solitude

[mtn.goat]

I guess I've been very lucky (although my usual 6AM or earlier starts probably help) and had most if not every peak that I've hiked in the ADK's to myself at least once. I've been on top of Marcy and Algonquin more than once all alone. I sat on top of Iroqouis last winter for about a half hour and only saw the ranger the whole entire day! It took a little getting used to being around a large group of people 3 weeks ago when a friend and I did Gothics. I didn't realize how spoiled I had gotten (or consequently lucky i had been) until I found myself amazed at the fact that there was 5-10 people on the summit. I do try to avoid the "glamour" peaks like Marcy due to the fact that everyone and anyone will try them and I can't stand seeing how ill prepared many dayhikers are. For instance watching people ascend Marcy this past summer on a 90 degree day with 80-90% humidity and all they had was a bag lunch and liter of water!

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Solitude is one of my primary reasons for hiking, so it's all done solo.

I have never found a problem finding that solitude in the Whites. I do try to avoid weekends and I always start a hike by 6 AM. With that minimal level of preparation, and by avoiding just a handful of heavily trekked trails, I never run into many (or any) people.

Example? A week ago Wednesday (9/14) - a beautiful sunny day with low wind - I left Appalachia and took the Howker Ridge trail to summit Madison, then proceeded to summit Adams and Jefferson, and then took a sequence of trails back to Appalachia for a pretty long day hike. I saw absolutely no one anywhere. Not a soul.

Obviously hiking mid-week helps. Since I'm able to do that (occasionally) there's no reason for me to head north on a busy summer or holiday weekend.

I actually think there are fewer people out hiking in general than say in the 60s and 70s. I often hike at Sleeping Giant state park in CT, which is 5 miles north of New Haven. There are about 40 miles of trails there over varying terrain. By avoiding just one trail, it's rare for me to run into anyone else at any time of year, any time of day. Now that's at a place right in the middle of megalopolis with probably 15 million people within a 2 hour drive. I never cease to be amazed at how few people actually get out in the woods. I guess a lot of people's lives are fractured these days by kids' events, the internet, work, etc. to a greater degree than it used to be. But I'm not complaining.

 

[blacknblue]

Has anyone ever had the summit of Moosilauke to themselves? I've only been once, last October, and it was an absolute circus.

I've actually never seen anyone else on top of Moosilauke when I've gone (4 or 5 times). My profile pic there is from Moosilauke's summit in June of '97.
The best time for solitude, as people have stated, is winter and weekdays. Me and my brother had Lafayette to ourselves once--when it was snowing, minus fifteen, and howling winds in December. Go figure.
I think my favorite place in the wintertime, especially compared to its summer crowds, is Lonesome Lake. When it's frozen and quiet and gray, with Franconia rising behind it... I haven't found a better place (although there are some great candidates for 2nd place!).

 

[the starchild]

last monday i left crag camp, summited and hung out for an hour or so, hiked down star lake trail, chilled at the pond, got water at the hut and hiked down valley way to appalachia. I saw people at the hut and one guy on star lake trail. no one else!!! an amazing day with supersweet weather to have the mtns to myself.
trip report and photos coming soon!!!

 

[MrAmeche]

Yes, Moosilauke many times. You may have been there on some special Dartmouth "bonding" weekend which occurs occasionally, like their incoming freshman med students and their familes.

Kevin, now that I recall, I think you're right. Looking back through my notes, I went on a Friday in early October, and I did see a lot of Dartmouth sweatshirts. Plus, I think there were a few buses of elementary-school kids on a field trip that day. A gentleman at the top told me it was like that every time he visited Moosilauke.

 

[MikePS]

EARLY, I have enjoyed many summits solo by leaving trailhead at 6:30 or so. Much good advice above. One hint on Franconia Ridge/Lafayette- I do Bridal path first- get to the hut by 8:30 or 9 - hut people are already gone and people coming up Falling waters are not there yet-I have had 30 minutes solo several times on Lafayette. The down side is you hit heavy traffic the first mile or so going down Little Haystack.Good luck and have fun!

 

[The Sikes]

Solitude

I have had a good many of them, too many to list. We haven't had Macy, Lafayette or Katadin but we did have Hamlin. When we were doing Maine, NH and Vermont, we did alot of them during the week and most of the hikes, I wouldn't see anyone.

 

[JohnL]

I've had the summit of every NH4K to myself at one time or another. Many times I have soloed a peak and have seen no one all day, even on weekends. It's all about timing. One occasion I had climbed the Falling Waters-OBP Loop and the only people I saw were some people around the Hut. From the Hut to the parking lot I had OBP to myself. That's not a likely occurrence no matter when you hike. When I recently did my Presi Traverse with Isolation hike, I had 6 of the 9 4K summits to myself and lots of solitude in between. I've had the Bonds all to myself, not just the summits but all the trails in between.

Solitude is like wildlife. It's out there waiting for you. If you stalk it right, you'll find it.

JohnL

 

[lumberzac]

I’ve hiked the MacIntyre Range one rainy Saturday in September and didn’t see a single person from the junction with the Van Ho trail until I got to Marcy Dam after hiking through Avalanche Pass.

Both times I went up Haystack I had the summit to myself. Both times were on warm sunny weekend days. One of which was on July 4th.

Colvin & Blake I had to myself. Same with all of the Dixes except Macomb; I have climbed that one yet. I’ve also had Gray, the Santanoni Range, and Big Slide to myself. Maybe I’m just lucky.

I think it’s also possible to find solitude even when there are people on the summits. When I hiked up Whiteface, there were at least 50 people on the summit; most had taken the auto road up. I went down a small ledge and sat on a rock while I ate lunch. I sat there with Lake Placid at my feet and never saw or heard a soul for at least 20 minutes until I stood up an walked the 30 feet back to the summit.

 

[chuck]

Blue Hills - Sunny summer saturday - no one else, not even in the tower. Now thats actually kinda sad.

 

[Lizzy]

In my experiences, the best bet is going on a weekday. Especially Mondays.

Also, starting later is a good idea, too (like noon-ish). You may see a lot of people coming down as your going up, but by the time you hit the summit, it's like 4:00-5:00, and there's a good chance you'll be the last one up for the day. That's worked for me on Madison, Webster Cliff, Osceola, and a few others.

One time I had too much solitude. I did a Kilkenny traverse from South Pond all the way out to Jefferson.....3 days / 2 nights. Saw NO ONE the whole trip. I was pretty lonely, and jonesing for some human contact by the end of the second day.

 

[blacknblue]

One time I had too much solitude. I did a Kilkenny traverse from South Pond all the way out to Jefferson.....3 days / 2 nights. Saw NO ONE the whole trip. I was pretty lonely, and jonesing for some human contact by the end of the second day.

That can be the downside, sometimes, of a little too much time by yourself, especially long nights in the winter or late fall.
I just did a backpack in Colorado where an avalanche had wiped out the main trail last winter so the only way in was a multi-day hike over two 12,000-foot passes. Needless to say, I didn't see too many people! After 4 or 5 nights of not setting up camp within miles of anybody, it was nice to come across a kindred spirit, eat a few wild raspberries together, and talk about our common experiences.

 

[jfb]

I'm another hiker who finds solitude by getting a late start, especially in summer when the sun sets around 9 pm. Lately, I've been trying to time my hikes so I get to treeline (on the way down) around sunset and finish up by headlamp.

 

[forestgnome]

Says it all!

SlowandSteady's post is perfect! I'm definately not a total loner. I like people, but there is a monumental difference between those in society who are still civil, and the rest. If people are respectful, that's wonderful. I had a great talk with a nice, smart, healthy young lady on Little Monroe on Saturday afternoon. Her dog, Chaucer, was even more respectful of others than most people. Very pleasant. I also chatted a bit with three ladies who have hiked together for decades. Really nice people. Made a stunningly beautiful Crawford Path hike even nicer.

Happy Trails!

 

[Periwinkle]

Some of my most memorable summits with solitude were true solos... the infamous Jefferson experience, my first sunset hike on Wildcat seeing Northern Lights and a fox, moonset and sunrise on Madison, and lounging in a sheltered spot on Adams. Other were shared with my chosen few... cocktail hour at the Cabot Cabin watching the sunset over a silent world during Bike Week, the bonus Bonds "take a hike" trip, seeing a watercolor wash of sunrise pink over the Franconia Ridge from the Owl's Head slide. Those are moments I treasure.

It's a bonus to score solitude on place like Lafayette and Moosilauke. Moosilauke took some doing -- hiking in 95+ degree temps with similar humidity levels.

Even when I haven't had the summit or trail to myself, I've been lucky enough to meet up with a few VFTT'er along the way and many other kind people. It was a rare day that I found myself sharing a summit with undesirables (they shall remain unmentioned lest I aggravate myself recalling a few bad encounters!)

Most of my hikes were (yet again) weekdays, usually late. In retrospect, I consider myself blessed to have been able to hike then. And looking forward to getting to do that yet again.

 

[dewoods]

Anyone else have the summit of Monadnock to themselves?

Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Several years ago I started very early on a Sunday morning in autumn to hike the Mettacomet-Monadnock Trail. Two people who got there ahead of me were descending on another trail just as I reached the top. On the way down though, I must have passed a hundred going up.

 

[Head]

Bird and I had our moment of solitude in the Whites in the Northern Presis 2 weeks ago!!...it was predicted to be a crummy weekend and when we arrived at the trailhead...it was misting...it misted all day and we saw only 5 people all day. It was fairly comfortable considering we are usually prepared for the elements but there no VFTT if you know what I mean If you want peace on the peaks, do em while its raining out! (or in the snow...that keeps the hourdes away as well)

 

[amstony]

During the week,in the fall is the best time to go for solitude. I remember doing the Hale Loop in September 2004, on a weekday after everyone was back in school and vacation season was pretty much completyed. I parked at Zealand trailhead which was almost deserted, went down to the Hale trailhead, up to Hale, stayed there for awhile, ate some lunch and climbed the pile of rocks, and then continued to Zealand Hut, where the hut crew was hanging out, also enjoying the solitude. Then back down to the trailhead. Saw no one on the trail or the summit for the entire hike. It was nice!

 

[carole]

The fact that many of the posts name the instances in amongst their many hikes that they have had solitude hints that it is rare. But solitude is to be had year round without any planning on many trails and summits. Sometimes it just happens. I usually only will head to the higher mountains to hike on a Saturday when the weather is nice and yet I have just as often as not had the trail or a summit to myself.

 

[sp1936]

Think small for solitude.

On Saturday, I climbed Mt. Madison up the Pine Link and Watson Path. I encountered numerous hikers, which was OK, since I expected it on a clear fall weekend day in the northern Presidentials, and my encounters with other hikers on the trail are almost always pleasant.

On Sunday, I climbed an obscure little mountain on an obscure little trail, and had the mountain all to myself, as I knew I would. It's a stiffer climb than you might expect for a less-than 4000-footer, and has increasingly beautiful views from open ledges all the way to the top. There are others; find them and keep them to yourself...

Steve