I see far more wildlife hiking alone plus everything Old Hiker said!
I see far more wildlife hiking alone plus everything Old Hiker said!
One of my favorite quotes.
“The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.”Henry David Thoreau
I was going to post anyway, but since that has been in my sig since I created my account here I'll start by agreeing with you on that reason.
Hiking with other folks is fine and I do it when they can, but eventually all of my friends and family members run out of vacation time. Pretty sure if they had more time I'd go solo less often. Being alone, especially on trips where you don't see humans for days, does magical things to the mind the spirit though. Always worth making some time for it.
“The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait until that other is ready...”~Henry David Thoreau
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Being a natural loner, I enjoy being alone. That being said, I'm also very sociable and enjoy being around other people. So what does that make me? A sociable loner? Anyway, I digress...
Before doing my first section hike of the AT, I probably would have answered that question by saying that I wasn't a solo hiker because I always hike with friends. However, the friends I hike with have a completely different pace than mine so we always start together, separate early in the hike and get back together at a pre-determined and agreed upon camping spot. I don't know if that's considered solo hiking or not but I can tell you that I quite like this type of hiking. It's the best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. It affords me the possibility to HYOH and gives me the ''safety blanket'' feeling that I'm not alone out there and that, should I not show up at our meeting point, someone would come looking for me quickly. I'm also not very comfortable sleeping alone in the woods so I like knowing there's someone near by.
So then comes the AT. I was unable to find a friend who was available to join me on the dates that suited me, and I was hesitant to partner up with a fellow section hiker I didn't know as I felt the likelihood of us being incompatible to be fairly high. So I figured that if I was going to end up hiking alone anyway due to different hiking styles, I may as well start alone to avoid disappointment. I knew I had the skills, experience and the proper gear to do it. All I needed to do was to hike from shelter to shelter to ensure not being alone at night and I would be good to go. So I went. And it was fantastic!
Now, as I'm planning next year's section hike, I put the word out to my hiking friends and gave them the dates and section to be done in the hopes that one or two of them will be available to join me but then again.... if no one was available, it wouldn't be such a big deal now would it?
I am a loner that does the majority of activities solo. I am also just about the person that I can stand for hours and hours.
"Just wondering why you solo hiker"
I was left waiting for the punctuation, indicating whether this was a statement or a question.
I hike with friends or family when they are available and willing. I simply don't let the lack of a partner in adventure keep me from setting out on my own.
I’ll see more wildlife and nature if I’m not distracted by having a noisy conversation.
I’m alone with my thoughts.
I can hike comfortably at my pace covering whatever distance I feel like.
I have the freedom to alter my plans or go without them.
I can choose to be socialable or left alone at the end of the day depending on how I feel.
I can plan my trips on my terms when I want to which leads to more miles, smiles and views.
I enjoy hiking with others too but those are usually after work or day hikes. On occasion I’ll join a overnight group or a hike within three hours of Atlanta because there are some hikes in South America and grizzly territory that I’d be better off going with friends.
Because I am a misanthrope.
I don't have the miles that most do but I first hiked alone and camped overnight because I was desperate to get out and free my mind. I only have a few friends that would hike and they weren't available. So I got tired of waiting on schedules to line up and decided to give it a shot. I did take my dog but otherwise solo. Never saw a sole on my trip. I'm a little leery about doing it solo in months that aren't fairly cold (central va). I worry a little about rattle snakes and bears and being alone if there was an issue. In nov the weather isn't too cold and I feel I could see bears better with less foliage even though movement is slowed down (but still bear sightings) and no snakes. Also with cooler temps I worry less about water. I carry enough but in summer I'd be more at risk to dehydrate.
I've reallly tried to find a hiking partner, but the people I know who are physically able to backpack are younger and have job, children, or other responsibilities. The older people I know who are interested always seem (usually at the last minute) to back out - sometimes out of fear (women backpacking? alone!??!), some last minute ailment, or conflict in scheduling. Also, I do hike very slowly, stop frequently, and don't "make the miles" some might want to do in groups. So. . . I end up hiking alone, not necessarily by choice, but necessity.
Like planning treks and hiking on my schedule. Love hiking with others on 3-4 day trips, but longer only if I run into compatible hiker on the trail. Now hiking obscure, less popular, routes and have resigned myself to solo hiking. I carry a SPOT for peace of mind (mine and wife's). CDT in 2010 when I hiked NM & CO under a week with others taught me to appreciate solo trekking. Been hiking mostly solo since. Only people I saw on NM GET this fall were at resupply towns save for a mountain biking couple on a section near Winston NM.
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GA-ME 06; PCT 08; CDT 10,11,12; ALT 11; MSPA 12; CT 13; Sheltowee 14; AZT 14, 15; LT 15;FT 16;NCT-NY&PA 16; GET 17-18
I smell funny ?
I see so much more and I can stop or go whenever I want to.
Because there just aren't that many people that I can handle spending that much time with who are fast, competent navigators, and actually want to go
I hike with my wife sometimes, and it is good, but there are definite tradeoffs.
She is not as confident with where she's going at all times, she is slower (moreso if technical terrain), and has big problems with obstacles like crossings or slows right down in heavy rain. So it turns my adventure from just walkin' into a "hike leader" with many logistical concerns. It's still fun, but different.
it started because no one really wanted to join. or the few who did quickly couldnt keep up/go as often/go as far, etc.
i always thought itd be nice to meet someone just as into it as i was who could join without it being cumbersome in any way.
i met such a person once. we did a few day hikes, which were fine, then we tried an overnight.
i made all the plans, all the decisions, everything. they just agreed to tag along and follow me.
it held me back. i cant entirely explain why, but it did. it wasnt that they couldnt physically keep up, or even that they didnt want to keep up or had their own ideas that didnt mesh with mine or anything like that.
there is just something about the mechanics of trying to cover long distances with someone else that makes it work differently.
i suspect thats why i meet a lot of thru hikers who hike "together" entirely at their own pace, essentially alone, but just meet up at the end of the day or whatever.
i suppose if i did it more i'd maybe figure it out. but i havent had much opportunity nor can i claim to have much desire to.