Hiking Alone

[Rookie]

I know I'm not supposed to go out hiking alone.

But let's just say I'm going to a familiar place, taking a familiar route, I've checked the weather (and the news to make sure there have been no prison breaks nearby lately :tinysmile_twink_t, I've let people know where I'm going and when I expect to be back, and I have my cell phone (even though I know I won't get service half the time).

THEN would it be OK?

 

[steves]

I'm out on day hikes alone quite often, but like you said someone knows my plan and I don't deviate from it. The people I tell know that if I'm more than a few hours late with no contact there IS a problem.

 

[FireBuilder]

Rookie, it sounds as if you are take all the right precautions. If you need some extra reassurance you could always bring your dog (or borrow a friend's). They are not only good company, they can be good protection and can bark for help if you get in trouble.

 

[Jobiwan]

Quite a bit of the mileage I trek each year is done solo. I do day hike quite a bit with my hiking group but most of my backpacking trips are done solo. Confidence is a key factor. Knowing what to do when a certain situation arises and NOT panicking is key. Leaving an itinerary with someone is very important.

 

[jason]

I go alone, but I let someone know where I'm going. This way if anything happens, they will at least know what park I'm at.

 

[Lorax]

I often go alone. Backpack and paddle alone also. I just let people know where I'm going to be and when they should expect me to return.

 

[Erwin]

You sound like you have let people know and know what precautions to take so I would say sure. I go out alone a lot so it doesn't bother me at all. I just leave a note or make a call to let someone know my plans.

 

[campclose]

What do you think? Do you feel comfortable going out alone? That is the key - how comfortable you are with it. Do you have training in case something happens?

I don't go out alone very often. I take a ton of walks alone but never hiking in the woods.

 

[Navigator]

Hiking alone certainly has some potential problems, I worry about injuries I can't manage myself, CPR isn't usually self administered. I also miss having someone to confer with on problems. That said, I have loads of time available in the winter while all my friends have to do their time at work, so I have decided to adapt. Plainly, you need to build your skills to a competent level. Beyond that, I recently picked up a Personal Locator Beacon. I went for a less expensive model, the Spot II, which gives me the ability to send SOS calls via satellite that will bring Search and Rescue folks out to my GPS location, or simply send an "I'm OK" message to my family which they receive by email along with a Google Earth link to where I am.

 

[LUV4NATURE]

Rookie: you sound more expert than most people I see in the woods some times. Like most of the friends here said, let someone know, pack all the safety stuff, and be alert. some times is better alone than in annoying company. "Take a hike"

 

[dinosaur]

I've been wandering off into the woods alone since I was 8 or 9. I camped alone when I was 12. But that was a long time ago. People seem to live with a great deal of fear nowadays. I'm not saying it is unwarranted. It's just a sad state of affairs.

I still wander off alone. I don't tell anyone. I just disappear. Over the years I've had a lot of people worried sick about me. I had a girlfriend once who called all my friends trying to find me until she talked to one who said: "Larry? Don't worry about him. He'll show up when he wants to. He always does." I know it's the wrong thing to do but old habits die hard.

 

[IndianaHiker]

I've been wandering off into the woods alone since I was 8 or 9. I camped alone when I was 12. But that was a long time ago. People seem to live with a great deal of fear nowadays. I'm not saying it is unwarranted. It's just a sad state of affairs.

I still wander off alone. I don't tell anyone. I just disappear. Over the years I've had a lot of people worried sick about me. I had a girlfriend once who called all my friends trying to find me until she talked to one who said: "Larry? Don't worry about him. He'll show up when he wants to. He always does." I know it's the wrong thing to do but old habits die hard.

You know what dinosaur I have to agree with you that people do seem to live with more fear now than they used to. I think that a lot of it is unwarranted in todays society. Seems that the new and other media love to sells us papers and advertisers like to sell product in fear real of imaged. I think it is sad that we have allowed ourself to live in to much fear in many cases and not enjoy what we really want to do. For myself I would rather die young and experienced life than die old and not have lived.

 

[John13np]

Kinda like cell phones? I hate 'em. If I were gone for a few hours at night, and my roommates didn’t know where I was at because I had no cell phone reception, they would try and lecture me when I get back home. I would get upset by this. Not a fan of ‘checking in’

 

[Sophia]

I'll admit, I've done it, but no matter how well you know a trail, you really shouldn't go alone. There are lots of predators out there, and I am not just talking about animals....

 

[hikingshoes]

I enjoy my walk each day and i let someone know.I love backpacking but hate doing it alone and even my gf is hiking with me now,somtimes she dont want go when i like too.Its just because i hate being alone!lol,isnt that crazy a 47 yr old man like that?lol

 

[Refrigerator]

Your not crazy hikingshoes......have you tried to hook up with a Yahoo backpacking group or a Hiking Club? Contact your local State Park, National Forest Headquarters or National Park and talk to them about groups especially Trail Maintainers.......you will meet some of the best folks with a positive attitude those who maintain trails and build a relationship with friends that is forever.

 

[hikingshoes]

Smhc

Your not crazy hikingshoes......have you tried to hook up with a Yahoo backpacking group or a Hiking Club? Contact your local State Park, National Forest Headquarters or National Park and talk to them about groups especially Trail Maintainers.......you will meet some of the best folks with a positive attitude those who maintain trails and build a relationship with friends that is forever.

Thanks,for the post Refrigerator.Im on the list at the SMHC,but im 5hrs away,plus layed off right(which would be perfect timing if i lived close to the Smokies).Not alot of places to hike around here in Corinth,MS..HS