Solo or No Go

[cary bertoncini]

I love going solo all day long, but something about making dinner and the sun going down starts to feel lonely, and sometimes I’ve also had the unnatural night heebiejeebies and didn’t sleep well. I don’t go on quick trips as often as I could mostly because of this.

[Scott Peterson]

I never go on solo overnight trips. I suppose I am too social for that. I enjoy the company of friends during a trek. That said, I always find time to by alone at points. Whether waking early to venture out for some solo fishing or wandering away after camp is made to explore on my own. But when it comes to eating, sleeping…and making decisions on which route is best…companionship seems to only add positives without taking anything away. Also, I have had the “willies” at night with other folks in camp. Anything that snaps a large branch in the dark of night, rather close in, can get you thinking all kinds of crazy scenarios.

[Paul Tree]

1. Let someone know where you are going and make sure they understand when to call 911. As Dave Beck says, “somebody that loves you or that you owe ALOT of money to.” Communicate any changes, being aware that a note in your car may not do it. YOU CAN’T RELY ON ANY OUTSIDE HELP.

2. No running. Don’t be hasty. Monitor your mental status and don’t push it without a safety margin. Such as, “oh it’s getting dark, need to make it to blah blah” – should be a large red flag. Under pressure I slow down. Like a rock climber doing unroped solo climbing, operate well within your ability.

3. Respect the job. Just because you are on a familiar or easy stretch does not mean you are safe. 80% of accidents happen on the descent/return. 90% happen within a block from your house or something, right? A habit I am trying to cultivate is to stop walking before looking around. BTW another one is to always use my key to lock the car door. If leaving my car for a while, I also unplug my fuse, but a secret kill switch would be better. Maybe “the Boot” :) Realize that driving is the most dangerous part of your trip.

4. Sturdy boots. None of the shoes that pose as boots. I am talking UNBREAKABLE ankle protection. To paraphrase what a cowboy in the Blue Range Primitive Area once told me, that’s why cowboy boots are high and laterally inflexible. When your horse breaks his ankle, you know you are in rugged country. My favorite are La Sportiva Makalu. They also have some newer models like the Glacier Evo and whatnot. Not exactly ultralight – I am thinking of trying aircasts and light boots or trail runners. In some terrain, I’ll consider kneepads.

5. In addition to a real good painkiller, if it is a trip longer than a couple days, I bring Immodium. That’s backup that will really back you up! Only use in case of prolonged and dehydrating, um, cases. Know your allergies. Benadryl and epi pen as needed. Maybe some QuikClot and of course duct tape. Take a Wilderness First Responder class. If a bit longer, I find it’s worthwhile to bring some antibacterial agent and the better foot antifungal cream. Lamasil AT maybe??

6. A couple extra bars for emergencies. Dehydration makes you stupid. Navigate well. Cash can make hitching a ride much easier. All that good stuff.

7. But definitely go.

[Vick Hines]

“He who loves solitude is either a madman or a god,” Aristotle, Politics.

I prefer solo. Don’t know what I am yet yet yet yet.

I like Paul Tee’s rules. Except the boots. I don’t wear boots except in the Big Bend because of the cactus. But go with what is safe for you.

I would add:
* Know about the conditions where you are going. Will you see other hikers, or will you be completely isolated and on your own. Is the country inherently dangerous.
* In any case, you must rely on yourself, since you will have no one to fall back on, so to speak.
* Carry the 10 essentials and know how to use them.
* Carry enough heavy duty pain killer… prescription and license stuff like oxycontin, codine, serious opiates to last at least 3 days. Morphine is the best, but you don’t want to get searched while holding it w/o a script and the free-lance vendors are sometimes difficult to deal with. If you are badly injured, good pain management will help you take care of yourself and will help you avoid going into shock. Shock can kill you very quickly in bad weather and only a little less quickly in good conditions. Kill the pain and stay alive. Explain it to your doctor like this: “Doc, could you put up a tent, get water, or make dinner if you had a broken femur and no pain relief? Could you keep yourself alive for 3 days?” If that doesn’t get through, find another doc.

* Learn your danger signs. The stumbles, mumbles and grumbles are a sure sign of fatigue, hypothermia, heat stress, low blood sugar, dehydration or some other potentially dangerous debilitation. This may sound hard to do, but when you realize you are getting stupid, just sit down. Stop. Don’t move for a while. Like Paul says, Stupid is dangerous. We can’t all always avoid it, but we can work around it.

[Linsey Budden]

Several items on my personal gear list are marked ‘firm’. To me that means their weight is a non-issue. #1 a real knife: at an extreme weight penalty, I carry my fathers boy scout knife–it fits my requirements: carbon steel fixed blade, 8 to 9 inch length, comfortable oval handle. Folding knives depend on small metal pins that I’d rather not trust in a survival scenario. #2 redundant fire starter: I carry a lighter or two, a magnesium block with mish metal striker tied to a piece of hacksaw blade, waterproofed matches in a match safe, a fresnel lens (not impossible to start a smolder with and works great for reading topo maps), petroleum jelly coated cotton balls (ignite dry interior, will burn 6 or 7 minutes), lighter fluid (carried for my wood gassifier stove), a few esbits, char cloth/tinder and hand sanitizer. I hike in the (WA) Cascades and I like knowing I can make fire in the wettest conditions. #3 ‘survival kit’: this (hopefully) stays unopened. Mine contains; some of the aforementioned firestarter, a whistle,space blanket, yellow contracter tape (for notes to SAR,etc), a Sharpie with gorilla tape wrapped ’round it, a bonified (glass) sighting mirror in protective case, ’50 feet cord, at least one large garbage bag, un-lubed condom (emerg. water carrier), 2 Snickers bars, & first aid kit (the basics you’s expect plus Vicodin, Voltaren (anti-inflamitory), Flagyl (for Giardia), Benedryl, Ibruprofen, Tiger Balm, and a Vivarin/Sudifed “fatigue management”coctail. (Please know that at home I never take aspirin,but I’m still a novice hiker who wants to be prepared.) #4 flashlight & spare batteries (I was tempted to say poncho, but with a real knife, one can make woodcraft shelters.) Cody Lundin’s book “98.6 Degrees–The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive” biased me towards sturdy survival gear. He recomends practice with the gear before you need it. One of his tips is to leave a boot/shoe print embossed in tin foil in the dash of your (trailhead parked) vehicle for SAR. Helpful if you’ve ‘filed a flight plan’ with one who can ID your car.

[James Yancey]

Wow! What a great thread this has been! I also greatly enjoy backpacking (and kayaking/canoeing) solo (sometimes combining both into one trip.) I find that I am much more aware of my immediate environment, not hyper aware from a fearful perspective, but from a “connectedness” perspective that I just don’t seem to have when out with other people. It seems that when someone else is there I (or they) feel compelled to engage in conversation to fill in the space. Obviously, when I am alone I can just simply exist in the moment and enjoy true solitude. I can set my own schedule, sleep late or rise early as I please, eat when I am hungry rather than at some prescribed mealtime, and observe wildlife quietly and unobtrusively. I don’t do this to be antisocial or even asocial, but to experience wilderness on a very personal and intimate level.

The past few years I have been migrating toward UL by replacing (actually augmenting; I can never seem to let go of any gear!) my equipment. My partial list of what I consider basics:

Good quality bag – 35 degree synthetic North Face for summer/shoulder seasons, 0 degree synthetic NF for winter. I live in the midwest, so down is not really practical for the wet and humid conditions we frequently have.
Firestarters – same list as previously posted; an assortment of lighters, wp matches, vaseline cotton balls, homemade wax-filled McDonald’s ketchup cups, fresnel lens, etc.)
Shelter – usually an ID 8 X 10 silnylon tarp or a Hennessy Hammock for warm nights.
Clothing – all synthetic with some critical extras (poly tee, wicking top, etc.) in case I get wet.
Survival kit – the ten essentials, plus a few others.
Kitchen – Snow Peak canister stove and MSR kettle, with Esbit backup, sometimes a MYOG alcohol stove with a SP 600 mug.
Mountainsmith pack
Goretex raingear (considering a Gatewood cape)

I usually carry a cell phone and GPS, and I always leave my wife a detailed itenerary; where I’m going and when I’ll return. I always register at trailheads as practical. I take extreme care to not do anything stupid or even questionable. I like the idea of medical training, and strong pain meds, and I will pursue incorporating them into my solo ventures.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this post. It has been most enlightening!

[larry savage]

I think everyone I know who has gone out on a solo trip has experienced this and I think it takes a while to settle into a comfort zone. In the companty of others we can discuss routes, weather, wildlife, a million niggling things that we process. When we are out alone some adrenaline spurts, some synaptic clefts start firing, some old hunter/gatherer survival patterns rear up and bye-bye sleep. Try scaling back your destination,going to the same place twice, or even go car camping alone and see if you can find that comfort zone and build from there.

[Summit CO]

VICK HINES!

WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH! Could you explain to me again how a CNS depressants like opiod anaglesics (narcotic painkillers) are a good idea for shock? They do not prevent shock! They can EXACERBATE it!

Hypoperfusion is more or less a contraindication, especially as you have no means of counteracting the medicine or otherwise correcting hypoperfusion. So is a bad head injury. So are many other things.

Will they make you more functional? Highly highly debatable. They make you not care about they pain as much but they will also make you not care about other things. They will make you tired, confused, dizzy, possibly nauseated, etc. (BTW shock can do the same things…)

These are NOT states that will help you self extricate. Do you really think you are going to set up a tarp with a femur fx AND while high on morphine? Maybe after that you can make your own traction splint and apply it to yourself.

Now if I had a closed tib-fib and was in a good siutation with someone caring for me until SAR arrives, then I’ll be wanting some.

There… that is my opinion.

Vick Hines said: “* Carry enough heavy duty pain killer… prescription and license stuff like oxycontin, codine, serious opiates to last at least 3 days. Morphine is the best, but you don’t want to get searched while holding it w/o a script and the free-lance vendors are sometimes difficult to deal with. If you are badly injured, good pain management will help you take care of yourself and will help you avoid going into shock. Shock can kill you very quickly in bad weather and only a little less quickly in good conditions. Kill the pain and stay alive. Explain it to your doctor like this: “Doc, could you put up a tent, get water, or make dinner if you had a broken femur and no pain relief? Could you keep yourself alive for 3 days?” If that doesn’t get through, find another doc.”

[paul johnson]

without commenting on any other aspects of either this post or VH’s post, Vick may(???) be thinking of using an analgesic to possibly avoid a syncopal episode brought on purely by pain. note Vick’s wording (emphasis mine) “good pain management will help you take care of yourself and will help you avoid going into shock. Shock can kill you very quickly in bad weather and only a little less quickly in good conditions. Kill the pain and stay alive.”

also, FWIW, proper use/dosing of opioids, e.g. in a hospice situation, can alleviate pain without excessive cognitive side-effects – that is the goal of pain management. it is well known that as one’s pain increases so does one’s tolerance of opioids without experiencing excessive cognitive side effects. achieving and maintaining that proper dosing level in the field may be another matter however – best left to the pros, IMHO.

[Jay McCombs]

doesn’t really matter. If you are going into shock and you are alone in the woods thats pretty much ball game. I defy you to give me an example of a solo hiker that was in shock and did anything to save themselves WHILE suffering from shock. If it came down to dying of exposure because my tib/fib fx caused me too much pain to move or dropping my BP a few points w/the opiates I’ll take the latter. People in shock are essentially dead, even with prompt intervention. Personally I’d rather die tripping on opiates, but whatever you can go how you want :)

I’m sure vick ment the lay definition of “shock” …something like so crippled by pain and injury that you are unable to function. The strict medical definition of shock (be it septic, anaphylactic, cardiogenic, or hypovolemic) is pretty much an end game, even for folks in a level 1 trauma center ER.

[Brett .]

Sunny, what does the acronym DAM stand for in your post? I am interested in a pad lighter and thicker than Thermarests. Thanks.

[mark henley]

DAM usually stands for Down Filled Air Mattress …

[Sunny Waller]

Yes that is correct..Down Filled Air Mattress..mine has primaloft in it instead of down but I still call it a DAM. For 22oz I get 2.5″ of comfort..

[Mitchell Keil]

Jumping on this thread very late in the game. Just did not see it at first. Although I have not read all the responses, I’d like to share my views on this going solo thing.

First, I love going solo!
I set my own pace (fairly fast), pee when I want to without the usual comments from friends to get a move on, stop to smell the flowers or to just gaze at the scenery as long as I wish, eat when I want to and pack as much or as little food as I deem appropriate. All of these are reasons to hike solo, but the best is that I am my own company, and I like that. We are so enmeshed in a culture that bombards us with sensory input all day long. We usually never get a momment’s rest from all those emails, phone calls, colleagues, friends and family that demand attention. It’s exhausting and enervating.

My wife says that I am a better person and companion after I have been out solo hiking — even if it is just for an overnight. She often will send me on a hike because she observes that I need a recharge. What an incredibly astute and loving woman! I get out for a backpacking adventure prehaps once every 60 days. I return refreshed.

Some observations and promises to keep.
1. I never deviate from the itinerary I leave with my wife, the ranger station and in my car.
2. I have a PLB that I bought to provide an additional layer of security for my wife’s peace of mind.
3. I always tell my wife when I will call her when leaving the trailhead for home and a window of time in which that will occur. If she has not heard from me by that time, she is to call the ranger station near the trailhead — a number I have left with her.
4. I have taken NOL’s mantra to heart. My best 1st aide resource is between my ears. I take refresher courses in wilderness 1st aide regularly. Know myself and my limitations and NEVER EVER push that envelope. I have no one to fall back on if I guess wrong.
5. I hike established trails, keep a GPS, maps and a compass with me and know how to use them. There is so much to see even on trails that I hike repeatedly that I see no reason for me to solo cross country and off trail.
6. I am old enough and mature enough, I believe, to recognize that my days bungy jumping. hang gliding and playing Russian roulette with my life are long over and should be. A loving supportive wife, great kids moving though life at a frenzied pace, a challenging career, all are proof that when I solo I don’t need to take unnecessary risks — there is too much to lose.
7. When satellite phones become less expensive and more durable, I will get one of those, too, for my kit.

Here endth the lesson.

[Bill Law]

Can these things be “customized” to trigger different responses, or, to prompt a call to a spouse, etc.?

I have “medical issues” and I’d like for the rescuers to come prepared if I had to use the thing.

[Mitchell Keil]

PLB’s come with a extensive form to be filled out by the purchaser/user. In it you would note all of your medical and other conditions that a potential SAR team would need to know about you. Go to any REI store and you can do some hands on examination of the two units they sell and look at the form itself. They are very accomodating at REI.
edit: Forgot about the spousal notification issue. No can do. They are glorified GPS systems that triangulate your position down to about 10 meters square. Here is a link to the NOAA site with info on the system: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s1168.htm

[Bill Law]

Thanks for the info. About the phone call: I meant to ask whether the responders would be instructed to make the call if you turn it on. It sounds like they definitely would have contact information on file, in addition to the medical info.

I’ll have to look into this some more. The PLBs sound more dependendable than most of my backpacking partners :-).

[Vlad Putin]

I have been doing a lot of solo backpacking in the past year. Most people will advise you against it and some do see it as having poor judgment. I think there ARE some types of terrain and climates where it is just poor judgment to go solo for more than a day.

That being said, I say do it. I have been doing a lot of 12 milers solo in the past year and much of it (at least half) has been at night time with a Tikka XP LED headlamp. I am not afraid of the dark, even by myself. Perhaps it was my upbringing, I grew up in a rural environment and lost my fear of darkness in the woods by the time I was in high school.

Some advice if you go solo though…

1) carry a cell phone with you (adds a little weight but in this case who cares)

2) avoid off trail backpacking using map and compass or GPS…stick to the trail. Off trail movement is just too risky when you are solo.

3) wear boots to give you added protection against a severe ankle sprain or even broken ankle. You can find yourself SOL with a severe sprain or broken leg miles from a trailhead.

4)make EXTRA sure you are well protected from and know how to prevent hypothermia in mild to cold weather. And heat exhaustion in hot weather. With nobody to depend upon to administer you first aid except yourself, you are basically dead if hypothermia sneaks up on you and gets past the initial stages.

5) Leave a topo map at home with loved ones, with a pre-planned trail route marked out with highlighter and STICK to the route. Write out your trail plan if you feel the need to.

6) Avoid water sources while solo except to cross small creeks, streams and to get your water from. Avoid solo river crossings while. This goes triple if the water is cold.

I do cold weather backpacking solo now. This is dangerous, but I actually enjoy getting away from all the hassles and stress of regular life. What I do in cold weather is carry a “hypothermia prevention backup kit” which consists of:

1) One or two chemical handwarmers. These I can snap and activate if I start to feel chilled and think I am in the very early stages of hypothermia. Put them inside my parka, and let them heat me back up some.

2) a packet of instant jello. If you are severely chilled and run down and feel you are possibly in the early stages of hypothermia, break out your stove and quickly heat up 2 cups of water. Dump the packet of instant jello into the hot water, stir and drink it. The combination of the hot water with the sugars and proteins in the jello give you a shot of calories real fast, with minimal hassles and can heat up your core enough to give you a little added time to get your tent pitched and sleeping bag rolled out to get into.

Between the two items carried and my knowledge of hypothermia dangers, I feel reasonably protected against death by exposure while alone and unsupported in remote mountain terrain.

So far, I havent had to use either of the two above items. I prevent hypothermia from occurring…the best way to treat it.

My plan is if I ever have to use above items solo, the trip is over as far as I am concerned. As soon as I am warmed back up and feel confident to walk out, I cut the trip short and go home and sleep, get hot calories into my system and get out of the cold.

Vlad

[Scott Peterson]

Jumping in late…I would only add that it seems you can supplant most any other item for solo journey protection with a Sat. phone. Rental costs are reasonable enough that I would choose that single item over just about anything. The piece of mind it buys the “spouse” is incredible as well.

[Ryan Jordan]

I would like to offer an alternative perspective. It has nothing to do with saving weight, and everything to do with the extent to which you are mentally engaged with your solo experience.

Skip the communications devices.

No cell phones, sat phones, pocketmails.

I often carry a sat phone, because it does give my wife peace of mind. That’s important to me.

But the occasional overnighter taken with a minimal kit and no umbilical cord is a reward in and of itself.

If you have a shelter with you, and you left an itinerary at home, it’s not like you’re going to die or anything.

[Ken Helwig]

all agreed. Such intelligent thoughts have been posted here. Very cool.

[Ron Moak]

I’ll admit I’ve not read most of this thread so if much of what I say has been previously stated, forgive me.

Much of the difference in weight between the contents of a traditional pack and ultralight pack is due to what I call the “Fear Factor”. It’s all that stuff we think we need when things start going south. If you look at the extra gear and precautions recommended by a number of comments in this thread about the dangers of solo hiking, again you can pretty much chalk it up to the proverbial “Fear Factor”.

If I’ve got hundreds or thousands of successful hiking miles traveling with a group and never been lost, injured or needed rescue, am I more likely to go bonkers when traveling alone? Will I disregard everything I’ve learned and start hiking more recklessly. If anything when hiking alone, I tend to be more in tune to the terrain over which I’m traveling and any changing environmental conditions.

Sure traveling cross country may involve more risks than staying on trail. In my experience the greatest risk one encounters is not the hike but the travel between home and the trailhead by car. Statistically speaking I’d bet more hikers are injured doing this than on the actual hike. Yet we’ve grown to accept the risk of driving as a natural part of everyday life. Back country travel is new, different and outside our everyday mode of existence.

There’s nothing wrong with a little fear. It heightens the senses and can add a new dimension to the journey. We do want to make sure our fears don’t paralyze us and prevent us partaking in new and exciting experiences.

[Scott Peterson]

Ryan,

I am not certain I agree. You either need the device or you don’t. You would not trek across the Alaska backcountry without it (and I am sure you are thankful for that). But you know the old adage, most accidents occur 1 mile from the house…err, something like that (basically there is no gaurantee because you are only out for one night that nothing could happen). I agree you should always be mentally engaged in the experience…and aware of your moves. Even with a Sat. phone, I do not want to weather any kind of trauma and focus on that a great deal. But having a phone in the bottom of the pack in no way interfers with my mental connection with the environs. It sure as hell is not “on” waiting for a call. I do not even think about it being there. If I have a hiking partner, I do not afford the phone. If I were going solo (near or far) or on an extended trip far from help…I would carry one.

[Ryan Jordan]

Scott, your comments make complete sense to me. I can’t help, however, remembering the excitement I felt as a sixteen-year-old heading out into the woods and being completely independent and cut off from the outside world.

I never use my sat phone (ok, once :) but the fact that I know it’s down there…I still have a hard time shaking that. I’m glad that you have been able to ignore it!

[Jim Colten]

Yet we’ve grown to accept the risk of driving as a natural part of everyday life.

So true. You could substitute a number of things for “driving” in that statement.

My favorite version comes compliments of a neighbor. My son and his buddy were competent enough in the backcountry by age 16 that we let them tell us what to do. (or maybe it was BECAUSE we did that). On BWCAW trips we’d give them 10 minutes with the map each morning and they’d lead us all day without asking to see the map again.

Later on I had a BWCAW entry permit for Fri of Memorial Dayt weekend but they didn’t want to miss senior’s last day in high school. I suggested that they drive up on Saturday and paddle in to meet us. But the buddy’s parents were not comfortable with that.

But they WERE comfortable giving them a graduation present consisting of tickets to a Pink Floyd concert in a town 250 miles away!

People are comfortable with what they are accustomed to.

[Author]

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