Hiking Solo: How to tackle your fear
There may be apprehension when it comes to hiking solo, either from yourself or your loved ones. However, solo hiking, the act of hiking on your own, can be a rewarding experience that minimizes distractions and enhances our focus on the wonder of nature.
So why so much fear?
Well, it isn’t helped when it seems there’s a story every week of a missing hiker or worse, one who has come to an untimely end. But it is important to keep it in perspective by knowing the facts.
The facts are someone is very unlikely to die while hiking, whether with a group or by yourself. On average, 120 to 150 people die per year while hiking in the United States, but that pales in comparison to the estimated 59 million Americans who participated in hiking in 2021 (source: statista.com). If you do the math, approximately one person per 430,000 people will die during a hike, or around a .0000025 percent chance. It doesn’t take a mathematician to recognize those are good odds in your favor, much better than every time you jump in a car.
But let’s not get cocky.
While the odds of a safe hiking trip are overwhelmingly high, we still need to do our due diligence to ensure our favorite pastime doesn’t turn into a disaster.
There are skills and knowledge you should know before venturing in the wilderness alone, such as:
- What to do if you get lost
- How to use a map and compass
- How to build a fire
- What gear and supplies you should always have on hand
- How to handle wildlife encounters
Knowing these things can be the difference between being lost for an hour or lost for days, and ultimately perhaps even living or dying.
What to do if you get lost
If you find yourself off-trail and lost, the first thing to do is stay calm. Don’t make a rash decision in a panic and get yourself into even more trouble. Once your nerves are relaxed, you will be able to think more clearly and formulate a plan.
Next, you need to decide if you should remain where you are and wait for help or venture out to find your way back to civilization. Many people will say remain stationary, while others will argue otherwise. I believe you will need to evaluate the situation yourself and come up with what will work best in your situation as there are benefits to both.
If you choose to hunker down and wait for help, hopefully you have bright colors, a whistle, and perhaps the skill to start and build a fire. These things will make it easier for people to see or hear you, hopefully hastening your rescue. If you lack these, then it will likely take longer to be found.
If you decide to look for a way back to a trail or civilization, your best bet is to find a stream or creek and follow it downstream where it will almost always eventually lead to a road. This may or may not be easy to do depending on the terrain, but when in the mountains, head down hill as mountain streams are often found in the crevasses between hills.
Learn to use a map and compass
Reading a map is not difficult, so spend time studying a map of where you will be. You should also take that map with you on your hike in case you need to use it as we can’t always rely on GPS to navigate us where we need to go. Batteries die, screens shatter, not to mention other ways your electronic devices can fail.
Also learn to read a compass. For practice, I recommend hiking short trails with a map and compass and frequently looking at the two to grasp the correlation. Learning to do this can potentially help navigate yourself back on trail if you ever lose yourself.
Know how to start and build a fire
Building a fire can be lifesaving if stranded in the wilderness in cold temperatures, especially if you weren’t planning on an overnight stay and are ill-prepared to do so. In such a case, start a fire and build it up to provide the warmth you need.
A fire can also help you be located by searchers via the smoke and smell. While you will need dry tinder and kindling to get your fire started, once it is burning well, introduce more green wood into it to create more smoke to expand its potential visibility to help lead searchers to your location.
Check out my article on how to start and build a campfire.
Gear you should always carry
In my opinion, there are a few pieces of gear you should never embark on a hike without, especially if hiking solo. These are:
- A shelter
- Blanket or sleeping bag
- Water filter
- Fire starter
- Knife
- Whistle
- Rain jacket or poncho
- First-aid Kit
You should always keep these items in your pack, whether backpacking or day hiking. While you may not want to carry your regular tent on a day hike, having a form of shelter (like this Life Tent) is a must. Same idea with your sleeping bag or quilt. Even if you don’t want to carry your normal bag, an emergency mylar blanket will help keep you warm if you end up staying out overnight.
Also keep a water filter or some method to purify water with you on any hike. You may bring enough water to keep you hydrated for your hike, but when things go wrong and you are out longer than intended, having a method to purify or filter your water may save your life. Don’t leave home without it!
We’ve already discussed the value of being able to start a fire, so ensure you have an easy, reliable way to do so. I recommend a lighter above everything, but a ferro rod is a good alternative if you know how to use it. And as for matches, in my opinion, leave those at home, unless bringing them for a backup (which is not a bad idea).
You should also have a knife. Not a bowie knife, but something that will suffice in opening packages or for creating tinder to start a fire.
Next, keep a whistle on you. A searcher will be much more likely to identify the squeal of a whistle over your voice, which may be weak at the time you need it.
I also recommend keeping some form of rain gear in your pack, even if there is no chance of rain. Weather can be unpredictable, especially in the mountains, so at minimum, have a throw-away poncho available. They even make ponchos that can double as a shelter. I do not recommend an umbrella in this case. Ultralight options have proven convenient, but for survival purposes, I would limit an umbrella as an addition and not my sole protection from the rain.
And finally, assemble a first-aid kit and don’t leave home without it. Pack some bandages, gauze, tape, scissors, tweezers, alcohol wipes, antibiotic cream, antihistamine, and pain reliever.
How to handle wildlife encounters
Think about this scenario:
You are hiking in the woods alone and are bitten by a snake. What do you do?
How would you handle this? Do you know what you should do? If not, then you should before hiking solo. You can’t necessarily rely on someone else’s knowledge. One, will you even see another person on trail? And two, will anyone you run into know what to do?
Same thing with a bear encounter. Do you know how you should handle an encounter with a black bear? Or how about a grizzly?
What if you are bitten by an animal you suspect has rabies?
It is important to know what wildlife you can encounter on your hike. I implore you to do your research and be prepared to handle these situations with the utmost caution. Also know the location of the most local hospital or urgent care facility to speed up your receiving of medical care.
Further solo hiking tips
Solo hiking opens many doors and helps expand our wilderness experience. No longer do you have to be bound by the availability of your hiking partners. When you want to hike, pack your backpack and go. This isn’t to say hiking with a partner or group isn’t a fun experience itself, but it is different since it provides a level of comfort you must work to build when hiking alone. Here are a few additional tips to help boost your solo hiking confidence.
Start Small
Many hikers have started their hiking careers hiking solo for extended periods of time, but if you have an unshakeable uneasiness about it, start small.
Start with a few short mileage day hikes and work your way into your first solo overnight hiking trip. Gradually go bigger as your comfort level permits. Eventually, you may find yourself prepared for your first extended solo trip.
Let someone know where you will be
Before every hike, let a loved one know where you will be and when you expect to return. If possible, share an exact route (read how to plan your hiking route). If not, then pinpoint where you intend to park. This will at least give the vicinity of where you should be in case you get lost.
Also have a plan for if you fail to return on time. What is a reasonable buffer time for someone to wait after failing to return at your estimated time of arrival? Additionally, provide the number for the local ranger office or police department so they are readily available.
Do not depend on your phone for relaying messages as there will not always be a signal available, or worse, your phone can be lost, stolen, or broken.
Use a satellite messenger or PLB
Speaking of an unreliable cellular signal, I recommend using a satellite messenger, like the Garmin inReach Mini 2. These messengers will allow you to send and receive text messages via satellite, so signal will not be an issue under most circumstances if you can see the sky. Some also have a real-time location tracker that can be shared so someone knows your exact location within fifty feet or better.
Another nice feature of some satellite messengers is an SOS button that will send a signal directly to an emergency center for fast processing and contact to the local authorities.
While these can be costly and typically require a plan, having the peace of mind that a satellite messenger provides to your loved ones and yourself is well worth it.
If you want to avoid subscriptions, you can opt for a PLB, or personal locator beacon. These function the same way as an SOS button on a satellite messenger yet don’t require a subscription. With the push of a button, your location and personal ID are transmitted via satellite to the nearest rescue service. You won’t have the ability to send and receive messages, but these will save your life just as well.
Bring a portable charger
Your phone or satellite messenger won’t be any good if the battery dies. Therefore, bring a portable charger. I recommend one with at least 10,000 mAh. This should be enough to get a couple of charges on your device or devices.
Pack extra food
Your hike may take longer than expected for one reason or another, so carry an extra meal or two just in case. The terrain may be more physically challenging than anticipated, or perhaps the weather doesn’t play nice. There could even be an unexpected detour required. It never hurts to be prepared with a little extra grub to give you the energy needed to knock out those final miles.
Avoid risks
When something looks too risky, avoid it. That means an unstable bridge, fording through strong currents, or wet rocks alongside a cliff’s edge. Many accidents are caused by hikers being overconfident in their abilities. It always pays to slow down and evaluate tricky terrain before deciding to traverse it. Remember, you don’t have someone immediately available to lend a helping hand if you find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Hiking solo with confidence
I don’t subscribe to the idea that you should never hike alone. However, I will never encourage someone to go beyond their comfort level when it comes to their safety. With that said, you can certainly expand your comfort level and break the limitations of always needing to hike with someone by simply having the knowledge, skills, and gear necessary for a successful solo hike. And with these, you will truly be able to hike your own hike.
