I was more confident doing them when I was younger. Misplaced confidence–yeah, I think so.
My dad gave me a new tent, pack and stove for high school graduation, and I had him drop me off at a trailhed the day school ended. Spent a week by myself in Desolation Wilderness.
I made some mistakes and got lucky. I was counting on catching fish, but all the lakes were still frozen, and the creeks were flowing so high that I caught very few–less than a fish a day. So I ran out of food. Some people leaving gave me their leftover food, and that got me through it.
I also camped on an island. Thunderstorms caused rapid snowmelt, and the creek rose really fast. My island got very small very quickly, and I was lucky to learn a life lesson instead of seeing my life end.
Over the years, my skills and knowledge improved, and I did a lot of solo trips.
A few years ago, I drove from Sacramento to the Mammoth area, arriving late in the day, and went about 8 miles or so in to a small lake at over 11,000 feet. It was also about a mile and a half off trail, through some pretty rough terrain that was partially covered in snow and ice. I got really sick, and suddenly realized how foolish I'd been in my anxiousness to get out and get away. In the middle of the night, I had to pack out to lose elevation, navigating with a small headlamp. Fortunately, even though I was weak and disoriented, I didn't fall and hurt myself,(hiking poles helped a lot) as I made my way vomitously to a spot about 1500 feet lower beside the trail.
Now, when solo even on day trips, I'm much more careful. I keep more aware of where other people might be, what my options are, and I don't solo through terrain that is more likely to turn an ankle or precipitate a fall. I stick to trails. I leave at least general descriptions of where I'm likely to be. I have a bit more emergency gear along, even on those day trips–I'm rarely without sufficient gear to get through a few days stranded even on a day hike.
