Solo hiking a badge of honor?

[jrcinnh]

I know a lot of us have hiked solo and some hike solo almost exclusively. Most solo hikers I know enjoy the solitude, and ability to get away from it all.

Am I imagining a new thing where solo hiking is part of the challenge? A lot of FB posts say they did a single day, solo, presi/pemi/whatever, or my first solo Washington.
I guess for some it's conquering their fears, or just informational but some seem to be bragging about solo.

And yes, bragging is part of hiking and Im guilty. The common fun saying about vegans, applies to any list I've finished.

 

[Rhody Seth]

I hike solo much of the time, primarily because I'm coming from out of state and try to gorge myself on mountains when I'm there, opting for early and long routes, or this and that. I find it much easier to operate solo in that regard then deal with the planning involved in hiking with others. Not to mention that we hike at different speeds.

My backpacking trips are generally where I hike with friends, especially in the winter when trips to the backcountry bring greater risk and require more experience.

I think you're probably reading too much into most social media posts that emphasize solo hiking. Mentioning you did it solo or did it with buddies adds color to the post, though I'm sure for some it a big achievement to do something on your own as you mentioned.

 

[jrcinnh]

I didn't mean to denigrate solo hiking, I've enjoyed it.
Mathematically it's a mixed bag for safety. Survivability, is probably better in a group but chance of an incident is higher in a group.

 

[DayTrip]

I think a lot of people in our generally softened society imagine doing things alone as an "accomplishment" and "noteworthy". Personally, I think it is a reflection of poor self confidence more than any sort of achievement. I don't put a lot of stock in it.

 

[dug]

I think a lot of people in our generally softened society imagine doing things alone as an "accomplishment" and "noteworthy". Personally, I think it is a reflection of poor self confidence more than any sort of achievement. I don't put a lot of stock in it.

Could argue that's the case about anyone who lists their accomplishments/lists, etc.

[ducks]

 

[DayTrip]

Could argue that's the case about anyone who lists their accomplishments/lists, etc.

[ducks]

I suppose. I guess it is in how you describe what you did and what is was you did. Some of these Facebook posts have a tone of "First ascent of K2 in Winter witbout supplemental oxygen" but their post is "soloed the Tom/Field/Willey traverse today"(which is a sunny afternoon in July) "and crushed it". It's hard not to throw up in my mouth a bit when I read posts like that. When thousands and thousands of out of shape and wildly unprepared people go up and down a mountain each year in good weather it's hard to get impressed by the "accomplishment".

I'm probably just being a stick in the mud about it. It's all relative to the person and the life they've led. A successful summit of Monadnock by one person could be an amazing transformative experience in their lives that they remember for years. Then there's that guy who climbed it every single day for like 8 or 9 years in a row. "Comparison is the thief of joy" as the old quote goes. I think you have to separate the mental/emotional element of the achievement for the person versus the basic physical element of it. That bar is different for everybody and comparing amongst them is an imperfect exercise at best. A sense of accomplishment and cocky arrogance are two different attitudes. I'm a big fan of humble....

 

[Puma concolor]

Could argue that's the case about anyone who lists their accomplishments/lists, etc.

[ducks]

I completed the Northeast 115 solo. LOL.

Seriously though, I got into solo hiking in the early 90s while working and living in the Adirondack High Peaks and generally had weekdays off. Had been big into pickup basketball games at the time but there wasn’t a lot of hoops action to be found on a Wednesday summer afternoon in Lake Clear … although I was kind of a regular fixture at Paul Smiths College basketball practices for a couple of years back then.

So, young Puma says to himself, what can I do all by myself on a weekday way up here in the mountains?

Looks around.

And the rest is history. At this point, the entire idea of hiking with others is just weird to me.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … there has never been any ego involved in any of my mountain pursuits. Other people tend to attach ego to it though simply because I like to talk about my passion and the lists I’ve completed … so it gets interpreted as bragging.

But really, as a solo hiker, if I didn’t talk about the mountains when I’m not in the mountains, I would literally never talk to anyone about the mountains. If that makes sense.

 

[NHClimber]

I completed the Northeast 115 solo. LOL.

Seriously though, I got into solo hiking in the early 90s while working and living in the Adirondack High Peaks and generally had weekdays off. Had been big into pickup basketball games at the time but there wasn’t a lot of hoops action to be found on a Wednesday summer afternoon in Lake Clear … although I was kind of a regular fixture at Paul Smiths College basketball practices for a couple of years back then.

So, young Puma says to himself, what can I do all by myself on a weekday afternoon way up here in the mountains?

Looks around.

And the rest is history, At this point, the entire idea of hiking with others is just weird to me.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … there has never been any ego involved in any of my mountain pursuits. Other people tend to attach ego to it though simply because I like to talk about my passion and the lists I’ve completed … so it gets interpreted as bragging.

But really, as a solo hiker, if I didn’t talk about the mountains when I’m not in the mountains, I would literally never talk to anyone about the mountains. If that makes sense.

I’m also in this camp. Mostly solo since the 90’s. I find it less stressful when I just have to focus on my own conditioning and decision making, but I recognize having other experienced hikers with you also has advantages.

 

[wardsgirl]

If you see another person on a hike, it's not hiking solo.

 

[DayTrip]

Other people tend to attach ego to it though simply because I like to talk about my passion and the lists I’ve completed … so it gets interpreted as bragging.

That is a good way to distinguish the difference - passion versus ego. I'm always talking about hiking, posting pictures and did a list or two but it is just because I absolutely love it. When I'm posting pictures or talking about my hikes I'm not thinking "Hey look what I did!". I'm thinking "You gotta go do this. It's awesome!". I suppose that gets interpreted through the lens of who's viewing it. I only have 2 friends who hike and I think they get that. My non-hiking friends and relatives also get the enthusiasm. But no doubt to an anonymous audience there's sticks in the mud just like me saying "What a jackass getting all pumped about a Tom/Field/Willey" traverse. Which is all fine.

Full disclosure I hike alone 99% of the time so I'm not coming from the perspective of someone who has sour grapes about people who are confident enough to be alone. I just don't find it all that noteworthy. I run into tons of people who hike by themselves.

 

[JoshandBaron]

I'm probably just being a stick in the mud about it. It's all relative to the person and the life they've led. A successful summit of Monadnock by one person could be an amazing transformative experience in their lives that they remember for years. Then there's that guy who climbed it every single day for like 8 or 9 years in a row. "Comparison is the thief of joy" as the old quote goes.

Every time I take a friend out who doesn't get out as much as I do, it ends up being a lifetime experience for them while it's just another night in the woods for me. Putting my trips into their context has really helped me appreciate my hikes more when I'm feeling burned out. Comparison adds to my joy in that sense. We get to do some really cool shit.

 

[Lone Stranger]

As long as they don't say they went solo with their dog(s) it just tells me they went alone and I don't spend a lot of time pondering the deeper meaning of it all. If they say they were solo with their dog(s) I start pondering.

 

[Nessmuk]

Speaking of solo accomplishment and failure, how about this attempted hamster wheel Atlantic crossing guy?
https://news.yahoo.com/florida-man-arrested-trying-cross-160252960.html
Hiking and multi-day camping trips solo were never a big thing for me. My father was usually a solo hunter in the Adirondacks. When I started going with him it involved mostly an individual solo hiking as he set me off to favored deer watch points by myself (after he had guided me there a time or two first), while he solo hiked around for a few hours to drive deer toward me. Later i often camped on my own in increasingly difficult terrain while honing my remote land navigation skills. I loved it and never felt anxious or in danger. I learned and observed my own safety rules. Minor mistakes made, lessons learned.

 

[Mac]

If you see another person on a hike, it's not hiking solo.

Agreed. My hikes are planned from a solo perspective, but I almost always end up encountering other hikers, as I usually stick to established trails.

 

[Grey J]

Variants of this discussion pop up here about once a year. The truth is that it's all good. Hiking solo, hiking with your dog, hiking with your wife or girlfriend, hiking with your BFF, hiking with your kids, hiking to check off peaks on a list, hiking peaks on a list when you know you'll never finish the list, redlining trails or whatever you wish to call the practice, day hiking, backpacking, AT through-hiking, and any other example you can think of. It's all good when you're out in the woods, and if people want to talk about or list their accomplishments, it's fine with me. Sometimes I do but mostly don't and it depends on the audience. Personally, I enjoy reading about other folks setting goals and reaching them. Vicarious hiking is good too. I am just happy to still be hiking and I will continue to do it until I know I can't do it anymore. To tie this to another discussion here, that will be my decision to make and mine alone. Happy trails to you all!

 

[Cartophile]

I began hiking solo when I found that I had very few good friends who enjoyed hiking as much as I did, and I immediately found that I enjoyed it. It quickly became a 'thing' for me, and I hiked the NE 115 and the Hundred Highest by myself (even going back to do over, solo, the seven summits that I'd originally hiked with a companion). In maybe two or three instances, I encountered another hiker on the trail going to the same summit I was, and I hiked with him, but I still count that as solo, at least because my intention, anyway, was such, and I didn't make the entire hike accompanied. (I'm not a complete nut.) I sometimes hike alone in winter, but there are some winter hikes that I would not do alone, because doing so strikes me as imprudent. And I do, sometimes, go hiking with one or another friend outside of winter, including the one who introduced me to hiking in the first place. But this is unusual, for the very reason that I began hiking alone.

I sometimes say half-facetiously, to anyone who questions the safety of hiking alone, that it's safer, because I can't then be persuaded by a companion to do something stupid. (I have one particular incident in mind.)

 

[sierra]

I started soloing the high peaks of the Whites when I was 14 years old. I've soloed here, in CA and in CO with over 1800 4ks and 30 ascents over 14k. In my opinion, I am one of the greatest soloists to ever come out of the Whites and I still managed to stay humble after all these years.

 

[jrcinnh]

No doubt!

 

[NHClimber]

I started soloing the high peaks of the Whites when I was 14 years old. I've soloed here, in CA and in CO with over 1800 4ks and 30 ascents over 14k. In my opinion, I am one of the greatest soloists to ever come out of the Whites and I still managed to stay humble after all these years.

Was the dog with you? If so, not solo!

 

[akafuzzjones]

I started soloing the high peaks of the Whites when I was 14 years old. I've soloed here, in CA and in CO with over 1800 4ks and 30 ascents over 14k. In my opinion, I am one of the greatest soloists to ever come out of the Whites and I still managed to stay humble after all these years.

Yes. A legend in your own mind. Not solo if with a dog. Just saying.