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Krewzer
04-28-2004, 16:10
After I'm asked about carrying a gun, bear attacks and snake bites, one of the questions I'm asked the most by non-hikers is, "Do you go alone or with others?" (I believe it's the safety in numbers logic.) But, it got me to thinking about how I enjoy hiking and how others enjoy hiking.

As for me, I think I enjoy hiking solo the most. It's the "hike your own hike" thing. But, I have to admit I really do enjoy the company of other hikers at camp in the evenings.

I see lots solo hikers, couples and many large and small groups on the trail. So my question is, "How do you like to hike most?"

1. Solo
2. With a friend.
3. With a small group, 2 or 3.
4. With a larger group, 4 or more.

Rain Man
04-28-2004, 16:25
ALL of the above.

:cool:

SGT Rock
04-28-2004, 16:41
I think it is nice to move as I feel like, but hang out with other hikers at breaks and sometimes in camp.

Furlough
04-28-2004, 16:48
At this stage of my life I enjoy hiking with my family. My father, my son and if we can ever get our schedules worked out my brother. Dad is 67 and I want to spend as much time with him on the trail (and anywhere else for that matter) as I can. My son is 14 and I know all too soon he will spread his wings and fly, so like with my Dad every chance I get I'll take. I am in the Army and in the past 18 years I have been gone more than around so the days together on the trail with my family are precious to me.

Harry

SGT Rock
04-28-2004, 16:51
Harry, where are you stationed?

Furlough
04-28-2004, 16:59
Right now I am A REMF in Washinton D.C. My last honest place of duty was the 10th Mtn Div, and before that a year in Saudi Arabia. Looks like I will end my career in 2006 or 2007 somewhere in the bowels of the Pentagon.

Harry

Doctari
04-28-2004, 17:51
I gots to spend almost all of my working day "joined at the hip" with someone, & at home there are 4 of us so I get almost no "ME" time. A solo hike is for me. I like meeting other hikers, but enough to say Hi & move on.

My $0.02

Doctari.

Moon Monster
04-28-2004, 18:00
This is the number one question I get asked by non-hikers. I answer alone, and the second question is "do you take your cell phone?"

SGT Rock
04-28-2004, 18:29
Right now I am A REMF in Washinton D.C. My last honest place of duty was the 10th Mtn Div, and before that a year in Saudi Arabia. Looks like I will end my career in 2006 or 2007 somewhere in the bowels of the Pentagon.

Harry

Sounds like you might not always be a REMF. Ake dare, and good hiking.

Jaybird
04-28-2004, 21:43
ALL of the above. :cool:




me too!


but, i'm so slow...."Jigsaw" usually leaves me after a couple miles & i stop to take photos...& then everyone else passes me! hey, i'll eventually get there!
I guess that means...i usually am hiking alone.
hehehehehehe! :D

Ramble~On
04-29-2004, 06:03
Solo. It's for me.
A friend...she makes it nice too.
Groups...yeah I've done that.
I see more solo, I hear more solo, I sense more solo, I "tune-in" more solo, I do more miles solo.
There are times though when you've found such incredible places that you've "just gotta" share it with somebody.

Peaks
04-29-2004, 07:53
For me, it all depends on the company. Frequently it's solo. Other times it's with my wife. Other times, it's with someone who shares my goals and objectives. Pace-O, where are you?

Hammock Hanger
04-29-2004, 08:46
All of the above fits at one point in time. I must say that on the whole I like to hike alone when on the trail. However, it is nice to have company in camp at night. (Not too much company!)

I find that when I am hiking with a group or a partner I end up solo at some point in the day. Then re-connect later. Sue/HH

Lone Wolf
04-29-2004, 08:50
I like to hike drunk and naked while snorting Viagra.

Jersey Bob
04-29-2004, 08:59
at least 10 characters

Furlough
04-29-2004, 12:51
Sounds like you might not always be a REMF. Ake dare, and good hiking.
Rock,
Thanks - or as my Arab friends would say Shucran(sp?). Is Tunks still open?

Harry

SGT Rock
04-29-2004, 13:11
Tunks, never heard of that one. Inshalla (sp?)

Furlough
04-29-2004, 13:43
Rock,

Tunks or Tonks is/was a lakefront resturant off of 28 on the left hand side as you drive in from Alexandria. Pretty neat setting and they use to have the best deal on the East Coast for oysters on the half shell(IMHO), not to mention a great selection of beer. Ques Al Humdallah

Harry

SGT Rock
04-29-2004, 13:59
I will have to look for that.

chris
04-29-2004, 14:21
No more Arabic, please. You are making me hungry for some shawarma, and all I have are Girl Scout cookies.

SGT Rock
04-29-2004, 15:48
Mmmmm, Shawarma. You can keep the Chi.

Kozmic Zian
04-29-2004, 20:42
Yea.....Solo or Crowd? I like solo most of the time. Sometimes you get a little like having some company. It's nice to meet folks along the way. If you meet somebody you like, or something, you can buddy up, or hike in small groups. On the AT, solo times are sometimes rare, unless you seek them. KZ@:cool:

Furlough
04-30-2004, 10:05
I'll take Shawrama, flat bread and humus, taboli and even the Chi... But never ever again will I eat the boiled goat.

Harry

chris
04-30-2004, 10:17
Try kibbeh: Raw, minced lamb, with bulghur, spices, and then drenched in olive oil. With some bread and labnah, it makes for a quality meal. I never had the heart to try goat head or boiled camel, but the raw lamb is really nice. Damn, now I've done it to myself, and I'm even out of Girl Scout cookies.

Furlough
04-30-2004, 10:23
Chris,

I never had boiled Camel. I did have it barbequed (more correctly cooked over a fire without what we know as barbeque sauce) on a couple of occasions. Not too bad.

Harry

Footslogger
04-30-2004, 11:14
Have to admit that I actually like to hike alone at times but "around" other hikers. I had days during my thru last year when I was miserable (long story ...but I did the trail with kidney stones) and found comfort and solace in being able to grunt and groan in private. There were those days though when I met another hiker who had about the same pace as I and shared a common interest. We solved a lot of the worlds problems on those days.

I did also enjoy getting into a campsite at night and finding a group of hikers with whom I could tell lies about how many miles I did that day and how fast I hiked ...

'Slogger

Krewzer
04-30-2004, 16:16
...shawrama, barBQ camel, boiled goat??? Sounds like what happens when there's still beer, but the food has run out at my family reunion over in Mississippi.


Camel jerky.....could be tasty if it wasn't so much trouble gettin' that camel in the dehydrator.

SGT Rock
04-30-2004, 16:33
Found the address for Tunk's. I'm taking my wife out to try it.

Photofanatic
05-26-2004, 23:02
..........

Kozmic Zian
05-27-2004, 10:18
Yea.....Alone. Being a 'hiking addict' is a bit like being an alcoholic. Similar cravings are involved. And like George ' The Killer ' Thoroughgood sang in the 80's, 'I drink alone, with nobody else'......I hike alone, too. KZ@:p

A-Train
05-27-2004, 10:27
Hard and Fast

Nightwalker
06-25-2004, 20:06
I'd prefer to hike with a friend, but don't personally know any other hikers, and I start and finish later than any others that I meet on the trail. I usually only get to talk to others who get to shelters before I leave.

cabalot
06-26-2004, 00:59
sinse my main activity while hiking is taking pictures of wildlife and scenic views i would say alone.the slower i hike the more i see. less noise means i can spot a deer or turkey or bear before it spots me. i also just love the sounds of nature like the wind on top of a ridge. i must say i do love the company of others at camp providing they are cool people.

heybob
06-26-2004, 13:32
I generally hike alone and that's because I'm just slow. I would prefer to hike
with a friend but it seem like it never works out. Our pace always seem to be different.
There a Irish saying,Two make the journey shorter.
I do prefer to camp alone,so I avoid shelder when I'm alone. There something about the peace and solitude.
I know ass backwards.

Tin Man
06-27-2004, 08:09
I hike with my brother, so what box do I check for that? :) I guess friend, because if we were not friends we would not hike together.

I can't imagine a solo hike as I need someone to keep me sane. Maybe someday I will give it a try, but for now I prefer going with someone. As a section hiker, I am there to enjoy time with my brother. Life in the material world is lonely enough for me.

The Solemates
10-19-2004, 13:07
with my wife, usually.

and we like to take our dog some too.

Skeemer
10-19-2004, 13:49
If I can only select one it would be solo. Having said that, on the AT I hiked with some wonderful people and made many new friends, several of which I have been fortunate enough to hike again with. Sometimes good conversation really makes the day. It's the same no matter what you do, there all kinds on the Trail and it's no fun hiking with a total jerk or someone you don't like.

Also, it did not seem as crowded to me as others have suggested.

Kerosene
10-19-2004, 17:57
I definitely prefer walking solo for most of the day, but it is nice to occasionally meet up with someone at a viewpoint, for a meal or perhaps for the night. Some of my more memorable nights are in shelters or in a tent far with no one else around.

hikerdude
10-25-2004, 08:15
Safty in numbers is the game here. Your best to hike with your club. Then you only have a problem when your club meets the other club. Everyone's got to join a club. If you hike you have to join a hiking club.:sun Its been that way for thousands of years now. Oh, yea, last warm week, get the flu at work.:bse

fiddlehead
08-31-2005, 21:31
I'll say a big group although most of the trails i hike, others' aren't into and i do them myself. I really enjoyed my PCT 96 hike as i started out with a group of 3 and it grew to 22 at one time. I still went off on my own many times or with one other but it's best to have that kind of option. Of course i love solo hiking also.
All of the above is a good answer.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-31-2005, 21:41
:confused: Hiking with a fellow dinosaur isn't on the list.

Seriously, 'with spouse' needs to be an option. After all, they aren't always friends ;)

Seeker
09-01-2005, 17:11
i hike solo and with a club (about 1.5'' thick and about 5' long...)

seriously, i like the solitude. easier to stealth camp too. i occasionally bring my daughter along, whenever she wants to go, but that means a 10 year old's running chatter all day... still, there are worse things in life than spending time with your children...