{"id":41895,"date":"2018-12-21T09:39:01","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T17:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=41895"},"modified":"2018-12-21T16:28:40","modified_gmt":"2018-12-22T00:28:40","slug":"how-to-start-solo-adventuring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/how-to-start-solo-adventuring","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Solo Adventuring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heading into the great outdoors alone can be a worrisome experience. Just imagine, you\u2019re in your tent at night and you hear a twig snap\u2014and no one is there to calm you down. On the other hand, stepping into the wilderness alone lends itself to peaceful contemplation of sunrises and sunsets, undisturbed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSolo adventuring is rewarding,\u201d <\/span>says Michael Ghiglieri, professional guide and author.<\/span> \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with being solo, there\u2019s only something wrong with being solo unprepared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re reading this, you might be thinking about heading into the wild all by your lonesome in the future. How do you get started?<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Heading Out<\/b><\/h2>\n

Start small<\/b><\/h4>\n

You don\u2019t have to thru-hike the <\/span>Continental Divide Trail<\/span><\/a> on your first try at adventuring alone. \u201cDo shorter mileage and a trail that you\u2019ve done before with people,\u201d says Karen Wang, who solo hiked the <\/span>Pacific Crest Trail<\/span><\/a> in 2016. \u201cIf you\u2019re really, really nervous about it, do something that\u2019s close to home. Camping alone is a good one to practice\u2014go a few hundred feet from your car and see what that\u2019s like.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Plan ahead<\/b><\/h4>\n

Many accidents, like falls due to ledges snapping off, can be prevented with use of some forethought and planning (don’t walk on ledges). \u201cThe word \u2018accident\u2019 is tricky,\u201d Ghiglieri says. \u201cMost car accidents don\u2019t happen because the brakes fail, but because the person didn\u2019t apply the brakes. Most of these accidents are completely preventable with prior planning.\u201d He suggests doing your due diligence: What are you likely to encounter during your adventure? What is the terrain like? And, what about the weather?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Do your research on wildlife<\/b><\/h4>\n

Afraid of animals in the backcountry? Wang says you can assuage your fears by learning exactly what to expect. \u201cYou can\u2019t control your environment. Educate yourself, prepare yourself and research,\u201d she says. \u201cWith animals, do your research. If this is bear country, what am I going to do with my food? If it\u2019s grizzly country, don\u2019t be unwise and try and go out by yourself. Also, a lot of parks have rules about wildlife.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Check in with the rangers<\/b><\/h4>\n

Robert White, solo hiker and vice president of internal relations for <\/span>Minority Veterans of America<\/span><\/a>, suggests calling or visiting the ranger station before you head out on trail. Sometimes, you may find out it\u2019s best not to go at all. For example, in December 2016, he was planning a solo hike on the Washington coast. Something told him to check in with the rangers, and his intuition was right\u2014a huge storm was approaching, which would have made the trek dangerous. He decided to stay home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Provide the right contact information<\/b><\/h4>\n

Lisa Hendy, chief ranger at Big Bend National Park, suggests letting your friends and family members know who to call if you aren\u2019t back by your appointed time. Research the local land manager and figure out what to do if you need help. Is there an email or phone number available? Double-check to make sure it\u2019s the right place to request help. This will greatly decrease the length of time you\u2019re out, should a rescue become necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leave your plan with someone<\/b><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s imperative that someone knows where you\u2019re going, and <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> you\u2019re going, Hendy says. \u201cI make sure someone knows where I\u2019m going, these are the colors my backpack and tent are, here\u2019s a picture of the tread on my boots,\u201d she says. <\/span>She leaves both her Plan A and her Plan B with a trusted friend or family member. <\/span>\u201cThat requires you do some research and extra planning,\u201d she says. \u201cLike, what if it dumps a foot of snow?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Stick with your plan<\/b><\/h4>\n

Once you make a plan and share it, it\u2019s important to stick to that plan, White says. \u201cStick to the plan you make when you tell people what you\u2019re doing. When you deviate, people can\u2019t find you. I stop myself from doing that. I don\u2019t want to become that person who\u2019s lost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Avoid the 911 mentality<\/b><\/h4>\n

Hendy suggests bringing a satellite device with two-way texting capabilities, so you can be in touch with rescuers, should you need extra support. But know that they don\u2019t always work. \u201cAll of these devices count on a good view of the sky,\u201d Hendy says. \u201cThey\u2019re not the be-all [and] end-all people make them out to be.\u201d <\/span>No satellite device can replace experience and planning. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take a ham radio<\/b><\/h4>\n

Another option, according to White, is to bring a ham radio, also known as an <\/span>amateur<\/span> radio. White says he took a class on how to use these small, handheld devices. They\u2019re excellent for emergency situations as they don\u2019t depend on satellites. When you get your basic certification, you\u2019ll get a handle, or name, that gets put in a database, so emergency contact staff can look up your information. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bring signaling equipment<\/b><\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re stuck somewhere and can\u2019t move, you\u2019ll need to signal rescuers. Hendy suggests bringing \u201ca decent signal mirror that will really do the job. And a whistle. Plus some item of clothing that\u2019s a big obnoxious color.\u201d Another option? \u201cI\u2019ll carry a glow stick,\u201d she says. \u201cThey last, like, 12 hours. Don\u2019t pop it until you hear people close by.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But equipment doesn\u2019t help if you don\u2019t know how to use it. When you\u2019re standing and waving, an item of clothing can be hard for rescuers to spot from the air. Hendy suggests laying down or spreading your brightest clothing on the ground to cover more surface area.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

On the Trail<\/b><\/h2>\n

Practice mindfulness<\/b><\/h4>\n

Adventuring alone is a mind game\u2014a primary challenge can be keeping your mind off of worry, fear and discomfort. One way to do that: \u201cMindfulness,\u201d says Lena Neufeld, a solo section hiker and doctoral student in clinical psychology. \u201cI think that it\u2019s a really excellent practice. It really forces you to be present, in the moment, fully absorbed in what you\u2019re doing.\u201d And adventuring by yourself lends itself to the practice. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in a group, you\u2019re inherently socializing,\u201d Neufeld says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re by yourself and you don\u2019t have to attend to anyone else\u2019s social needs, you\u2019re able to go to a much more intense place for yourself. You can go a lot deeper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Distract yourself<\/b><\/h4>\n

Of course, being mindful all the time can be exhausting. Another trick to defeat fear and discomfort is distraction. \u201cMy biggest challenges come when I get to my campsite too soon, when I have all this extra time on my hands,\u201d White says. \u201cI make sure I have something that fills my extra time up, and then I go exploring.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Save extra energy<\/b><\/h4>\n

Hiking until you can\u2019t go a step further might be (<\/span>Type II<\/span><\/a>) fun, but it\u2019s not the safest idea. \u201cThere have been instances where I\u2019ve thought about stopping for the day on the Appalachian Trail, but I\u2019d gotten to a shelter and if somebody is there that I\u2019m not comfortable with and I\u2019m alone, I\u2019ll hike on,\u201d says Angie Holbrook, a thru-hiker. \u201cAlways leave a little bit of energy left at the end of the day in case something happens. Sometimes you might have to hike farther.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heading into the great outdoors alone can be a worrisome experience. Just imagine, you\u2019re in your tent at night and you hear a twig snap\u2014and no one is there to calm you down. On the other hand, stepping into the wilderness alone lends itself to peaceful contemplation of sunrises and sunsets, undisturbed. \u201cSolo adventuring is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":41919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,387],"tags":[15,588,707,66],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-41895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","category-hike","tag-backpacking","tag-camping","tag-hiking","tag-tips"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/how-to-start-solo-adventuring","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How to Start Solo Adventuring","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/how-to-start-solo-adventuring","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/how-to-start-solo-adventuring"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/20160416-0082-Edit.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/20160416-0082-Edit.jpg?fit=2000%2C1333"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["backpacking","camping","hiking","tips"],"dateCreated":"2018-12-21T17:39:01Z","datePublished":"2018-12-21T17:39:01Z","dateModified":"2018-12-22T00:28:40Z"},"rendered":"