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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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You really need four adults plus one adult for each injured or lost adult. Maybe a pair of sentries at each non traditional trail junction. Each should carry a CB radio.
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ManMountain
Mountain climber
San Diego
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The closest I've come to getting the chop while "hiking" solo was on a fishing trip after work on a small creek a 30 minute walk from my house. I hopped up on a dining table sized boulder and as I stepped off the dang thing rolled 120° and I barely was able to lunge out before it woulda pinched me like a bug at the pelvis. It bloodied my lower leg and peeled off one boot. I was so shook up I actually barfed and it took me ten minutes to regain my composure and hobble back home. Also broke my favorite bamboo fly fishing rod. No parked car would have meant nobody would have looked for me until I missed a day or two of work. The point being *it* can happen anywhere-anytime if your number's up.
I've hiked/mountaineered/explored solo & with others for 50 years with no major mishaps and consider it much less risky than the drive to the trailhead. In my early 20's I got in to the climbing scene, 5.5-5.9 multipitch stuff and a lot of winter crampon/ice axe/rope stuff, but after a few sphincter tightening events and more than a few acquaintances who were severely injured (one paralyzed) I decided the risk/reward ratio wasn't for me and hung up my gear.
But the experience was well worth it; I learned how to protect myself, move safely and most importantly, judge when the next pitch is too risky alone and it's time to turn around. These days it's always "what's the easiest route up" for me and in a few recent ropeless group backpacks I've said nope, that's too steep/exposed/slippery/rockfall/unstable snow/bad weather, I'm turning around here. Didn't care what others thought, but usually we all bailed because I was the "old man".
Call me a pussy, but you can control your risk to a great degree by understanding what you're facing based on knowledge gained by dabbling in technical climbing. Lest you think I'm just a duffer, I climbed toproped pitches @ 5.11 clumsily at my best and decided that's it for me.
Hiking solo on established trails, pfft, no problemo. Your risk/reward ratio is near zero, the likelihood you'll encounter others if you're incapacitated is high, and the mountain lion/bear/whacko/surprise medical problem statistics are practically nil.
Solo I'll admit I've carried a PLB for the last 6 years, and now carry a Spot/Explorer satcomm device, but it's only because I now mostly solo explore really remote regions using my built Jeep as a basecamp with one or two day hike forays where it's fabulous country but not another soul will be there in years.
Why carry a locator? I note above a bunch of folks say "If I disappear on a solo hike don't bother looking for me, I've died gracefully". Two problems with that philosophy: one, if you don't die instantly a primal instinct will kick in and you will use any means available to live one more day, and two, if you are dead and being actively tracked by a satellite device it'll make SAR's job so much easier; you owe it to them. But mainly, satellite tracking means all my friends including my 90 year old mother can follow along, and others can send me messages about supercool stuff near me I'm missing. PLBs are no substitute, they're an SOS signal which kicks in a major SAR effort, no two way communication.
I'm almost 70 now so my attitude is ridiculously old school, but I still solo hike 60 days a year and it's the love of my life, there's nothing like a 30 day trip in nature's magnificence; recently when I return I'm finding I have trouble conversing with people because I haven't spoken a word in two weeks, how cool is that?
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GuapoVino
climber
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I've been solo hiking, backpacking, paddling and a few other things the last several years since all my regular partners have scattered with the wind. In some ways it's more dangerous because there's is no one to go for help take care of you in the event of an accident. But in other ways I think it's safer because I'm free to make all the decisions (no decision by committee), I can go as slow as I want, I can be more cautious without the risk of pissing anyone off, I can turn around and go to plan B, I can pull the plug and go home.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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I've been a soloing fool since the 1970s
Free solo rock climbing
Solo big walls
Solo mountaineering
Solo technical caving
Solo scuba diving
Solo whitewater kayaking
I have an interesting perspective from solo scuba diving. I carry two of everything when solo diving (two masks, two tanks, etc.). The one exception is that I don't have two brains to ensure good decision making.
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WBraun
climber
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It's never ever been done (solo hiking).
You are never ever solo ......
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clifff
Mountain climber
golden, rollin hills of California
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Well climbing is about 1000 times more risky so you should definitely give that up.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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John Muir
Collin Fletcher
Norman Clyde
all, walked almost exclusively, alone.
interesting that many here who advocate bouldering i.e. grounding on a big ledge,
also condemn assuming the risk of solo hiking which i think might be a bazillion times more safe....
earlier i stated it happened to me, when i was with friends and assuming the risk of talus that i would not if i were solo... but friends or no friends the block still went over my ankle.
meanwhile, reflecting on miles walked solo, the total is over 6,000, with 30 last week, and so far the rule of staying on trails or low angle, and no ice or snow negotiation when solo has yielded a no accident rate.
animals??, never wanted to piss off a bear with a pea shooter so i carry a small bottle of starting fluid and a butane lighter, 8 foot flamethrower.. everything goes the other way.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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How risky is it? No more risky than a walk in a national park.
I can count on one hand the number of solo walks I've completed. I've been mindful every step of the way, lemme tellya.
But the huge majority of my rambles aren't planned trips but photographic endeavors, which is by its nature a pretty solitary gig.
Number one rule when you are on your own is to know nobody's gonna do you much good if they don't know where you might be.
In a talus pile in the Ditch, on the banks of the old Merced, or simply walking across the street to visit the ATM, anything is possible, but my most-often-played scenario of what MIGHT happen is this:
I'm looking up at a soaring rock or the treetops and have my camera up in my face and I decide to step back to frame the shot better and I back right off of the boulder on which I'm standing.
It keeps my attention focused on safety.
It's nice to see this thread's fairly civil. It's certainly a serious subject with which most of us have a good deal of experience.
It was interesting to read through some of this. And I was halfway through the thread before Capt/Skully mentioned the possibility that N was gonna die!
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Sep 17, 2018 - 06:23pm PT
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Ed, ,........ were you hiking with your flamethrower a month ago in northern Cal?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 10:22pm PT
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Ed, great minds think alike. Years ago I actually started working on a commercial version until
I soon realized I would be liable for millions on something I would only sell a few thousand of.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2018 - 11:18pm PT
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Ya know, I just realized I had a job where every day I spent hours hiking on my own in a rain forest (with binocs chasing down rare bird calls), and never once thought of it as unsafe or questioned it. It was a non-issue and I relished it. But still, if something happened to me, a group of people would’ve come out looking for me by the end of the day.
I guess my big concern for solo overnights is breaking a leg or tripping and hitting my head when I’m a multi-day crawl back to civilization or people finding me.
At this point, I think the only thing stopping me from heading out on my own is I’m in a busy phase of life with minimal time for adventures. But I’d love to be sitting in a tent in the rain on my own somewhere remote. That said, I’d almost always choose hanging out with a friend if that’s an option. So much of my human interaction is virtual these days that it’s a treat to hang out in the flesh with people I like.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Sep 18, 2018 - 05:08am PT
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As age overtakes youth the risk goes up exponetially.
I'm a cellphone carrying lost man in the woods or was till the threat from tics became more of a threat than my stupid pathless wandering.
Edit:
That is exaggerated Hyperbole, I'm never lost & as JD points out the wisdom to not solo choss in the wild, has come with age, most of the time. .. .
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Sep 18, 2018 - 06:08am PT
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Life is a gauntlet of risks ....how, I sometimes wonder, does anyone make it thru their teens?
I love to hike in the mountains and, most of all, I enjoy going solo. I don’t feel that the risks increase “exponentially” as you age. On the contrary, I feel the risks decrease. What age takes from you in the physical realm is counterbalanced by an increase in wisdom.
I will continue my solo ramblings in the mountains sans any egregious electronic distractions. I will however, in most cases, tell my wife or others where I am going.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Sep 18, 2018 - 06:52am PT
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Solo hiking risky? Ever been talked into something risky while hiking by your partner?
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kaholatingtong
Trad climber
The fake McCoy from nevernever land.
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Sep 18, 2018 - 07:37am PT
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Risky? Yes, but not significantly so, In my estimation. I drive my car on the freeway still too.
I have been solo hiking throughout my life, and do not plan on stopping anytime soon. But there is always at least one person that has an idea what is on my agenda and where I am headed... unfortunately... the beauty of solo rambling is you dont have to have plans and are on no ones schedule but your own, which sometimes might mean you end up places you did not plan on going...
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Sep 18, 2018 - 09:56am PT
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My most formative nights out have all been solo, or with only a dog for company.
One springs to mind. When I was sixteen, I told my grandpa that I was going to move to CO and become a known steep skier. I’d be in movies and stuff. My grandpa, being the adventurer and also a pragmatist, gave me $500 and permission to skip school for a week. Only catch, I had to report back to him after my trip whether or not I still wanted to continue with my plan to travel alone. So, I packed up and left home for a week. I hiked Franconia Ridge in NH, bivied on the summit. From there I drove to Canada and bought a case of beer. I headed back to Murrica and got myself a hotel room near Moosehead Lake, where I considered my options and stayed a second night. From there, I hit up Baxter State Park in Maine. I hiked Kathadin (sp?), and after crossing the knife edge in a heavy, heavy fog, I realized that being alone out there could be pretty dangerous. I was walking back to camp in a beautiful hardwood forest when I heard trees crashing around in a way that didn’t make sense to me. I shouted out some bear warnings and hoped it wasn’t actually a bear. My shouts didn’t change the timbre of the timber rattling around and I soon realized that I’d stumbled upon two moose in the rut. One male and one female, not two bulls fighting. I found high ground on a large boulder and waited for them to finish, then completed my walk back to the tent uneventfully. Two months later my parents dropped me off at the bus station in Concord, NH, where I had a train ticket to Denver, $1500, and a skateboard. I hitched around CO for two weeks, a little kid from NH, and had the best time meeting new people. Never looked back.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Sep 18, 2018 - 10:23am PT
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Leaving in one hour for a solo six day backpacking/peak-bagging trip into the Emigrant Wilderness/edge of northern Yosemite.
And Brandon, can I "one-up" you in a small way? I'm taking two dogs ;)
I'll try to post up here if I return.
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Pappy
Ice climber
Warren, VT
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Sep 18, 2018 - 11:04am PT
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I hiked the pct in ‘81 (before everyone and their frickin’ brother decided to do it too) solo 75% of the time including the Sierras and North Cascades. Obviously there is some greater risk, but so marginal I never gave it a thought. It is a little funny that people would fret about it on a climbing site , but maybe they’re sport climbers.
Meanwhile, my wife just finished the hundred highest in the Daks, solo and navigating by map and compass—GPS is cheating. Some of those peaks are really out there, requiring lots of hard core bushwhacking and figuring out which unmarked bump is the right bump. When she would go back into the Sawtooth range I’d tell her to be careful, if something happened it would only be dumb luck to find her. But she’s competent and prepared (she’s also done the ADK 46 solo in winter) and I didn’t worry about it too much. Neither of us think that a spot or anything similar is worth the weight. She finished the 100 on her 61st birthday, so I guess she’s in that dangerous demographic too. Pfffft.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
Of THIS World (Planet Earth)
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Sep 18, 2018 - 03:25pm PT
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Kudos to everyone who engages in solo activities.
Just make sure you are up to the challenge/danger.
...and yes, I'm with Dingus and TBC.
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Inner City
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Sep 18, 2018 - 09:52pm PT
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Woah Pappy, your wife is a badass solo peak-bagger, hiker! In winter no less...
Solo hiking is fun and rewarding. Risk is everywhere in all forms of adventure. Good judgement and even some good luck are the key ingredients in my view.
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