First Solo Jitters

[Wanderlust073]

???!!!!

That's just my point of view, I don't think less of someone who does differently.

Until their drunk ass gets eaten by a bear or falls of a cliff of course, in which case I climb up on my extra tall soapbox, don my golden cape of self righteousness and let the scorn rain down from on high.

 

[Rockskipper]

I have a good friend who is a law-enforcement ranger in Sequoia. You'll be in good hands there if anything does happen, but the odds are that it won't.

And as for impairment of the senses, I once rode (MTb) the White Rim with a friend, and she had a couple of friends from Tahoe who served as our support vehicle. They were quite impaired for most of the trip (how they got up Murphy's Hogback is beyond me) to the point that we seldom saw them and had to beg water from other riders. After that, I refuse to hang out with people who are way out of control. (Sort of out of control is OK, otherwise I would be a hypocrite.)

 

[Miya]

I have a good friend who is a law-enforcement ranger in Sequoia. You'll be in good hands there if anything does happen, but the odds are that it won't.

And as for impairment of the senses, I once rode (MTb) the White Rim with a friend, and she had a couple of friends from Tahoe who served as our support vehicle. They were quite impaired for most of the trip (how they got up Murphy's Hogback is beyond me) to the point that we seldom saw them and had to beg water from other riders. After that, I refuse to hang out with people who are way out of control. (Sort of out of control is OK, otherwise I would be a hypocrite.)

Ah, very cool! But yes, sure nothing will actually happen. I think my own imagination will be the worst of it lol

I wouldn't be able to hang out with out of control drinkers either. I get scared for people at my Christmas work party LMAO, I sure wouldn't be able to handle drunk people out in the wilderness! Haha

 

[gnwatts]

That's just my point of view, I don't think less of someone who does differently.

Until their drunk ass gets eaten by a bear or falls of a cliff of course, in which case I climb up on my extra tall soapbox, don my golden cape of self righteousness and let the scorn rain down from on high.

I don't think less of you.

 

[MVS]

My first solo backpacking was relatively short distance from civilization, just two miles out at Cascade Lake in Yellowstone. I'm glad I did it but I learned also that I could not go for very long solo out away from everything. I wasn't overly nervous about bears, etc. but I found the isolation a bit oppressive. At night the elk were bugling and I could hear birds and other noises of nature, but after 5 p.m. there was nobody on the trail anymore and it was harder to take than I expected. I did take a book to read, and slept well, but you should think about how much this could affect you.

 

[Rockskipper]

MVS is right about knowing your own limits, as well as being confident of your own capabilities. I once soloed into the San Juans (CO) and camped at 11,000 feet. I'll never forget watching the alpenglow on Wetterhorn Peak and reveling in how quiet it was (it was the 4th of July). I woke up feeling like I couldn't breathe and felt panicked like I needed to get out of there. I was loading up my pack when I remembered I would have to cross a pretty roily stream in the dark, so I forced myself to go back into the tent and calm down. I finally realized I was having a hypoxia attack, and that knowledge made me able to deal with it. Knowing about things like that can make your experience much better, and some of that just comes from going and doing, so get out and have fun!

 

[Shirt357]

Worse case, I will tell the assailant to wait momentarily while I put on my microspikes and then proceed to kick frantically.

I have always been much more paranoid about the two legged "animals" than any wildlife I might run into

 

[andyjaggy]

I've done many solo trips and they are some of the greatest memories I have. It is really a treat and a unique and amazing experience. I still get nervous a bit about it but am comfortable enough to get over most of those jitters. I will say every time I do it the first night out I almost always have very vivid night terrors. Hyper realistic and terrifying, but at this point I have learned to expect them and they don't bother me too much. I actually partly expect it might be the first night at high altitude that somehow messes up my brain and gives me those night terrors because it doesn't usually happen on the following nights.

 

[Miya]

I've done many solo trips and they are some of the greatest memories I have. It is really a treat and a unique and amazing experience. I still get nervous a bit about it but am comfortable enough to get over most of those jitters. I will say every time I do it the first night out I almost always have very vivid night terrors. Hyper realistic and terrifying, but at this point I have learned to expect them and they don't bother me too much. I actually partly expect it might be the first night at high altitude that somehow messes up my brain and gives me those night terrors because it doesn't usually happen on the following nights.

Oh, I am glad you brought this up!! I have chronic nightmares and occasional night terrors. That was another factor that worried me, because at home I turn the light on after or watch a cartoon to settle me down haha.
Thank you sharing this!

 

[b.stark]

I'll add my half a penny to the conversation. For me, solo just isn't something I can do. One night out alone is enough for me. I can do trips of 7 days with other people no problem, but no matter how many times I've tried, one night out backpacking solo is plenty for me. Not really sure what it is, but I just can't do it. Really wish I could, but I've just had to learn to work around it when I can't find anyone else to backpack with. Often I end up car camping (and even sometimes hotel camping) for portions of a trip alone and doing a lot of day hiking (and often lots of fishing. Fishing is the best.)

It's not a failure if you find that going solo isn't for you, it's just part of who you are as a person. And be prepared for that to happen, because it might. Or it might not. Do hikes/trips on your own terms and within your own limits.

 

[Miya]

It's not a failure if you find that going solo isn't for you, it's just part of who you are as a person. And be prepared for that to happen, because it might. Or it might not. Do hikes/trips on your own terms and within your own limits.

That is a wonderful half penny! Haha I tend to get blindly determined and have been convincing myself that I HAVE to learn to solo hike since I only know one person who will tolerate doing it with me. But, of course, if I don't like it solo, I won't do it *forehead slap*.
Thank you!

 

[LarryBoy]

Solo backpacking means you get to do one of the best things in life - sing at the top of your lungs without a care in the world (coincidentally that's how I got my trail name, but that's a story for another day).

Also, if you're going to set up camp at a "normal" time, you might want to bring a little something to occupy yourself after dinner - say a little notebook to journal in, a deck of cards for solitaire, whatever.

Also you can pee at night without having to go very far away from the tent

 

[Miya]

Solo backpacking means you get to do one of the best things in life - sing at the top of your lungs without a care in the world (coincidentally that's how I got my trail name, but that's a story for another day).

Also, if you're going to set up camp at a "normal" time, you might want to bring a little something to occupy yourself after dinner - say a little notebook to journal in, a deck of cards for solitaire, whatever.

Also you can pee at night without having to go very far away from the tent

Don't you sing at the top of your lungs with people around too? I sure do haha :twothumbs:

Oh, I don't go far regardless lol my friend knows I get scared.

 

[LarryBoy]

Don't you sing at the top of your kungs with people around too? I sure do haha :twothumbs:

Oh, I don't go far regardless lol my friend knows I get scared.

I just stand at the edge of my Tyvek and let 'er rip. Probably only a winning strategy for guys though haha.

Funny story about singing with people around... my buddy got his ice axe mailed to him a couple days ago (heading up into the San Juan range tomorrow) at a campground. We're all give sitting at the picnic table, all looking more than slightly homeless with big bushy beards, dirty everything, etc. I had been singing Metallica's song 'Creeping Death' but surprisingly, none of them knew it. So I fired up my phone and played it on speaker.

I was getting a little into it, and when the "die, die, die" chant part came around, I grabbed the ice axe and started doing the Tomahawk Chop in the air with it. Just then, two townies/non thru-hikers walked past toward the bathhouse, only to see five scary looking dudes chanting "die, die" and swinging an ice axe. Their eyes widened and they moved to the other side of the road right quick, just about running to the bathhouse. I think I may have given them nightmares for a week. Oops.

 

[wsp_scott]

I'll add my two cents to the conversation. I am a mostly solo backpacker at this point, it will probably change as my kids get older. I love going solo, but I also am an introvert and find people to be very tiring to be around. My wife would sometimes ask who I talked to at work that day and I would say no one, I was just in my office alone. She found that very weird If you are someone who thrives on other people, then you might decide that solo backpacking is not for you. This is not a failure or a character flaw, it is part of who you are, just roll with it

 

[Rockskipper]

I agree that being an introvert is a big bonus for solo packing. I'm such an introvert that sometimes the only voice I'll hear for weeks is the robot guy on the weather radio. I also agree on taking something to do - I carry a little pocket recorder and like to record trip report things each day, as later I can use it to remember where I went and all that. It's fun a year or two later to listen to yourself talking all panicky in a low voice because you think there's a bear in the bushes and it turned out to be a squirrel. And don't get sucked into the thing that going solo makes you more of a bushman/woman - some people seem to like to go solo more so they can talk about it later and feel all survivalist, which IMO is just more of the same man versus nature b.s. - go for the solitude, peace, and your likelihood of seeing more wildlife. There's nothing more rewarding than just being out there with nothing but the mindfulness that your species really is just another animal - it kind of takes away all the pressure. We humans evolved in nature and happiness lies therein.

 

[andyjaggy]

Yes I think as a hard core introvert going solo comes naturally to me. I don't really miss people until about 3 to 4 days in. I enjoy going with people as well but I definitely find it liberating to be by myself for a few days.

 

[regehr]

This is a great thread. I tend to feel enormously safe when backpacking way off trail or in remote areas. Less so when strangers are potentially in the area, and especially not when car camping near a road where cars go by at night. One thing I don't like at night is being closed up in a tent, this makes noises outside a lot more scary. Just a sleeping bag or even a bivy bag is a big improvement. I'm also a fan of very light doses of melatonin, especially on windy nights. When I've had to get up during the night after taking melatonin, this has worked just fine, it doesn't make me noticeably groggy or dull like benadryl does. Alcohol is better consumed with dinner rather than later to avoid getting up to pee and waking up dehydrated. I like being by myself. Haven't yet done a long trip on my own, but I'd like to.

 

[gnwatts]

I hate it when I get a song in my head that I can't get out. It happens only when I am by myself.

 

[Brendan S]

I hate it when I get a song in my head that I can't get out. It happens only when I am by myself.

Lol while often annoying, one of the most amazing things about going solo is what songs make their way out of the woodwork after about three days, often songs I haven’t heard in years. Best/worst was a couple days of Motownphilly by Boyz II Men.

As for the original question, you’ve kinda got the whole range of responses but I recommend just doing the trip you want to do, especially if you’re otherwise comfortable being alone and feel like you have the skills to do the trip you are planning. It takes a couple days to get in the groove of being out there and it’s not like you’re going somewhere super remote with zero people.

Enjoying solo trips opens up tons of opportunities for trips you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do if trying to schedule with someone else, not to mention it’s such a different way to experience wild places.

Safetywise, I feel like the risks of solo backcountry travel are fairly overblown (or at least oversimplified). There are obviously some different things to consider but I’m a pretty strong believer that people make more careless/risky choices when they are with other people vs solo. Having another person with you doesn’t replace skills or experience, but often people behave as if it does.