Crazy for hiking alone?
Just curious, Anyone think you're weird/eccentric for hiking alone? Not that anyone should care, but i get a lot of mixed reactions when i tell people I hike by myself.
I love hiking alone, no talking. I love when you can hear a group of people coming, take a step off the trail and wait for them to pass and sometimes take them by suprise, or they don't see you at all.
i also love hiking alone...get to go at my own pace, just me and nature...
some people just dont get it....too bad for them, i say
Not strange at all... Of coarse if given the choice, I'd enjoy company on occation.. I used to always go solo, mostly, because most people my age don't share the freedom I have, so it was more out of necessity than choice.. Luckly I now have a partner that was willing to take the jump out the ordinary work a day world and into a more calm homesteading lifestyle, and even more lucky, she enjoys spending our time outdoors as much as I.. So I rarely go solo anymore, and it's been mostly good...
I agree. I set my own pace. Enjoy the time alone each day tuning into nature and then camp near shelters if i like the energy of the people there. I used to hike with a bud, but comparing the two, I like solo.
It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else that prevents men from living freely and nobly. B. Russell
When asked why you hike alone ,give them a straight face and tell them it's doctors orders.
Getting lost is a way to find yourself.
Nope. Even my wife and daughter don't want to all be together all the time. We just split up and do our thing if we want. It's nice being alone with your thoughts.
-- RollingStone
http://www.longtrailhiking.info
Yes people think I'm weird/eccentric but it has nothing to do with hiking alone. That's just a coincidence.Originally Posted by joeboxer
But you are weird and eccentric
There's a lot of people that think i'm crazy for going on the AT alone, especially being a young female. Then there's the bunch that don't think they would think hiking alone would be any fun either. I started hiking by myself because barely anyone in this area enjoys this type of thing, especially in the Winter. I can set my own pace and do what I like and got kind of used to it. I don't really care for my hiking partner here but climbing steep hills for miles on end is a good way to get someone to quite talking and I don't quite feel safe enough in the Wyoming mountains solo this time of year.. not really a good idea. I really try to tell people that i'm hoping to meet up with someone to hike with along the way and eventually they give up.
Even better tell them that the voices in your head keep you company and as a matter of fact "they" said you can't come along.When asked why you hike alone ,give them a straight face and tell them it's doctors orders.
Often Accused, Often Guilty but Seldom Guilty of What I am Accused.
Hiking "alone" is a relative term.
I have hiked trails "out west" and encountered only 4 people in 6 days (two groups of 2 hikers). A total contact time of just 1-2 minutes. I would classify that as hiking alone. That level of solitude is relatively rare.
We might not have an official hiking partner--but we are often far from being "alone" when we are out on the trail. There are usually other people hiking the same section of trail--at the same time--and stopping at the same GENERAL places to get water or to sleep for the night. We also encounter people hiking from the opposite direction. So, we are not really "alone" on many trails
It is my understanding, that most people would find it difficult to hike the AT completely "alone" for an entire thru hike. Too many people and too many trail towns.
"A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White
I also hike alone, now that I'm a bit older. In my youth I always hiked in small groups. I like this much better.
TWS
I get mixed reactions, too, but mostly people are very positive and think I'm really brave.
From the descriptions here, I don't think you could hike the AT alone unless you southbounded and were really unfriendly.
Some knew me as Piper, others as just Diane.
I hiked the PCT: Mexico to Mt. Shasta, 2008. Santa Barbara to Canada, 2009.
I also hike alone most times. Its your own pace ,You own interests, and Your own trip. However I enjoyed the presence of others and the comradery of other hikers at the shelters at night.
Folks think I am crazy (and foolish) to hike alone. However, going back to my previous post, we are often not as "alone" on the trail as they think we are. People seem to think that there is no one around for miles and miles and that we go for days and weeks without seeing anyone. It is not THAT lonely nor THAT remote.
"A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White
Weird? Depends on the shape of your tinfoil hat.
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
not a good idea
i never hike alone. i alway take my invisible friend "Harvey"
I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.
I'm a solo hiker and don't care what other people think about it. Maybe that's WHY I'm a solo hiker.
"If you don't know where you're going...any road will get you there."
"He who's not busy living is busy dying"
hiking by myself is the best. i don't hike though to make it from one point to another but to have a reason to be away from people and in the bush.
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