HikeArizona.COM

This summer I attempted a solo thru hike of the Colorado Trail and ultimately failed. I made it 145 miles and then decided to get off trail because I was having a hard time during the actual solo stretches. I'm pretty disappointed with myself. I've only been hiking and backpacking for about a year and 95% (pulling a number out of my pumpkin that sounds about right) of it has been in a group environment, so I think I overestimated how well I could handle myself out there by myself. I really sucks when you tell a bunch of people "hey, I'm going to go hike 486 miles" and then you only make it a quarter of the way.

Thankfully I have a cousin (my usual hiking partner) that will be coming up to join me on the last 120 - 150 of the trail in the San Juan's a couple of weeks from now, so at the very least i'll have a little over half the trail under my belt.

When I get back to AZ, I'm going to make a concerted effort to do more solo trips. Even though I decided to get off trail, I'm definitely coming back to try this trail again, most likely with a partner, but I also understand that crap happens (injury, illness, family emergencies, ect...) and chances are even if I start with a partner, I could end up solo again and I need to be able to handle that.

I was just curious what other peoples experiences were in transitioning from group trips to solo trips, if you ever had to, and what tips you might have to stave of things such as loneliness, and anxiety about being alone out in the woods.

DallinW wrote:I was just curious what other peoples experiences were in transitioning from group trips to solo trips..

Others will post that may cause me to reconsider, but personally I don't think one does just transition and really enjoy it. I feel it's a "personally temperament" thing.. one's personality allows us to either enjoy both or one or the other.

I mostly agree with Grasshopper; there are some people who naturally take less joy in solo trips. However, authors have noted how much your feelings about it can vary from one trip to another, so I don't think transition is impossible, although neither would it be permanent.

i would never consider what you accomplished in your 145 miles as failure
sounds like you learned a lot about backpacking and yourself, including the fact that you prefer to have company

Let me echo trekkin gecko to say that what you accomplished was not nothing.

As to solo backpacking, I also feel like temperament and personality have a lot to do with it. But a big part is also experience. You mentioned you are pretty new to backpacking, with little experience solo, so you can't be too hard on yourself for not completing such a huge goal right out of the gate. Gaining more experience solo would be key. Start with simple overnights and work up from there. Even long solo day hikes would require much of the self-reliance needed.

That said, some people just never enjoy solo backpacking. Based on my experience, only a small minority truly love it.

DallinW wrote:Even though I decided to get off trail, I'm definitely coming back to try this trail again

145 miles solo is not a failure, particularly with your determination to return. My longest solo trip was only 4 days/40 miles!

I enjoy solo and group backpacking. Sometimes the solo trips are great, and I'm glad I had the freedom of being solo. Other times, I feel the trips would have been more fulfilling if I had someone there to share the experience with. There are pros and cons to each.

Things I have found to help me enjoy solo backpacking:

Having a book to read. My e-reader is weight well spent
Hiking farther than I would with a group
Doing more solo trips

An interesting read on solo backpacking is here: http://ryanjordan.com/blog/2010/08/lonesome-shelter/

Congrats on accomplishing 145 miles of unaccompanied backpacking. I'm the opposite, and experience difficulties in transitioning to group hikes/backpacks. I agree with what others have commented in that personality traits are key, but gaining experience in solo trips and backpacking in general will help for those longer journeys. Attempting 400+ miles right off the bat is ambitious. Finding a balance between internal dialogue and conversation with others is often tougher than we realize.

If I could 100% know with certainty that I would never get sick or injured, I'd never hike with anyone else. Not saying I don't like to, but my preference is hiking alone. For a few reasons...

Hike your own hike, whatever that will be.

Jason Cleghorn wrote:If I could 100% know with certainty that I would never get sick or injured, I'd never hike with anyone else.

I wouldn't let that stop me... NOTHING in life is 100% certainty.

Besides, who's to say you'll always be safer with a group?
(Hmmm... seems to me lightning tends to take advantage of groups)

Personally, I've been in more bad situations because of others actions on group hikes than hiking solo.

I believe the wider the variety of fitness, experience and common sense of a group, the greater chance for trouble.

CannondaleKid wrote:

Jason Cleghorn wrote:If I could 100% know with certainty that I would never get sick or injured, I'd never hike with anyone else.

I wouldn't let that stop me... NOTHING in life is 100% certainty.

Besides, who's to say you'll always be safer with a group?
(Hmmm... seems to me lightning tends to take advantage of groups)

Personally, I've been in more bad situations because of others actions on group hikes than hiking solo.

I believe the wider the variety of fitness, experience and common sense of a group, the greater chance for trouble.

I agree with most if not all of this, and hence why I like to hike alone. I have found very few folks that I like hiking with. Probably just because I'm a jerk, but I just feel weird adjusting my pace/desires etc. on hikes to others. That way, if I go by myself, if I want to hit a 4.0 MPH pace I can, but if I want to do 2.25 MPH and take pictures every 2000 yards, I can do that too. FWIW, I mostly hike alone. I can't think of anything WORSE than the groups of 14 in the Supes or other trails that I see ever so often. I would not be a happy camper. Pun intended. Once I got my hiking legs out here, I wanted less and less to hike with others. It doesn't mean I don't/won't, just that my preference is to hike alone. Getting out into nature is a very personal experience for me. My desire to hike alone says more about my preferences than it does anything bad about anyone else.

@joe bartels, what is "Flutin' Kokopelli"?

Solo backpacking and hiking is about 70% of my overall treks. I like the silence and I like the own pace thing. I like the fact I can have a long or a short day, camp where I want, and don't have to discuss it with anybody. The few folks I have hiked with I liked that as well; I'm an introvert so groups are a bit of a challenge for me. My partner Brian and I tolerate each other fairly well, but we have a different hiking style for sure. It does make it more of a responsibility to get oneself out of trouble if it comes your way; I've been lucky and determined. I will soon be heading for the Wind Rivers, solo, as I have before, and that is right for me.

@Jason Cleghorn based on number of forum posts

RedRoxx44 isn't kidding, she solo hiked on 2 of 2 group hikes I've attended with her. We got along great

When I worked around lots of people I hiked to get away from people. Now I find people entertaining.

@DallinW in twenty years you might look back on your opportunity to hike solo now as... lucky
I've enjoyed several of your triplogs over the past month and look forward to seeing how it works out for you.

Most of my long backpack trips have been solo. There just aren't that many people out there that like to hike for 4-10 days straight. I enjoy going solo because you can go where you want, at your pace, without having to worry about other people, waiting for them, catching up to them, hearing them complain about their blistered feet, or any of the typical things that happen when backpacking in groups.

That said, after about 3-5 days of nothing but the thoughts in your own head, you might tend to get a little lonely. On most popular trails, like the Colorado Trail or in the Grand Canyon you will run into people, and generally you can talk to them for a few minutes. People will pretty much always stop to answer your questions about upcoming trail conditions and water sources, and usually are willing to swap a quick story about what has gone wrong on their trip recently. You might run into a dozen groups a day if you are lucky, or maybe only 1 if you are not.

That said, if hiking solo, you have to be a little bit more careful since you are by yourself and any problem is harder to deal with since you can't count on others being around to help. After doing enough solo trips you stop worrying about this, but should always keep it at the back of your mind whenever attempting anything remotely risky like class 4 climbs and whatnot.

Yeah I kind of had the feeling it was a situation of either you like it or you don't. I'll give it some more time and if it doesn't work out then I guess I'm just not a solo backpacker. I definitely don't have a problem with solo day hikes, but that's because at the end of the day you know you are going to be back in civilization.

Luckily, I get along really well with my hiking partner (my cousin), we have about the same pace and same goals when we hike. I definitely don't like groups bigger than 3 or 4 people though, unless it's a day hike with family.

Thanks for the input everyone!

@nonot
Yeah the small interactions with people on the CT is what kept me going as long as I did. I had a partner I met in Segment 2 but he dropped out in Breckenridge because of a family emergency and I think he was just done anyway. After that I just kind of got tired trying to find a new partner and that's when I decided to call it quits til my cousin meets up with me.

From what I've read, a lot of through hikers will "team up" with random other through hikers for a few days, but generally these partnerships don't last. Eventually one gets tired of the other (going too slow/going too fast) but you might form "temporary partners" for a day or two. If you are both on the trail going the same direction, doesn't hurt to ask.

With these HAZ group hiking events, what I like the best is "just meet at the designated campsite", that way the fast hikers can get there by noon, the slow ones by midnight, and everyone else in between. I prefer this as opposed to hiking step for step. Also, don't be afraid to ask someone if they would mind if you camp near them. Some people won't like it, but others are OK, and you can get your human interaction done at dinnertime before you go to sleep.

I enjoy Solo Backpacking as I do Day Hiking...I'm generally pretty slow paced, so like others have said, going Solo takes all the Pressure off. I've Backpacked with others too and enjoyed that as well, but I've always known at least 1 other person in the Group and they know my Pace and are ok with it....My first Solo ever was a Disaster but it was mainly due to Weather and I had to Bail...Luckily, everything still worked out on that Trip...

I do feel a little more Vulnerable when I'm Solo, especially when in Bear Country...Part of that is due to being in a Bivy and not so much a Tent...I may as well be Cowboy Camping and if a Bear decides he wants a piece of me, he can just grab the Bivy and go... So I usually don't sleep well the first night, but am tired enough after that, that I sleep pretty well...I would probably sleep better in a Tent or maybe if I finally decided to Pack a little Heat....But all in all, Solo is generally what I do, although it's nice to Backpack with Friends every once in awhile....

Outdoor Lover wrote:I do feel a little more Vulnerable when I'm Solo, especially when in Bear Country...Part of that is due to being in a Bivy and not so much a Tent.

Determined bears have been known to break windows on vehicles to get to food, so I'd have to think if a bear smells food a tent isn't going to stop it.

Now if someone else in your group is eating candy in their tent, well then you may be safer for the simple reason the bear is heading for their tent first.
:whistle: