Conquer a Solo Hike: 7 Ways to Make Hiking Alone a Safe and Fun Experience

Imagine one day, you’re surfing the web and you’re looking for adventures to challenge your being, and you come across a new mountain that you haven’t climbed up yet. You’re all set and ready with your hiking gears, trekking poles and all, but you have no one to go with. Are you going to cancel or not?

I say you go for it. Alone.

Don’t you want to challenge yourself more than just surviving the hike? It’s definitely going to be more fulfilling when you climb alone and go back home like you were never gone in the first place.

How would you do that? Here are 7 ways on how you can ensure your safety when you decide to travel alone.

1. Start somewhere local

If this is your first time hiking on your own, try exploring your local mountains first. It’s a good place to start because it will be less dreadful as you know that you are just within the vicinity of your town.

Whether it’s a small or a huge park in your hometown, it comes with the feeling of being safer since you’re just a stretch away from your home. It also means being comfortable with whatever the trail surprises you with since you kind of know the place.

If in case you’re not completely confident yet, you can bring your dog with you as long as she’s fit enough to do the activity with you.

2. Trust your judgment

Our instincts are there for a reason and we should not shrug them off.

It’s important that we know how to judge certain situations. Being sensitive about your surroundings can help you understand how to deal with problems along the way. And who’s going to be your companion when you encounter such problems? Your instinct. It’s what you should trust when you are out there alone and no one to argue with.

If you think that following a path that you are not sure of is the best way to go, think again. Trust where your judgment will take you, and for sure, it will go for the one that ensures your safety. It’s a natural human instinct.

3. Prepare your gear

When you’re on your own during hiking, it’s best that you have complete gears with you. They will be your companion as you go along the trail. So to be free from worry, or at least, minimize your anxiousness, preparing your gears way before your scheduled trip is a must.

You have to make sure that they are in their best condition just as you are. Test them and see if there’s anything that needs to be replaced or repaired. You have to be confident with the way your gears are as well.

4. Deal with loneliness

Hiking alone can teach us a lot of things. One of which is that it teaches you to deal with loneliness and start being happy despite being alone. It’s metaphorical as it is literal.

When you are out there in the wild with no one to turn to when things get boring and unhappy, all you have is yourself to uplift your spirits and cheer you up. That’s the beauty of being alone sometimes. You don’t rely your happiness on anyone.

You can bring your pooch with you if you’re reluctant about going alone. Although they can’t start a conversation with you, their adorable faces can easily turn a bad mood into a merry one.

5. Have as much fun

Conquering a hike is not an easy feat, whether it be a short one or a long trail, it requires a lot of energy. But despite the fact that it can exhaust you, you should still be able to turn it into a fun activity.

Create a mood-boosting playlist on your phone to up your mood. It helps when you feel like you already want to give up in the middle of the trek. It may sound superficial, but you might be surprised by the way it can change the way you hike.

You can also turn a bad situation like a thunderstorm coming your way into something light and happy. I mean, when was the last time you had fun under the rain? Besides, what else can you do? You’re in the middle of the woods with no shade to run to, so might as well just enjoy the rain and don’t let it dampen your spirits.

6. Inform a friend or relative

Just as you are excited to go on this adventurous trip, you should not forget to skip telling your friends and family about your plans. Reward yourself with some peace of mind and allow yourself to breathe when you’re traversing the mountain knowing full well that your friends and family know about your whereabouts in case anything unfortunate happens.

7. Always be ready for the weather

Researching about the kind of weather you are dealing with when you hike is important to keep you from harm. This way, you’ll know what clothes to wear or what extra gear to bring to protect from any sudden changes in the weather.

Being ready never harmed anyone. It’s good that you are armed with the right knowledge when you go hiking alone.