Do you prefer to go hiking alone or to always have someone with you?

[Cappy]

I've been giving this thread alots of thought since I first saw it and it got me to thinking. When a younger man I was fearless and highly motivated. I usta throw a pack, tent and gear both fishing and hunting; and hit the road for weeks at a time. drive to a destination park and either hike in or base camp. I would do it alone more than with a friend. Often times I have set out on a weeks long canoe trip either hunting or fishing alone. As I grew older I kinda got away from it. My motivation kinda left me. I caught my self watching an old boy launching his boat and wondered why I hadn't in a while. Guess some of my get up and go got up and went. To be honest I now need the motivation of another to have the gumption to do some of the things I usta do. It aint lazy exactly, maybe hormonal who knows. Now I almost always gotta have someone to take with me. Oh I still jump in the jeep, ride to the river or walk in the woods but to embark on a trip I need the extra motivation. I aint that old just 55 but kinda led a tough life. I begin to understand why folks usta not live that long. The hard workin country boy way of life is hard on a body. I have come to the realization that I am growing sedentary and think its time to do sumthin about it. Funny but this thread is what got me thinking about this SO thanks.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

I'm not really afraid of anything so I'd rather have a broad than a dog.

LOL Me, too! But, my wife can't get outside, and I'm afraid she wouldn't approve....

 

[ppine]

Grandpa would be a perfect backpacking partner given what we know about him on the forum. He is good-natured and experienced. He has the golden quality of being other directed. He thinks a lot about the welfare of others and that makes him a natural leader.

 

[ponderosa]

I used to hike solo pretty often. I find it very soothing. It's nice to go at your own pace, where and when you want to go, stopping when you like, walking when you like. And I've always been a person who craves peace/quiet and a certain amount of alone time. And I grew up hiking a lot, so I'm quite confident in my skills.
But it makes hubby very uneasy and worried. "You're going to go get eaten by a bear and leave me alone to raise these kids" kind of a thing. So I don't solo much these days. When we're camping, I get out for a few hours by myself here and there, but that's about it.

 

[Stargazer]

I enjoy hiking familiar trails alone. I don't wander down unfamiliar trails alone. That's a hubby rule. But then we enjoy exploring the unknown together.

 

[ppine]

The best solo hiking is in places with no trails. Then you don't see other people and become very focused about pathfinding.

 

[mic]

i enjoy both
but when i hike solo i dont have to look out for my mates and can stop and fish or set up camp any time i like or just stay another night.

 

[troutstalker]

Having someone is safer as cell phones aren't reliable in the Adirondacks. I don't bring mine with me. If you are going to wilderness camping, why not do it without modern conveniences. At times I go it alone for more solitude. I now bring my bro so I have someone to out fish and beat at UNO!

 

[Atehequa]

Depends on mood.

 

[ppine]

I was out hiking this morning with my new 7 month old border collie Ruby Begonia. We found some beautiful riparian areas with high species diversity. I don't carry a cellphone. We passed one person on a trail and the rest of the time it was quiet.

 

[Blazer]

Solo hiker here! I do pretty much everything on my own. If I waited for other people do stuff with me I'd never do anything. I've tried hiking in groups but with rare exception, it almost never works out. I'm easily distracted and find that if I'm engaged in conversation I miss out on the hiking experience, which annoys me and I just don't enjoy myself all that much being in a group.

I also find that most hiking groups I've gone with seem more interested in doing miles then stopping and enjoying the hike, scenery, etc. I've been on hikes that are more like "million man marches" (too many people) and resemble the Bataan Death March ("Keep going or die!") so I find it more fun to go alone, where I can hike at my own pace, stop take pictures, eat or drink when I please, etc. It suits more nature to go solitary. Now that I'm backpacking it's even more so.

Fortunately most areas within a few hours of me have cell service but I'm going to look into a tracking device as I hope to branch out and eventually move to a more secluded part of the country. In the meantime I carry a knife and pepper spray and keep an eye out. I've soloed hiked, camped, kayaked etc. Traveled all over on road trips by myself. So far so good! I love it!

 

[blueridgelover]

It is nice to go on a solo hike. I would never attempt a longer, more challenging hike on my own, but I'm happy hiking around the woods close to my home. Solo walks and hikes are the best way for me to clear my head.

 

[Simplify]

Mostly solo here.

The times I have gone hiking with others they always say they will go as deep into the wilderness as I want to but then they end up wimping out and start complaining.

Solo hiking you can go at your pace, roam at will, and no one to slow you down

 

[carmen]

Can I pick both? We love being able to enjoy the outdoors together but sometimes one of us just does not feel like we are in the mood to head out so sometimes we do both instead. I don't go on long hikes alone though.

 

[vinovampire]

Before my dog passed away, I used to do 1/3 of my trips with her, 1/3 with friends, and 1/3 solo. Now it's 2/3 with friends and 1/3 solo.

That said, I treat every trip as if I'm going solo. I assume that I might get lost or separated from the group, so I always prepare myself with that assumption in mind. That means I *usually* don't rely on somebody else knowing the route or carrying a first aid kit. The few times I haven't prepared in this manner, I've regretted it.

Also, as much as possible, I like to travel with people who I know can take care of themselves. For example, my GF has an even better knowledge of knots, tarp camping, and backcountry first aid than me. So I know she's not in any way dependent on me. We can just enjoy our time hiking together.

Hiking with other people can be a blast, but you have to find the right people.

 

[Blazer]

Hiking with other people can be a blast, but you have to find the right people.

That's the difficult part. I've only gone on one organized group hike where I actually enjoyed myself. The pic in my avatar was from that hike. Fun group of people and we hiked the Labyrinth at the Mohonk Mountain House in the Shawangunk Mountains near New Paltz, NY. It was a great day. I tried a few more group hikes and found it more enjoyable to be solo.

 

[Wehan]

99% of the time I head outdoors to get away from people. That being said I do love hiking with my wife....if the kids wanted to go I'd be very selective as to where we went and the longevity of the hike. Sometimes I'll bring along Archer my 2 yr old pitbull, he absolutely loves it.

 

[vinovampire]

That's the difficult part. I've only gone on one organized group hike where I actually enjoyed myself.

Fortunately I've developed a core group of eight friends and my girlfriend who really like to hike and get out into the backcountry several times a month, 12-months of the year. One of us will put toss out a plan about a week in advance and see who's available. Typically two or three of us will be free and interested in a particular plan, and we might invite a new person or two (co-workers, friends, spouses, etc). I also have a handful of other friends who will go out two or three times a year on particularly nice days in the summer and fall. With all of these people, I know all of these people pretty well socially, and know their abilities/pace. We usually end up with three or four people in a group, and maybe six people maximum.

I've tried three "group hikes" with groups I did not know. My first "group hike" was with two other people through the Backpacker forums and it was a blast! We hiked up and camped on the side of Mt Washington two winters ago. It was a wonderful time with good people. I would go out with that group again in a heartbeat. Next, I went out once with a group from a local hiking club and spent a few hours with several very unwelcoming, odd people. Finally, this summer I was thinking about going on a Meet Up hike, but the number of hikers grew so big, I think it was more than 25 people, that I couldn't bring myself to join them. That's just too many people.

Actually, now that I think about it, I've actually created a group or two while hiking. On several occasions I've met other really nice solo hikers and we've ended up hiking together. Two of them I still keep in touch with even though they live in two totally different parts of the world.

 

[Blazer]

99% of the time I head outdoors to get away from people. That being said I do love hiking with my wife....if the kids wanted to go I'd be very selective as to where we went and the longevity of the hike. Sometimes I'll bring along Archer my 2 yr old pitbull, he absolutely loves it.

If I could find a significant other who hiked as I do..challenging hikes (I love rock scrambling) but not looking to do a rendition of "The Amazing Race" and take it slow and enjoy the scenery, I'd love it. I envy those who have someone else to do outdoors stuff with. I had it for a very brief time with my ex husband and it's probably the only thing I miss about our marriage.

I've hiked with my daughter and she enjoyed it if it was on very easy trails. I took her up to Minnewaska State Park in NYS and it's a great place for casual hikers..lots of scenic, carriage roads..not too challenging. 6 miles almost killed her though. LOL! And she has no interest in scrambling up or down rocks so for a nice day out she's fine. My son's idea of a "hike" is to get up from his computer and walk to the refrigerator.

Dogs are great for hikes...as long as they are well behaved and don't bother other people it's awesome to bring them on hikes. The bigger ones can even carry their own pack. They are awesome company. I don't have one but as a child I used to hike with my dog all the time.

It's important to take into consideration the dog's physical limitations (like expecting a dog to do steep rock scrambles). Another thing I've seen is that sometimes people don't seem to remember to bring their dog enough water on a hot day. Once ontrail I came across a man and his dog. The dog was so panting so hard his tongue almost hung to the ground. The dude had no water for his dog! I gave him some of mine and reminded him to be kinder to his companion. People don't realize that dogs don't do well in the heat because they don't sweat, they pant...which isn't nearly as efficient to cool off and they DO have all that hair.

 

[Blazer]

I've tried three "group hikes" with groups I did not know. My first "group hike" was with two other people through the Backpacker forums and it was a blast! We hiked up and camped on the side of Mt Washington two winters ago. It was a wonderful time with good people. I would go out with that group again in a heartbeat. Next, I went out once with a group from a local hiking club and spent a few hours with several very unwelcoming, odd people. Finally, this summer I was thinking about going on a Meet Up hike, but the number of hikers grew so big, I think it was more than 25 people, that I couldn't bring myself to join them. That's just too many people.

This was my EXACT same scenario. First time I hiked a group hike with a great bunch of people. Second was with what amounted to a clique of people who barely said hello and was basically a forced march through the woods. They actually never stopped except to take a group picture at the top. They wouldn't even wait for one girl who was diabetic and had to eat something..Off they went! At this point I just hiked at my own pace and eventually caught up with them when we they stopped to eat. At that point they were so eager to end the hike that they talked about hiking the road! That's when the group split and a bunch of us actually decided to stay on the trail and take our time. By the time we got back to the parking lot they were long gone.

And yes, the Meetup hikes are million man marches. I joined a few hiking Meetups and would sign up for a hike that sounded interesting that had maybe 10 people but the organizers would place no limit on the amount of people and by the time the event came up there would be 50-75 people signed up! No thanks! I wouldn't even bother going. Even 20 is too much IMO.

I do Meetup for lots of stuff but hiking isn't one of them. I prefer to go it alone or with one or two people I like and know.