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skymom
03-23-2006, 21:52
Just curious how many of you females have hiked/camped overnight solo?
How often?
What did you like/dislike about it?
Do you prefer solo or with a hiking partner?
I've done alot of day hikes by myself and look forward to some overnights by myself for the first time this year. Leaving hubby home with our 2 year old so I can get back to a little "me" time. :sun

Marta
03-23-2006, 22:31
I just started hiking and camping solo about three years ago. As my kids got older and stopped being around all the time and ready to hike with me, I spent a fair amount of time trying to line up non-family hiking partners. It often fell through for one reason or another and I faced up to the fact that I'd either have to hike rarely with a partner or more often by myself. At first it was a bit difficult--I think all of us are trained that there's safety in numbers, and women especially so--but now I am not only used to it but I relish the freedom it gives me. First and foremost, I can suit myself in terms of route, timing, speed, distance, stops, meal times... Second, I pay more attention to my surroundings when I'm by myself. Hiking with one or more partners can be fun, but it's often more of a social experience and less about seeing and being in the natural world.

geckobunny
03-23-2006, 22:36
I've hiked and camped by myself. At first I was a little scared because I was used to hiking and camping with others. But after a while I got used to it and kind of liked the quiet. After more time by myself, though, company was welcome.

I think I prefer hiking by myself because it's really difficult to find someone I'd like to hike with. I did a considerable amount of hiking with my husband...and that's fine. But sometimes I just wanted to get away and hike by myself for "me" time.

I think I'm less inclined to camp by myself, though. After a day of hiking, it's nice to have some company...takes my mind off all the things that go bump in the night in the woods.

Cuffs
03-23-2006, 22:41
I must say I ride the fence on this one. I agree with you Sky on the "me" time issue, it is very important to me. And Marta, you make excellent points on the aspects of hiking alone (route, time, speed...) I too like to take time to look around and hiking solo makes that almost mandatory. Unlike you two, I dont have family in the same house as me, I also am self-employed and work from home, so I already get alot of "alone time," so on ocassion I do enjoy the company of another hiker. I do not enjoy groups though...

My family does not like the idea of me hiking alone at all! They had no problem with me going into a law enforcement career with all the risks that entails, but they fret every minute that I am gone and wait for that phone call that tells them I'm home safe. Odd.

I guess my hiking solo or with another is a matter of mood at that moment...

Marta
03-23-2006, 22:50
My husband and kids are fine with my solo hiking. They have all done quite a bit of hiking themselves and know that the woods are less full of dangers than the city we live in, and much less than the drive back and forth to the trail head, or to work. My parents, who have done no hiking whatsoever, are completely freaked out by my solo hiking. Fortunately they haven't been able to control my actions for about the last 35 or so years...and they didn't have nearly as much control as they would have liked before that.

neo
03-23-2006, 22:51
i love hiking solo.:cool: neo

skymom
03-23-2006, 23:17
When you solo on the AT, do you prefer tent or shelters?


We know you love your hammock neo :)

Almost There
03-23-2006, 23:41
I'm sure you also look great in a dress, Neo!

neo
03-24-2006, 00:33
When you solo on the AT, do you prefer tent or shelters?


We know you love your hammock neo :)

:D you already know that one by now lol:cool: neo

Marta
03-24-2006, 08:36
I prefer hammock or tent. Shelters have hard floors, they're colder in the winter and buggier in the summer, there are often mice scampering around and getting into your stuff, and many other hikers snore and fart all night long, and even shout strange things in their sleep.

Mouse
03-24-2006, 08:59
After one trip with two friends, I learned backpacking on solo trips into California's Ventana Wilderness and the Sierras, then went on to thruhike alone.

I love going alone. Often after several nights in crowded shelters it was a relief to tent somewhere all by myself and enjoy some solitude for a change.

Aside from that is the control, not having to compromise with anyone else about how far or fast to walk or where to stay. Being a committee of one is rather nice!
:banana

neo
03-24-2006, 09:05
After one trip with two friends, I learned backpacking on solo trips into California's Ventana Wilderness and the Sierras, then went on to thruhike alone.

I love going alone. Often after several nights in crowded shelters it was a relief to tent somewhere all by myself and enjoy some solitude for a change.

Aside from that is the control, not having to compromise with anyone else about how far or fast to walk or where to stay. Being a committee of one is rather nice!
:banana


that's the spirit,crowded shelters are terrible and noisy,when i hike alone
i only have me to take care,i hike at night,in the rain,i love high mileage days,i love stealth camping,solitude is a blessing,to many hikers like crowds
being alone and hiking alone does not mean antisocial,i just love being alone:cool: neo

ZEKE #2
03-24-2006, 09:29
I hadn't done any backpacking for about 25 years when I broke it to my husband and family that I wanted to start again. They all thought that I was crazy. My youngest son told me that his dad would "never" let me go alone. The first trip I went with a friend. It was a comfort to have someone there while I was re-learning my outdoor skills. But after the trip we both decieded to be "day hiking" partners and I could do the backpacking think on my own. The first trip out on my own was empowering. I had feared the things that go bump in the night, but I found so much comfort and independence on my own. Last year I shared a campsite with two other people that I had never met. They left their trash hanging low and a bear helped himself to the fixings 10 feet from my tent. I had such a feeling of calmness when I did everything that I had practiced in my head. That experience alone made me even more comfortable being on my own. You can't control the actions of others. On the other hand, my husband paces and frets enough for the both of us while I'm gone.

Spirit Walker
03-24-2006, 11:06
I started out backpacking alone and loved it. I didn't know any backpackers, so I really didn't have much choice. The learning curve is harder, because I didn't have many examples to follow, except people I met out there. I enjoyed the solitude and independence. I hiked the AT and JMT as a solo hiker, though obviously I met a lot of people on the trail.

Now I hike with my husband, and he is the perfect partner. I get quiet time when I want it and time to talk if that's my mood. I get to share the emotional highs and lows with someone. We have a good system for sharing weight and chores. I have someone warm to cuddle with when it's cold outside. We are partners, both on and off the trail. We are both flexible, so making compromises or changes in terms of route, distance, etc. is really easy. Really, I have the best of both worlds.

Smile
03-24-2006, 11:09
I am currently hiking the AT on a TH alone, and I don't like hiking alone at all! It's nice to have someone along, and silence is golden, no need to chat the miles away unless something interesting is seen by one - two pairs of eyes don't miss much, and I have found that the gal I was hiking with pointed things out I had missed!

I prefer the company of others, and in the last week or two the weather has been dangerously cold/wet/windy....better to have someone along who you have spent at least a night or two on the trail with who will know it when you might possibly start the 'umbles'....a sure sign of the number one killer of hikers - hypothermia.

Just smart in this weather to buddy up, it can be quite some time until someone comes along, and it only takes minutes to get your mind into a bad place if you get too cold.

bulldog49
03-24-2006, 11:15
I heard the AT shelters are so crowded that no one uses them anymore. :D

skymom
03-24-2006, 23:33
I'm glad to see others in the same mindset as myself. I really enjoy some of the quiet time to myself. I started out years ago, in college hiking alone. Hard to get others out of the party lifestyle and enjoy the mountains.

My husband has been my hiking partner for the past 14 years but now with a 2 1/2 year old, the long hikes are harder to fit in. We take her in the Kelty child carrier and she likes to do some short mini hikes with us. Heck, she even has her own kids mummy bag from Bass Pro!

I'm going to try and work in some more trips for myself this year and planning on my first weeklong solo this summer. Between hubby and parents, I think I can get back to a little bit of my old self. The past 3 years have been a major adjustment to say the least.

neo
03-25-2006, 05:00
I heard the AT shelters are so crowded that no one uses them anymore. :D

:D thats a good one lol:cool: neo

Lilred
03-25-2006, 10:32
I have looked for and asked so many people to go hiking with me that my list is now exhausted of people I know to ask. I started asking my students...LOL. So, if I want to hike, I have to do it alone. Last summer was my first solo long distance hike. I covered just over 200 miles and absolutely loved it. And I was very much alone since the thru's were way ahead of me. The only time I truly got spooked was when the trail got rerouted due to mudslides and I stumbled upon a backpack that was shredded up and its contents strewn about. I didn't stick around long enough to even take a pic. LOL. I had no problems. Just be cautious. For instance, don't stay at shelters that are within a mile of a road crossing and find someone to hitch to town with. When crossing a road, make sure there are no parked vehicles with people in them. Just be aware of your surroundings.

art to linda
03-25-2006, 10:36
I've been going out solo since I got back to hiking/backpacking about 3 years ago. I've gone with others also but found that going solo provided a more relaxing/ recharging experiance for me. :sun

JojoSmiley
03-26-2006, 12:06
I'm with Spiritwalker although my first long distance hike I started out with partners I met via internet. That didn't work out so well. I hiked a lot of my second AT hike alone and it is very empowering. I like to meet new folks but tenting by myself is better for me. I am now married and my husband and I hike together and tent more than anything. He sets the pace and we point out things of interest to each other but don't really keep up a running patter of talk along the way. I too think I have it pretty good.