| HIKING ALONE VERSUS WITH SOMEONE My thoughts about hiking alone are kind of like most people�s first sexual experience, �it was great, but it would have been better if someone else would have been there too�. It seems like a lot of long distance hiking is done alone. Most of my AZT experience was done alone. My friends and family thought I had taken leave of my common sense when they heard I was planning to hike the AZT and �Alone? Are you crazy?� And according to them, everything from rattlesnakes, bears, mountain lions and gypsies were hanging out in the Arizona outback waiting to get me. And, of course they warned, falling off cliffs or twisting my ankle might leave me in the middle of nowhere and not be able to go for help. You shouldn�t hike alone they said, again and again. Of course they were right in that there is a lot of danger but heck I drive Phoenix� streets on a regular basis so I figured I was used to some danger. So I went alone, except for a few miles. But, it�s a decision that needs to be given a lot of consideration. Actually, I hiked alone mainly because I wasn�t aware of anyone else who wanted to go as not many of my hiker friends have the time. But I must admit I didn�t search too hard for a companion. Hiking alone has some positives (which can also be negatives too): First, decisions may take some time to think through but you only deliberate with yourself. You only ask yourself when to stop for a break or the day, where to set up camp, when to get up, no waiting on someone else etc. Secondly, I know I�m not that easy to get along with on a full 24 hour a day basis. A few hours a day, I can be tolerated by most anyone and likewise, I can tolerate the likes of Judge Judy if necessary. But, beyond those few hours and I�m ready to snap the neck of someone over annoying habits like smacking lips when eating or snoring too loud. Of course, I do those same things but that�s OK when you�re by yourself. Thirdly, for me I am a lot more cautious by myself than when I hike with others. I plan and prepare in great detail. On the trail, I think and rethink what I am doing, double back more often if I think I�m on the wrong trail, and never try to go far without a full load of water. By nature I�m not a risk taker but when I hike alone I am super cautious. Actually there are more reasons to hike with someone else than alone: like someone to answer a question, share a view, help make decisions, go for help, ward off attacking marauders, and hopefully someone you can outrun if a bear attacks. Two heads, and usually two bodies, are usually better than one. Of course compatibility is the obvious key, both in personality and hiking ability and styles. Can you imagine hiking more than a day with some weasel-pitched voice ninny? Or someone who likes to began the hiking day at 9AM when you like to be on the trail at first light? A while back, I listened to a fellow give a talk on hiking the Appalachian Trail. He started the hike with his love bunny of several months. After a few weeks, they split up, both literally and figuratively. He finished the hike in 5+ months, she in 8 months. I suspect the split was partially rooted in their different hiking paces and that led to a fast widening relationship rift. So, the bottom line. If it�s a choice of going alone or not going at all, I say go for it. Yes you might twist an ankle on a loose rock and be stranded on a mountain side while hiking alone. But that�s better than slipping off a city sidewalk and falling into the path of a potato chip truck. But if you have a compatible partner, who�s ready to hike with you, �hit the trail together!� EMAIL ME |
 |
| The lone hiker. Alone with the prairie. Alone with his thoughts. |