Taking a solo hike can be one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll ever take in for a plethora of reasons, some of which I covered in a recent post covering 8 reasons why everyone should take a solo hike. Hiking solo is liberating, freeing, opens the doors to unexpected self-growth and adventure. It grows your independence and will surely leave you feeling accomplished once you take your last step on the trail. While I highly recommend taking a solo hike to anyone, I’d also strongly suggest adequately preparing for your solo ambitions.
There are hundreds of ways to enjoy the great outdoors, but few can be more moving than embarking on a solo hike. However, the freedom of hiking solo comes with inherent responsibilities, namely ensuring your safety.
A solo hike, just like any other hike, requires preparing in advance and taking a few necessary extra steps. These small minimal steps can help save you from a disastrous experience and instead leave you with only positive memories.
6 Ways to Prepare For A Solo Hike
- Plan, plan, and more planning – Whether you’re planning a short three mile hike or an overnighter, half the fun of taking in any new adventure is the planning stage. Research hiking trails and the surrounding area thoroughly to familiarize yourself with the path you will be following and the natural features you will likely encounter on your trip. Study a topographic map of the area you’ll be exploring to learn the geography, alternate trail routes, water sources, and landmarks you can reference along the trail. Know the changes in elevation and determine if you are physically capable of completing the trail. Note: It is best to visit a trail you are already familiar with, that has frequent foot traffic(for added safety measures), and have hiked before when taking your first solo hike.
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Timeframe
– Estimate how long it will take you to drive to the trail, hike the trail (including rest breaks), and time it will take to drive back home. Generally, on a flat, even trail, the average person can complete 1 mile every 30 minutes but you can also use an online hiking calculator to make estimates based on different elevations [source:
Hiking New England
]. Add on additional time for unexpected delays and research the sunset and sunrise hours for that day. Set out on the hike earlier than later to avoid driving back home in the dark.
Joshua Tree
- Sharing is Caring – DO share your travel plans with several close friends, family members, or your spouse/partner. Sharing your agenda with a loved one – and setting a time to check in will reduce the chance you could experience should something truly unexpected happen. If you were to for some reason get hurt or stranded with no one aware of where you are or no efficient way for people to look for you it could end in catastrophe. Safe is better than sorry when it comes to taking a solo hike. Schedule check-in calls or text messages at regular intervals. Give a trip itinerary to your check-in contact and bring another copy of your map with you to file with a local park ranger before you set out – many parks have websites with up-to-date contact information.
- Get Tech Savvy – To avoid getting lost, thoroughly research the trail before taking off. Get the exact trailhead address and find the easiest route to get to the trail. I’ve found that Yelp generally has correct addresses for trailheads or I will double check across multiple hiking websites to see which address is most commonly used. If your phone has GPS capabilities, bring this with you for guidance and for communication purposes. Become familiarized with how to use a compass and get the exact coordinates of the trail as an added safety precaution.
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Let There Be Light
– While most of the time you likely will not need a headlamp or flashlight on your hikes, it is always crucial to bring some form of light just in case. There have been numerous times where I’ve set out on a trail that I truly believed I could complete before sunset only to find that the sun went down faster than I could hike. One of these times I had to navigate the trail completely in the dark, albeit I had a friend along with me. In the case of a solo hike, you will be completely alone and won’t have a friend to turn to if you run into a similar situation. Luckily, headlamps and flashlights will add minimal weight to your load – you’ll probably forget it’s even in your pack!
Palm Canyon Oasis
- Dream Big, Start Small – Taking a solo hike can be refreshing and inspiring; however it can also be a shock. Removing yourself from your daily immersion in technology and friends and family can be disorienting. The sudden loss of communication, connectivity, and conversations can put a person out of sorts at first. But this feeling is quickly dispelled once you find peace with your thoughts and learn to be alone with only nature as your friend. To help with the transition, hike a trail you are already familiar with that is short in distance. As you become more experienced at hiking solo, embark on longer treks. Condition your body for the physical and mental exertion of a solo hike by making sequentially deeper forays into the wilderness to build your confidence and strengthen your survival experience.
