How many of you hike alone?

[Ridgeline]

I know most people start thru-hikes alone, but I am wondering about hiking for just a 2-3 day section hike or sometimes not even on the AT(a short 10-20 mile backcountry trail for example). I like to get out in woods for 2-3 days and hike by myself, make camp with several hours of daylight left and just relax and read a good book. My family and friends think I am nuts to do this. My response is always "you're welcome to come with me" and with none of them being in to hiking that usually ends the conversation...lol

Basically I am just wondering, am I weird for doing this? Or, do you guys like to hike alone as well. I personally just enjoy getting away from the noise of "life" from time to time. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the matter.

[DAJA]

Not weird at all, I do it every chance I get... At minimum, at least one night a week... Two more weeks and i'm as free as a bird with no more work obligations, so I plan to be out often...

However, my g/f enjoys it as well, so often she wants to come along, which is great, but sometimes I need to tell her this one is all mine...

[Pedaling Fool]

I hike alone because people don't like me and I don't like them.

[DAJA]

I hike alone because people don't like me and I don't like them.

Yeah thats a big part of it for me too... I'm not much of a people person, although I do have a very close nit group of friends with similar interests... But my schedule is much more flexible than most, so I still get lots of time to myself...

[snowhoe]

Well I dont mind it to an extent. I like to talk to people and to be honest when camp is set up my belly full and I have done what ever, I get kinda bored. I think that having someone to BS with around a camp fire is fun and relaxing.

[ShelterLeopard]

I love to hike alone. But I also don't mind meeting people in shelters at night. I was thinking of starting my thru with someone just for the first week or two, to get into the swing of things. But mostly, I hike alone.

[hikingshoes]

lol,i hike alone because no one want to hike with a fat out of shape dude,but it be nice to find someone to hike with or that is just getting back into hiking again.

[ShelterLeopard]

lol,i hike alone because no one want to hike with a fat out of shape dude,but it be nice to find someone to hike with or that is just getting back into hiking again.

I like hiking with out of shape people! (When I'm not pressed for time) I like walking pretty slowly. Besides, I'm pretty out of shape myself.

[mudcap]

I hike alone all the time,I am a loner by nature. I go out of my way to hike trails that I know have very little use so I can be alone.

[Trailweaver]

I hike alone because I can never find anyone able to go with me at the time I'm ready to go. I also hike very slowly, and don't want to hold up my more energetic friends. So when I go out, I meet people on the trail, often hike a while with them, and experience "trail life" in that way. I also meet people at the shelters to talk. I love the solitude but sometimes miss having a hiking "buddy."

[Saint Alfonzo]

I also hike alone. I like to tent out at the lean-tos at the end of the day,and i'll be the first one looking for fire wood. I like a fire at night, it helps me relax. And I admit, I like to B.S. with other hikers, other than that I hike alone.

[JohnnyB]

I like to tell my wife I'm hiking alone on the AT. Then I fly to South America and hook up with young ladies...

[World-Wide]

Basically I am just wondering, am I weird for doing this? Or, do you guys like to hike alone as well. I personally just enjoy getting away from the noise of "life" from time to time. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the matter.

"Social-Beast" by nature, but I love hiking alone. Some days I want to blaze-the-trail for a cardiovascular work-out and some days I want to take it slow and enjoy my surroundings. Since I don't usually decide what I want to do until I'm on trail, I'd hate to be selfish and hold someone to my expectation of how the day's hike should be! I often hike with others, but my best hikes are when the day goes as I've planned! W-W

[Manwich]

I prefer friends.

It's just walking.

[Zac]

I hike alone because I'm the oddball in my group that likes to take long walks in the woods. Last walk on the Ouachita Trail didn't see anyone for 3 days. It's really nice to unplug from it all.

[harryfred]

I hike alone all the time. My wife will take short afternoon hikes with me, or meet me where a trail intersects with a campground to spend the night; but other than that no one in my family has ever enjoyed being out doors like I do. I hike all around south central PA. I like the AT for the people I meet and I like the other trails for the solitude. I love to explore there are things you can only see by hiking 10 miles. I try to get people at church to join me. I always get "I'd like to but I have a bad back/knees/foot/yada yada, or lol I"M TOO OLD."

[Raichle]

Alone hiker sometimes and enjoy it, you can do when you want and when you want with no negotiations ......
But I do enjoy taking my kids along every ounce and awhile; They seem to enjoy it.

[Strategic]

I'm a solo hiker by nature, because I hate to have to conform my hiking to what others do. I want to go at my own pace and greatly enjoy being able to stop and look or hike on to whatever destination I like without having to worry about a partner. It's not that I'm anti-social, far from it; I love to have company in the evening (I hang at or near shelters a lot for the social interaction) but on the trail itself, it's strictly solo.

My wife thinks I'm nuts, of course, but I've finally convinced her that it's safe and I know what I'm doing. Some of my best times on the AT have been camping solo at great places (a wonderful night at Fingerboard shelter comes to mind) or sitting on a viewpoint by myself and just experiencing it without having to interact with anyone else. It's a kind of mind-clearing for me, a reset button for my normal life (I'm a teacher, so normal life is very social and interactive.)

Trust me on this, you're not weird and you're certainly not alone in liking to be alone on the trail.

[Feral Bill]

Hiking alone lets me totally set my own pace and agenda. I need that sometimes. Other times I go with friends and family. They are very different experiences, both positive.

[ShelterLeopard]

There are just a lot of things that are really nice about hiking solo. You can always pick your pace- beast it, or go seven miles, you need a zero, no one will protest. Sometimes people get annoying, you can join up with other people on the trail for a short time, get up and go to bed whenever you want. Etc... On the other hand, it is good to hike with someone, because it makes it harder to quit- just the simple idea of hiking with someone makes things vastly different. I think people who hike in pairs probably leave the trail slightly less often than solo people- some just don't have what it takes to hike alone. (Sorry to ramble on and on)