Should I Hike Solo?

[Ed'n Lauky]

Thanks for the tips _ and the encouragement! I'll be sure to post a trip report with pix as soon as we return. I can't tell you how stoked I am to be venturing back into the woods and into the mountains. It's been too long. I did a gear check and shake a few days ago and feel as though I'm as much of an antique as my gear!

If this were Facebook I'd give you a "Like".

 

[rup]

No. I used to do it in the ADKs, but no more. You can't plan for the dice roll / long tail event. Look what happened to Geraldine Largay.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Yes. It's good for the soul.

 

[peakbagger]

My observations hiking down south "off season" (mostly in the fall) was that the AT gets very little use. We would go section hiking for several days and many days we didnt see anyone all day. Our most frequent encounters were with trail maintainers (they take their maintenance quite seriously). We spent a week based out of Kincora hostel in Hampton TN. The owner of the hostel is long term member of Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club (and a former Vermonter). We asked him about the usage outside of the thruhiker "bubble" and he told us that unlike New England "locals don't hike" and the trail got very little use outside of AT thruhikers and occasional section hikers. Many of the encounters we had with locals outside of the immediate AT corridor regarded the concept of hiking the AT as a curiosity. Unlike New England, there are long stretches of the AT with no intersecting trails with the exception of the Benton Mc Kaye Trail the runs roughly parallel that intersects in a few spots.

That said the AT in the south is in very large blocks of mostly national forest that is crisscrossed with an extensive network of very well maintained but quite remote dirt roads. In addition to the maintained FS roads almost every low spot in the ridge has an old road accessing it. There also appeared to be a higher hunting usage of the area and they take advantage of the road network. We encountered bear dogs on occasion and a few other hunters. The remote forests are also used for various illegal activities and there can be encounters with suspicious characters usually on the back roads accessing the trail.

Thus to some folks out for a solo hike off the bubble, they lose the familiarity of occasionally encountering fellow hikers and increase the potential for encountering non hikers, particularly hunters. This may increase their anxiety.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

I almost always hike solo, in fact it's one reason why I hike. However, when I go solo on a local trail it is usually one that I am familiar with. When I was single I would often hike solo in the Whites without giving it a second thought. Now with a wife and son I think of them first if I am going to go solo. Here again, I stay local and inform my wife of where I will be and for about how long. Usually though, I hike with my family in the Whites or the Blue Hills. Whether solo or with family I always make certain that I am well planned and prepared.

 

[Mike P.]

An interesting read, nice to see the "published experts" do some dumb things too. After too many plans with friends went awry, I started solo hiking and probably do 50/50. I enjoy both. There are some advantages to both. The hikes with people are either a few friends, my kids or a scout group.

I see no wildlife with the scouts and go slow but those hikes are for sharing the outdoors with younger boys and their families and hoping they learn to love it like me. With the kids, it's about showing them the places I love and finding places I have not been in places we love like the ADK's or the Whites. We sometimes see some wildlife.

Solo trips are an adventure and or a time to listen to everything around me, even if it's silent and it's just the voices in my head..... (I was going to do something about soloist being the fruit in the fruit metaphors earlier in the thread)

Weekdays in the Whites or ADK's or in crappy weather will limit how many people you see, even on pretty popular places. (I've even seen just a couple of people on Washington in early October before - road closed for ice, no visibility so no train riders on a 32 degree rainy day with a bit of loose freezing rain. We saw a small group low on the Ammo and Mike Pelchat at the summit,)

If I was going to write a book on learning to feel comfortable going solo (from a man's POV, I can't do it from a women's POV) I'd offer these suggestions

Start going solo to places you know

If going to places you don't know, a person at home knowing when to expect you or a PLB is a good idea. (a whistle too)

When things start to melt, stay off the ponds and lakes

Better to carry more gear you don't need then have gear you left home and need. (not sure how some trail runners go several miles in with nothing but a water bottle, what would a severe ankle sprain do to their core temperature when they spend several hours or an overnight out )

Know your expected hazards, slot canyons and tidal wetlands have different hazards, winter hikers are unlikely to be stung by a bee and need their epi-pen, snow blindness an issue above treeline for a long time, unlikely hiking to Owl's Head, etc

Read, reread and then read your guidebook again. Solo and stupid is no way to go through life son...(or if Animal House isn't your thing, "A man's got to know his limitations."..) The more information you have the better. (expected weather, your limitations, terrain, bail out routes, etc)

Enjoy yourself but be extra aware about your surroundings

 

[TigerMouth61]

I agree with much this author says about hiking alone, with a couple exceptions.
I don't take the risks he does.
I don't think giving my itinerary to someone diminishes my adventure at all.

http://www.backpacker.com/destinations-stories/solo-hiking/

My favorite part was his comparing Honnold's free soloing Half Dome to a moderately experienced hiker backpacking solo for a few days.

 

[Moosebeware]

I just finished my Winter Solo 46 and I can tell you that I love hiking alone. My parents don't, my husband gets a little nervous around check-in time, but he has always been supportive of my choices. He does not believe in PLBs or Spot devices, so neither of us carry them. I do carry a phone, but it stays off. As a good friend said to me recently, when you hike alone, you find out who you are.

There is an inherent risk with any hike, alone or with others.

Enjoy.

 

[Raven]

I just finished my Winter Solo 46 and I can tell you that I love hiking alone. My parents don't, my husband gets a little nervous around check-in time, but he has always been supportive of my choices. He does not believe in PLBs or Spot devices, so neither of us carry them. I do carry a phone, but it stays off. As a good friend said to me recently, when you hike alone, you find out who you are.

There is an inherent risk with any hike, alone or with others.

Enjoy.

Congratulations on the SoloW46! I have 4 left to solo the Winter NH48. I am likely done for this year, but will get back to it next January. I've been picking them off for years here and there.

As we've discussed many times here, the dangers of hiking in groups are different than the dangers of hiking solo.

 

[TigerMouth61]

I just finished my Winter Solo 46.

Is that a typo? Do you mean winter 48? If not, what is a winter 46?

 

[jniehof]

Is that a typo? Do you mean winter 48? If not, what is a winter 46?

There is life outside of New England (to the tune of "there is life outside your apartment.")

 

[sierra]

I smiled, as these posts bring to mind the scene in Jaws where Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw are throwing their bare legs up on the galley table to one-up each other's shark-fight scars from days past.

I'll admit to having way too many such anecdotes myself, but it's sobering to remember that the stories told most are those coming from the people who had luck and/or discipline on their side and hence are around to tell them. Both luck and presence-of-mind can run out. :-/

Alex

I like the Jaws reference. I think we all get lucky and I'm glad when I do. But to survive a long storied carreer in high places, skill and learning from each outing is what keeps you alive. When I rode that slide, I was swimming like a fool, had I panicked and froze, I might not have stayed on top. One skill that is essential, is thinking fast on your feet. One critical descision at the right time can mean the difference. As far as luck and presence of mind running out, I hope not, but we cant live forever. Better to live wild and reap from it then the alternative.

 

[Moosebeware]

Is that a typo? Do you mean winter 48? If not, what is a winter 46?

In NY, there are 46 High Peaks. Completely unlike your 48. You should come westward and take a look.