting thread. I'd just like to note that Terri accidentally spelled "peek" as "peak." I wonder what that means.

Matt

Can you say A-D-D-I-C-T-I-O-N? ​

 

[John H Swanson]

I know at least one woman that likes to hike alone and brings along a dog for personal security. So in someways, it's not alone.

 

[halia and flammeus]

For the purposes of my original question, I'll count hiking with non-human companions as hiking alone. If I meant completely alone, I'd have to say that I haven't hiked truly alone since i was a teenager. I hope my mom isn't reading this - she doesn't know I hiked alone back then!

My first dog has been my constant companion for years, including many "solo" hikes. I now have a second dog - both of my girls are over 60 lbs, and both can be quite intimidating if they choose to be. They really help me choose to be "brave" about certain risks. As T-Max pointed out, though, there are so many different risks... many of them have nothing to do with gender, some have nothing to do with being in the woods...