... or does the dog count?
My whole life I've surrounded myself with people. My motto has always been "you can take me anywhere as long as I am with the right people". If that was hiking, traveling, going to restaurants, or even going to the grocery store. I just never liked being by myself.
And for the most part of my life, this was never an issue. I never needed a lot of friends, just the one or two that would do anything with me. So after we moved to California I met some great people that shared the same interest. And hiking was always the easiest thing for me. My friends are organized and know the right places to go. I just needed to join them.
But, how it goes in life, my friends moved away and suddenly it was just me. And hiking by myself seemed to be a whole other animal. It was scary and seemed impossible. So a year went by and I only went hiking when I visited my friends... which you can imagine was not that often.
At the end of 2022 I decided that enough was enough. I didn't want to live in my memories only, and I didn't want to enjoy life only when visits are possible. So I decided to take my life into my own hands and signed up for the 52 Hike Challenge. Granted, I have to admit that I didn't have to go on many hikes myself yet. Funny enough, opening myself up for the possibilities I've met many great people that are up for adventures. However, I did want to prove to myself that I can do things by myself, that I can go for hikes with just my dog and that I am very much capable of organizing everything myself.
So I did it! I did some research around what to do and what not to do just went for it. And here is what I learned:
Prepare and educate yourself
Especially for your very first solo hike, preparation and education is everything. Because this experience can make or break your solo hiking career. So better over prepare and realize it's going to be easier the next time than being under prepared and running into problems that will haunt you forever.
I like to know the area that I will be hiking including the wildlife I might come across or any poisonous plants. Could there be snakes? Could there be mountain lions? Or just mosquitos. And what do I need to do if I encounter one them? For some you can prepare, for example with bug repellent (easy enough). For other you mind want to consider other things like bear spray or maybe, you might want to consider a completely different location for your first hike if encountering a bear should scare you - it would totally scare me!
Weather is one of the topics many people don't think about but it is so important to know what to expect. What's the weather like on the day of the hike? Is it going to be cold and you might need some extra layers, or could it be really hot and you need to think about your hat, sunscreen and enough water? The time of day can easily influence the weather as well. But this is not all. You should also keep an eye on the weather on the days leading up to the hike. If it rained a lot it might be very muddy and slippery. Trails could even be closed due to weather. If you live in the area of the hike, it will be much easier to keep an eye on the weather, but if you are traveling for your hike, definitely check your weather app every few days leading up to your adventure.
Most importantly though, know your trail! How long will it take you to get to the trail head? What is the parking situation like? Will you need any permits? It would be quite annoying if you drive for a couple hours to realize you can't do your hike because you need a permit. And more and more hikes require one. For the trail itself, I recommend having a map or navigation. I love to download the offline maps from Alltrails so I have it on my phone and can easily follow along the trail. However, this also means I need to make sure my phone is fully charged and if it's a longer hike I might even want to consider a portable charger for some extra battery life.
Extra tip is choosing an out and back trail. Once you made it out, you know exactly what to expect coming back. Easy enough.
And lastly prepare your outfit, gear, food and water. I like to pack everything the night before, so I won't be scrambling the morning of my hike. There are certain items I always like to carry with me, no matter if I am by myself or not - like my first aid kit, water and snacks, my fanny pack stuffed with all my dog stuff (like plenty of treats and poop bags). The rest will depend on the hike. If you are not sure what to pack when hiking, here is a good list of essentials to carry and here are some tips on choosing an outfit.
Pick a well traveled trail
The choice of trail is always important, no matter if it's your first solo hike or your 50th. I personally like to play it safe when solo hiking, especially when bringing my dog (as I don't want to carry an injured 40lbs dog down a trail I don't know well). Hence I will either pick a trail I have done before, or choose something more popular.
There are many good ways of choosing the right trail. From books (find ones from your area either on Amazon or at REI), to asking locals, I prefer using Alltrails as it is easy to search and find trails, save the ones I want to do, read the newest reviews, get updates on trail closures and so on. And no, this is NOT sponsored.
Tell someone where you are going
Now that you are prepared, it's all about your safety. Of course we hope that nothing ever happens, but then again, better be over prepared and not need the preparation than being underprepared and not able to safe yourself.
So, tell someone about your hike! Let them know where you are going and which trail you are taking. Additionally give them some time frames. What time will you be starting your hike, how long should it take you and when can you be expected to be back at home - or when can they start to panic.
If you should have service along your hike, maybe check in with them once in a while. Not just for your safety, but it's also fun to send some pictures. On my last solo hike I sent my husband some pictures of me and my dog at the mountain peak. Emma doesn't usually celebrate with me as she certainly doesn't understand that we got to the top of the mountain, so it's nice to get some cheer from my husband, even over the phone. I also texted him once we were back at the car. Good for him, he didn't have to panic. We made it safe. Good for us though in case something actually happened.
Don't post on Social Media
Even though I like to share my adventures with my family and friends, it is not recommended to share any details about your solo hikes on Social Media before you go - unless your account is set to private and you know all your followers and trust them. Otherwise you never know which kind of creep might see your details about your hike and the fact that you are hiking alone and use this opportunity to follow you...
Know your limits
No one knows your capabilities and limits better than you do. Again: no one knows your capabilities and limits better than you do! First of all don't listen to others if they tell you "that's an easy hike". We all have different limits and we all define "easy" or "hard" very differently as well. You are the one that has to determine if a hike is going to be easy or hard for you. To determine the difficulty for yourself you need to make sure you know the details of the trail. Distance, elevation gain,... but also know the weather and how it affects you. A trail that's usually moderately challenging to you, can be very tough on a hot summer day. Believe me, I have been there, even on a trail I had done several times before.
You might also want to take other factors into considerations. How are you feeling? Have you done any strenuous workouts before the hike? How much sleep did you get? Do you have an injury? And please be honest with yourself. It is ok to be intimidated by a hike. It is not ok to be overconfident and get hurt.
Leave a note in the car
This is a newer practice to me but when I first learned about it, I thought it was genius. Somewhat similar to letting someone within your family and friends know where you are going and what you are doing, it is also a good idea to leave a note in your car. The note can have details about the trail you are on, when you are expected to be back at the car, an emergency contact and your health insurance details. In case you don't make it back to the trailhead and the ranger comes around and needs to open your car, they will have all important information available to find and rescue you. Considering the time sensitivity when something happens, this will get your rescue team one step ahead.
Similar to Social Media though, make sure the note is not readable for someone who just stands next to your car. You don't want anyone to come after that shouldn't.
Don't wear headphones
There are many hikers on the trail that like music. Especially when hiking alone it might be very appealing to switch on your favorite tunes or a podcast to not feel so alone. However, when hiking by yourself, it is actually the one time where you should reconsider using headphones, as you won't be able to hear your surroundings. If that is a person or wildlife, you should always be aware of your surroundings. If that is a person calling for help or a mountain lion approaching, you certainly don't want to miss it.
Trust your instincts
Whenever something feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut on this one. Your instincts sometimes know better than you do.
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