Solo thru hike

[Early Bird]

How safe is it to do a solo thru hike?

[orangebug]

Welcome to WB.

Depends on your definition of "safe" and "solo."

I advise my friends who ask that question if they have ever driven "solo" on I-95. I know you are in your own car, but you are never really alone.

A walk on the AT is much safer than a walk down Metropolitan Avenue on a Friday night.

What sort of safety and solitude are you seeking?

[Early Bird]

i guess when i refer to "safe" hiking i'm referring to dangers one may encounter without a partner such as possible safety,encounters wih people who seem vulnerable due to being "solo"...

i'm seeking solitude,peace,closeness to nature and earth while also feeling somewhat not too far from social interactions.to know that if i feel unsafe or even lost,help is not too far away..

does this make sense?

[orangebug]

No, but neither does thru-hiking!

It is major news whenever there is an assault on the AT. The AT may resemble Spring Break at times, minus "Girls Gone Wild". Often, you can hike for miles with only your heart, shoe steps and walking sticks to hear above the clatter of nature. Often, the views are of wintry brown domant forests or the green tunnel embracing you.

It is all good.

The heaviest thing you will bring is your own fears and expectations.

[DavidNH]

How safe is it? Very! I solo thru hiked in 2006. No problems. There are so many people out there that you almost can't be alone until parts of Maine.

You may be alone hiking during the day but you will always have people around in and around shelters, and often the shelters will be full. It is nearly impossible, I would say it is impossible, to spend an entire day hiking the AT without seeing at least a couple people and you'll probably see a lot more than that.

If you go north bound from Springer..you will have tons of folks around. I think itis actually better to hike solo, you can fall in and out of groups depending on your mood.

DavidNH

[max patch]

The AT may resemble Spring Break at times, minus "Girls Gone Wild".

That will be Damascus in a couple of weeks.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Look both ways at road crossings and you'll be ok. Cars are the biggest danger on the AT

[buff_jeff]

You'll be fine. The prospects of even encountering serious harm on the trail are pretty much null. There are always people around. The only time you really don't see anybody on the trail is during the off-season in less popular areas. I went two days in New Jersey this winter without seeing another person. It's probably more dangerous to live in the city for 4-6 months. Don't worry about being risk-averse. You'll be fine. Have fun!

[jersey joe]

I would argue that it is safer to do a "solo" thru hike during peak hiking season(Northbound in March or April) when you will be surrounded by other thru hikers. Hikers tend to look out for one another.

[max patch]

The AT may resemble Spring Break at times, minus "Girls Gone Wild".

Joe Francis has rented the town basketball courts to park his trailer.

And georgia girl live was spotted at the Damascus PO picking up her webcam.

[MoBill122]

The Trail Community will protect you .
To over simplify this, lets say you are in a group of 10 hikers, that are in the same section you are hiking.. You are also in the group of those perhaps 30 people behind you for 30 miles... you are also in the group of 30 people perhaps 30 miles ahead of you. So in that respect, you are surrounded by perhaps 70 friends, depending on how fast you walk...or how slow...and how many zero days you take.
On the other hand...those 70 people will inform you of who the troublemaker might be, or the SOB in the section, and believe me, you don't want to be the one they are talking about or avoiding... as that person will be treated like the plague on the trail.
Hope that makes some sense to you.

[Early Bird]

hey David.Thanks for such a reassuring response to my message.

i look forward to meeting all sorts of new hiker buddies on the trail.Glad to know i won't be spending 6 months alone in the wilderness.

i'm a quite guy so it's nice to know i will be able to enjoy my alone time during the days and have fellow hikers to talk with at night.

thanks again.

[Early Bird]

yay for traildays. i don't know if i will beable to make it down that way but i will definitly keep that in mind next year..

maybe i can bring some girls along with me..

[Early Bird]

reckless drivers..agreed..and sketchy people who pick up hitchhikers..i have heard some pretty shaddy stories.

what are the chances of hiking the trail without hitching rides?

[max patch]

reckless drivers..agreed..and sketchy people who pick up hitchhikers..i have heard some pretty shaddy stories.

what are the chances of hiking the trail without hitching rides?

You can do it if you want to -- I hiked off and on with a guy who didn't set foot in a car during his thru -- but you'll find that 99.9% of everyone hitches.

[Early Bird]

it makes sense to me....it's so comforting to know how others treat fellow hikers on the trail...
it's a little nerve racking to think of hiking alone but in the end i think it might be the most rewarding.

i never knew how family like people are on the trail towards one another..it's amazing to me because who don't know eachother other than we love to hike...if we were off the trail i am sure the relationships that are formed would never be perhaps.

thank you for yet,more terrific advice and knowledge.

[Early Bird]

play it by ear....after reading that story of that poor female hiker,i'm sure it has sent a shockwave through the currently hiking class.

if possible i would try and avoid hitching...than again,i'm at work,living my life in society and it is easy to say that from here.

also,i'm sure the towns the trail goes through is use to spotting hikers so it is safer than if you were in nyc..haha

[Early Bird]

thanks buddy.its increadibly reassuring to keep hearing from fellow hikers about the safety on the trail

[Early Bird]

thanks joe.i grew up in ny..on the nj line.
good to hear some solid advice from someone close to home.

[jersey joe]

thanks joe.i grew up in ny..on the nj line.
good to hear some solid advice from someone close to home.
Thems folks down south are right nice folks you'll find I reckon...I found it super easy to hitch hike into towns down there.

[Early Bird]

haha,my gf is from GA and her gran daddy speaks like that.
i'll keep my eyes peeled for dem nice ol southern folks.

[PJ 2005]

It's too bad that tragic events (like blood mountain) get so much publicity. The AT, from start to finish, is safer than town. I hitched all the time and never had any issues... most people know what you're doing and are happy to help.

[jersey joe]

The only place I heard about the blood mountain tragedy was here on Whiteblaze...it was not in the mainstream news here in NJ at least.

[dessertrat]

How safe is it to do a solo thru hike?

Most thru hikes are "solo", in that the hiker doesn't do the whole hike with one person or group of people. Many, however, often hike for a while with certain people, then others, and so forth. The idea is to have company but not get sick of people, I guess.

[Appalachian Tater]

You would probably be okay if you carry a pistol, a cell-phone, and an aggressive dog. Please train the dog so it only attacks suspicious people and leaves everyone else unharmed.