Solo Hiking: Why I Love it & How to Stay Safe
Hiking is an amazing activity with innumerable benefits, both physical and mental, but there are quite a few barriers to hiking that, for one reason or another, turn people away. For me it simply used to be accessibility. When I first arrived in Vancouver I didn’t have a car for several years and simply accessing the mountains was a challenge. Thankfully, due to the discovery of online hiking groups, that soon changed as I was able to go with others who did have access to a car. Soon enough I decided it was time to get a vehicle myself and the mountains soon became my oyster.
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My First Solo Hike
I had never hiked alone up until this point, but I’d always enjoyed spending time with myself in other activities, so after a few group hike outings I decided to go out on my own, with my dog, to Eagle Bluffs on Cypress Mountain. This is a moderately difficult hike, I’d certainly done much longer and higher so I wasn’t concerned about the hike itself.
Not long into the hike, to my surprise, I became rather uncomfortable with all the sounds of wilderness. It’s crazy how much noise nature can create when you stop to listen, whether it’s just a rustle in the leaves from a calm breeze, to the sudden flutter of a bird’s wings after you’ve startled it. These seemingly innocuous sounds can really begin to play with your psyche.
I kept hiking further and further, and since I set off early I hadn’t seen a soul all morning adding to the eeriness. These sounds kept playing on my mind to the point that I eventually convinced myself the sound I was hearing was a bear or a cougar, and I kept asking myself “what if…?”. Finally, after trying to tell myself it’s probably nothing, I psyched myself out so much that I decided to turn back and go home. I didn’t try solo hiking again for over a year as I didn’t think I’d ever be comfortable with it.
And herein lies the issue most people never get past when it comes to solo hiking. There are a whole lot of “what if…?” moments in hiking, and if you’re not prepared to handle these situations you’re simply never going to be comfortable with solo hiking.
- “What if an animal attacks me?”
- “What if I fall and hurt myself severely?”
- “What if I take a wrong turn and get totally lost?”
- “What if I don’t pack the appropriate gear and get caught out in bad weather?”
- “What if I reach a part of the hike I’m too scared to tackle?”
Preparation & Experience
What people fail to realize is that these “what if…?” moments of fear are everywhere in life, they’ve just subdued them through a combination of preparation and experience.
When I first started learning to drive it was no different to my first solo hike. I was terrified of so many “what if…?” moments that I actually feared driving altogether. I felt like I was in this high risk world that I didn’t belong in, that I was going to make a massive mistake and I was going to end up hurting myself or someone else. I hated my driving lessons explicitly and would rather have just stayed at home, never learning to drive. I’m sure a lot of people go through the same feelings in many aspects of life, but they’ll usually push through as they know they “need” to. Most people don’t want to go through life without being able to drive after all.
The thing with solo hiking is, it’s totally optional. You can get by without ever hiking alone, so if it scares the living crap out of you, why bother? Well, there are a lot of reasons why solo hiking is awesome!
7 Benefits of Hiking Alone
While I love hiking both as a group and alone, solo hiking specifically has some benefits that group hiking don’t allow for:
1. Go at your own pace
As a relatively quick hiker I tend to find I’m at the front of the group when hiking with others. Depending on the group size, this can sometimes lead to frustration as I don’t feel like I am being pushed physically if I’m constantly having to wait. The larger the group, the more evident this can become. I tend to prefer smaller group hikes with people of the same ability, but honestly it’s just easier to go it alone and go at whatever pace you like without having to worry about others. On the flip side, slower hikers might feel guilty about making the rest of the group wait while they catch up.
2. Stop as often as you wish and for as long as you like
As an amateur photographer I often want to stop and take several photos of seemingly obscure things that don’t interest other people. If the rest of the hiking group want to keep going, you often feel rushed and perhaps don’t get to spend as long as you would wish in certain areas if you have to leave to keep up. Sometimes I like to stay at the summit for a long time taking photos, which can be awkward if the others want to get down quickly.
3. Develop mental strength, independence, courage, self-motivation & resourcefulness
Many people have self-doubt that they are capable of doing something on their own, so they rely on others to help them. Solo hiking doesn’t allow you to rely on anyone but yourself. Is there a challenging part of the trail? You best figure out how to handle that on your own. Scared of an exposed part of the hike? You can’t rely on someone else to encourage you through it. You will grow leaps and bounds, not only on the trail but in all aspects of life. I am a far, far more confident person out in the “real world” thanks to my solo hiking adventures.
4. Complete freedom
Want to do that weird hike that nobody else wants to do? Want to begin your hike way earlier than others? Need to be back home at a certain time? All of this is easy if you are going it alone. Solo hiking offers complete freedom in where and when you do things. It’s far easier to plan around one person than it is 5. I can estimate my finish time for a hike when I’m solo very accurately. When I’m in a group it’s anyone’s guess!
5. Sense of achievement
Finishing any hike provides a great sense of achievement that I have struggled to replicate in other aspects of life. That feeling when you finally reach the summit is like no other. Imagine how that feels when you’ve done it by yourself, without the help of anyone to spur you on. Many people rely on external motivation to finish a hike and if they had to go it alone they might give up. If you do soldier on and reach the summit, the euphoric feeling is twice as good if you do it solo.
6. Time to self-reflect
This is a cheesy one but it’s true nonetheless. Sometimes you just need some time and space to process thoughts and feelings. Solo hiking gives you hours upon hours by yourself with little to do but think. Me? I mostly think about how far I have to go until the views get nice, I’m not a very reflective person, but other people really find value in self-reflection.
7. Focus on what YOU like about hiking
People hike for many reasons. You might like the physical challenge, the mental challenge, the relaxed time in nature, the dramatic summit views, the photography opportunities or the flora and fauna. Hiking alone allows you to focus on whatever it is you like about hiking. For me it’s mostly a combination of pushing myself physically, photography hunting and epic summits.
With all of these benefits, on top of the usual benefits of hiking like physical well-being, you would think solo hiking is pretty popular. In my experience though, it is quite the opposite. I know very few people who go hiking alone, and if they do they tend to stick to pretty simple trails (nothing wrong with that!). I’m not here to tell you what to do, while I have my arguments for solo hiking there are plenty of arguments against it as well that I won’t try and refute.
That being said, if solo hiking is something you would like to do, having solo hiked for a while now, I’m going to offer some advice on how to go from being scared of it, to becoming comfortable and ultimately confident with it.
10 Tips for Becoming a Confident Solo Hiker
As with learning anything new, the key to becoming confident at anything is to prepare and practice. It’s no different for solo hiking, so here are my tips for becoming comfortable with it:
1. Become confident in a group first
I absolutely do not suggest anybody begin their hiking journey by going out on their own to learn the ropes. It’s paramount before going out solo that you are not only competent in a group but also confident. Continuing with my learning to drive analogy, you wouldn’t learn to drive by hopping in a car and going for a spin on your own, so don’t do it hiking either. Going in a group allows you to learn the basics, like what to wear, what to pack, how to respond in certain situations etc. but it also lets you learn about your own abilities and limits. It’s really important that you have a good idea as to what you are capable of before you go solo hiking so you don’t end up aiming too high too soon.
2. Bring the 10 essentials
Being prepared with the 10 essentials allows you to respond effectively to many of the “what if…?” scenarios you can face while hiking alone. You should be carrying these when group hiking anyway, but it’s doubly important for solo hiking. What if you get lost? You have navigation. What if you get hurt? You have first aid. What if the weather changes? You have all the clothing you need. The 10 essentials are, well, essential to becoming confident at solo hiking.
3. Learn how to prevent animal encounters, how to react to them and bring the necessary gear
My biggest fear of solo hiking in British Columbia was bear encounters. Bears are basically everywhere here and encounters aren’t that uncommon. It’s imperative you know how to respond in the event of encountering a bear, and particularly if the bear charges. Carrying bear spray is a big factor for this, but that should only be a last resort. Ideally you will hike in a way that will allow bears to know of your presence. Most bear attacks are defensive in nature when a person surprises a bear. I carry a bear bell on my pack at all times when hiking alone and if I feel like I am in a particularly quiet and vulnerable area I will play music on my phone (note: please don’t do this on a busy trail, it’s only really necessary on less populated trails and will just annoy other hikers). Other safety ideas are to carry a whistle (blow it loudly if you see a bear) and even a wildlife deterrent horn (sound the horn to scare off the bear).
4. Bring an offline map and power bank
This overlaps with #2 but I can’t stress enough the importance of an offline map, ideally one downloaded to your phone or other navigation device. On top of that it’s imperative you have a fully charged power bank. Your cell phone could easily die, especially if you get lost, so it’s important you have the ability to recharge your device. Power banks are so cheap and lightweight these days, and can recharge your phone multiple times from 0 to 100%, there is no reason to not carry one. Having an offline map is so important to feeling confident that you are on the right path, and if you get lost it is easy to find the way back. I have a twofold setup for this, I download an offline map from AllTrails to my phone (need to have AllTrails Pro for this) but I also have a Garmin inReach with the map downloaded just in case. I’m not a fan of paper based maps as you can’t see where you are on the map. If you don’t know how to read maps, compasses nor understand your surroundings (most people don’t), a paper map is useless. An online map is also useless if you have no cell service.
5. Bring a satellite navigation device
I never wanted to invest in a satellite navigation device while hiking in groups, always assuming I’d be fine as long as I’m with others. I even began solo hiking without a satnav device due to the high cost of buying and maintaining one. That was naive and I wouldn’t leave home without the satnav if I’m hiking solo now. If I ever get hurt or lost (unlikely with an offline map), a satnav device provides the ability to communicate with friends/family and also send an SOS with your exact location. It also allows me to send my exact location to friends/family throughout the hike so they can check in to make sure I’m still moving. Most hikes I go on do not have cell service throughout, so having the ability to communicate in a pinch is absolutely crucial. The satnav is also a backup for navigation, providing a topographic map of the area you’re in. This is the only device you can bring that will guarantee contact with the outside world.
6. Start small and easy before building up
It goes without saying that your first few solo adventures should be simple hikes, in good weather, on populated trails, ideally with cell service. You want to know if things go wrong that you’re in a safe place for rescue or it’s easy for you to turn and go back to the car if needed. Keep the hike relatively short and technically simple. As you develop confidence you can expand your horizons and go on more and more difficult hikes.
7. Leave a plan
This should also be the case in group hikes but I find it’s less common to leave a plan when you’re with others. If you’re going alone it’s important you tell somebody where you are going and when you expect to be back. I just text this information to my wife prior to leaving so she doesn’t have to remember it. Ideally you should also leave a trip plan in your vehicle in case search and rescue are trying to find you. They will always find your vehicle first.
8. Don't push it
I’m all for testing yourself and I firmly believe that people need to leave their comfort zone in order to grow, but if you are hiking alone it’s a lot more important to err on the side of caution. I know how strong the pull can be to challenge yourself by scrambling up a ridgeline that leaves your palms sweaty, but save this for when you’re hiking with others. If you do fall and seriously injure yourself, even with a satnav device, you may not be in a position to call for help or administer first aid.
9. Be overly prepared
Many group hikers relax a bit more about things like checking the weather, packing extra layers, bringing extra food/water etc. because they have other people to rely on. When you’re hiking alone it’s important to be totally self-sufficient. Check weather forecasts (including the weather at the summit), bring extra layers and pack extra food. I always bring more layers than I think necessary just in case, and I usually pack extra food and water as I know I have nobody else to rely on. There’s nothing worse than running out of food/water on a long hike on your own.
10. Know when to turn back
One of the most important skills to safe hiking, especially when going solo, is knowing when to call it quits. Hiking doesn’t always go to plan, I’ve had to call it quits on several hikes for numerous reasons (usually weather) but I’ve always made the right call to turn back. Another reason to turn back is you are losing daylight. Many people get lost when hiking because they get caught out by nightfall and end up in the dark (you should have a headlight if you bring the 10 essentials). At times I’ve called it quits simply because the hike became a scramble and was too treacherous for what I was comfortable doing on my own. There’s no shame in quitting, if everyone knew when to turn back North Shore Rescue would be a lot quieter…
You'll soon be confident
After you’ve gone out on a few successful solo hikes you’ll be amazed at how comfortable you’ve become with adventuring alone. It really doesn’t take long to gain confidence after some successful outings. I’m now at the point where I’m just as confident going out alone as I am with a group