Solo.

[W I S N E R !]

I came across this older piece by Ryan Jordan and remembered how much I enjoyed it.

http://ryanjordan.com/blog/2010/08/lonesome-shelter/

I leave this afternoon for a 3 night/3 day trip with two good friends. Most of our memories together have been forged in the wilderness.

I don't always go alone and I am not opposed to partners, yet for some reason when I envision myself on future trips, it's almost always solo. I've probably had my most profound personal experiences while alone; being solitary seems to necessitate introspection and a different relationship with your surroundings. I crave it. That said, I think RJ's piece is a nice reminder about the other side of it.

[Tipi Walter]

Of course backpackers do trips with other people. Most of the backpackers I see are in groups of 2 or 3 or 4 with the occasional solo backpacker thrown in the mix. What I don't see very often in the Southeast where I backpack are Solo women—just 4 in the last 15 years of frequent trips out of hundreds of groups and men.

Solo backpacking is usually the only option when a person wants to pull a 10 day or 21 day trip as who has the time to join me?

[Erik G]

Thanks for (re)posting that, Craig. I'd never seen it before.

I definitely fall into RJ's camp of preferring to share backpacking trips, and the experiences therein, with others. I love hiking with my wife and/or a small group. Facing and overcoming challenges together, eating lunch on a high peak or pass, the awesome scenery, campfire stories – all these things are amplified a little to me when shared. Especially campfire stories – those can get "interesting" when solo :).

I enjoy solo trips as well, but usually only short ones, 1-3 nights. I get lonely :)
But it is a great way to hit the reset button, especially if partners are not available.

[Philip Tschersich]

He made some good points, but it doesn't change my position on solo travel. I do it out of convenience more than for a philosophical reason. It is a different experience than you get in a group. Not better or worse, just different.

The difficulty in relating a solo trip to someone who was not along seems like one of the weakest arguments in favor of going in a group. If you bring a partner, that will be a single individual out of all the rest of humanity that knows what the experience was like, and you still are stuck with the "well, I guess you had to be there" conundrum for everyone else. You have reduced the problem by one in seven billion. If you think YOUR experience is heightened by the presence of a partner, then his point is valid. If, like me, it is a different way to experience a wild place but not better or worse, just different, then you have not made any gains going as a group.

Writing and photos are a meager way to convey a feeling unles you are an amazing writer and photographer. That's why I shoot video. The person watching my movies may not experience the same thing I did (and that does not hurt my feelings), but there is a much richer sense of mood and immersion with video. I don't even narrate my videos because I don't feel the need to steer my audience. Calving glaciers, bears grazing on grass, avalanches sliding down slopes, sea lions snorting or whales feeding, and a sun sliding behind snowy volcanos all work nicely with no explanation in moving pictures.

Kodiak Alaska adventures on Vimeo

Just my $0.02.

Cheers.

[Mike M]

I also find myself going solo much more than w/ someone or a group. It's not that I dislike going w/ another(s), but it generally just works out logistically better. I also get enjoyment out of "pushing the envelope" a little on mileage, elevation, off trail, etc and that's not everyone's cup a tea. Definitely not my wife's, so those trips I'm almost always on my own. I do enjoy getting out with my wife (and now my grandson as well), but also enjoy a challenging trip solo.

I don't think one is any better than the other, certainly different, but getting out is always good-solo or w/ others.

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^

Nicely stated Mike. You nailed it for me.

[German Tourist]

Due to my life style I can just talk about really long hikes and concerning them my experience is very clear cut: I am much better off on my own than with any type of company.

Although usually travelling on my own I have tried one thruhike and two paddling trips with a partner – all three trips ended in a disaster and my former outdoor partners and I are not talking to each other any more. Being together 24/7 for months on end brings out the worst in everyone. And if you are not the perfect match (which is unlikely for friends and acquaintances but might work for a significant other) you will sooner or later almost hate each other. Outdoor experiences can be intense and magnify discrepancies in personalities. My experience is that you burn much more "energy" in trying to get along with your partner than you gain by having company.

Bottom line for me: It might be nice to hike with someone on short trips, but going long distance I am far better off on my own.

[HkNewman]

Solo is simpler logistically. Maybe a cpl days in warmer weather (no real rain forecast) is fine with acquaintances.

[Owen McMurrey]

I'm solo the vast majority of the time, and get out very frequently on short trips in addition to the vacations, but have to say that those rare times when I'm joined by a friend stand out in my memory while most of the rest kind of blur together.
Hiked with a friend this week, and just made a new album on facebook. The trail was pretty blah, but a couple days and nights of banter and catching up on life in general made all the difference. Subtitled the album "great company trumps great scenery".

[Richard May]

Like with everything it depends on your goals.

If you want to cultivate relationships, you share experiences and create common ground through those experiences. Backpacking does this very well.

To shut out the relentless barrage of information and demands coming at us on a daily basis, deepen our understanding of ourselves, or think through an issue then then solo backpacking is a good way to do that.

If I want to get out and enjoy the world but no one can/wants to go, then solo backpacking is the answer.

With two thirds of my reasons being solo it's no wonder I do it so often. :)

[Nick Gatel]

Ryan started his piece with this:

I have a lesser need to “feel” like I “need” to hike solo today than yesterday because the depth of my experience as a solo traveler will be known only to me: it is difficult (at best) to convey the magic of my experience to somebody who wasn’t there, and that creates a relational black hole that I’ve found to be spiritually cumbersome as I get older.

I know this because I’ve found it easy to write about my solo trips, or share photos from them, but I’ve found it hard to convey the depth of that experience to others. Moreover, I’m always a little bit dismayed by their reaction (or lack of) to my sharing (“Oh, that sounded like a nice trip.”) My response: “Huh. I guess you had to be there.”

---

I have the same experience. Non-hikers ask me two questions:

1. Did you see any animals?
2. How far did you hike?

Other hikers usually want to know (if they are interested): how far did I hike, how much did my stuff weigh, or how did a certain piece of gear work. Now one ever asks about the "depth of my experience."

I have found that most hikers who have traveled with my get a different experience than me. Probably because we are all individuals.

I do post trip reports on my blog, but not to elicit feedback; actually I have blocked comments and emails on the website, so it is next to impossible to communicate back to me. I like it that way.

So I hike for my own selfish reasons. I don't ask others come with me. But if someone asks to go hiking with me, then I am happy to take them.

[M B]

I prefer solo, but i prefer trips of at least a week, preferably 2-4.

Only person i really care to take with me is my son.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Last weekend my dad and I did a 10-mile 2-nighter around a lake about 20 minutes from Austin. It was away from cars. He got to see his first rattlesnake. Charlie got to swim a lot.

I haven't been able to hike with my dad in more than a year; we've had so many significant family stressors for the past two years, and my mom being so sick lately it's been really hard on all of us – him especially.

The mileage was puny. the scenery barely OK.

But I got to spend a great weekend with my dad, on a trail, and he loved every minute of it. It was awesome.

[Dan Yeruski]

Jennifer, that brings a big smile to my face ;)

[Sam Riggle]

I hike solo because I know no one else who hikes. Which is why I'm happy I joined this site. Finally found folks who enjoy hiking.

I don't enjoy having to hike solo every time I go out, I just enjoy hiking, so I put up with the solitude. It's nice most of the time. The one thing I like about this time of year, is all the thru hikers. I actually enjoy the trail being packed because i don't have to camp completely alone.

So it's not a matter of choice for me. It's just how the cookie crumbles.

Edit: WOW!!! that sounds super pitiful. Lol.

Edited again to reduce the wahhh factor. Haha

[BlackHatGuy]

Sam, Jennifer brings a smile to Dan's face, you brought a tear to mine.

We're here for you dude….

[Sam Riggle]

Man, that really does read as super pitiful. I sound like an emotional teenage blogger. I definitely could have worded it a lot better, even still. Oh well. LOL

[Aaron Sorensen]

Sam,

Same goes for me. I even try to get people to go but everyone thinks even slowing down to their speed is crazy.
I do however have 3 crazy active dogs that I take on most of my trips.
Although it limits the areas I can hike at, it is more fun than going sole.

You need to get a dog.

[Jenn M]

I like both.

I haven't done a lot of trips lately because I've been ultrarunning, and I used to lead trips for an outdoor club. Medical stuff means I'll be doing shorter runs, so I have some backpacking trips planned (ranging from long hard days to optional length days in the summer depending how hot it is with the dog, I'll add/subtract kms). All but one solo. The solo ones will be tougher because they can be, and to train my lazy husky for a tough trip in the fall. The non-solo trip is with my BFF who is obese but great and strong – we'll do a 7k out and back, and it will be great.

But after leading trips for so long, it's kind of nice to look forward to some trips for me. Though I will have one of the dogs with me (the other dog was a champion backpacker and runner but is old now and retired from tough stuff…arthritis and laryngeal paralysis).

[George F]

I don't get out anywhere near as much as I would like. Some seasons, between working overtime in the spring and summer and doing day hikes and bike rides on weekends with my wife, I don't get out until my trip in the fall. Every spring when I start my planning I tell my self I'm going to get out for two weeks this year, but by the time fall rolls around the vacation days have been whittled away and I end up with a week. That leaves me trying to squeeze in as much as possible and doing a pretty ambitious trip. It would be nice to get out with others, it is one of the things I remember fondly from my thru hike, but I am comfortable solo and don't know anyone who wants to push that hard. My local hiking club has week long backpacks occasionally, to some nice spots, but when I look at their itinerary it is way more relaxed than I would be comfortable with for my one trip a year.

[Michael Gunderloy]

Backpacking this weekend with 20 Boy Scouts and other leaders. After that I'm going to *need* a solo trip just to recover.

(At shakedown last night we got the bulk of the younger guys down to a 10-12 pound base weight. Some of the older boys are insisting on 30 pounds…they learned in a different school.)

[Todd K.]

I've always been a solo backpacker. The main reason is for solitude (I don't get much of that in my day-to-day life!). The one time I did hike with a buddy (quick 20-mile overnight), it was a blast. However, I did find I had to adjust my pace and routine to match my hiking partner. It wasn't a big sacrifice, just different from my usual MO.

[Adan Lopez]

I seem to do about half solo trips and half group trips. I enjoy them both equally, and would be sad if I could not do both. When I hike solo, I usually have a specific goal in mind (not usually miles or weight, but more aesthetic or experience based goals), and I try to see those goals through. When I'm with friends, I do away with all these types of goals and replace them with the goal of having the richest possible experience with the group. The only times I can recall not being satisfied with a solo trip was when I had things happening personally that affected my mental state and made it difficult to really let go. In group trips, the only times I can recall not being satisfied was when somebody was very problematic (rare) or when peoples individual expectations for the trip made it difficult to have time for rich group interaction.

Some favorite solo experiences recently…
Watching a sunrise and observing it slowly touch one tree at a time as it crept across the valley below me, while I sat perfectly still and silent for almost an hour.
Confronting two bears at night trying to break into my bear canister without a tent or anyone else there as a security blanket.

Some favorite group experiences recently…
Problem-solving and winter navigation challenges with a group of skilled and adventurous backcountry travelers.
Quiet, quality discussion about life with close friends as we lay in our sleeping bags making coffee and enjoying the sunrise.
Staring up at the stars and whispering funny stuff with my daughters as we cowboy camp in the pitch-black moonshade of giant redwoods by a stream.

[Ryan Smith]

"What I don't see very often in the Southeast where I backpack are Solo women—just 4 in the last 15 years of frequent trips out of hundreds of groups and men."

I have noticed that in the Southeast also. Very few women hikers in general. Not so in the West from my experience. We did 7 days on the JMT last July and it was AT LEAST 50% women, many of which were solo. Cultural differences I guess. Even ran into Elizabeth Wenk doing some off trail hiking near Charlotte Lake. I told her I used her book to plan my hike and she asked if I had the latest edition. To which I said no. She then apologized that I had the version with the "sucky maps". lol.

Ryan

[M B]

"What I don't see very often in the Southeast where I backpack are Solo women—just 4 in the last 15 years of frequent trips out of hundreds of groups and men."

My experiences differ. On the AT Ive met plenty of solo women, and not just thru hikers. Many pairs of women as well. As young as 20, and as old as 70's.

Other than the AT, I generally agree they are scarce.

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