solo 100-mile

[Lawn Sale]

Some were taken in July, some in August ('06 & '07). I'm doing it again this year in August since there are more hikers and thus more colorful experiences. It can be a bit crowded at shelters, but I always bring a tent anyway. The wife is joining me part way through in Gulf Hagas, so I won't be hiking solo this time.

You never know who you'll meet out there, probably the same as anywhere hiking. The difference is, if you hike at approximately the same pace, you'll end up at the same shelter together night after night, this can be good and bad.

I hooked up with these people about 3 days in and we finished together.

The guy top left is a Flip-flopper from TN named Big Toe.
Next is a woman who does home spinning and back-to-the-earth stuff in MA, and then her husband/boyfriend who had been out a month and was doing the whole state.
Next is Big Toe's hiking friend, also a Flip-flopper from TN, I don't remember his name.
Then me.
On the bottom left is L.actuary, who is an Actuary from MA. He did the whole HMW in one set of clothes: blue cotton shorts, tan leather workboots, and a white cotton t-shirt that was FAR from white at the end.
And then there is Leatherback, the trail name we gave him since he did the whole thing in a heavy leather motorcycle jacket that must have been 12 pounds. It had salt streaks all down the back at the end of the trip. I forget his real name, but he had a green mohawk and seemed a little shady at first glance. He's actually a high school computer science teacher who 'dresses down' during the summer and does crazy things. Their other friend came off-trail part way through because his feet turned to hamburger from the wrong footwear.
They did the whole thing with little planning, very bland food (10 lbs of instant potatoes, 5 lbs nuts, some soup mix, and not much else), and gear straight out of 1974. They never begged for anything, never were a problem, and were so much fun I looked forward to seeing them at the shelters in the evening.

Great people, all of them, and I look back on the trip with extreme fondness. So when you are making those memories, be sure to capture their essence for future reflection.

 

[sierra]

@sierra Can you explain how you tie your pack for crossings? Is this is like a slip knot to make it easy to untie if necessary? As i understand it the hardest fording is at the south end of the 100-Mile wilderness, which is way i will start from the north. If anything bad happens i shouldn't be too far from the end, and hopefully i'll have met up with some other hikers.

@tomcat32 Did you just have water in your chewed camelbak? I usually hand my food, but never thought to protect the camelbak since its just water.

Good points about rodents. i heard of many thru hikers not hanging bear bags, but hanging food out of reach of rodents. Many lean-tos have rodent-resistant hangers. On one recent hike a lean-to was kind of trashed by other hikers, and rodents were abondent around that area. I've never had them run over me while i sleep ... yet! I will have to invest in a decent whistle, the only one i have is the built-in whistle that came with my osprey bag, which i doubt is as loud as the stand-alone whistles.

I believe i will go on this hike, i really want to. it is a unique opportunity so i might as well use it to my advantage.

I would be glad to and I did notice someone ( Doug) advised against this. Look first off, I invented this technique, we can debate its safety but imo, as a soloist I would not take the chance on losing my pack ever by shucking it off in a current and hoping I find it, if others think this method is dangerous they can forget it. I always carry about 20 ft of para-cord. I tie one end to my pack via a carabiner to the loop behind my head at top of pack ( the one used to hang pack) the other end I fix a loop and attach carabiner to loop, I then wrap the cord around my waist add 5 inches or so, then make another loop and clip that loop to my carabiner. This allows me to unclip the biner if I had too and the pack would be gone.

 

[bkn]

To those that encouraged me, thank you. i completed 100MW solo a few weeks ago. It took me 7 days. Everything went reasonably smoothly. There were a lot fewer people on the trail than i expected. My first day on the trail i didn't see a single person. I ended up hiking solo the whole time. river crossings were not above my knee. Most of the rain fall happened when i was in a lean-to, so rain wasn't an issue, but the heat was, i drank lots of water and had to keep an eye on my water supply going through the chairbacks.

I learned that i'm not a good solo hiker, for now, as i push myself too much to put miles behind me and don't stop to enjoy myself. 7 days is too quick for the 100MW, i had several 15+ mile days. I should have been less ambitious and relaxed more.

I'm glad i went. It was a challenge and an accomplishment. I may go back sometime.

Cheers all,
- bkn

 

[Guthook]

To those that encouraged me, thank you. i completed 100MW solo a few weeks ago. It took me 7 days. Everything went reasonably smoothly. There were a lot fewer people on the trail than i expected. My first day on the trail i didn't see a single person. I ended up hiking solo the whole time. river crossings were not above my knee. Most of the rain fall happened when i was in a lean-to, so rain wasn't an issue, but the heat was, i drank lots of water and had to keep an eye on my water supply going through the chairbacks.

I learned that i'm not a good solo hiker, for now, as i push myself too much to put miles behind me and don't stop to enjoy myself. 7 days is too quick for the 100MW, i had several 15+ mile days. I should have been less ambitious and relaxed more.

I'm glad i went. It was a challenge and an accomplishment. I may go back sometime.

Cheers all,
- bkn

Awesome! Congratulations, and well said– I also push myself too hard when hiking solo, but I think you have the perfect attitude. Coming back again is the best way to see all an area has to offer.

I did the 100 Mile Wilderness at the end of July, and there were way more people than I'd ever seen in there before. I'm already hoping to make it back again when there are fewer people– just goes to show how the experience can be totally different with just a week's time.

 

[Lawn Sale]

I learned that i'm not a good solo hiker, for now, as i push myself too much to put miles behind me and don't stop to enjoy myself. 7 days is too quick for the 100MW, i had several 15+ mile days. I should have been less ambitious and relaxed more.

I'm glad i went. It was a challenge and an accomplishment. I may go back sometime.

I do the same thing and have to force myself to not be so goal oriented.

Glad it went well, the second time through I'm sure you'll stop and take in the sights more.

 

[tomcat32]

Nice work on the trip. I just went through Barren Chairback Range and there were lots of people. Mostly thru and section hikers. Busiest I have seen it in there in a long time.