First Experience on an Solo Overnight Hiking/Backpacking Experience.

[blackwater slim]

I have yet to do a solo overnighter. I thought it might be interesting and encouraging (or discouraging) to get some true trail experience stories from those that have. What about your first time?

[Hosaphone]

Funny, I just posted this in another thread. I'll repost here about my first solo trip (really my first trip since doing scouts as a kid):


One of my first trips I went on in southwestern MA... Did part of the South Taconic Trail and looped around northbound on the AT (near Sages Ravine area). No major disasters but funny to look back on, I guess:

Due to traffic, getting lost, etc, got to the trailhead after dark on Friday night. It was a bit creepy driving through the woods by myself at night to the trail head. Didn't see any other cars or people or anything for like 20 minutes - just trees and darkness. For some reason that kind of got to me a bit and I was kind of spooked. Turned up the radio with happy songs.

So it's my first time backpacking by myself, and I pull up to the empty parking lot after dark. Put on my headlamp, put my pack on, and start walking into the darkness. Really weird feeling.

Trail is easy enough to follow, I have a good map. First time night hiking and I'm by myself, still kind of creeped out and scared. I'm aiming for a campsite a few miles in on the map. Every now and then I see those little reflector things hunters put on the trees so they can find the way to their tree stands. But every time I see them I kind of think they look like eyes, and I get more creeped out.

Eventually I make it to the campsite. Pitch my tarp, then go to hang my bear bag. Takes like 20 minutes to untangle the 550 paracord... The woods are completely silent and I'm still feeling nervous for no good reason while I'm fumbling around trying to get this done as quickly as possible. I remember looking down at my hands trying to untangle it, and then looking up and looking around periodically.

Get everything set up finally and go to bed. Heard tons of coyotes all night long, but nothing too close for comfort. I actually really enjoyed hearing them.

Next day is pretty uneventful. It rains all day but my rain gear and trash bag pack liners do their job just fine. When I go to cook dinner, I find that my fuel bottle leaked and I don't have any alcohol left! (Don't know why you'd ever store a bottle of alcohol upside down anyways? What an idiot) Started a fire and propped my pot up over it with some rocks. Great success. I was feeling like a resourceful mountain man super-hiker after that, until I noticed I had gotten soot all over EVERYTHING. Doh.

It continues to pour all night. I discover that I've set up my 8x10 tarp as a 10x8 A-frame. That is, it was 8 feet long and 10 feet wide.... This wouldn't have been such a problem if I hadn't also set it up on some hard packed dirt. The rain splashed up at me all night and got me kind of wet. Not a big deal, really, but a learning experience.

Pack up in the morning, do rest of the hike in the rain. Don't recall seeing another person on the trail the whole weekend.


I survived, had fun and learned a lot.

[Cookerhiker]

I have yet to do a solo overnighter. I thought it might be interesting and encouraging (or discouraging) to get some true trail experience stories from those that have. What about your first time?

My first backpack was 39 miles on the AT/LT in Vermont when I was 29. Worst part was not being aerobically fit on the uphills and severe knee and bottom-of-foot pain by the end of the hike from the downhills (knees) and rocks/roots (feet). Also got lost once. I had done enough car-camping that I was comfortable with the tenting and cooking aspect.

But it didn't discourage me - I kept going out. And I got in better shape.

[tagg]

my first backpacking experience was supposed to be with a friend from springer to deep gap just past the GA/NC border, but my buddy got sick on day one and went home. i hadn't planned on being solo, but had been looking forward to the trip for the better part of a year, so i stayed out by myself. it was September of '09, and after going through neel gap a couple of days in, i saw more bears (4) than people (3) for the remainder of the week. i'll admit that i was very nervous the first night i spent in the woods by myself. i slept maaaaybe 30 minutes that night. it's amazing how much a falling acorn can sound like a bear charging your tent when you're alone in the woods at 2am. but after that first night, the jitters wore off, and i fell in love with it. i had a stretch of 48 hours where i didn't even see another person, and it was absolutely liberating. i enjoy hiking with friends, but there is something special about your first solo trip. i know it sounds corny, but i really feel like the experience had a lasting impact on me and my life, even away from the trail. pack up your gear and go.

[Pringles]

On my first unintended overnight alone, I had volunteered to go ahead and have soup ready for my friends when they came into camp. They didn't make it until the next morning, and I had soup for four. As I lay in my sleeping bag, the idea that if there were ever a place on earth that Bigfoot would be, it was there. I didn't sleep much that night, between the soup and waiting for Bigfoot.

On my first intended overnight while alone, I was at Mt. Collins Shelter in the Smokies. I was worried about being a female alone, and trying to figure out how to not radiate being alone. A group of men came in and one of them looked over at me and said, "Are you alone?" After about 2 seconds, the honesty came out and I said, "Yes."At that point, the scarey men hikers that I was worried about said they were going to filter water and asked if I'd like some. I don't worry so much any more.

Those were great trips. Now I almost always hike alone. There is a sea kayaker who comments in his book that he often kayaks alone. He says that everyone recommends against it, but that he knows what his skills are, and is careful. He enjoys kayaking with his friends, but he won't kayak with 'just anyone' just to have someone else with him, especially because he doesn't know their skill level.

Enjoy your trips. Pringles

[oneoldgoat]

This is a good post - and Pringles, your reference to Bigfoot made me laugh. I was thinking last night as I was watching a show about Bigfoot, that it would be so like me to start thinking about Bigfoot while in my hammock in the middle of the forest! Glad to hear it worked out for you....and Slim, it will be great to hear how your first solo night goes!

[The Solemates]

i think i was 14 years old when i took my first solo trip....that was almost 20 yrs ago - dang i'm getting old :)

[GoldenBear]

Nothing philosophical, just personal -- I just prefer to be alone when I hike or backpack, period.

My first experience with back-packing -- ie, carrying everything I would need for the night on my back -- was in Shenandoah, from Simmons Gap to Hightop (yes, it's one word) Hut. Walked up the mountain one day and back down the next. Had no problems.

This was just a little over seven years ago. Since then, I've made just about every mistake you can make on the Trail, other than using poison ivy leaves as toilet paper. I'm still there, making progress.

[Cosmo]

Like the first time you had sex. Not to be forgotten, fun mostly, but you get better with practice...

Besides that, try to be flexible about when you go, so you can pick a day with no weather issues. Even better, go to a place that has some sort of destination (view, water, great trail). Then the actual camping out part wont dominate the whole trip.

Cosmo

[blackwater slim]

enjoying stories...keep them coming. I probably would have done a solo by now but 3 or so years ago when I decided to start backpacking after years of car camping/rv camping I found a couple of buddies that seem to be able to go when I go so I just haven't.

[Slowbo]

I did my first solo about two years ago from Catawba to Daleville. I was really nervous going into it wondering how I'd react to being alone on the trail and sleeping out alone. I had all the fears people who posted ahead of me talked about. Once I got hiking the fear gradually went away. From time to time I looked over my shoulder just to make sure no one or thing was back there, but as time went on it was more of a curious look than a nervous one.

I love setting my own pace and stopping when I wanted to or pushing on. I was so satisfied with the experience that I followed this up with another solo weekender in PA, then did a section from Bland VA to Damscus about 120 miles. I have another hike planned this summer from Damascus to Hot Springs. My brother wants to come along. If he does, it'll be great to share time with him. If not, I'll still enjoy the solo and not have to go through the scramble of finding a hiking partner.

[casara]

I went on my first solo overnight at a state park in Missouri this fall. I was trying to confront my fear of being alone in the woods at night. I wouldn't describe the night as "fun". It was dark by 7 p.m., so I read the entire book I brought with me, then shivered in the dark in my sleeping bag, imagining all of my friends in St. Louis were sitting together in some bright and comfortable room, laughing and toasting each other with frothy pints of beer (for some reason, this is always the image I have of people having fun without me). I analyzed every sound outside my tent, eventually getting up to find a big rock to bring in the tent with me as a means of self-defense.

But by morning, when I was sipping a cup of coffee in the perfectly golden woods at 7 a.m., and I had one of the state's most popular hiking trails to myself for the five miles back to my car, I didn't want to be anywhere else.

[Chick-fil-A]

My first ever solo hike was in MD and I really did have a great time! My first night in the shelter was cold I mean COLD and raining. I was tired because I was not in shape and my pack was way too heavy. But I couldn't sleep because every little tiny noise of a broken twig or moan of a tree was of course a HUGE bear that was just waiting in the shadows for me to fall asleep so he could corner me in the 3 sided shelter and tear me limb to limb!! Yeah I know, and I was 37 not 7 years old!!!!! Oh but I was armed to the teeth, with my $9 Walmart hiking pole, my multi tool and my coleman canister(I figured I could break his nose with it!) So needless to say, I slept not and the next day around 2pm I just crashed on the trail for like 90 minutes. The second night was awesome, and I slept like a baby!!

[Furlough]

The majority of my trips are solo, although I enjoy hiking in the company of others, paricularly my father. Time, distance and circumstance in general dictates that when I get the chance to hike it is usually solo. I have 2 or 3 pre-planned hikes sitting on the shelf for when a window opens up. Plus, due to my proximity to SNP I can come up with an over nighter or weekend trip pretty easily. I do generally enjoy all my solo time. I have no issues about being by myself and because enjoy my surroundings and am not just focused on the mileage I do not get easily bored.

Furlough

[map man]

My first night alone on a trail (as opposed to hiking with others) was in northern Minnesota a few miles from Grand Marais and I got to hear a few coyotes yipping and howling off to the north around dusk, right after I had settled into my tent for the night. I thought that was pretty cool.

[bert304]

My first overnight on the AT was in 1992, I was 20. We hiked from DWG in NJ to a few miles north of Sunfish pond. Back then you were really luckly to see a bear track let alone see a bear. I was a little nervous that night but I was so tired I passed out pretty quick.

[BigRing]

My first trip alone was a simple out and back in SNP years ago. I planned on hiking northbound from Thornton Gap until I felt like setting up camp. About 5pm, I found a nice spot just off the trail, cooked dinner, and proceeded to drag every dead limb within eyesite to stack them around my tent.....kinda like a fence. I guess I thought that an approaching bear would step on them...make noise and give me an opportunity to wake up and run. well, the bear never showed up, but a deer did stop by. I enjoy telling that story around a campfire with friends.

[Malto]

I had to think long and hard about my first solo BP trip. I spent every other weekend for 18 months up near Shenandoah NP car camping solo. So I became pretty used to the solo part when I started backpacking the Sierra. My first few trips had me jumpy at every noise, I was convinced a bear was going to eat me. My perspective really changed about a year later when I stopped sleeping in a tent. I then became very comfortable with my environment. Since that time I have switched to a tarp though I rarely will use it. I do nearly every trip solo and love the connection that I have when I am stealth camping under the stars. I have a trip to plan!