Why do you (or don't you) hile solo?

[Woody]

I usually prefer to hike with a small group, but if no one is available and I have the time on my schedule to get out for a day or two then I will just head out solo. I do pay close attention to the weather and make sure I leave my plans with my wife. I'll probably tell my brother as well, because he'll actually know where to find me when I tell him what trail(s) I'll be on. Solo hikes are very relaxing, but sometimes group hikes keep me motivated.

 

[Adk_dib]

I hike solo mostly because of scheduling. I wait til last minute to schedule a hike becasue I want to have the better wheather day. I usually check thursday night to see what the wheather is like so I can give some notice to my pet sitter. If it rains all weekend I can cancel without ruining other people's plans. Besides, I dont like to get stuck with as hiker who is to fast or to slow. I like my own pace

 

[sweeper]

I have spent the last 30+ years solo hiking. I love to hike alone. I know the hazards, I respect the hazards, but it's worth the risk to go alone, and a lot easier to hike alone than find someone who matches your abilities.

I have the first page of an article from a July '69 Field & Stream. 'Loneing it is the only way' by Karl Schwenke. It starts: 'The way I see it, a man has to be some kind of jackass to work 351 days a year in a crowded city and then fritter away his only wilderness vacation of the year in the company of other jackasses.' This hit me like a sledgehammer and I've been a loner since.

I LIKE to be alone in the woods.

 

[NorthShore]

I responded 50 -50 in the poll, but that is heavily weighted by solo hikes that I do locally (relatively safe easy hikes). Its usually a case of go solo or don't go. Most of my hikes in mountainous areas have been with family, friends or groups. For the ones that I have done solo, both lowlands and mountain, I see all the benefits that others have mentioned above and that's what I remember after the solo hikes, not any jitters I may have had about being alone.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Hmmm.. I've never thought about safety... as in, "I don't want to do this hike alone, I'd better do it with someone." Anything I'd do with someone, I'd do alone.

Now... if there is a hike requiring more logistics than usual... such as Baxter... Grand Canyon... I'll find a partner who will do the paper work... Partners can be good for something.

I never really thought about it, but on multi-day hikes, I've never been bored. I don't bring books, either. A week alone is not uncommon for me. Don't know what I do to prevent boredom, but it never happens.