My Thoughts on Solo Hiking

As a beginning backpacker, I have taken a few trips along the Superior Hiking Trail but these included other people. My first time was actually planned by my school and was sort of like a senior trip that a few of my friends and I signed up for. We had a blast. We knew nothing about backpacking or the Superior Hiking Trail but that didn't stop us from having fun. Our teacher chaperon was my biology instructor, and an experienced "outdoorsman" so we were in good hands. As far as equipment, well, needless to say we weren't very comfortable. My most recent trip which happens to be only a few after my first one, included myself and a close friend who graduated a year before I did. At this point in time I had some experience under my belt with the Superior Hiking Trail and he had experience in the Grand Tetons and famous western trails. I knew the area better than he did, but he had more miles on his feet than myself. Our trip sort of went bad when it rained two inches over night, and early in the morning I suffered from some symptoms associated with food poisoning. We decided to cut our losses and end the trip, no need for me to be miserable out in the bush and he having to care for me when I have a loving mother to do that for me at home. The hardest part about planning that whole trip was finding a weekend that worked for both of us, his work schedule was a bit more strict that my own. This trip was the deciding factor into my choice of planning a solo trip.

Solo hiking-
As the name implies, it's the act of hiking solo, or alone. What comes to most peoples mind is of Aaron the lone canyoneer who becomes trapped at the wrist by a large bolder forcing him to sever his own hand to escape death. First when I tell people I am planning on solo hiking I assure them I will not be near a canyon, and secondly that's not what solo hiking is about. Danger does not propel my life in anyway, I take safety and precaution into account with everything I do. If I truly believed solo hiking would be highly dangerous I wouldn't be considering it.

Things to consider-
For ease of clarity, I will just stick with the Superior Hiking Trail for my example.
-Trail conditions
-Equipment
-Weather
-Personal Skill level/experience
- Personal comfort
-Itinerary

Trail conditions

The Superior Hiking Trail is not exactly a difficult trail, when you're actually hiking it sure does, but in reality it's fairly mild. There are some intense inclines at some sections, but overall the elevation changes are gradual. Some spots do have loose rocks, so rain may cause those spots to become slippery, increasing the chances of injury, and being alone that's usually a bad thing.

Picking a section that is nearest to a town, or even a section that runs through one of the State Parks would be a good start, since the chances of running into another person would be higher. I wouldn't think a GPS is really necessary, since the trail is so well marked, but for personal records it would be nice to know how far you have hiked how fast and what not. A small map of the section you are on is important, and a small compass such as the kind you'd see attached to other equipment, know as a "bubble compass" or "button compass".

Equipment

Hiking with a group means shared equipment, for example, you wouldn't need everyone to bring a stove. If you were sharing a tent or shelter with someone you would be carrying half or part of it. When hiking solo, you carry everything you would need, and if you're smart, and skillful, nothing extra. There is a lot of information out there on lightening your load, so I won't regurgitate any of that information, rather I will just direct your attention to Lighten your load and Part two. I really enjoy this youtube channel and there are a lot of helpful tips if considering lightening your pack weight. Keeping in mind you need to be carrying the ten essentials on every hike. I am sure to carry at least three forms of signaling with me whenever I go hiking, a whistle, signal mirror, and a backup whistle just in case. The things you carry are the only things you have, so knowing how to use your equipment is important, so practicing pitching your tent for example is a necessity. The most important thing you have with you is your head, so skills you bring with you are the most important thing.

Weather

If you are like me, and can leave work at a moments notice then this will be especially important. I don't really trust the week-long forecasts, usually the three day's aren't that accurate either but they're better. Being able to take time off when I want helps, so I can pick the best weather that's been forecast. I know it's impossible to always have perfect weather conditions, but it's better to have a dry trip going solo, then there is no one to share your misery with. As I say, just be able to check the weather conditions, some months are historically more rainy than others, so keep that in mind too. Getting a little wet never killed anyone, but it's just not as enjoyable though it shouldn't prevent you from getting out there. Storms have been known to kill hikers so that's a different story.

Me posing in-front of some fog on Lake Superior.

Personal Skill Level

When it comes to my skill level, its rather low, but I am skilled in particular tasks associated with hiking/backpacking. I am really good an knot tying which is useful, map reading(although not essential for the Superior Hiking Trail), and I know how to walk pretty well, not to brag or anything. I can hold my own basically is what I am saying, and the best way to get experience is by well, experiencing it. Having been on group hikes I know what it's going to be like. I know the tasks associated with getting camp set up, cooking properly and safely, hanging my food bag, disposing of trash properly, etc. I may not be an expert at any one task, but I have enough knowledge to problem solve and complete the things than need to get done. If you are not comfortable with say, starting a campfire, then practice in your backyard or somewhere that will allow you to do so. Mentioned before with the rainy trip, I could not for the life of me start a fire, everything was too wet so I gave up. Now, I know that it is possible to start a fire with "wet wood", I just didn't have the knowledge or right tools. It's always about practice, identify personal weak areas and learn what you can about them, youtube is a great place to start. Reading beginner guide books is also something I would recommend, I started there just for back ground information and after that you can take it as far as you would like.

Personal Comfort

Well this is probably the most tricky part about a solo hike. I for one have not spent enough time outdoors to say that I am totally comfortable with it, especially being alone. After all the big-bad-boogy man lives out there in the dark. I do feel more comfortable in a group, even in day-to-day life I am more comfortable around people, but in reality being alone is good for a person once in a while. Overcoming my fear of the "wild" wilderness might be a momentous task for me, but for someone else they may not think twice about it. I believe the problem lies with the "unknown" aspect of the outdoors, such as, "what made that sound?" "was it a bear?!". Everyone always says, "they're more afraid of you then you are of them", which I believe to be true, but it's hard to see it that way. Not giving a bear a reason to bother you in the night is a good place to start, and this comes down to camp cleanliness, don't keep food out and especially in or near your shelter for the night. A few times I have just before bed pulled a granola bar wrapper from my pants pocket, a rookie mistake but it's something that can be easily overlooked. One remedy I have for my fear of the unknown is to include a "night light", which I will post later at some point, but essentially what it is is one of those solar yard lights without the stake and adding a handle turning it into a lantern. It weighs around 3-5oz so it's not very heavy, and peace of mind outweighs the 3-5oz any day. Plus, it can perform as my second light source so I won't need to carry two flashlights/headlamps.

Itinerary 

This is where Aaron Ralston went wrong, making the mistake of not leaving an itinerary with someone. I have mentioned this before in my Planning a trip to the Superior Hiking Trail post, but I will reiterate the point. Leaving a detailed plan of where you will be, with an estimated time frame is so important. With a group its important, but even more so when you are solo. No one can save you if something bad were to happen if people don't know where you are. Not to say Search and Rescue Teams are not skilled in finding people, but the process is sped up immensely with information provided from an itinerary. Wouldn't you know it there's even an app for that, I am not too keen on this sort of stuff, but for those tech-savy among you it may be useful. Hiker Alert. A note with my mom will prove to be enough I think, and if for some reason the plan was to change, I should be able to call home with new information.  

It's not my place to say whether solo hiking is for you or not, but there are some benefits of doing so.

-A sense for accomplishment

    By this I mean you will be conquering something, be it the fear of the dark, or proving to yourself that you can do it. Being able to rely on your self while out there is a great feeling, starting a fire in wet conditions, reaching that campsite that's further than you'd planned on going, or even finding something that makes the whole trip worth it like a perfect site to watch the sunrise.

Loading up and ending the trip short due to rain/being ill.

-More freedom

    Hiking solo allows you to hike at your own pace, no needing to feel the need to push yourself to keep up if that's the case, or being slowed down by the last group member. I was usually slowing down the group, but with a lighter pack we'll see. You can take a break when you feel like it, rather than pushing beyond your limits if the other group members aren't tired. I remember many times I've wanted to stop and take a picture but the group wanted to make it to camp early, now I can stop and take photos of as many boring rocks as I would like.

-Closer to nature

     Being alone outdoors has always been one of my favorite things, escaping from the noise of other people as well as day to day noise. Allowing your thoughts to drift freely without distraction is very rewarding, and hiking solo would allow you to experience this. (By being alone in my past experiences I am not referring to solo hiking, but rather fishing alone or biking by myself).

I have not yet hiked solo, but I am looking forward to some day hikes and "over-nighters" close to home so I can bail if things get too tough on me. I am by no means an expert, I am just providing you readers with the opinion of one beginner hiker who's trying his best to learn, share, and experience hiking and the great outdoors. If you only take one thing from this just remember to stay safe, and use your head, its your best tool while outdoors and it could just save your life.

Light-weight Cooking kit

Intro
Having only recently entered the world of light-weight backpacking I of course wanted to do a little research about gear. Something that I thought would be kind of fun to work on would be assembling a cook kit. Initially when I first started backpacking I had bought one of those top burner stoves that uses the small canisters of the isoprobutan or whatever it's called, and that didn't last long. They're heavy, the fuel canisters are expensive, and there are many moving parts that could break. Now I know these stoves have there place, winter for example when you need the fuel capacity to melt snow and such, or you really cook gourmet. For summer I typically don't have to melt snow, at least not yet who knows with the crazy weather, so I didn't need that type of stove. I was looking for something light, easy, and cheap above all else. Enter, the famous cat stove.

Cat Stove
Popularized by Andrew Skurka the ultimate hiker, the humble can of cat food has been transformed by many a hiker into a simple stove for boiling water. I will not go into too much detail about this stove since there are plenty of plans on the internet. But strictly speaking it's a two step process, open the can to empty the cat food, and use a paper hole punch to make the "jets". The stove itself then acts at the pot stand so it's multifunctional in that sense. The stove itself weighs just a few grams, hardly noticeable in a pack, and because the can of cat food costs less than a dollar, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you broke it. I will say this however, be sure to practice using this stove, they are really tricky when you first use them so you need to PRACTICE. I made the mistake of not trying this stove out at home the first time I used it, I had used penny stoves from pop cans before which are similar, but different enough that I couldn't get it to work properly. Mainly due to my windscreen being too tight around my pot resulting in poor air supply which just snuffed the stove out.

Cooking Pot
This part of the kit has been a little bit more for me personally. There are a few pieces to this puzzle; weight of the pot, the versatility, performance, durability, and again the cost. The very first pot I had ever gotten was a GSI soloist, good piece of gear which I do recommend for a cooking pot. However, it's a little bulky and heavy for a solo light-weight trip. That being said, I wanted something that was lighter weight than that piece, and smaller in volume. Here is where I had to get creative. I hopped in my car, drove to Wal-Mart, aimlessly wandered through the isles of merchandise, and found myself in the camping section. This is where I found it, a simple stainless steel cup with a folding handle. It can hold around 16oz or so, which is two cups and plenty to rehydrate a freeze-dried meal, and if you like coffee, there ya go. It was something like $5, but since going back into the store I couldn't find it, so I hope it was just sold out. Otherwise there are mugs like that made from titanium, which if you have the money go for it, but I sure don't.

The Kit
Now having the stove and the pot are vitally important in putting together a solid kit, but I felt like I could add more than that. Youtube being the wonderful place it is, lead me to an interesting video by wawhiker in which he demonstrates a canister system he put together out of two plastic food containers connected by their lids. I am not taking credit for originality of the design to this kit, however I have modified it in such a way that I believe makes it unique and more versatile. The hard-sided containers will prevent crushing your stove and windscreen, and since they are water proof if your fuel bottle for some reason were to leak it wouldn't ruin your gear.

 This is the kit in its compact form, from here I will break it down into its pieces.
-Ziplock canister
-Cozy
-Fuel bottle
-Cat stove
-Fish Mouth spreader(Bail)
-Pot
-Lid for pot

 The cozy is simply made from reflectix, it's basically just bubble wrap sandwiched by two layers of mylar reflective material. I bought a bunch from my local Ace Hardware for less than ten dollars for around 2 yards or so. Its really versatile stuff, I would recommend getting some. The reason I have it made to size for the smaller cup is because I will be using that for my bowl to eat from, so the cozy will keep my food hot for longer, and keep my hands from getting burned.

This photo just shows a closer view of the pot itself, which again is just a stainless steel cup with folding handles from Wal-Mart.

 This is the entire kit all broken down into its individual pieces, the fuel bottle is just one of those really small water bottles that come in those mini packs, not sure where I got it. I hot glued the containers lids together, and put a strip of Duct-Tape around it just for making the gap seamless. The pot cover is actually a one quart paint can lid, new of course. Cat stove down there at the bottom, as well as the six inch fish mouth spreader. The paint can lid is missing a tab for the top, but it doesn't fit super snuggly so it won't seal tight in the pot anyways. I do know there is some material on the inside of the lid, but since only water will be in the pot, I think it should be safe, but if you know otherwise please comment!

Fish mouth spreader as bail, drilling two holes parallel to the handle is essential.

Making your own-
Materials:
-The canisters(watch the wawhiker video he explains what brand to use, I bought them from Hyvee)
-Cat food can (Or bean dip, found in the check out lanes of Wal-Mart)
-Fish mouth Spreader Six inch
-Small plastic water bottle
-Stainless steel cup from Wal-Mart
-One quart paint can lid
-Reflectix material and some special reflective metal tape (Hardware store)


Construction
  It's fairly intuitive, just glue the lids together, thankfully the lids are the same size for both containers. I would say this has been the easiest construction I have had the pleasure of completing, gathering the right materials took the most time, and in all honesty it was the most fun part looking for pieces to add. Total cost was probably around $15, I had some of the things already so if you need to buy the tape and reflectix that will make it cost more, but it's useful around the house anyway.

Video Demonstrations
Wawhiker cooking kit
Pot Cozy Construction
Cat stove demo

Conclusion
This is a compact light weight kit that has served me well, as far as weight goes, as is pictured above it weighs 11.4oz. I will need to include my spork, alcohol fuel, a lighter/matches, soap, a bandana, a windscreen, and maybe some other odds and ends. My cook kit prior to this weighed around 18oz, and it included much less than this as well, and I didn't include the stove or canister fuel weight in there either, which I always seemed to carry too much of anyways... I hope this "guide" helps, please if you have any questions leave a comment and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible, the videos I have linked should provide the information I left out. Thank you very much for reading.