Solo Hiking

 

Going Solo 

I wrote more about why I like to hike by myself in the About Me section, but long story short, I like to function on my own schedule (as in waking up before dawn to hike) and take the time to myself to introspect as I go. I also like to hike pretty quickly, take a lot of pictures, and go more miles in a day than people with better sense. So, going alone is great for me in many ways. 

Going Safely 

Safety is my number one priority when going anywhere. In addition to listening to too many true crime podcasts and hiking horror stories, I also have the voices of my friends/family/strangers in my head saying, "You're going where? Alone? By yourself? Have you been there before? Does anyone know where you are?" I want to feel safe, and I want my friends to be able to check in on me when I have no cell service. I LOVE going off the grid. Not having cell service for several hours at a time is my ideal situation, but if something were to happen and I needed to get ahold of someone, that is suddenly not an appealing scenario. I got a Garmin InReach Mini 2

for peace of mind for all involved. It relies on Garmin GPS, not cell service, and pings your location every 10 minutes, and you can share a link to your map with loved ones so they can make sure the dots are moving. You can even send messages through it. It also has an SOS button, which was most important to me, as I like to roll my ankles and fall and am not looking to do that into a ravine where no one could find me. Thankfully I haven't needed it, but this investment will be worth it on every adventure I take, solo or not. 

I also carry a pocket-knife with me when I hike, but fully recognize if I'm ever in a situation where I might need it, it's not going to do much. I am friendly on the trails, make a lot of eye contact and say Hi to strangers, and try to pay attention to details (again, true crime junkie), but you can't fully prepare for a horrible situation until you're in one. I hope to never have to put my survival skills to the test, but being alert saves lives. 

Some of these trips have involved A LOT of driving. I got a AAA membership to rescue me off the side of the road if something happened, granted there was no cell service at times, but if something catastrophic would have occurred, my little Garmin could have helped me out there as well. As a general rule on my solo trips, I try not to drive a lot after dark (not always avoidable, especially on my Southwest Trip) and if I have to stop, I WILL NOT stop at a rest area after the sun has set. It's a populated gas station or nothing. I also prefer to get to my next stop before dark so I can see what the surrounding area looks like, again not always possible. 

I stay in cute little AirBnBs on my trips, research the locations and reviews extensively, and send the links to my friends as part of my itinerary. I've felt very safe and cozy the whole time on my trips so far.    

Going Smartly 

I ttttttttrrryyyy not to get lost when I'm hiking. Straying off course causes me a lot of anxiety when I'm by myself, because that's a deviation from my plan and my plan is my comfort zone. Sometimes a little detour leads to a nice picture or two (like this one), but ultimately I try to stick to the trails, because the goal is to make it back to my car, and my car is at the end of this trail, so staying on the trail is really important. I have AllTrails Pro, which lets me navigate on downloaded maps even when there is poor cell service. The huge downside is it uses a lot of phone battery, and that's not something I want to run out of when I'm out alone. Old fashion maps in books and screen shots of waypoints from AllTrails can also be really helpful. I tend to refer to AllTrails only when I think I'm off course, as it really is the most helpful thing to get me back where I need to go, but don't want to use up my whole phone battery. 

Speaking of batteries, charge your things every night! And make sure your phone is at 100% at the start of every hike. I showed up to one of my hikes with a dead InReach, which was such a rookie mistake and thankfully I was on a pretty popular trail and was okay not having my location being tracked that day. 

The other tech things I love to have with me are my Oura ring and Garmin Vivoactive 4S smart watch. The Oura ring is mostly just because I like to know how tired my body becomes on these trips- it's not helpful on the trail as much as it is for recovery monitoring (and tracking my sleep deprivation in my normal life). My smart watch is nice for tracking my distance, although it's not the most accurate when there isn't good GPS service. It's helpful to be able to ration my water and snacks depending on how long I have left to go. AllTrails tracking is also very helpful with that. My watch also tracks what it thinks is the elevation gain and buzzes me often about how many stairs I've climbed. 

Non-tech things I always have with me- First Aid kit, head lamp, compass, pocket knife, snacks, water, electrolytes. 

Going Strongly 

There is a lot of physical and mental intensity involved in hiking. I've learned that I am not a happy hiker when I'm hungry, so I usually eat a PB&J on a bagel (and drink my coffee because I have a caffeine problem) on the way to the trail, and bring another sandwich with me depending on length of the hike. At minimum I have trail mix and a cliff bar with me, even on short hikes. Nutrition is as important as hydration! I drank about a gallon of water a day on my Smokies in the summer trip, and always have more water on me than I think I need, plus electrolytes (Nuun tabs or Liquid IV), plus more water in the car. Plus more snacks in the car. And, I eat SO MUCH the nights after hiking, because, you know, protein and carb loading and stuff. 

I am a pretty intrinsically motivated person, and don't tend to get mentally burnt out on my hikes. I usually enjoy the journey enough that I don't get pouty (unless I'm hungry). Sometimes I do have to give myself little pep talks that involve getting chicken nuggets after the hike, like I'm talking to a child, but it works. 

In my normal life, I distance run and bike, do Barre classes, intro Ballet classes, occasional rock climbing. I'm in pretty decent shape, and know my physical limits, but push them from time to time. I tend to be pretty stubborn and have to check myself on hikes to make myself turn around and not over-do it when I know I'm alone with no external voice of reason. I have weak ankles, so my hiking boots are carefully chosen to prevent rolling them as much as possible. I wore Keens on my most recent trip and LOVED them- my foot fits down into them much deeper than my other boots, and my ankles were very protected. I don't hike with trekking poles, but I know those can be really helpful to prevent tripping and injuries.