Going Solo

[Trinityalps]

Maybe I'm just getting antisocial in my old age, but I've gone from making a few solo trips a year to almost exclusively going alone just because I enjoy the solitude so much. I've had some great partners, but no matter how good they are you can never have the flexibility you have going it alone (or in my case with just the dog). Some days I'm all for going a couple of miles to the first lake I come to and then throwing everything down and putting my feet in the water. Other days, I become a mile monster and go till dark.

[GreatDivide14]

I hear ya all the way, and in my case old age can't be a factor-- I made my first solo backpack at 19 (which, given my inexperience, might have been dumb, but that's another story), and I've hardly had any hiking partners since. I'm all of 22 now. Like you said, I've also had some good partners, and plenty of them, but I do enjoy the chance to do what I want, when I want, without forcing my will on someone else. This could be especially important in my case, since most people don't want some idiot leading them into a cold, dank slot canyon without warning (funny what 100-foot contours can hide...took me an hour to cover about 200 feet). Also, the mountains just look bigger when it feels like you're the only one looking at them. Admittedly, I do sometimes miss good conversation (though if the conversation's bad, I miss silence), and I like being able to split the gear load, but most of the time, I'd rather go it alone. I get a lot of comments about that from the uninitiated, who also instruct me to carry a cell phone so if I break my leg, I can walk to a nearby mountaintop from which a cell tower is visible. I acknowledge that no one should take a solo trip without being thoroughly knowledgeable and fully prepared, but those things are small price to pay.

[Trinityalps]

Glad to hear I'm not the only who actually prefers solo trips. I know what you mean about the, "You shouldn't be going alone. What if something happens?" There is a lot of wisdom in that advice. There have been a couple of times over the years where I got myself in a bit of trouble and it would have been nice to have another set of hands. It's also true, however, that the tightest spot I've ever been in was caused by a normally logical partner who kept pushing beyond all understanding over really nasty terrain in the dark because he was driven to reach a certain destination. The plain truth is that sometimes you're safer alone.

I heartily agree that if you are going solo you have to know what you're doing and have the right equipment. For me, the rewards far outweigh the small added risk.

[DefJef]

I love going solo. I can hike at the pace I want, I can stop when I want, I can move on when I want, I can talk to myself when I want, I can take a leak when I want, I can turn around when I want, I can go on when I want....