Hiking Solo?

[mink319]

I could go either way. On short hikes I prefer to go solo, but longer hikes I prefer to hike with one or two people, but I would still enjoy a long hike solo. On hikes in the winter I often like to go solo because of the desolate silence. In the summer I like going with one or two people to explore, fish, and watch for wildlife.

 

[Wanderer1]

I have hiked/backpacked solo for the last 25 years. Not necessarily out of choice but I have no one that shares my interest. I have hiked thousand of miles alone and will continue to as long as I'm capable. The longest solo was over a month on the Colorado Trail. I only met a hand full of people on that trip and some days saw no one. I have hiked/backpacked in all four seasons and all kinds of weather. As I said, not out of choice but if I sat waiting for someone to share the experience I'd probably die solo sitting in a rocker.
I don't mind hiking solo. As has been said, you can hike your own pace, stop and investigate what interest you and wander where you please. I usually hike with no schedule, so I hike till I'm tired or find a camp site that's just too nice to pass up. Hiking alone you can be selfish. I'm sure somedays I'd hike further if someone else was pushing me. Sometimes it's too easy to stop sooner and more often when alone. Or as I did on the Colorado Trail, if I woke up and didn't feel like hiking that day, I didn't. I'd just sit around camp and enjoy the surroundings. It's at night that I sometimes get lonely and wish I had company to visit with and share the days experience. Especially in winter when those nights are so very long. They make for a very boring night.
The upside is all the freedom, the down side I suppose is the safety issue and having to carry all the gear.
So, I will continue to wander alone but will always welcome company.

 

[Warren]

Gene Daniell, my predecessor as Accidents editor of Appalachia, has written (I quote from memory) that "all serious winter hikers occasionally hike alone".

I don't think I can really agree with the idea of the above statement. Do a lot of the serious hike alone, yeah, sure. But, you can day hike only in groups and be serious.

I've hiked/backpack alone, in winter and on unfamiliar trail, but it's not a rule. This is probably because my influences (Fletcher, Muir, Emerson) primarily did so. Still, If it don't seem like a good idea at the time I don't do it.

 

[sli74]

Here Here Wanderer,

I couldn't have said it better. I used to hike/backpack alone ALL the time, in all four seasons but recently have been hiking with people from VFTT and the AMC BB and I can see the upside to both . . . I will still hike alone if I can't muster interest for a trip I am planning but I no longer feel as though I HAVE to hike alone and this is particularly a bonus in the winter when my hiking/backpacking alone gives my loved ones cause for worry. Having said that, I feel perfectly safe and confident going solo in all seasons but as others have already said I am much more easily turned around or overly cautious when hiking alone, it keeps me alive and well. . .

sli74

 

[sp1936]

I like to hike solo and do it a lot. I usually meet friendly and interesting people on the trail, so I'm not really alone and rarely lonely. I'm not a winter camper, so it's dayhikes only this time of year, which is less risky.

...in the winter when my hiking/backpacking alone gives my loved ones cause for worry.

Kenneth Holmes's recent death on the Twinway has caused a lot of discussion at home about my solo hiking. My efforts at reassurance are not working so well, since Mr. Holmes was experienced and well-equipped.

It's at night that I sometimes get lonely and wish I had company to visit with and share the days experience.

Certain areas make me edgy at night when alone. I call these areas "haunted," not necessarily with the commonly accepted meaning of the word.

Steve

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Warren,

I suspect that you have taken the statement in a sense it was not intended. The words can, I suppose, be interpreted as either "All the serious winter hikers I know occasionally hike alone", or as "to be a serious winter hiker you have to occasionally hike alone". I am pretty sure Gene meant the first interpretation. That is certainly the sense in which I have always interpreted it.

 

[Silverback]

I usually hike alone as well, but this recent incident got me to thinking. Many of you responding to this thread have expressed confidence on how prepared and experienced you are. I have no doubt all that is true. However, this unfortunate hiker was experienced and knowledgable as well. Hypothermia is an insidious condition. Many times, a person is not aware of it's onset. Judgement is dramically affected without any internal "signs" that it has been. This hiker (like many victims), was found half out of his sleeping bag. It is not unusual for those suffering from hypothermia to believe that they are "over-heating", and to begin to shed clothing, exacerbating the situation. A hiking partner would certainly begin to notice slurred speech and unusual (and dangerous) behaviour.

Another thread talked about dying "doing what we love" Frankly, I'd prefer to live so that I can do more of what I love. Plus, I owe it to my family not to take unnecessary risks. I don't think that I will be going on any substantive winter hikes alone anymore. (Well, maybe )

 

[Mike P.]

I like the list that Mo provided from Gene. I also do not solo peaks I have not done before for the Northern Presidentials even with a group, I like going in November first to get a feel of what winter may look like.

The only loop I'd consider doing solo in the Whites is the F-Ridge as I'm confident it would be broken out up & down while the ridge itself would be blasted of much of the snow leaving boiler plate for crampons. (They are also the peaks i'm most familar with in the Whites)

I've solo'ed South Twin, Ike & Pierce for above treeline winter peaks (I've been up ST 7 times so I'm pretty familar with that one too) & if the right circumstances come up I'd be pretty comfortable trying Madison or Moosilauke or even Adams as on a good day there would not be a shortage of people on Valley Way or Lowe's. In the ADK's I'm not sure I'm familar enough to try any of the High Peaks beside maybe Phelps, Cascade or Wrights where the terrain is not too bad, the distance is short & trail is broken out.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

I like the list that Mo provided from Gene.

Mike,

The quote is from Gene, the list is mine.

 

[carole]

So what's your limit, and do you have one?

I can’t say I have found my limit. I, at one time, would have said my limit was to hike with others. Then I hiked solo and loved it. I would have said limit solo hikes to short ones but then did 20+ miles and loved it. I would have said I would never hike to the higher summits in winter, never hike a 4k in winter solo, never do the 3 Bonds in winter in a day, never bushwhack solo, never hike below 0 degress. I have and would do it again. I don’t rush into something new but work up to it, consider my comfort level and go for it. My goal is not my destination but to return home safe.

 

[Mad Townie]

So after saying that I don't hike alone too much, I did just that yesterday--solo up West and East Baldpate, with temps in the single digits and the wind blowing me sideways in the open areas, I'd guess over 60 mph. Mine were the only tracks above the Table Rock side trail, which means there was no one near me for 3 miles in each direction (it's an up-and-back).

I had a good time (yes, AlpineSummit, except for the quality of the company ), but I would have been in serious trouble if anything unusual had happened to me. In fact, I turned back just a couple hundred yards from the summit of East because the going was just too treacherous. It was steep rock with a thin plating of ice. I was front-pointing with the crampons, but there was no real way to use the ice axe effectively. One slip would have meant a long, sliding fall ended by a big impact. So although I wised up a little late, I did wise up. Good thing I didn't need the peak for my ego (or for a list)!

Oh, and I was the first car into the lot and the last one to leave.

It's more fun with company.

 

[MarkJ]

I agree with Arm,most of my hikes are solo as well.Having done Bondcliff in winter solo ,I feel you have to decide if it is prudent to continue beyond and up Bond and down to Guyot ,set up camp safely, being 8 miles from any escape hatch.It was -29 at Lonesome Lake that Wednesday morn,S Twin is even higher up,the decision should have been look at Bondcliff,go back camp out at Bondcliff /Wilderness trail intersection,go home and do it another day.Sometimes I think Bondcliff is riskier than Mt Wash,in severe weather,due to it's isolation.Just thinking about K Holmes situation up there makes me feel sad....MJ

 

[ajtiv]

Re: Re: Hiking Solo?

. My goal is not my destination but to return home safe.

I think that says it all.
SAFETY FIRST should always be in the forefront of a solo hikers mind.
Especially in extreme weather, when so many things can go wrong that are out of our control
Normal tasks are more difficult
The consequesces are more severe.
Al

 

[daxs]

I do three season solo hiking. I have not done alot of winter hiking in general. Sometimes its impossible to find someone to hike with and i refuse to cancel a trip because I can't find someone to go. Although with VFTT it makes it easier to find a hiking partner. I know my limits and know when to turn around. I've done 15-16 miles solo. Sometimes I like the solitude, not having to worry that i am hiking too fast or too slow for my campanions. Others times its great to have hiking company.

 

[14000feet]

I'm nowhere near the league of most of the posters here and find solo hiking pretty daunting. My one rule is being willing to turn back. Last fall I solo'd Wheeler in New Mexico. I started late and only gave myself 4 hours for the 8 miles up. It was slower than I thought due to the altitude. At 3PM my time was up and it looked like I had another hour to go, so I turned back. I'll try again when I'm back out there in March.

On the way back, just as it was getting dark, the trail passed under a ridge for about 1/2 a mile. I had the eeriest feeling I was being stalked. I kept stopping to listen and smell but the wind was in front of me. I never saw anything but I thought a Mountain Lion was considering me for a snack. But then again, maybe it was only a bit of the hiking alone willies. (I'm not as brave as Mommabear

Anyway, here's a photo of my Rule # 1 for hiking solo....

 

[Mountainhound]

14000 i would'nt dismiss those willies. i've had them a couple times mostly when i was out coonhunting at night. its like all of a sudden you get the feeling your not alone. useually i just start talking to myself or start singing. that will scare them let me tell you.

 

[14000feet]

You're right. If I start singing it would really scare the hell out of them (and any humans that happened to be within ear shot).

Thanks for making me feel like I'm not a total wimp.

 

[Mountainhound]

no problem. i remember one night i was out with one of my hounds and hes working real hard around this brooke and i'm standing there and i'm like whats that smell (dirt and very musty) when i realize its a bear i'm smelling. so i went to talking to it to. nothing like being within smelling distance of a bear at night and no firearm.

 

[14000feet]

In the Grand Tetons there's a nice trail to a place called Ampitheater Lake. To continue past the lake you're into technical climbing to summit Grand Teton. I was soloing this trail, but it's a very popular hike. About 2 miles in I get a whiff of what you mentioned. In my head I'm going through all the big animals in the area and realize it has to be a bear. I didn't see him though and after a few minutes I went on my way. Many hours later on the way down I can only think of a stream near where I smelled the bear because I had a bad case of blisters (I was wearing new boots and only one pair of socks. Dumb Bomb). So all I wanted to do was soak my feet in the cold water. Anyway, when I got close enough to the stream to hear it I also started smelling bear again. Sure enough, I got to the stream and there was a grizzly on the other side. Big hump on her (I think her) back, light color (though out west the Black Bears can be blond and the grizzly's black). We stared at each other a few moments from across the stream and then she huffed, sniffed the air and took off. A few moments later a party of hikers came up the trail.

But I'll never forget 'eau de bear'. They really stink! And of course, I had just taken my last picture about 2 minutes before the bear encounter.

 

[jbrown]

I'm with daxs in that I don't to much in the way of winter hiking, I'm just not equipped for peak bagging in the cold season.

The only solo stuff I have done so far is dayhiking, and one day when the group I was weekend hiking with really ticked me off and I left them in the dust for the day.

spending time hiking solo on the trails provides self-introspection that is tough to get any other way

I fully agree with this sentiment. Some of the best times I have had hiking are the days I can be alone with my thoughts without any distractions except for God's creation. I really have time to notice so much more around me than if I was with a group. (Especially the guys I usually hike with...)

I'm planning on doing at least one solo multi-day in the late spring/early summer, I'll post something before I go, maybe I'll start running into some of y'all. In the meantime, I'll suffer through winter...