Hiking solo on the AT?
Need some input about hiking the AT solo? Is it a good idea.
Only you can answer this question. Even people that hike solo are usually around people or hike off and on with others. I can think of no reason it isn't a good idea.
I hiked "solo" on my thru and their were only 2 days that I didn't see another hiker.
I prefer to hike solo.
Others prefer to part of a group.
If you are thinking about the safety aspect, even if you hike alone you will see plenty of other hikers if you should happen to get into trouble on trail.
Hiking solo allows you to set your own pace and agenda. Many, if not most AT hikers start "solo" but soon become part of a loose knit group. Some times members of the group hike together, but typically everyone hikes at thier own pace and only meet up during breaks or at a campsite/shelter at the end of the day.
A minority of thru-hikers will start out with a partner, typically a significant other or close friend. Some times this works out, some times not.
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Even if you start out hiking "solo" you soon will end up hiking or keeping pace with other hikers. All of you will keep your own pace but meet up at the shelters at break time or at the end of he day. The groups will change over the course of your hike. You may want to hike faster (or slower) than your present company or take a zero day when the rest of your group wants to continue-so then shortly a new alliance begins to form. You will meet a lot of people on the trail and rarely hike a long distance "alone"Originally Posted by max patch
Also I use the term group loosely-could be a single individual or a group of 8.
Ditto. My daughter started solo SOBO last year, met 2 guys on top of Katahdin that she clicked with and then a third in Monson. She hiked with them thru Maine and NH but they split up in VT because of injuries and illness. However, more than 1000 miles later they were back together as a group and finished on Springer together. The trail has a way of working things out.
Yes, unless you start before the pack and hike faster, or start after the pack and hike slower, you should have not want of company.
go alone, make friends! its so hard to hike with a partner.
I've been doing it for 7 years now.
Each year, I end up with some people who are there for a week or more (usually that's a good thing . Also, the fast hikers who pass me by, seem to show up over and over again further down the trail.
It's hard to really be "alone" on the trail.
Grinder
AT hiker : It's the journey, not the destination
When I thru-hiked at 65 years old I, and also my wife, had some consernes for me hiking alone. I started out as a solo hiker. I soon discovered that there were plenty of others doing the same thing as me. i met plenty of folks to hike with, if I choose to do so. Most of the time I hiked alone. I good part of the time I hiked with others that I had met. It's a choice that you can make once you start.
Grampie-N->2001
its a great idea. hike solo.. go at your own pace.. hike with who you want.. let'em go when you've had enough of their company.
One of the main reasons I hike and travel alone is that I meet people I would never meet if I was with a partner, not that I have a problem with people. This worked well on my Aug-Nov hike Springer to Harpers. Really well on my trip to India.
Yah, a lot of people freak out when I say I solo'd the AT, but for me, it was the only way to go. If you're in a group you can only go as fast as the slowest person. There's so much variability between hikers...time going to sleep, wake-up time, hiking pace, food/water needs (breaks), rest breaks, efficiency of resupply, and zero day wants/needs. There's plenty of people out there to buddy up with. I did the trail at my own pace, and I knew I would do that from the start, so I was okay being alone. I tended to hike fast and do longer days, but loved to take my zeros and party in town.
Need some input about buying a blue colored pick up truck. Is it a good idea?
That's okay, you don't want to buy a rust colored oneNeed some input about buying a blue colored pick up truck. Is it a good idea?
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I would consider the blue pickup and hiking solo or a red pickup and hiking with a friend,
I've headed out solo for about 700 miles of section hikes solo. Like mentioned above, I don't think I was actually alone more than a couple of days ever. Heck. Even when "hiking with others" we might be out of site for hours a day but knew the plan......
The apprehension will last only a couple of days. You'll have as much company as you want. I normally enjoy hiking by myself and stopping by the shelters to chew the fat in the evenings and then pitch my tent where I'm alone again.
Im going solo. Not worried. Im sure Ill find my hiking family.
It will all be okay in the end. If not, it's not the end. ~ Unknown
The only times I've hiked with groups it always turned into a competition....I prefer solo.
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