Solo Hiking Trip Planning

With solo hiking trip planning, there's a difference between fear and caution. The first usually strikes an unprepared or unaware hiker. The second implies common sense and reasonable doubts. How to avoid fear and utilize caution on a solo hiking trip? Checklists!

Because you are taking a chance with your personal safety and comfort, it is essential to prepare several trip checklists: gear, food, "what if", and itinerary checklists. These will serve as the basis of your solo hiking trip planning approach.

Your gear list depends upon the type of hiking trip you are planning. Beyond the obvious items (shelter, sleeping bag, stove, water transport and treatment), think through what the purpose of the trip will be, keeping your old friend GRAVITY in mind. The weight of your pack determines not only your comfort, but potentially your safety.

A quick aside here: Are you comfortable with your gear? Can you set up your tent in cold, wet, or dark conditions? Have you used that exact piece of equipment, or are you "testing it out" on this trip? In other words, be comfortable with the limitations and demands of your gear, and have a repair kit or at least an idea of what to do if it goes bad on you.

An example of additions to your basic gear list: If the purpose of your trip revolves around spiritual growth, you will probably want a journal and pen, and perhaps a book with writing/centering/observing exercises to use. The weight of these items is justifiable. On the other hand, if the purpose of your trip is to learn how to identify flowers and trees, a camera and tripod, field guides, and pen and paper may be what you want to carry. Weigh your fully packed pack, carry it for at least a half mile, and be stern with yourself: do you really need each item?

Feel free to contact me for basic gear checklists, prepared for summer -vs- winter trips. Use the contact form below and let me know what type of solo trip you are thinking about.

Your food checklist needs to be thought about carefully, allowing a slim margin for error on the side of over-packing. (I know I've done a good job with my food checklist if I have a bit of food left over at the end of the trip.)

Because food is such a personal issue, it's impossible to give guidance about quantities and exact foods to pack. But it's worth noting that you should plot out on paper the food you need to fuel the trip you are planning. A side-by-side comparison of your trip itinerary and your food list should be done. Bad weather costs you more fuel (calories as well as stove fuel) to keep up your core temperature - will you have enough food to get through a stretch of extremely cold or wet weather?

"What if" checklists are a good exercise in revealing your attitude toward adversity. Sure, it's nasty business to picture yourself with a broken bone or shivering on the side of a stream after losing your pack. But playing out a few scenarios in your head from the comfort of your couch could make things easier if the worst happens to you in the wilds.

An example: What if your pack falls in water and your stove won't light? If most of your food relies on rehydration with hot water, then what? The answer you give yourself may impact your food checklist. See how the checklists are intertwined?

Another example: What if you slip on loose rock and fall, twisting your ankle? If you can get your pack off, what's in your pack to help you? A cell phone may/may not work. A whistle may alert others to your presence. A signal mirror may be necessary for a rescue helicopter to find you. Extra clothing, food, water may get your through a rough night until you can hobble out for help. Again, the answer to the "what if" may impact your other lists.

Tip: Read disaster stories and books that outline what went wrong, to whom, and how. They tell you how to avoid the situation in the first place, or how to survive it.

Your itinerary checklist will be made in triplicate and given to someone you trust before you leave, as well as someone at the ranger station. This is a non-negotiable list, and once you make it, you need to stick to it. An exception: if you are base camping and want to do a day hike not on your itinerary, leave a note at base camp with your destination and estimated return time. You can leave instructions for finding the note on your itinerary: "Look under my sleeping bag", for example, if you are uncomfortable with the idea of leaving it out in the open.

The first thing on your checklist: a description of your vehicle and license plate number, and where the trail head is located. Don't assume that "everyone knows" where you are going to park. It can save valuable time if you detail exactly where the trail head is, and give the phone number of the ranger station in that area.

Next on the checklist: your "start" and "finish" dates. Ask your trusted friend/loved one to give you a call on your cell phone if you haven't called them on the finish date (and remember to call them!! Panicked friends are no fun.)

Next, do a day-by-day plan. Here's where knowing your personal limitations is very important. I'm assuming that you have done quite a bit of hiking already, and know how much mileage per day is comfortable for you. Be realistic, and plan on going more slowly solo than you do with a buddy. Why? You need to remain alert and aware, and want to be conservative with your energy expenditure. This will set your pace a bit slower than usual. You can always use any "extra" time for dinking around once you reach that day's objective!

Rely upon your on-line homework while you make your daily plan. You did consult trail and road reports, weather forecasts, and other resources, didn't you?

Build contingency plans into your itinerary : "If there are no available campsites at Lake #1, I will go up the trail to Lake #2." Try to think things through and make a reasonable guess about what you will do if your original plan isn't feasible. This will save time if a search party comes looking for you, by eliminating the guesswork about what you were thinking. This may be a solo hiking trip, but you don't have to go it alone - make your trip plans transparent to others.

In other words, make yourself "trackable" if you don't hit your "end" date right on schedule.

One last bonus that checklists provide: peace of mind for anyone in your life who is uneasy about you going off on your own. These checklists are proof positive that you know what you are doing, that you have a plan, and that you will stick to it.

These solo hiking trip planning tips should get you started. Ready to return home?