Why do you (or don't you) hile solo?

[The Unstrung Harp]

I like both. I get really anxious when alone sometimes, but I'm always glad I did it. Also, as I am dealing with health issues that mess with my pace, I like not having to feel guilty about slowing down a group or partner. But then when I start to feel crummy, I get even more nervous about being alone. Hm, I think I need a dog!!

 

[Maddy]

I like both. I get really anxious when alone sometimes, but I'm always glad I did it. Also, as I am dealing with health issues that mess with my pace, I like not having to feel guilty about slowing down a group or partner. But then when I start to feel crummy, I get even more nervous about being alone. Hm, I think I need a dog!!

Thank you for sharing that.
I have hiked solo 98% of my adult life. I had a rude awakening years ago when I came to appreciate that if I waited for someone to go hiking with, I would grow old in my rocking chair. Fortunately my dogs kept me company and we all LOVED being in the woods together.
I to am dealing with health issues and aging. I am much more anxious/fearful now when hiking alone. My pace is slow and I just can't cover the distances I used to but I keep working on it. In the past I loved being completely alone on trails, and having a job where I could worked weekends and hiked midweek enabled me to do this. Now I feel better if there are a few people in the area.

In the past my body felt really strong and I had incredible endurance so I felt super confident that I could deal with most anything out there. I think not having that same physical prowess makes me feel that I do need to be extra careful because I just don't have the strength and stamina that I once enjoyed and most likely never will. There is something in me that just drives me to keep going. Pain be damned! I think I would hike if I had to crawl on all fours. At least the dog and I would be at eye level. I cannot begin to imagine life without hiking.

Unstrung Harp...I would highly recommend a dog for you.
They are great trail companions and you don't feel so isolated. It does help with the anxiety. They are great distractions and much fun.

Your post helped me to appreciate that it is a normal reaction to feel more anxious/ fearful when our bodies are presenting us with certain "challenges". I kept thinking I was just getting to be a big whimp and I absolutely hated that feeling but now I can appreciate there is a lot more to it, and it really helps to know that I am not alone feeling this way.

Something else to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving day. Hope ya all have a really good one.

 

[Stash]

The poll results clearly demonstrate that people who hike alone at least 50% of the time respond to internet polls.

Without doubt. But it also indicates that solo hikers love to write about what draws them to this aspect of the activity. So much positive!

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Most of my hiking is alone. 40-something years ago, I backpacked alone because nobody wanted to go with me.

These days, I hike alone because... well, I'm unsociable. I just don't like people.

 

[Neil]

Without doubt. But it also indicates that solo hikers love to write about what draws them to this aspect of the activity. So much positive!

Hehe. Just kidding around. Polls are good attention getters.

I do a fair bit of solo hiking but have no idea in what proportion. I like hiking alone, especially off-trail hikes. It's the intensity that I like. There's something special about it. I feel some anxiety beforehand and at the beginning and then I settle into it.

I also like hiking with others but usually prefer groups of 2-4. But, I have had a great time on hikes with more than 6 people. It all depends on the people.

 

[adktyler]

Great thread!! I love how everyone has their own reasons for hiking solo or not-solo. None of them any better than anyone else, just different. One of the things we can all love about the outdoors!

 

[RoySwkr]

do the names McFails, Skull, Onesquethaw, and Knox mean anything to you?

sure, but even as a kid the Gunbarrel seemed too tight for me

 

[Nessmuk]

sure, but even as a kid the Gunbarrel seemed too tight for me

Ah yes, memories of one shoulder forward, the other back to inch my way through the Gunbarrel. That darn keyhole slot at the bottom kept catching my bum knee. We would use Knox as a training cave for new folks in preparation for long discovery expeditions into Skull and McFails. In keeping with this thread... these are places you would definitely not want to go solo.

 

[dentonfabrics]

A very unusual work schedule at my last job (Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat) forced me to leave all of my Mon-Fri friends behind and introduced me to the joys of solo hiking. I still miss the crude humor, lies, sports talk, insults, and post-hike beers I'd share with my gastro-intestinally challenged friends, but those Wednesdays and Thursdays alone in the woods were great too.

Besides the things that have already been mentioned, I've noticed a huge increase in wildlife sightings while hiking alone. My hiking buds and I made a fair amount of noise on the trail but while hiking quietly alone, I'm able to see all kindsa things. None of my friends have ever seen a bear or a moose on a trail. Hiking alone, I've seen dozens.


bob

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

Wow, thanks Maddy. Glad I am not the only one with some anxiety/health stuff going on. Gah. Frustrating, as is having to take time off from real hiking.

I'm am on the road too much to have a dog, sadly.

At least there is VFTT, where I can read lots of trip reports and dig lots of pics.

 

[Taconic]

I always go solo.

For a few reasons, but the biggest is scheduling. I have to do it mid-week, and I have to do it early. When I drive up to the Whites in the summer, I usually leave CT around 10:30PM to be at the trailhead by 3 or so. I'm usually at the top by sunrise and back at the car by mid-morning. On my occasional really long hikes, I usually start the climb a couple hours before sunrise and don't finish up until after sunset. I do a lot of hiking in the dark, obviously. I've never really been nervous beyond regular "forest at 3 AM heeby jeebies." My only real concern is running into a bear and startling it, and if I think that's a possibility I make plenty of noise.

My other big reason is that I find that other people ruin the experience for me. Sitting alone on a mountaintop as the sun breaks the horizon is an entirely different experience alone. I can really only appreciate it fully that way. I can also lug my tripod and lenses around and take as much time as I want.

 

[rup]

Bears & Bigfoot

 

[king tut]

I tend to hike solo a lot b/c of many reasons. Mostly b/c i am very spontaneous. I like to hike on sunny days, when the sun is shining and it is warm. In the Champlain Valley, the weather forecast changes every hour, either there are many weather patterns that cross here or the meteorologists are terrible, not sure which one is correct. But, yeah, i would rather not hike in the rain. It is also difficult finding people that hike the same distance/speed as me.

And to be honest, the real reason is I like to be alone and absorb the spirit of the wild. I have never been one to follow religion but I feel something spiritual up in them there woods and it slows down my world and my soul into a natural rythym. I go to the mountains to escape the "noise". If i hike with someone that is chatty Cathy about the latest "The Hills" episode, then that kinda defeats the purpose. So maybe 40% of the time I hike with others, but i really enjoy the solo time. I like to take the time to look into myself and figure out who i am, and who i want to be. The solitude does not freak me out, I figure if there is a higher spirit that determines it is my time to get attacked by a bear, then hey, it's go time. My solo drive to the trailhead is probably more dangerous than a random animal attack or a slip and fall.

With others or solo, I love hiking. Both are different experiences. I am not saying one is better than the other, but my best hiking memories are of both. Do whatever floats your boat, just let the tide take you where it may.

 

[una_dogger]

Most of my hiking is alone. 40-something years ago, I backpacked alone because nobody wanted to go with me.

These days, I hike alone because... well, I'm unsociable. I just don't like people.

Subtract twenty years from that and you've got me summed up.

 

[DSettahr]

I would usually much rather hike with a partner than alone. Having company makes hikes a lot more fun, and more than makes up for whatever trade offs (theirs or mine) in pace, difficulty of the hike, etc that are required. I like having someone to talk with and hold a conversation while we hike.

That being said, hiking alone, or even spending nights alone in the woods is not something that bothers or fazes me at all. I've done it plenty of times, and while I know that the risks are increased, for me it is still within my limit of acceptable risks.

 

[coldfeet]

I took a nasty slip on Friday hiking in CT on very wet leaves....my leg bent back so far back that I could see the Vibram word on the sole was hiking solo...twisted my knee...almost broke my leg....will go back to partners..

 

[jessbee]

I just got back from a 3 night solo snowshoe trip in central Oregon, so this question peaked my interest. I have always loved hiking alone, especially since I started rock climbing and doing technical mountaineering when you HAVE to be part of a team. Hiking gives me the opportunity to do my own thing, get away from people, self-reflect, and be completely selfish. I notice more things around me when I'm alone. I can feel accomplished for pushing through more challenging weather or routefinding or distances without having some one else egging me on. I can stop to take pictures without having to start running after the rest of the group when I'm done. I can learn from mistakes and celebrate successes. I yearn for the opportunity to get out by myself.

I live in a city, I work in a school, I am around people 24 hours a day. It is a gift to be able to disappear into the forest for a few days without seeing a soul. For me, it's like pushing a big "reset" button. It makes life feel that much more special.

 

[brianW]

I live in a city, I work in a school, I am around people 24 hours a day. It is a gift to be able to disappear into the forest for a few days without seeing a soul. For me, it's like pushing a big "reset" button. It makes life feel that much more special.

Have to agree with the "reset" button. I used to hike 1-3 times a week before moving from NH to GA. I seldom hike any more but mt. bike 1-3 times a week on some killer trails in the Augusta, GA area. I would say most of the time I ride alone and when I do not ride alone it's because I ran into someone I knew at the trail head and we rode together.

 

[Wanderer1]

I always hike and backpack alone. Not so much by choice but if I waited for someone to hike with, I'd never get to go. I don't have one friend that is into anything outdoors. And when I camp out in the winter they all think I am insane. Yet I have been doing outdoor activities all my life. Whether it is a day hike or a long trip, such as when I hiked part of the Colorado Trail, it has been alone. As many have said, it has it's advantages. I can stop when I want, go where I want, see what I want, do what I want and not affect anyone else. I guess the thing I miss most is having no one to share with. And backpacking gets lonely at night when no one else is around. Especially in winter when nights are very long. But we have to do what we have to do.

 

[DSettahr]

I guess the thing I miss most is having no one to share with. And backpacking gets lonely at night when no one else is around. Especially in winter when nights are very long. But we have to do what we have to do.

I'm closing in on nearly 100 nights spent alone in the woods, and I can definitely chime in that boredom was a pretty common feeling when I first started doing solo overnights. I've gotten used to it though, and am pretty good at keeping myself entertained. Bringing good books is key on solo hikes; I do a lot of reading when I'm alone in the woods.