Solo Bushwalking

[farefam]

I do almost all of my walking in Tasmania solo. The longest I've ever gone without seeing someone was the best part of 9 days. I've done the occassional trip in a group and have enjoyed the social aspect and the different perspective it can bring, but I really do not enjoy having to inevitably rush and walk to a timetable/schedule as a result.

I don't consider solo walking to be more dangerous than group walking so long as you are well-prepared, let someone know where you are going (including some optional route plans in case you change your route) and always, always watch where you step. If I was going somewhere particularly remote (and especially if it is off-track) I would definitely carry an emergency beacon.

The only time I've been seriously injured (requiring a helicopter rescue) was in NZ on a longish but fairly easy group walk. The injury (cartilage damage from slipping on a creek crossing) arose due to my haste in trying to catch up with the group at the hut at the end of the day. Had I been walking on my own I would not have walked that far, that fast on that day and I almost certainly wouldn't have injured myself (now requiring knee surgery).

If you are a keen photographer, then solo walking is virtually mandatory, unless you can find a companion who shares that interest and is prepared to walk by the weather rather than by a schedule.

[corvus]

The BWT Strollers are a disparate bunch who choose to get together for day and overnight walks with no pressure as to speed or distance other than the constraints of daylight.
As an example last weekend I chose to walk to the destination solo (met up with one other on the track) decided not to accompany the team on their chosen walk out so I did the return to my car solo.
My point being that you can get together with a group and still experience solo walking if you wish (gees thats a bit of a motherhood statement "in vino veritas" however the tide has not gone out as yet )
c

[shahla]

I also love walking alone. There is a lot of excitement in that. Sometimes, I like to go unplanned ,, It is times that i need to feel strong. I see much more beauty around when I walk alone. I don't get distracted by people around. I love experiencing unusual paths.

I can walk with my own pace. I never knew how great it could be until i tried it.

I always meet very interesting people on the road. I think life is meant to be this way.

I think this is because i am poetic, and i can feel things very well, and i m connected to nature and my own soul. But i hesitate to tell my friends that i go myself. i m afraid because people might think why!?

[Hallu]

I do both, usually I just rent a car for the week end 1 week in advance (usually from Saturday 8 am until Monday 8 am), I tell my friends where I'd like to go among several options, and if no one is available, I just go alone (which is about a third of the time). Going alone offers you more liberty : among my friends, many don't like to do several walks in a day, to get up early, or to drive more than 2 hours a day. So when I go alone, I go further, usually 3-4 hours drive from Melbourne, I camp and get up at 6, do two to 3 walks a day. And if the week end weather is supposed to be terrible, I just cancel the rental, it's free of charge. Going alone so far has meant seeing a lot more wildlife, and being able to drive all over and see some hidden gems. So far safety has never been an issue, but I'm pretty organized. The only hairy walk I did alone was Mt Murchison, it was rainy, foggy, slippery everywhere, and I wouldn't do such a thing again I reckon. The main drawback is driving alone : you get tired (and bored), you right foot gets cramps, and you have to check driving instructions while driving.

[puredingo]

Well I suppose I'm lucky in a way that I don't have the dilema of choice? I don't really know one solotary family member, mate, work collegue, casual aquintence, past lover or mortal enemy who is remotely interested in bushwalking. Until I got onto this site and hooked up with a fellow member for a couple of missions every hike has been a solo one.

One thing that has always got me confused is whenever I mention an upcoming walk to somebody they first react suprised why anybody would want to do such a thing then they usually say something like "you shouldn't do it alone, you should take somebody with you" and I reply "you wanna come?" The answer is ALWAYS no...and i rest my case.

[stepbystep]

There are other threads on this subject.

Generally solo walking heightens senses and the 'natural' experience.
I used to do it a lot, but less so nowadays for several reasons. Safety is but one but not an over-riding concern.
The longer you spend alone in a wilderness area the more profound the effect of being solo becomes. Daywalks don't rally count imho.

Craving a decent solo walk now, plans are afoot

[ryantmalone]

I feel just as much at home in the bush than I do in my own home. Been hiking since I was young enough to be carried on my dads back and fed formula on the side of whatever track we have been on.

It's a personal thing to me, and as much as I do sometimes take others, hiking is something that I primarily do on my own, and especially love going to new places alone. Nothing better than having no one but yourself in some of the finer places this country has to offer.

Last over night hike for me was to Frenchmans Cap. One of the best walks I have done. Carried an EPIRB, but that was about it. Hiking in places that I am familiar with, like the Vic high country, I don't even carry an EPIRB. I just get on with enjoying myself. Some might think I'm nuts, but I've also been doing this for nearly 31 years, and am still alive, kicking, and hungry for more.

[dplanet]

... The main drawback is driving alone : you get tired (and bored), .

How about listening to music while on the road. A mp3 does help.

[tigercat]

I enjoy both walking solo and with company. Solo walking has a certain spiritual quality I think. Over a few days a heightened state of consiousness can arise. It is also an opportunity to reflect on issues in an unusually deep way.
However I enjoy companionship and sharing the experience.
I like to explore new places and I collect as much info as possible pre trip.
I go on less adventurous routes on my own. I take alot of safety precautions already mentioned on this thread including carrying a PLB.

[wayno]

i like how you can pick your nose and not worry what anyone else thinks.....

[Strider]

i like how you can pick your nose and not worry what anyone else thinks.....

Very embarrassing when you've got the elbow up, digging out a big.nugget, and someone walks around the corner though!

[wayno]

even worse when you're taking a slash on the side of a track because you're too lazy to get off the track, and a woman walks around the corner.....

[Hallu]

[neilmny]

That was not a pick!

[Mutley]

One thing that has always got me confused is whenever I mention an upcoming walk to somebody they first react suprised why anybody would want to do such a thing then they usually say something like "you shouldn't do it alone, you should take somebody with you" and I reply "you wanna come?" The answer is ALWAYS no...and i rest my case.
puredingo

I used the pathetic excuse for years, not to get into bushwalking, as i had no one to go with. One day, i bit the bullet, hired some gear and set off for a week long hike by myself. The most difficult thing was telling people I was going alone. They assumed I was crazy, had no mates, was having an affair or all three. After the first few hikes, my mates and co workers became curious and now they actually take a lot of interest in my solo trips.

It has been the most liberating thing I have done in my life. My self confidence has increased, I now readily travel alone to wherever I want and I feel really proud of my solo multi day hikes.

I use these solo walks to reflect on a hectic life and take time to relax and really enjoy my surroundings. My wife actually likes me going away alone, as I return relaxed, focused and happy.

[Hallu]

Well they all take interest in my solo trips too, but my friends never were judgemental about my going alone, and quite a few do it themselves, including girls... Maybe that's because we're all European, dark and sad I don't know lol. The only concern we feel about going alone is not safety, but that it's more expensive than going with friends and splitting fuel/car rental costs. We're actually quite shocked when we learn about many Melburnians friends who never leave the city, all of them Asians for some reason (Indians or Chinese). It was also the first time I heard the phrase "no, I don't like to go outside cities"

[wayno]

i point out if there will be other people on the track, otherwise people imagine you alone no one around for dozens of miles....

[wayno]

i narowly avoided being crushed when my car was t boned on the drivers door by a large car built like a tank when the driver didnt check an interection properly
i'm much happier taking my chances in the wilderness alone than facing city rush hour traffic... theres less variables in the wilderness... and generally less halfwits likely to hit you in a vehicle...

[kanangra]

Not looking for a good PI lawyer by any chance are you Wayno?

K.

[Kinsayder]

i narowly avoided being crushed when my car was t boned on the drivers door by a large car built like a tank when the driver didnt check an interection properly
i'm much happier taking my chances in the wilderness alone than facing city rush hour traffic... theres less variables in the wilderness... and generally less halfwits likely to hit you in a vehicle...

I hear that! My wife gets worried about me heading off by myself all the time, I generally respond that it's only the drive to get to the start of the hike (and back) that worries me. The mountains always treat you well if you respect them and have made suitable preparations. Whereas driving is so completely random.

[MartyGwynne]

Yes it is good to get out by oneself and enjoying your own company without having to wait or whatever (am I just getting older and grumpier).
But for me it is almost a necessary evil as I work shift and my week lasts for 10 days so I get to work all days etc and if a weekend coincides when I am off I go and socialise with friends. When I want to go for a walk I usually plan it for during the week so mainly go by myself.
I carry PLB and leave where I am going with friends/family/partner.
A most enjoyable way of walking in my opinion.
Marty.

[colinm]

The most difficult thing was telling people I was going alone. They assumed I was crazy, had no mates, was having an affair or all three.

Having an affair?

You should have both a wife and a mistress because the wife will assume you're with the mistress, the mistress will assume you're with the wife, and then you can have time go on a bushwalk.

[Mutley]

[quote][You should have both a wife and a mistress because the wife will assume you're with the mistress, the mistress will assume you're with the wife, and then you can have time go on a bushwalk./quote]

Afraid they will meet each other while I am away and hunt me down for deceiving both of them

[wayno]

all the more incentive to keep walking....

[anne3]

I have done a lot of solo walks. Reassessing this now. Yesterday I got bitten by a jumping jack at home and had an anaphylactic reaction. The twenty minute wait for the ambulance was horrible. Thanking my lucky stars this happened at home. Certainly have a lot of thinking to do as I add an epipen to my first aid kit.

[seagullhike]

Mutley, letting a bit of personal info out there.

[Strider]

I have done a lot of solo walks. Reassessing this now. Yesterday I got bitten by a jumping jack at home and had an anaphylactic reaction. The twenty minute wait for the ambulance was horrible. Thanking my lucky stars this happened at home. Certainly have a lot of thinking to do as I add an epipen to my first aid kit.

I would add a PLB also.

[Kinsayder]

I have done a lot of solo walks. Reassessing this now. Yesterday I got bitten by a jumping jack at home and had an anaphylactic reaction. The twenty minute wait for the ambulance was horrible. Thanking my lucky stars this happened at home. Certainly have a lot of thinking to do as I add an epipen to my first aid kit.

I would add a PLB also.



Sorry, I meant to say that the thought of being in the middle of nowhere and go into anaphylactic shock would be a near worst-case scenario. Very scary. I'm allergic to bees, wasps and some ants but thankfully also have a ridiculous body temperature that means most of my hiking is in alpine conditions, hence no little biters/stingers.

Whilst my reaction isn't severe enough to warrant an epipen (although I am quite mindful that each occurrence results in a more severe reaction), it is my understanding that the epipen is not a cure but will only mitigate the effects of the toxin for a brief period of time, enough to seek medical attention in usual circumstances. Otherwise I think you need some pretty decent anti-histamines.

[anne3]

I carry PLB and have got onto the registration site and noted my medical condition where I normally note planned trips. Still getting my head around the implications......bring on winter!!!

[Kinsayder]

I carry PLB and have got onto the registration site and noted my medical condition where I normally note planned trips. Still getting my head around the implications......bring on winter!!!

Good luck with it all, Anne. Hopefully it's always smooth sailing for you!