Backpacking solo

"…but a person in your situation could start with *really* small baby steps, like going out to see a movie by oneself. "

You might want to specify who you are talking to as this thread is 3 months old. I don't recall anyone in the thread, including the OP who has by now probably moved on to doing 3 week expeditions by himself in grizzly country, expressing issues even remotely of this type.

"It was the loneliest trip ever. I finally relieved him of his misery being with me and took off down the trail alone early rather than spend one more night with Mr. Grumpy Sad-sack."

Yeah that sounds like a serious red flag. A guy from my platoon at Ft. Campbell behaved that way. He was pleasant enough to hang around with when we were in garrison but he was a miserable pice of work when we were out in the field. Not sure why the woods had a paradoxical effect on him.

Seems like the very very large majority of people I see on the trail are very happy/pleasant people so the good news is that there are other fish in the sea hiking partner wise.

I was actually thinking that average hiking distance, when going with your significant other, would be some kind of metric of how thing were going relationship-wise, if not of long term compatibility – kind of like to old saying that yo don't know someone until you try to travel with them. Not sure where 10 minutes behind is on the spectrum but guessing that out of range of sight and sound can't be that good.

"So Piper, are you taking applications for a new boyfriend now?"

I'm hoping it was just the altitude talking. Otherwise I think I'm done with boyfriends.

"then spend the night in your backyard alone (or similar), then car camp somewhere by oneself…"

Oh god I'm terrified to sleep in my backyard. There are wild animals out there. Really scary ones: racoons, possums and skunks. I do NOT want to wake up with a skunk in my face!

I am committed to hiking the JMT next year. When I first mentioned it to my wife of 23 years, she had no interest in joining me. But several weeks later she is coming around to the idea and is seriously considering joining me. I hope she does, but this thread makes me a little nervous!! BTW, Piper, my wife and I met at UCSB back in 1989 and return to S.B. every year for vacation. Beautiful place.

I prefer solo , except for compared to being with my son.

You meet more people, talk to them more, see more wildlife, do things at your own pace, etc.

Really. Just do it. Stop contemplating so much and go. If you got the basics down..do simple over nighters of say 10 to 15 miles. The only way to learn some things is to do it hands on. You can read all you want..but by actually doing it you can master it. Pack your bag and go. Have fun.

Going by Nick's numbers, I'm firmly in the number 2 camp. I enjoy the opportunity to hike and backpack with other individuals, but unfortunately I know very few people who share my interest. For most of my friends, the outdoors means car camping, and while there's nothing wrong with a cooler full of beer and night around the fire, like most on this site I prefer higher mileage days in the backcountry. As a result, I've had to get comfortable with solo, which to be honest I've really started to enjoy as well. As others have mentioned, it can take a couple trips alone to get comfortable with being solo in the backcountry, and it's good to start with areas/trails you're familiar with. The more solo trips I go on, the more I find myself looking forward to the time alone. It also means less people to complain when I want to stop and fish.

I've wanted to try a solo trip for years…and I've always chickened out at the last minute, or something comes up to derail my plans. Since I did the JMT with a good friend last year, it seemed like a great hike to make my first solo adventure! (familiar trail/surroundings, easy logistics, good distance, etc)

It's crowded enough so I won't be ALONE, yet I can hike by myself, nap when I want, read with my feet in a stream when I want, camp when I want, and get up and start hiking when I want. Yet if I feel nervous, or lonely, I won't have to wait too long – if at all – for company. And I imagine I should be able to set up my tent within sight of other people any time I want…

I'm really excited – like a kid before Christmas! Can you tell I'm bored at work??

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