solo hiking: how risky is it?

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NutAgain!

Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 26, 2016 - 02:21pm PT
I didn't want to pollute other threads for specific missing people with any potentially controversial topics.

I have always been afraid of solo hiking, fearing the risk of breaking a leg, a stupid trip and head whack, or something that could end up being lethal if I am alone and far from help.

I can see how people turn to it when finding a partner becomes onerous- either because schedules don't line up when you have limited free time, or if you have so much free time you can't find enough people similarly unencumbered.

I can even imagine the pleasure of solitude in an amazing place. Lately I have been imagining the possibility of going out on my own and discovering the freedom of the hills.

I have a fairly high tolerance for risk in rock climbing, some unroped climbing but typically in the presence of another person, and I used to go surfing and boogie boarding alone (which seems more dangerous- I pulled into a large dark close-out wave once and smashed my face on the bottom pretty hard, blood spattering everywhere by the time I surfaced).

But somehow the risk of having a stupid fail moment with big consequences holds me back from going solo hiking.

What do y'all think about it?
thebravecowboy

climber
The Good Places
Oct 26, 2016 - 02:24pm PT
the best things that I have accomplished climbing, cycling, hiking, trail-running, every single one, was solo. it gets edgy fast, and the moment of trigger-pull for the big badass decisions is way harder when you are alone. still though, the freedom and efficiency gains far, far outweigh those terrible potentialities (wedged in a squeeze chimney in BFE comes to mind).

to live is risky
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Oct 26, 2016 - 02:24pm PT
If you punch "missing hiker" into google news you come up with a large compendium of incidents and if you really plow through them going back a year or two one thing that sticks out is that many are solo and in their mid-to-late 60s.
zBrown

Ice climber
Oct 26, 2016 - 02:50pm PT
Everything has risks.

Now if you only go soloing 1/2 the time you would otherwise then you cut them down by half.

If you actually die, you'll probably not be that concerned, so it's the risk of significant injury that you need to be concerned about; injury so bad you can't get back to where you started.

This risk too can be mitigated with communication devices, telling folks where you're going and when you should be back etc.

You should be able to keep yourself safe until you get on the freeway and a drunk runs into you and you die.

Hope this helps.

Fat Dad

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:02pm PT
I think it depends on where you go and what you do. When I was young and single I used to do it all the time, mostly out of necessity. No one else available to go play. I had some great trip, but I also was far more limited in what I could accomplish. I've done lots of 3rd and 4th class routes in the Sierra, even a fair number of easy 5th solo, but I probably could have done a lot more difficult stuff, or maybe even more with a motivated partner, had I been with someone else.

Nowadays, with three kids, wife, career, etc., if I did get the chance to get out, I'd be fine with solo trips that stayed on trail or were more mellow cross country. I do find I need to specifically train nowadays for a more predictable outcome, and my knee isn't as stable as it used to be, so getting injured is a greater possibility. The wife makes me carry a SAT phone anyways, but I don't have the desire to get really far off the beaten path by myself. 3 or 4 days in the San Gorgonio or Sierra, no problem. Trailless over passes and miles of talus, not so much.
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:06pm PT
hey Dingus, if you leave a vehicle at the trailhead then you have become someone else's problem. Unless you hurl yourself into the ocean you are someone else's problem. We know you pride yourself in being the contrarian, but unlike voting, your demise in the wilderness will be someone else's PITA. Kinda hard to Leave No Trace when you commit Hari Kari in the back country

Solo travelers tend to calculate risk more accurately. Group think often gets groups in trouble. I do 90% of my backcountry travel solo. I love setting my own pace. I also carry an ACR beacon. Not sure I carry it for myself, more so to tell my friends that I have it.

Edit - I quit telling people my expected return date/time, to much opportunity for a false alarm. I prefer to leave a good note in the car at the trailhead.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:07pm PT
You use protection for other things you do, right? With solo hiking the
only pro you need is a functioning brain and an ACR ResQlink.
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:11pm PT
I'm 100% with Dingus and TBC on their sentiments.
Ksolem

Trad climber
Monrovia, California
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:18pm PT
I've never gone up into the mountains alone for lack of a partner. The draw is strong, seductive. I'm a social type. Being alone, totally self reliant, brings me face to face with myself in way nothing else yet has.

I broke through the ice into a tarn on the way down from Tuttle pass one time. It wasn't over my head, just slushy water shoulder deep. I had on those MSR snowshoes, my ice tools used on the ascent of Langley were strapped to the back of my pack. The snowshoes kept me anchored in the slush. In moments the icy water was in my clothes. I've never felt so alone. I struggled, a race against against time to get to my tools. I fought for my life and won the contest. Hypothermic and near failing I found my bivy, stripped off my clothes, plunged into my bag and woke up the next day. Maybe I'm twisted, but in retrospect this was an intense and rewarding experience. And this is piss ant sh*t compared to what serious alpinists go through.

Oh, and what DMT said.
snowhazed

Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:22pm PT
If you approach it with the mindset of a soloist it shouldn't be all that risky
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:28pm PT
Never had problems with wildlife in the backcountry

Try solo hiking in Alaska, braj! Buy me a six pack and I'll tell ya about Polar bears.
Of course, those personal locator beacons don't cut much slack with them. :-)
kunlun_shan

Mountain climber
SF, CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:49pm PT
If you approach it with the mindset of a soloist it shouldn't be all that risky

I agree with this. I've done a fair amount of solo backcountry ski touring. Conventional wisdom says this is not safe, as there's no one to find you or dig you out in case of avalanche. So solo touring is very dependent on safe route finding and hazard evaluation.

edit - and yes, I have an ACR PLB, though this is of little use if buried under snow...

re. DMT's story about the body discovered in a tent upon spring melt; I know the skier who found the tent and body. The guy had cancer and committed suicide earlier in the winter. Good way and place to go, imo.
Reeotch

climber
4 Corners Area
Oct 26, 2016 - 03:59pm PT
I don't know, man. I can't imagine not solo hiking. I'm compelled to do it. But, I know wtf I'm doing for one thing.
Awareness.
I'm more conservative in general when alone. I definitely won't do things alone that I might consider with a partner or in a group (but, is that fair to your partners?)
In general, I think we worry about the wrong things. Statistically, you are much more likely to to get into trouble doing a myriad of other things, such as driving a vehicle.
My partner Laura brings up a valid point, in that it might be different for a woman. However, that is mainly due to the human threat, which presumably decreases the further in to the wilderness you go.

I think you are missing out on a whole lot, if you won't even consider the possibility of a solo backpack trip - out of FEAR . . .

C'mon, don't be such a whimp. It forces you to up you're game. Do your research. Be like a boy scout and "be prepared". Take one of those Spot devices, a cell phone, a gps, or NOT. You'd better know how to function out there without those things, even if you have them (in case you drop it in the lake).

On second thought, if you have ANY doubts about going in to the backcountry alone, don't do it. The fewer people out there the better . . .

http://www.supertopo.com/tr/High-Sierra-old-school-style/t12017n.html
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 04:01pm PT
So what caliber hand gun did you carry?

Nada, I was young, dumb, and full of myself.
Oh, I also had a large dose of Irish luck. I think I used it all.
paul roehl

Boulder climber
california
Oct 26, 2016 - 04:04pm PT
HIked solo all over. Never had a problem with or worried about animals even when stringing up food instead of using bear canisters. Too busy worrying about alien abduction. I like solo hiking and still do it, though it's always a little lonely when the sun goes down.
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
Oct 26, 2016 - 04:15pm PT
I really enjoy solo hiking and have even done some overnight backcountry ski tours solo. It's usually after a particularlly tough shift at work or something like that that drives me to longer hikes alone. My wife is more okay with it these days since I bought that Delorme In Reach device, it makes it easy to check in on me and we can text with it if needed. For the past several months I have even been doing solo trips to The Tunnels to brush up on solo aid climbing at least once a week. The Delorme offers great peace of mind but won't do me any good if I'm hanging upside down in my aiders with a massive head injury :)
Fat Dad

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 04:20pm PT
I agree with DMT that Bob very likely knew what he was in for when going on his solo jaunt. From the outside looking in, we speculate about the worst. Part of me wonders whether he was comfortable with that outcome or maybe contemplated it. Kind of 'Get out before you can't get out any more'. I think about that when (in my line of work) I see these old folks with no quality of life or independence and no quick exit. Everyone wrings their hands but they would do that anyways if you endure 8 to 10 yrs. of worsening dementia or the like before finally passing. Still, like the story Kris told, in the midst of it, I think the will to live is strong.

Edit: Interesting comment from Paul. Even though beautiful, I always found the mountains lonely when the sun is setting.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
Oct 26, 2016 - 04:26pm PT
IF I GO MISSING ON A SOLO TRIP DO NOT COME LOOKING FOR ME


Well if you can elect that option, I can elect the opposite. :)

Though, if you're well and good gone/dead, then DNR should be respected.




PellucidWombat

Mountain climber
Berkeley, CA
Oct 26, 2016 - 04:33pm PT
This has been touched on somewhat here and there already, but you just need to decouple how a partner adds to or diminishes the risk.

In a group (of even 2) you have effects of peer pressure, group think, false sense of security with company, temptation to be lazy and let the other guy steer the trip at some points, etc. Also, safety gear might be split up, so if you get separated then you are in more trouble than if you were alone (I have had this happen multiple times in the past, so I usually try to be totally self-sufficient, even in a group).

And even being out in a group is not all that sufficient in place of leaving a reasonably elastic itinerary with an emergency contact anyways. Your entire group might be stuck (esp. a group of 2). I usually do this with someone who knows when/how to go for help. I also usually choose someone who knows the area or range and is familiar with the sort of trip I am doing, so that they can better anticipate what is really overdue, or how tight the deadline should be kept.

If you know how to safely protect a river crossing with the assistance of a partner, then it might be safer. Otherwise, you'll probably drown before the other guy can do anything to help you after you've been washed away (the only caveat I can think of is helping with hypothermia after you have self-rescued since the partner may still have dry clothes).

If you are soloing/scrambling something that you would normally choose to belay, then it is more dangerous. If you aren't, then ... well I wonder what the stats are for fatal falls where survival would have been likely if someone was around to reach the person & administer first aid, and/or call for rescue (which in and of itself might take a day or more to be evacuated). Frankly, I decided a while ago that when scrambling, it doesn't really matter that much if other people are around if I take a big fall. And for smaller falls ... that is where you should be prepared to spend some nights out if soloing (in addition to the emergency contact calling for rescue). Your partner can't carry you out alone if you get a spiral fracture when boulder-hopping.

I'd even apply that self-sufficiency to any hiking off-trail, or if hiking a long ways out on trails with little traffic. Plus being alone definitely makes me more wary and more risk averse, so with marginally different outcomes, I feel like if I am doing anything unroped in both situations, I might almost be safer doing it alone ...

Definitely a different deal with avalanche danger, but I feel like the same overall ideas apply - just with different execution.
pb

Sport climber
Sonora Ca
Oct 26, 2016 - 04:59pm PT
the material entity cannot be possessed. therefore it cannot be lost. and we'll come looking for you if we damn well feel like it ;-[ DMW
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