SummitPost.org

Once I thought I might like to climb/hike with other folks.

Then I discovered SuperTaco and Summitpost.

QITNL wrote:Once I thought I might like to climb/hike with other folks.

Then I discovered SuperTaco and Summitpost.

Good one...

I do a lot of dayhiking alone, including scrambling up to class 4/very easy class 5, usually because I can go faster and am not limited by someone else's availability, speed, schedule, or comfort on an easy scramble. Only a few overnights solo - nothing longer than a few days (so far) - part of the fun of overnight trips for me is hanging out with good friends.

Never gotten into serious technical rock soloing, maybe because my first close friend to die on the rock did so when I was only 23, so the possibility of it happening was real to me - even though I rationalized his death to myself as he had made a serious mistake which killed both him and his partner, that I thought I wouldn't make. I went on to do hundreds of solo technical cave, wreck and ocean dives in my 30s and early 40s, where if I'd had any serious problems on the dive it was all over, but I never believed on a gut level that it would happen to me. Now that I'm 50 and have had a number of friends die in the water (mostly on solo tech dives) I don't solo dive anymore either.

Interesting, JHH60, how everyone evaluates different kinds of risk.

Lack of backup in case something goes wrong is obviously the biggest risk of soloing anything. For whatever reason, that doesn't worry me for scrambling but I would never think to dive alone. (Of course, I don't dive at all, so that may be part of the reason.)

There's an old thread on hiking and backpacking solo in grizzly country that talks about different kinds of risks.

What about *benefits* of solo? Others on the thread talk mostly about convenience (scheduling etc) but I think the real benefits are (1) spending a big chunk of time inside your own head, which many people can't do; and (2) the experience of self-reliance.

Benefits I can think of are it's completely up to you where you go, how long your out for (with only yourself to motivate), what you eat, when you eat, even when it's time for a pee break! :p I only go out for day hikes and bouldering afternoons alone, my husband is far to worried about me falling over dead if I went out over night (while this seems irrational I do have diabetes so I can see his point though I haven't dropped dead yet!). I am ALWAYS the "get up and have breakfast, we're leaving at this time if we want to have time to get back before dark, this is the route we're taking" person so I still make most of the decisions even though he comes on the longer trips. I may sound like a jerk who has to be in charge but it's more the fact that I'm more interested in it and have done all the research and planning prior to the actual trip. I do let him pick his own food . Honestly though I really like being out alone, I find it very stress relieving and restful no matter how hard your pushing body.

Arthur Digbee wrote:What about *benefits* of solo? Others on the thread talk mostly about convenience (scheduling etc) but I think the real benefits are (1) spending a big chunk of time inside your own head, which many people can't do; and (2) the experience of self-reliance.

I think this depends on your personality and how much alone time you get/need. I am moderately introverted by nature so spend a lot of time by myself, and when I am with other people prefer to spend quality time with good friends vs. flitting around a crowd. So hiking alone is just business as usual for me, but hiking with a good friend is an opportunity to have a deep conversation, doing something we both enjoy without the distraction of a lot of other people. If I'm crammed in a relative's house with ten family members over Christmas, or at a business conference at a resort in the mountains, I'll often sneak off for a solo hike just to get some time to myself.

Always alone. No one else can stand me.

But its neat to go three days without speaking or hearing anything except wind, water and an occasional animal in the brush.

I like to travel alone and also with proven companions in all seasons. The solo stuff seems to be more rewarding, particularly mentally, maybe even spiritually. Sometimes I do something that might be borderline dumb, but I never do anything stupid. At almost 80, I know my limits.

Quite a bit of my time outside has been alone for the usual reasons: convenience and a lack of willing partners. This is mostly backpacking and hiking, three days at most. I've done up to 4th class solo. As I've gotten older, my wife has bought me a SPOT and I've become more conservative in approach to things. It doesn't mean I don't get out; only that more risky or challenging things are done when I can have the experience with others.

lcarreau wrote:

One of my most memorable and enjoyable trips was solo. I made an attempt on Mt Brewster from Haast Pass (NZ) but I discovered that Brewster is a dangerous chosspile for a soloist and wandered back over the cirque and hiked up Mt Armstrong instead. Coming back down, I met a very cheerful Kiwi lady who had hiked up to spend the afternoon and night in the solitude of Brewster Hut. She had climbed up there just to be alone - so I pretended that I had intended to descend to the pass all along............

Man that was a huge day out. Great views, the peace and quiet was fantastic and no-one to please but myself.

Yep, many times. I don't take as many chances, and it's nice not to have to worry about someone else.

I enjoy solo adventures in the mountains. I love to explore and observe. It builds skill and confidence, and allows me to climb higher, and explore more remote.

This winter, the parks staff started telling me, "Dan, don't go into mountains alone!". My wife started telling me, "Dan, don't go into mountains alone!"
Well I always listen to advice, and they are right. Although I feel alright about my activities, I am putting myself at greater and greater risk. For recreation. Anyway the city has plenty of wild forests and animals, so I enjoyed hiking closer to home.

Last week a friend said she'd like to join me in a mountain hike. Her and her boyfriend. Sure, I said, I'd love the company!
But when the time came, she had to attend her mother's wedding, and next week-end is her birthday. But keep in touch, she says.

So I went exploring the side-trails off the Evan-Thomas ski-trail. Plenty of snow, easy to slog through in the forest, but too deep in the open. My lunch-spot was a small knoll with a couple of trees for shelter, with surrealistic views of Mt. Kidd, The Wedge, and Old Baldy. An elk had just hiked through the same lunch-spot, headed the other way. Although I didn't see him, I did not feel lonely.

BTW, the Evan-Thomas trail is the access route to Fisher Peak. Would anyone care to join me? Two days. Three days, at my speed.