Solo Hiking

The Scaries

The best way to prepare for the risks involved with solo hiking are to lay out the list of scaries first:

• Getting Lost

• Bear Encounters

• Poisonous Snakes

• Hiking Injuries

• Aggressive/Violent People

• Lightning Strikes

• Falling Trees/Limbs

• Flash Floods

• Ice Fall

• Drowning

• Exposure (Hot or Cold)

If you take a look at the list above, virtually all of them can be mitigated to some degree through a combination of planning, preparation, and good decision-making. Let’s look at this list again:

• Getting Lost => Topo Map, Compass, GPS, and Navigation Skills

• Bear Encounters => Making Noise on Trail, Bear Encounter Skills, Bear Spray, and Proper Food Storage

• Poisonous Snakes => Venemous Snake Identifcation, Trail Awareness, and Managing Snake Encounters

• Hiking Injuries => Route Selection, Attention to Footing, First Aid Kit and Skills, Self Rescue Skills, and Satellite Communications

• Aggressive/Violent People => Self Defense Skills, Bear Spray or Mace, Stealth Camping

• Lightning Strikes => Avoiding Thunderstorms, Hiking Early, Lightning Safety Skills

• Falling Trees/Limbs => Avoiding Higher Risk Conditions (high winds, heavy snow, ice), Scanning Overhead Obstructions, and Setting Up Camp in Safer Areas

• Flash Floods => Avoiding Flash Flood Areas, Understanding Watersheds and Recent Weather Conditions

• Ice Fall => Hike Selection (ridgetops instead of along clifflines), Sun and Temperature Affects on Ice

• Drowning => Avoiding Dangerous Creek/River Crossings, Maturity to Turn Back or Wait

• Exposure (Hot or Cold) => Appropriate Gear for Weather, Avoiding Hikes During Heat Advisories and Winter Weather Advisories

Planning, Preparation

When it comes to hiking smart, the planning and preparation stage is the most critical. By thinking ahead and having everything you need in advance, you’ll be well ahead of the game.

Weather considerations. As a rule, avoiding hazardous weather conditions is the best way to avert trouble on the trail. High winds, heavy snow, and ice break trees and limbs; extreme cold invites hypothermia; extreme heat can lead to heat exhaustion/stroke; heavy rains can create flash flooding; and thunderstorms bring lightning. When weather conditions are particularly poor, hike short or not at all.

Gear choices. There’s no bad weather, only bad gear - or so one variation of the saying goes. When weather isn’t on the extremes, gear choices can be the difference between a wonderful experience or a hiking nightmare come true. Selecting and carrying the right clothing and gear are critical to mitigating risk on the trail.

Hike selection. It’s always best to select shorter, easier hikes when you get started and gradually build up to longer, more difficult hikes. In addition, selecting appropriate hikes for the weather and trail conditions is always important. For example, a long ridgeline hike in 96-degree heat with no reliable water sources is a fantastically bad idea.

At the Trailhead

Doublecheck weather and gear. Once you’re at the trailhead, pull up the forecast once more and go through your gear list to make sure you have everything you need to take on the elements.

Secure your vehicle and belongings. Make it a rule to never carry anything of value in your vehicle other than what you will have on your person during your hike. After seeing plenty of broken windows, I follow this rule and leave the car unlocked.

Send your start time, parking location, hike plan, and check-in time. Just before you begin your hike, message your hiking plan to a trusted friend or family member. Set a time for your next check-in that is just a tick longer than you expect to be out there. Here are a couple examples:

• “Starting at 12 pm — parked at auxier ridge trailhead — hiking auxier ridge-double arch loop — next check-in at 5 pm”

• “Starting at 11 am — parked at 36.787064, -84.318389 — looking for buzzard creek arch at 36.790908, -84.318353 — next check-in at 12 pm”

No data service, satellite communicators. Plain-text messages can be sent on old towers where more advanced data networks don’t exist. If you’re in one of these data-less areas, but have phone service, use a simple text. Alternatively, satellite communicators like Garmin In Reach or Spot are designed for deep woods travel off the grid and worth every penny if things go sideways.

Start your GPS activity tracker. If I had one piece of advice, it would be to always track your hikes with a GPS activity tracking app. Even offline, these apps will map your hike so that worst case, you can retrace your steps and avoid getting lost. Countless search and rescue ops could have been skipped if every hiker followed just this one tip.

On Trail

There are innumerable decisions you’ll have to make while on the trail - most are simple and thoughtless, others will need to be carefully considered.

Navigation. It is always worth the time to stop and check your navigation - on your app and paper map! Keeping up with your location and surroundings comes in handy when obstructions are encountered or when an emergency presents itself.

Injuries. Hike long enough, and you will have to deal with an injury. The most common are strains, sprains, and breaks. When you are injured and alone, you have to make do with what you have - first aid and self rescue become critical, potentially life-saving skills. Invest in the tools and education to make sure you get off trail safely after an injury.

Chance encounters. Whether it’s a black bear, rowdy dog, venemous snake, or drugged out weirdo in the woods, there are all sorts of chance encounters that may come up on a hike. Remaining calm, keeping your wits about you, and thinking on your feet are typically all you’ll need.

Finishing Steps

Once you’ve completed your hike, you still have some very important things to do. Ask yourself these questions and act on your answers as needed:

• What did I do well on this solo hike?

• What gear do I need to add, upgrade, replenish, or eliminate for my next adventure?

• How could I have better controlled my risks out there? Think decision-making and skills here.

Taking stock of your hiking experience and thinking in terms of risk management is a powerful way to improve your overall safety as you travel more and more miles on your own.

Over time, it’s easy to get out of this practice, so stay committed to this post-hike critique.

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