Who goes it alone and who doesn't?

[Hooch]

I like to hike with others an denjoy the company of Dancer, Doc or anyone else I can get to go hike with me. However, I usually end up hiking alone more often than not. Sometimes the solitude is nice.

[L.D. Cakes]

I use to hike with my dog Ginger, I started her out as a pup going on solo hikes with me as my best buddy. She carried her own pack and learned how to drink from a sports top bottle so I didn't have to have a bowl for her. It also made my non-hiker friends happier thinking I wasn't really hiking alone. Gin was a WFO dog. she would run up the trail then come back as if she were telling me to hurry up. Once coming down a ridge from a hike she was running so fast she clipped another hiker's legs out from under them! I about panicked but the hiker woman just laid there and laughed! Whoooow glad she had a since of humor! She went to the big trail in the sky in 2006 and my current dog prefers to stay at home. So I hike alone and at my slow speed when friends join me I wind up alone anyway and tell them I'll just catch up with them in camp.

[AstrayKat]

I love group hikes. They're fun. But I prefer going solo. It's more of a meditative/reflective/relaxing experience, and that's usually why I get out.

So the bottom line for me is, if I have friends going on a trip I'll go if I can, but if I wanna go on a trip, I go it solo.

--Kat

[mountain_man_mike]

Since there is safety in numbers I always hike in a group. However at the glacial speed I hike at the group lasts about ten minutes and I am hiking alone for most of the day. We meet at key trail crossings and at camp for the night, but I am humming to myself and enjoying nature most all of the day. The evening meal and maybe campfire (depending on elevation and such) means sharing stories, telling tales and enjoying one anothers company.

Happy Trails to all,

Mike

[Boggled]

I love showing groups, and especially newbs, different hikes and places to camp. But without my solo adventures I probably wouldn't know these wonders to show off.

I wouldn't say I prefer either but 80% of my trips are just me and my dog.

[Kukri]

I don't have a dog to go with me. I don't get out as often as I'd like anyways. I camp more than I backpack, even though my purchases wouldn't reflect that (it's a lot easier to car camp than backpack, and I like to be prepared).

I really enjoy my job and I don't have to deal with traffic or a tons of people constantly, so I don't feel the urge to "get out of the city" or "escape from my job" and I'd say that contributes a lot to my indifference of how often I get out. I'm outside every day all day but I have worked inside a building all day long before, so I could definitely understand how people get stir crazy.

All this contributes to my desire to have someone else along with me when I camp. I enjoy nature, but I also enjoy company and I'd rather share the experience with someone else. Having a friend or two along doesn't detract from my nature appreciation. I have been on a couple solo trips, but I honestly did not enjoy it as much as when I go with a group.

[shrek]

As a matter of necessity, I started out going solo. Today, I will go with a group on occasion.
People would ask me if I was worried about going out alone, and wouldn't it be safer in a group. My answer has always been that I feel safer when I am alone. When hiking with someone else, I am too distracted by conversation and, regardless of the other person's experience, by a sense of duty to be the guide. By myself, my senses are more focused on what is happening around me. I'm more in tune with the woods, the wildlife, the weather, and my own body. I can set my own pace, go where I want, and take time to savor the experience. Also, I rarely have a wildlife encounter when hiking with someone else. I see much more when hiking solo.

[zukiguy]

It's been like pulling teeth to get any of my friends out hiking. Camping for most of them is merely a means to an end (hunting, climbing, etc). It usually involved big coolers, barking dogs, and generators. Not exactly getting back to nature. So, most of my trips were solo.

I've somewhat recently found a group on "Meetup.com" that sponsors lots of day trips and weekend excursions. For me it's more fun to hike solo but camp with a group. It also makes the logistics much simpler since some kind of vehicle shuttle is always required.

As my kids get older I'll be starting my own hiking group.... I also really look forward to this big Florida hang in January. It seems there are a lot more hangers around than I first thought.

[Chard]

I trip with friends to enjoy the chorus...
I trip alone to hear the song...

For me it's canoeing, but whatever the mode, the laughter of the wind through the trees or the croak of a raven is just a little clearer when there aren't any other voices or footsteps around.

That being said, it's usually during evening campfires that I miss the company of my family and friends.

Chard

[exup]

Like a lot of you I love hiking alone most the time but at night especially now that the clocks went back I've gotten really bored and lonely at camp. I've never camped with anyone(pretty new to this) and only done small day hikes with my girlfriend and 9 month old daughter.

Last outing I found my self hoping a stranger would walk up and set up camp close to me for some kind of company. But I also can't see camping in a group for every outting. Sometimes just need that alone time.