View Full Version : Hiking alone.
Turd Ferguson
05-19-2004, 13:03
Hey y'all,
I have been planning a trip for 6 months now with a guy from my college crew team, but he bailed on my 5 days ago. So now Im planning to go it alone. Is this a good idea? If not whos comming with me. Im planning a flip-flop starting in the great state of Conn. going to Maine then back down to Conn. then down to Georgia.
Love Turd
Blue Jay
05-19-2004, 13:11
They almost alway bail. Don't worry about it.
I don't think you'll be hiking alone anywhere on the AT during the summer.
hungryhowie
05-19-2004, 14:13
I agree. Don't worry about it. Sure, before you had constant companionship...but...depending on how you look at it, you were also stuck with the guy for six months.
You've been planning for six months? Then you already have a plan. Tailor it to your needs now, and hit the trail!
-Howie
Kerosene
05-19-2004, 18:48
Have fun. You would have ended up hiking by yourself most of the day anyway, and this way you get to meet new people and stop when and where you want. While I like to do section hikes with someone, I rarely walk with them for long. I do enjoy company when I get to a nice view or stop for a meal.
Brushy Sage
05-19-2004, 19:10
I was technically hiking alone, but saw and talked with other people every day and almost always at night.
Hey y'all,
I have been planning a trip for 6 months now with a guy from my college crew team, but he bailed on my 5 days ago. So now Im planning to go it alone. Is this a good idea? If not whos comming with me. Im planning a flip-flop starting in the great state of Conn. going to Maine then back down to Conn. then down to Georgia. Love Turd
Yo Turd!
..."the hills are alive....w/ the sound of hikers!...."
you wont be alone hardly anywhere on the A.T. this time of year....
i just finished a section (Clingmans to Hot Springs) with "the Model-T crew" (www.trailjournals.com/Jaybird (http://www.trailjournals.com/Jaybird)) & i think i only hiked a few hours between seeing hikers along my route.
i love talking with other hikers...hearing their TALL Tales...experiences, etc.,etc....good luck...happy hikin'!
Crazy_Al
05-21-2004, 10:22
You have a very interesting name.
eyahiker
05-21-2004, 10:25
How does one aquire the name of Turd. It IS very interesting:)
Tight
Underwear
Riding
Deep?
i preffer hiking alone. actually i couldnt pay any of my friends to go with me-including my wife. they think im nuts for hiking mountains. "why?" they say.
and i respond....."because its there."
bulldog49
02-28-2005, 16:23
:-? Turd, there is Turd Ferguson who posts on Bucknuts, an OSU sports site. Hard to believe there are two folks who post under such an unusual name, but the other Turd says he is in Louisiana and it appears you are in the northeast. Just curious if you are one and the same?
for me hiking alone is the only way to fly,i love covering the miles i want to do,i love camping were i want to camp,hiking alone is the ultimate,i love it:sun neo
kentucky99
02-28-2005, 16:53
you should be fine!and its a nice way to get to know the inner-being:)
:-? Turd, there is Turd Ferguson who posts on Bucknuts, an OSU sports site. Hard to believe there are two folks who post under such an unusual name, but the other Turd says he is in Louisiana and it appears you are in the northeast. Just curious if you are one and the same?
I would venture to guess that they both got the name from watching the Saturday Night Live "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketch where Burt Renyolds (played by Norm MacDonald) signs his name as Turd Ferguson.
minnesotasmith
02-28-2005, 17:20
When you can even be alone when you are trying to be. If you hike NOBO during the peak season, or anytime in the Mid-Atlantic states in summer, you'll see lots of people. If you want to be alone, try SOBOing, flip-flopping, or hiking at unusual times (esp. winter). Don't bring a gun on the AT, either, it's not worth the weight and hassle. (I'm not anti-gun, just logical.)
Now, doing the PCT or CDT alone is less ideal, but still done. I know the CDT still involves some bushwacking, as not the whole thing is marked yet. Too, under no circumstances would I hike alone (or gunless) on a cross-Alaska hike I'm planning for about 3 years from now.
When you can even be alone when you are trying to be. If you hike NOBO during the peak season, or anytime in the Mid-Atlantic states in summer, you'll see lots of people. If you want to be alone, try SOBOing, flip-flopping, or hiking at unusual times (esp. winter). Don't bring a gun on the AT, either, it's not worth the weight and hassle. (I'm not anti-gun, just logical.)
Now, doing the PCT or CDT alone is less ideal, but still done. I know the CDT still involves some bushwacking, as not the whole thing is marked yet. Too, under no circumstances would I hike alone (or gunless) on a cross-Alaska hike I'm planning for about 3 years from now.
I think what is meant by 'alone' is not so much no people around you, but more like not having anyone to answer to. Hiking 'alone', or without a partner, frees one up to hike the speed they want, stop where they want, for however long they want, and camp wherever they want. I think in this context, hiking alone means without a partner.
i preffer hiking alone. actually i couldnt pay any of my friends to go with me-including my wife. they think im nuts for hiking mountains. "why?" they say.
and i respond....."because its there."
I'm in the same boat. Fortunately, I have met and found a hiking partner when we can coordinate dates. But for my sections of the A.T., looks like I'll be hoofin it alone. I prefer hiking alone. When I'm with a group, I feel obliged to keep up with the more experienced and better fit hikers. Makes for a rough day sometimes.
ARambler
02-28-2005, 18:09
That's why I post to someone who has only posted twice, the last time 9 months ago.:welcome
Hey Turd,
After reading your post I had to get up off my butt & go out to the garage to get my old backpack. I wrote one of my favorite quotes from Thoreau on the back before my thru hike. I was in the same situation as you. The quote:
"The man who goes alone can start today, but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready."
Go "alone". You won't regret it.
The Will
02-28-2005, 19:05
Turd, you have just been given an exceptional gift--autonomy. One of the better things about the AT experience regarding social life or solitude is that you get to make the decision everyday who you want to be with. You now have more options, not fewer. Autonomy.
steve hiker
02-28-2005, 19:25
I think what is meant by 'alone' is not so much no people around you, but more like not having anyone to answer to. Hiking 'alone', or without a partner, frees one up to hike the speed they want, stop where they want, for however long they want, and camp wherever they want. I think in this context, hiking alone means without a partner.
I find that just the presence of others, yapping away and just being there, disrupts my ability to zone out and connect to the mountain. See the trance thread.
I am a relative newcomer to long distance hiking and am looking for an adventure to set out on. The AT drew me in the first time I heard about it. With that said, no one I know has any interest in taking 6 months off of a job to live in the woods. Therefore, after much searching and reading books (see Jan Curran or Bill Brysons books), I found that a solo hike is doable, and in fact, many people solo hike the AT and it wasn't anything to be too nervous about... now to convince my mother of that.
Unless you want her to go with you, I don't see the need to convince her of anything. Seriously. Not to sound trite, but don't waste your time with trying to explain yourself to others. I do understand the need for your family to feel comfortable with your decision, but in the end, only you have to live with it.
Throw your cap over that wall and figure out how to retrieve it on your way over.