backpacking solo

Well, as much as I want to get out into the great outdoors, I cant seem to find any good hiking partners. My dads busy, my bro hates camping, and all my friends are too lazy (to focused on video games I guess). So Ive kinda accepted the fact that I will need to go solo. Although this scares me a little bit, I have no choice. Any good advice as to what to do when im out alone?

I also have a golden retriever,jake, do you think he could be a good hiking partner?

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Let's do the easy one first, Jake would make a good hiking partner! But a dog needs to be in good shape, just like we do.
Dogs also need to learn how to hike, just like we do.
You can not just take Jake out into the wilderness and presto, hiking dog! Taking a dog can be fun, it is also work, the amount of work depends on how well informed you are about hiking with dogs, and the level of training the dog has.
Too many people take their otherwise good dogs hiking, on a whim, and find out they cannot control the dog even on a leash. Some people just let fido run around willy nilly and the dog is at best, a public nuisance.
There are many books on the subject, one is "Hiking With Dogs" by Linda Mullally. This is a gradual process for a dog and you start by conditioning and training him in your own neighborhood. Your dog MUST obey you. Dogs can be trained regardless of age, although it is best to start them young.
You want most of all to enjoy your companion while not causing a problem for other hikers, no matter how "sweet" you think he is.

On the subject of going solo: This is a gradual process as well, I do it quite often, with my dog, Boo. However, I started hiking by going with a hiking club, there is probably one near you. You do not want to learn things the hard way in the woods.
You said about going solo, "this scares me a little bit", GOOD! That means you are smart, and you realize there is a risk.
But you need to educate yourself by reading, and work on your skills by going with a group for some time before you are ready to go solo, even with Jake. Be patient CShamrock, good things do not always happen overnight.
I understand exactly how you feel, I started hiking and camping at a young age and I had to find rides, wait till my friends baseball season was over, try to talk friends into going, and things like that.

You should be able to find a hiking club of some kind near you. Have you tried searching with keywords like: /hiking/club/outfitter/trail maintenance/, and add your city /county/state. Where are you located again? Three sisters area in Oregon?
I don't know what your transportation status is, but don't get discouraged. Sometimes when I want to go really bad and can't for some reason, I read about it, exercise, and work with my dog to get ready. Sometimes I still camp in the back yard just to try ideas or new gear out.
Hang in there friend, your time will come, and you can get ready in the meantime, exercise, live and eat healthy and you may have the last laugh!

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I have camped, hiked and bike toured solo. When I went bike touring, I had never done it before, although I was an experienced road cyclist and hadn't been camping in years. I read up on gear, bought what I thought I needed, which turned out to be mostly right and off I went.

On that same trip, I hiked solo, but on established tracks where at the end of the day, I would find myself at a hut shared with other people (this was in New Zealand, where huts are common). I have also done a couple of solo winter camping trips in Yosemite.

The trick, in my opinion, is to not do anything too extreme. My Yosemite trips, for example, have been in an area not that far off a snow-covered road that is used by day skiers and snowshoers, so while I was alone, especially at night, I really wasn't all that far from civilization.

For safety, be sure to notify someone as to where you are going and when you are getting back. In Yosemite, you need a permit and you put that in your car window. If you don't come back, they will look at the permit and come looking for you. Remember, on your own, you have only you to rely on for routefinding and cooking, so learn beforehand. Not that you should rely on someone else's routefinding skills anyway-they may not know as much as they think they do.

As far as what to do, depends on what you like-photography, fishing, that sort of thing. Bring along a book to read. Some people like to be alone more than others, but that's up to you. Sometimes you meet other people along the way and you might hook up with them for a bit.

There are groups and websites for finding hiking partners. I did a Yosemite trip with two people I met on another website. Worked out fine. Sometimes it doesn't. In my case, I knew these two guys from a site and was familiar with their postings, so I knew something about them in advance. However, last winter in the PNW, a group of beginner winter campers who met through one of those meet online groups got caught in a big storm. There was plenty of blame to go around as to why they got into their predicament, but inexperience seemed the principal culprit. I think you need to get a feel for what people know or don't know before going with them.

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Check on websites like meetup.com - I'm part of a hiking group in my area and 99.9% of the folks I've met so far have been wonderful people. I've got a handful of folks interested in backpacking with me now, and a whole lot who will day hike at the drop of an email.

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Thanks for the comments. I am definately a person who likes to be alone, thats for sure! So thats why I am looking at going solo. But the idea of getting togeter with a club or other people is a good idea too. I havent really looked at clubs around here, even though central oregon is HUGE for outdooor activities I shouldn't have any difficulty finding one, I hope.
Is the Hiking Society national? I am wondering because I cant find anyhting on oregon events or activities.

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I read a nice book by a young man who walked across america with his dog. In fact that may have been the title: Walk Across America? It was bit corny in places and the writing was nothing fancy but altogether very interesting.
Solo hiking or in groups can both be a challenge, depending on who you are at the time. The best time for making up your mind is when you are doing it, if you know what I mean.

(Yes, it was Peter Jenkins I have just checked)

All the best.

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As you start solo hiking, pick trails that are relatively popular. That is, you will be hiking by yourself at your own pace, but you will encounter plenty of people, should you have a problem. There are lots of trails like that in Oregon and Washington. As others have said, start out with easy hikes. Then as you gain skills and confidence in yourself and your gear, you can take on more challenging trips. And yes, while most of the skills you use on a solo hike are the same as on a group hike, there are some differences. One is pacing - you have to consider only yourself, when to rest, when to push on, when to start looking for the night's campsite, where with a group, you have to consider the whole group and all the members of the group. Another is navigation - you have to do all the navigation and route-finding yourself, which means you have to learn to use the map and compass all the time, not just depend on the person in the group who is familiar with the area or is skilled at land navigation. Cooking for yourself is also different than in a group - sometimes you have to force yourself to get that meal down, no matter how tired you are, since you have to replenish your energy stores for the next day, as well as make sure you are rehydrated (in a group, you see others eating and drinking, so you are reminded). And some people find that being alone on a backpack is not as comfortable as they thought it would be.

Since I retired, I have done most of my hikes solo. In some cases, I have been out for 3 or 4 days without seeing anyone else. In most cases, I see lots of other people each day. One of my favorite winter tours retraces the route of the Echo to Kirkwood Ski Race (sadly, no longer being run). There are a half dozen really nice places to camp along the route. I have done this at times when I made the tracks, got snow, and made the tracks on the way out (winter navigation in snow is quite different from summer on trails, especially if you have a blizzard). A couple times, I have followed fresh tracks and found that my intended campsite had 3 or 4 other tents already there (I headed on to the next campsite each time).

It is important that you have a definite plan, with turnback points. In winter, you must have a plan to bail if needed, and a criterion to bail (can you wait out an unexpectedly long storm? Are you going to cross avalanche slopes that might build because of a storm?). Summer is not as critical, though you can be in a place where you can have a severe storm that drops trees on the trail (the Ax Men series about logging in Oregon included a storm so severe that one of the groups had a hard time getting out, even with all the professional logging equipment they had). As always, group or solo, you will have your plan on file with someone who knows your detailed route and schedule, but you still may have to extract yourself. In flying, there is a rule about the 180 degree turn - sometimes, turning around and beating a retreat is the best choice. Having a conservative 180 degree criterion is vital when going solo, even when you are on a popular trail. Remember, the mountain/trail/lake will always be there for another trip.

As an example, a few years back, in late summer, I set out to hike up Wheeler Peak in New Mexico (highest peak in NM, and a short day hike out of Taos Ski Resort). I hiked out to the lake where the trail branches, then headed up the steep section of the trail to the peak. The clouds developed much more rapidly than the weather forecast, so that by the time I reached about 800-900 ft below the summit, snow was falling thickly enough that visibility was much reduced. Plus the wind was picking up. I decided to turn back, not having seen anyone since I had left the car. About 200 ft down the mountain, I encountered a fellow heading up. We discussed the weather situation, and he decided to continue, because he had hiked it before and was familiar with the mountain. Shortly after I got back to the lake and headed on the more level trail back to Taos, he caught up with me. He said he had gone about 300 ft or so higher and decided I was right, hence he too bailed. Different people, different criteria.

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Any psycological recommendations so I dont freak out when I meet a bear or anyother animal where Im lowest on the food chain? Im guessing it can get pretty scary at times when your alone huh?

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The psychology is easy: once you've been presented with a situation that you find scary, you'll either continue to go out or not. If you do, you'll find yourself in scary situations again, but each time you'll be a little better at handling the fear.

In preparation of such things, though, knowledge is key. Scared of wild animals? Research and practice what to do in case of an encounter or attack. Worried about getting hurt? Learn good wilderness first aid and preventive medicine. Not sure what to do if a storm comes in or you get lost? Learn solid, fundamental survival skills.

Most importantly, never let unfounded fear get the best of you. However, heed sensible fear because that kind comes from a physiological source: keeping your butt in one piece.

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rdavis offers good advise, developing skills, and building confidence takes time. Because of your age, I would advise you to find a group to go with to develop those skills, this is good advise for any age really.
I don't know if the other posters are aware of your age?

I went into Buckhouse swamp with two others when I was 16, and when we decided it was time to head home it was already getting dark.
We made a wrong turn, partly due to our inexperience, partly due to the lack of light, and I was soon faced with a large body of algae covered water in an area full of cotton mouths and alligators.
Everywhere we tried to walk I ran into soft ground and swamp. We had no gear at all, and almost no skills to handle such a situation.
We ended up spending the night, we got a fire started thanks to a lighter we had and slept around the fire all night to keep warm.
The next morning, we found the narrow strip of land we had wandered onto and it took us out to an area we recognized, and we eventually made it out of the woods and back home.
Our parents had been up all night worrying to death.
This was all avoidable by getting some experience and skills first.
One of us could have easily gotten hurt, and being lost, with no one knowing where we went, there would have been nothing we could have done about it.
I'm not suggesting you would do this, it was foolish. But my point is that when you need skills, you really need them! Get them before you go solo.
Best of luck.

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I have been where you are at when I started out. I have spent most of my time in the backcountry hiking going solo. To be honest some of the best moments of my life have been out on my own in the mountains. Here is my list of key essentials to having a enjoyable safe relationship with solo hiking.

First is take a navigation course WITH field trips to burn that new knowledge into your brain. Learn how to use a compass and Topo maps. dont just rely on GPS. Once you have the confidence in "Staying found" it will open up your world of confidence. (make sure someone knows exactly where your going and when to expect you)

Second for me is knowing my limits and accepting that my "plan" may have to be adjusted or changed. I focus on the trip, not the destinations.

Third is that we need to know our gear. How to use it obviously but more important how to fix it, patch it and sometimes when things get really messed up, how to make due with what your left with. Backcountry field repairs can and will take place. It will make the difference between having a problem turn out to be a trip breaker or sometimes the highlight.

I found that over the years my confidence in hiking solo has transferred into my everyday life. Plus its nice to have the confidence to bring first timers in the mountains and make them feel comfortable and enjoy what REAL camping is all about.

Have fun and I wish you years of enjoyment.

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I go solo, by choice, almost all of the time and the last post is exactly what I would say, there is some excellent advice here. I started working alone, for three month stints without a break in BC wilderness just at my 21st. birthday, over 40 years ago. I learned by doing and listening to oldtimers and I enjoy going solo.

Take your time, use caution NOT macho and you will be fine.

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trouthunter makes a point I tend to forget, having been brought up in the era and area where I was. In cleaning out junk, I came across a file of letters from my father (from the days when keeping a copy meant using carbon paper - hmmm, how many here even know what "carbon paper" is). In one of them, he comments how my buddies and I, solo or as a group, would take off for most of a day, which worried my mother sick. This was age 6 to 10 years, and in a very rural setting, the middle of the Arizona desert, in fact, while living in a tiny village on the reservation. None of us got hurt or died. Well, ok, Willis broke his collarbone falling out of a tree, and I put a rusty nail through my foot when jumping into an irrigation canal. But those were across the road from our houses. I'm not sure why my mother was so worried, considering that she and her 9 brothers and sisters would take off on foot and horseback from their farm in Missouri alone and in groups in the same way.

Thing is, in those days and in that environment, you grew up in the wilderness, and you were taught the dangers early on. We were camping and hiking from an early age (I have mentioned the photos of me in the wilderness with my parents from about 6 months). We were let loose with only the admonition to be back before dark and not to go too far. Well, one other admonition - we had to get our chores done. In my case, that was feeding the chickens and rabbits (and shoveling out the manure in the henhouse) and helping in the garden, as well as cleaning my room and some other part of the house. Somehow we survived.

These days, especially in urban areas, parents live in terror of kidnappings, gang shootings, getting run over by speeding cars, and so on. There are no worries about rattlesnakes (I wasn't bitten until age 16), scorpions (my sister's almost fatal encounter was in grad school in the poisonous animal research lab where she was an assistant, not in the wild), gila monsters, and the occasional coyote or puma. Here in Palo Alto, home of Stanford University, we get mountain lions in our neighborhoods (one was shot within a mile of my house). But still, we expect our parks to be safe. Kids are not taught to prepare for a night in the wilderness - after all, you can get a meal at the local burger joint or pizza parlor, so why cook for yourself? Parents drive their kids to school, even if it is only 2 or 3 blocks, then carefully survey the area to be sure no child molesters are lurking (seriously! even in a very low-crime area like Palo Alto).

Point here is, since I was brought up in the hills, woods, desert, and other wilderness places, I tend to forget that most people nowdays (something like 90% of the US population lives in urban settings) might have urban "street smarts", but they know nothing about "wilderness smarts" unless explicitly taught by mentors or in formal courses.

You cannot learn from books or videos - you have to get out and do it. You can learn all the wrong things from "reality TV" and "survival" TV shows.

So, yes, do take classes. Do find a mentor. Do take it one small step at a time.

I don't recall seeing what age you are, CShamrock, but if you are over 14 and under 21, you might consider joining the Venturing program run by Boy Scouts. This is a co-ed program, with the emphasis on an outdoor, high adventure venue. Another alternative is to go with an Outward Bound program. That's more expensive than the Venturing program, but includes a solo experience toward the end of their post-beginner courses.

Again, remember, it isn't about macho. The mountains and wilderness will always be there for you to return to. So play it conservative. You will be doing things that are true adventures in pretty short order and enjoying them, not barely surviving and living in constant terror of "Things That Go Bump In The Night".

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Very good advice Bill. I have gone alone only a couple times and felt totally, if not overly prepared. The thing that always made me doubt myself were my peers and girlfriend, who just simply could not understand how going alone is not quite as dangerous as it seems.

I'll definitely vouch for going on planned hikes with experienced guides. After going on trips with the Outdoor Pursuits Center of my school I felt better prepared and ultimately more comfortable.

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Shamrock,

When I was young -- we were still riding amoeba to school, multi-celled creatures were later -- I went everywhere with my dog. Learning about the outdoors was done through Scouting, reading, but mostly just practice. You might want to start by spending a few days and nights sleeping in a tent and cooking over a fire on your own or a friend's land. You'd be surprised at the problems you can encounter and overcome within shouting distance of home --- if you decide not to shout. :) The same type of rainstorm you will later survive alone on a desolate mountain peak years from now, is going to try to drive you indoors from your backyard tonight.

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HA-HA, Good point overmywaders. It is hard sometimes to stay in your tent with a warm, soft bed close by!

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Thanks everyone for your comments. Im 16 years old and have had many classes in wilderness skills. When our family goes camping, they leave it to me to make the fire (sometimes without matches). Ive always had a passion for the outdoors and just love it! Im not saying that I know all there is to outdoor skills though, im always open for ideas and recomendations.
[Just some experience here] Ever since I was knee high to a grass hopper, I can remember my dad taking me hiking in the white mountains of new hampshire (at least I think thats what they were). He would take me to all the fire lookouts, and sometimes I got to skip school :) Then two years ago my dad, brother, and I hiked hagar mountain here in oregon, in the winter time. We stayed in the fire lookout for 3 days and boiled snow for water. And With about 10 feet of snow on the ground we had to use snow shoes. The day we decided to hike down was in white out conditions (we were around 7000 feet up). My dad and I have the same GPS, but only I really knew how to work it, and with no trail to follow, I was the one to lead us down. Couple hours later we arrived at our car parked 4 tough miles away.
If it werent for the training and preveous experience, I dont know if we would have got down as fast, or in the same day! But I gotta tell ya, the good totaly out wayed the bad. My dad, brother, and I came closer as a family, and we would all do it again:) I guess thats what really counts.

As for my outdoor experience, I know I could use more training and skills. I guess books can only get you so far though.
Keep the ideas and elderly knowledge coming(please), Im all ears :)

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You sound like you are doing fine CShamrock, Good for you!
I too have a passion for the outdoors, always have.
I am 42 yrs. old, I learn something every trip I take,
listening to "elderly knowledge" will help you tremendously, I do it all the time. Lots of times the older guys with beat up raggedy gear are the ones to talk to.
One thing I have found that helps is to offer them something in return for their wisdom, a fishing lure, a snack of some kind, help loading/unloading their gear, ect. And I at least always say: Thank you for your time!

The White Mountains is where I drove to buy my current pack dog, best one I have ever had. I don't take him on heavily used trails, mostly as a companion in remote areas on solo trips. I have a male Akita, very quiet, alert to everything. Scared of nothing, but not at all mean, very gentle. Akitas are large and powerful(for carrying his food and gear)
We have left out on frigidly cold mornings before and I have to laugh at him because he will have leaves and stuff froze to his hindquarters, he doesn't even know it is cold, lucky devil!

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CShamrock -
16, eh? Many years ago, when I was Chair of the Safety Committee for a climbing club I belonged to, a young man, age 16, showed up at one of our practice climbs, saying he wanted to learn about climbing. A couple of years back, I ran into him at a gathering of climbers. He told me I had taught him a huge amount, and had taken him up his first multi-pitch climb. I only vaguely remember this, but still, having him tell me I had given him the foundation for his climbing gave me a great feeling. I tend to avoid dropping names, but I will mention that he is the author of a half dozen guidebooks to mountains around the world. A lot of his trips over the past 30 years or so have been solo, in some cases one or 2 weeks long, and genuinely solo, meaning he would see no one between leaving the trailhead and returning. He calls many of these his "vision quests".

What I am saying here is that if you can find one of the "older guys with raggedy gear" that trouthunter mentions, you are likely to find that they are happy to share the information, skills, and experience.

Since you are in Oregon, you should try to join in on the activities and training of the Mazamas, one of the oldest outdoor organizations around. They have good training programs, though some are overly formal. Still, you can pick up a lot of the basics (and in your case, refine a lot of what you already know).

By the way, although as a 16 yr old, trouthunter, kutenay, Tom D, and I, along with others on this site may seem "elderly", we are really young kids, not yet having grown up, and probably never will. It's just that we have accumulated a bit of experience. (even though my driver's license claims I am getting close to 68 and the government has issued me a Medicare card and lifetime "Golden Age" pass, I'm really 29. I just got the grey beard prematurely).

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Bill, as I saw some advice columnist post in response to a question about men "Just remember, men stop maturing at 11." :)

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It doesn't take that long in some parts of the Appalachians

Just a quick campfire joke for CShamrock, or anyone else.

Several days in a row Game Wardens observe a hillbilly in an old rusty pick up towing a jon boat. The pick up has several large coolers in the back. The Warden stops the hillbilly to check his license, boat registration, and have a look in the coolers. The hillbillies license and boat registration are good, and upon looking in the coolers the Warden finds over a hundred fish!
How did you catch all these fish the Warden asks?
With the net back there in the boat, the hillbilly says.

Lifting up the small net the Warden says in disbelief: I'd like to see that, there's no way!
The hillbilly says, well I'm headed out right now, c'mon I'll prove it, them fish ain't hard to just scoop up!

So off they go, the Warden and the hillbilly, when they get out a little ways the hillbilly lights a stick of dynamite and chunks it out across the water.
Totally freaking out The Warden says, you idiot, that's illegal!
Well the hillbilly lit another stick and threw it in the Wardens lap, and asked, you gonna arrest me, or fish!

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Late, as usual, but had to add my 2 cents worth.

I have very, very limited experience, and at age 57, I feel most of the challenge is with my health, not the trail. My weight, and now diabetes, and the like make each trip an experience. I have yet to find people who aren't "afraid" to backpack into our wonderful forests with me, so I go solo. I'm not so sure that's not the way I like it, but I would like to share these trips with someone anyway. My wife is too ill from a stroke to participate. I remember, much like Bill, how as a youngster I would take trips through the hills of WV without worry, although my mother would probably worry some, but only if I was gone too long. I wouldn't allow my own child to do that in today's world, but I certainly learned a lot from those trips.

There is just something magical about being out on trail by yourself, taking in all of the sites, smells, sounds and the like at your own pace, and never feeling I have to be somewhere along the trail at a particular time. I do, though, stay within my planned time-of-trip so that nobody thinks I might be lost or hurt. My trips are for my own enjoyment, pure and simple, and distance or destination turns out to be only what I end up doing and not the goal of the trip.

Sure hope I painted a nice picture and didn't sound too crazy.

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Nice post, Blackbeard. We've missed you. Seems to me, though, your experience isn't all that limited, and you always have a lot of wisdom to offer. Visit more often, so we know you are getting out and about.

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Thanks Bill,

One thing I seemed to have forgotten to mention - going solo means you don't get the learned experiences of your companions. But it also opens the door to inventing new experiences and ways to do things from neccesity. As long as you don't run into any real bad things going solo, you just tend to appreciate everything a little more each time out.

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Couldn't agree with you guys more. Its awesome having some "elderly knowledge" for us yong or inexperienced hikers. These past couple of weeeks ive been kinda loosing my interest in backpacking, but a quick look at some You Tube videos and reading some posts here gave me back my interest. So thanks for all the comments:)

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CShamrock,

If you are going hiking alone, who are you going to pull pranks on, let alone, whose bag are you gonna put rocks in!?

j/k

More power to you for hiking alone.. I'm part of the 'codependent crowd' where I use non-experienced hikers to carry a majority of the group gear :-) So i'm typically hiking with 2 - 4 people!

and my back & knees thank me for a few days after we're done!!

good luck & have fun!

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I'm not sure where in Oregon you live, or if you live in a rural or urban area, but camping near the house is a good first solo trip if you live in a rural area. I grew up in Wisconsin, lived on three acres of land, and was surrounded by state park. My brother and I got a lot of experience just by camping in the woods around my house-and we always had the failsafe of just walking home in case something went wrong. This is how we did our first winter backpacking and training for trips to Colorado.

Of course if you live in an urban area (like Chicago-which I have just moved too (waaaayy too many people)), camping in your backyard is a little harder.

One time I was trying out my new one man tent, and my brother was trying out just sleeping on a tarp. In the middle of the night, a bunch of deer started getting really close to us, then snorted and ran off. We see deer all the time in Wisconsin, but that was really freaky. After putting up with that for a couple hours, we just got up and walked home. That would have been a little hard miles off a trail head in some remote location.

Good luck on whatever trip you decide to do!

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Thanks daniel, I live in central oregon in the outskirts of Redmond. We live on 5 acres of juniper and sage brush land. And right near ,atleast, 100,000 acres of BLM land. So I think I will take your advice and give it a try.
After all I just purchased a Kelty Grand Mesa 2 for only $88 at sportsmans warehouse, so now I have an excuse to go camping out back :)

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Cshamrock, now the GOAL with backpacking here is to hike with friends and make sure you have the lighest backpack of them all. this can be done by adding extra pillows to your bag to make it APPEAR you are stuffed full of gear, keeping your thermarest a bit inflated when you roll it, and packing the lid of your backpack full of toilet paper.

Backpacking solo sounds like an adventure, but that would require I carry a heavy load (boo!)

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