Tips for solo backpacking

[Archbishop]

Long-winded...sorry...

This thread means more to me after having just returned from only my 2nd solo backpacking trip ever (Uintas - Ryder, McPheters, and Kermsuh Lakes, and Hayden Peak). I love the different opinions and comments about soloing, guns, companions, fears, pros, cons, etc. Thanks for you comments!
Congrats on doing a solo hike. They can be very rewarding.

For me the hardest part is the nighttime while I'm trying to sleep. It's unnerving to me. I "hear" all sorts of stuff...even with earplugs in! My co-worker suggested Valium. =)
To each there own on this. I have no advice. Maybe you just have to talk logic to yourself.
Some of my thoughts intermingled with some questions:

- A gun is heavy and undesirable but would most definitely give me some peace of mind. Concealed permit needed? I guess bear spray could be a good option.
They make some fairly light guns. Permit would most likely be needed. You should check your state on this. I carry one, I have no illusion that will make me invincible, but it provides options.

- Taking a dog would be awesome! I wish I had one. Any loaners out there? Haha. I've heard mixed reviews about dogs keeping bears away.
A well trained dog is wonderful companion, an untrained dog can be dangerous to the dog and you.
- Animals. I fear them. Mostly irrationally and mostly at night. Moose, cougars, bears... But, I realize the chances of an encounter is super low. On a rafting trip (Green River/Deloation Canyon) I had a scary experience. I was sleeping in my tent about 100 feet from the other people in my group. In the middle of the night a large animal rolled up to my tent and I could hear it breathing and huffing (and maybe even stomping)? It just sounded big, mean, and angry! I went from dead asleep to wide awake with a POUNDING heart with lots of adrenaline. It stayed there for several minutes. I was paralyzed with fear. It finally went away. A girl that was in the nearest tent asked her boyfriend if he "heard that"? "What? That was nothing...it was a deer...go back to sleep!" Haha. Anyhow, a year or two later, I heard that they had to put down a problematic bear at that very camp! I reckon this is why I fear animals at night!
This explains a lot. I've never had anything scary come through my camp at night. I've had wild turkeys, racoons etc, but nothing scary.

- Soloing is slightly lonely but it's great to just do your own thing. No contraints, noise, begging people to go with you, etc.
Pros and cons either way you travel. I try appreciate which ever way I'm traveling for the trip I'm on. I don't often get to, but it can be fun do the same a trip with some one, and then without. It's interesting how different the same trail can feel, and the different things you'll notice and pick up on.

-I'd say about 15-20% of the people I see in the backcountry are solo. What do you think?

- Safety - Definitely need to be experienced, be smart, safe, let someone know, etc. I soloed Hayden Peak and thought, "Man...this would be a bad place to roll an ankle, break a leg, or take a fall!"
This is really about knowing your limits and using common sense. I wouldn't dream of hitting the trail without my wife or who ever knowing where I'll be and when I'll be back. I usually even leave a trail map on her desk with note for times and where I plan on camping etc.

- Tents - I like using one to keep the creepy crawlies off me as well. That, and it provides an impervious barrier between me and the hungry bear.
I usually sleep in a hammock with a tarp over the top. It's a lot lighter than carrying a tent. But you do kind of look like a giant burrito to a hungry bear.
- I took an mp3 player for when the trail got really long and monotonous. Is that bad to take tunes into the backcoutnry!? =)
I don't always, but often take an MP3 with me. I take a sermon and church music for Sunday mornings. I take some Army cadence marching orders, and of course some basic music. I would imagine that some who always keeps there head phones is not well served, but as stated I have church on Sunday mornings, I have the drill instructor in my ear if I just need to crank out a few extra miles before I sleep, and music if I get bored. ( Don't often get to the music though.)

Nick, how many solo trips did you end up doing this year? I'd be curious to see what people prefer. Solo vs. NOT solo. Can you do a poll? =)

Cheers,

Mike

Red is all my opinions on what you said Hope it helps, understand if you disagree on anything I've said.

 

[Nick]

Sorry, I changed your notes to orange. I couldn't read the red on grey without going cross-eyed.

 

[Seldom Seen Anderson]

I took an mp3 player for when the trail got really long and monotonous. Is that bad to take tunes into the backcoutnry!? =)

One of my most epic backcountry moments ever was hiking out of Coyote Gulch listening to Give Me Shelter by the Stones! I still get tingles thinking about that!!

 

[Lisa Wellington]

Trying to decide if I will go solo this weekend on a hike in the Colorado mountains, or tag along with a big group I know is going (19 people). My buddies backed out of our planned trip. My biggest fear: assault by a man or by a bear. Danged newspaper stories on both topics. The man who kidnapped and assaulted 2 women hikers out here went to trial a few months ago. But hey, he's locked up now, and the chances of another kook like that prowling the trail I pick are quite slim, right?

 

[HomerJ]

Trying to decide if I will go solo this weekend on a hike in the Colorado mountains, or tag along with a big group I know is going (19 people). My buddies backed out of our planned trip. My biggest fear: assault by a man or by a bear. Danged newspaper stories on both topics. The man who kidnapped and assaulted 2 women hikers out here went to trial a few months ago. But hey, he's locked up now, and the chances of another kook like that prowling the trail I pick are quite slim, right?

Pack some bear spray. It should work on both species!

 

[pixie1339]

Pack some bear spray. It should work on both species!

I agree with Homer J. If you'll be in bear country alone just make sure to make plenty of noise while you're hiking. Your odds of being attacked by either a man or a bear in the wild are very slim.

 

[slc_dan]

Embrace the fear. You can feel alive.

 

[Nick]

Embrace the fear. You can feel alive.

YES!! This! ^

When I did my first solos with my pup, I got freaked out. But truly solo actually made me feel totally awesome. Pack the bear spray for sure. Good peace of mind and it will do a number on bear or man. Solo can be a bit lonely at times so I usually end up hiking much more than anticipated but it's really great.

 

[Bob]

Nice bear bear pic Nik...would need a 44mag for him, AND be a good shot. Bear spray works on people if needed! Less weight than a gun.

Nick pm me what some of your plans may be. I may be able to swing some time. Retired except on call as a Fireline EMT for the USFS, so that's hit or miss June, July, Aug. Hitting the Bighorn Crags last week in Aug into Sept if you are interested.

 

[HomerJ]

Hitting the Bighorn Crags last week in Aug into Sept if you are interested.

Can't wait to see your TR from this!

 

[MtnMatt]

I spent a summer mostly solo in Glacier. Its all about your attitude. I read a book up there about a summer with a couple of bad Grizzly attacks. That freaked me out a bit and caused me to recruit companions for the next couple of trips but honestly the irrational thoughts that scare you at night tend to get to me when someone else is there just as much as when alone. luckily the only bear I ran into on the trail ran away too fast to even see me nearly shit myself. the speed that he displayed going the other direction was unlike anything I've ever seen, and that was going through thick brush clearing a path like a bulldozer. The lesson I learned was that if he had decided to attack instead of run away I would not have had time to do ANYTHING, no gun or spray or anything was going to make a difference. So I don't mess with any of that stuff. Just keep a clean camp, a watchful eye and yer nose to the wind. You'll be fine. The thrill of going alone is worth it, but I enjoy a little company these days. Good thing my boys like to backpack with their old man.

 

[Laura]

Great thread! I always do my Utah photo trips solo, but being a woman traveling alone I've always stayed in motels at night so I can have a locked door. This next trip I will be camping solo for the first time (at established campsites, but solo backpacking is on my want-to-do list), so it is good to hear from the women on this site that camp alone. I'm not worried at all about animals, it's humans I worry about. I've thought about a gun, but as pointed out actually being able to get to it when you need it is hard unless you've got it in a holster or waistband-not really how I want to take photos. As for bears, the joke is that in case of an attack anything smaller than a .45 is so you can shoot yourself. Smaller than a .45 will just make a bear mad.

As for the fear of being out alone, that's part of the experience. Pushing through it and finding how self-sufficient you can be is the most liberating feeling in the world. I have panic attacks before every trip, but when I actually get out there I feel more free and alive than anywhere else. I do leave an itinerary and check in with several people each night to avoid an Aron Ralston situation, but I carry a sharp knife just in case

 

[Yvonne]

I still like to camp and backpack alone and have done quite a few solo backpacking trips.
So far I never felt unsafe and the the only close call with wild life was two years ago in Salt Creek Canyon. It didn't stop me from getting back to the place, I camped in the same area again twice since then.
As much as I like having company on my trips, I sometimes really enjoy it to have my solo trips and do whatever I want. All the solitude, nature's sounds and noises, the mood.
As long as you follow the rules and always be cautious the chance is much higher to get hit by a car at home than be harassed by wildlife or mauled by a bear.
On most of my solo trips I never saw a single human soul, it was completely me and mother nature. A perfect place to enjoy, relax and figure out where your limits are and what you're capable to do by yourself.

For the future it will be the same like the past few years: a few trips with company and a few trips just myself

 

[Laura]

This is posted on my flickr site, and I also carry it with me in my wallet (it's from Backpacker magazine). It's the best quote I've ever found on solo travel:

"Don't just bang down the trail thinking about your girlfriend or your stock portfolio. Go like another animal. All of a sudden you're part of an ancient system again: You stop, listen more often, scent the wind. And after 4 or 5 days, something happens. You're part of the original landscape, a far older, more faded world.

If you're comfortable with yourself, go solo. Solitude is the deepest well I know, and it's your right to drink from it. Forget all the risk-free literature you read from the Park Service or anybody else that's covering their ass legally. And no gps devices; the opportunity to get lost on today's planet is a privilege." Doug Peacock.

 

[Hurakan]

Down side of carrying a gun is some people get nervous as you hike by. I have a 40 cal with 16 rounds of hollow points on a holster attached to my backpacks waist strap. Bear spray on the other side. Its heavy but its worth it for me. They do have portable electric fenses you can use that will prevent animals around your campsite. A few pounds but effective.

 

[John Mckean]

There are bears in the Unitas. My friend had her campsite destroyed by one.

I like the mental side of solo backpacking. You're forced to interpret what you see without any influence. The fact that you can't make mistakes makes you concentrate more and requires you to be more in the moment.

 

[Hurakan]

Actually I feel bad for the bears as people tend to shoot first and im sure on most cases they did something stupid to attract them. If solo I always take a dog or two.

Bear spray is your best bet to drive off a curious or agitated bear.
Nice Bear vid

Bear Fence. http://electrobearguard.com/Kit_Content_2.html 2.5 pounds and covers 20x20 if your really worried.

 

[Jen]

i think the best thing about solo hiking is that you don't have to worry about being responsible for anyone else. did joe leave a snickers in his tent? who cares! joe is not with you! you know where your gear is, what is around you, if you've taken care of your camp appropriately. i like ot take a journal and write, it allows me to purge my mind of things that have been bothering me, then i sleep like a baby at night.
p.s. - i think i have memorial day weekend off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nick]

p.s. - i think i have memorial day weekend off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

already planning for 2014?

 

[Aldaron]

I enjoy the opportunity for "musings" while solo hiking. Looking forward to doing it this weekend.

And critters? You know my rule: just don't fall.