Solo Backcountry Travel; Opinions; Recommendations

Great posts. I’ll add to it not because I pretend to be any kind of expert or advocate either way, . . .

What I like about traveling solo: Really being present. Really observing and participating in the place you are in. Being aware. No shop talk. Travel at your own pace as long as you want to, especially for long endurance travel.

For safety, I am more conservative traveling alone, and much more focused. I tend to follow routes that I think others will be following on later in the day, or at least be near enough to see or hear. However, it is amazing how few people actually are out there a couple of miles from most trailheads. I wear bright clothes for visibility. I take enough gear to spend the night, fix and cut loose things, and navigate. I don’t rely on anything that needs batteries. I always leave an itinerary with road directions and intended route with someone who knows when to expect me back.

When traveling in a group, all this can go to hell, and the extra margin of safety of having potential assistance nearby gets used right up.

I don't have much experience or advice to offer, but I would like to add that this is an excellent point to consider. I find the same to be true for myself. I am VERY aware of my surroundings when alone because I don't have the opportunity to let down my guard and rely upon someone else . . . this spring I am embarassed to say that I actually went on a hike in which we got lost on our way to the popular trail head because everyone assumed someone else knew where we were going. We had all been there in the past, but weren't paying attention to the present! It was a real wake up call for me! I won't let that happen again, getting to the trail or on it.

My favorite part of the solo experience is that, for me, when I solo, there's no ego involved. I do challenging things if I really wish to do them, and feel no remorse if I just pack it in and go home. I've turned around twenty minutes from the trailhead, as well as midway through difficult (for me) routes, and simply decided that I wasn't feeling it any more and gone home. Furthermore soloing is far less forgiving safety-wise, so it forces me to be more conservative with my judgement. So much so, in fact, that while traveling with a partner, my mantra for route selection has become, "Would I solo that?" If the answer's no, I almost always don't. (Unless said partner's attempt to ski it first exposes better conditions (less icy, not avy conditions) than I'd expected (Thanks Will!).)

In addition, I always wear my avy beacon when I solo, even in very low risk (sometimes non-skiiing) situations, and my family and friends know it. My "if I'm not back by this time, worry" communiques are both conservative (I often give myself an extra day or more on day trips) and hard (they'll definitely call). With that in mind, the only reason SAR might be involved is for when I've screwed up royally, and they'll be looking either for my very miserable and immobile bivy or a body. At that stage, a beacon should radically reduce the search time involved (sweep lines need only have 20-30 m between people instead of ~3-5; an order of magnitude-ish improvement in search time/reduction in manpower required). I also keep the set of people with instructions to worry small but reliable, so that a single cell call can extend my deadline if needed. (My cell is in my pack and _off_ at all times. I go to the hills to avoid electronics.) Notes in cars are good too.

To the more sullen, depressed, or just forcefully independent soloists out there - you may not care whether or not you make it home, but some folks very very likely do (and, with high probability, want you to!). It's arguably disrespectful toward them and the army of volunteers that will likely come after you not to have made rescue/recovery efficient if it's needed. It's arguably a bummer for some folks that this is the case, but it's true. I've been on both sides of this one. The wilderness can be a powerful ally for helping to heal the soul, but it can also be a powerful distraction or an enemy for those who really need a warm conversation, some good advice, support, and a hug.

Above all, keep your brain on (and use it!).