Backpacking solo has been an incredibly fun and rewarding experience, but it definitely took some time before I felt comfortable and confident enough to take on multi-day trips. Today I'd like to share the 3 steps I took to get used to hiking, camping, and backpacking alone. Not ready to get out there alone just yet? That's totally fine! These tips can apply to backpacking with a partner or even small group too.
Quick disclaimer: I'm by no means the authority on how to backpack. Everything shared here today is just my opinion and based off my own personal experiences. That being said I hope you can take away some valuable insight from this post and/or video.
1. Camp Close to Home
There's no shame in taking baby steps. My first solo overnight trip was in Congaree National Park, only 2 hours from where I lived at the time. This was the perfect distance for me. I still felt like I was going away somewhere, but I wasn't so far from home that I couldn't drive back that night if need be. The hike into camp was also fairly short at just over 1 mile.
The great thing about choosing a state park, national park, or even popular campground for a first overnight is knowing other campers (and in some cases rangers) aren't too far away. You can get a feel for the camping or backpacking experience without taking away the safety net so to speak. Being in the semi-controlled environment of Congaree's walk-in campsites gave me a lot of comfort having never been on my own before.
Base camping in a state park can also give you a feel for multi-day hikes without the added pressure of finding a place to set up each night. You can sight see and hike the nearby trails to your heart's content while having a site to come back to at the end of the day. Knowing you have a camp set up somewhere removes the extra stress factors of "Okay now where do I set up camp?" or "Where's my nearest water source this time?" Your mind has more time to focus on exploring the beautiful scenery than self-preservation. Like I said, there's no shame in taking baby steps. Especially if the idea of day hiking by yourself is overwhelming as well.
I'll be honest with you, that first overnight trip wasn't perfect. I had a lot of learning to do and routines to put in place before I was ready to take on any major trips. I'll also say my gear wasn't that great. I failed epically at making dinner on a flimsy Coghlan's folding stove and had to finish cooking it over a fire. Which I burned half of! I was also cold most of that night. All I had at that time was a cheap sleeping bag from Amazon, and a small quilt my grandma made. I stayed hungry. I got cold. But it was okay! Rather than turning me off to backpacking all together, it motivated me to do better next time.
2. Go Somewhere You Know
Once I felt ready to dip my toes into weekend long trips, I starting looking into the backpacking opportunities in areas I was already familiar with (i.e. the Foothills and Palmetto Trail.) Already having an idea of what to expect from certain sections of those trails from previous visits made planning an overnight route a little easier. If I didn't feel 100% about part of the route I was planning a trip along, I would go day hike just that part I was concerned about first. By taking note of where camp sites and water sources were on my day hikes, I felt more confident when the time came to actually take the trip.
The great thing about the Foothills Trail (and certain parts of the Palmetto) is how prevalent campsites and parking accesses are. It allowed me the freedom to plan trips with daily mileages I felt comfortable with. I didn't have to jump right into hiking 10 miles a day if I didn't feel ready for it.
I learned so much about the work that goes into trip planning during that time. From researching a specific area's permits and regulations to finding out what current trail conditions were like. I also used that time to get my routines down and slowly swap out gear that wasn't cutting it for pieces that better suited my needs.
What I enjoyed most of all was growing through those individual weekend adventures. I appreciate the way each of those experiences taught me something new. Each short trip I took played a part in preparing me for a much bigger goal: a whole week thru-hiking the Foothills Trail. While just improving at backpacking in general is a good source of motivation, I think having a bigger goal in mind is even better. It gives you something to work towards as you gain that experience. This doesn't have to be something extreme like "spend six months thru-hiking the A.T." It can be "spend five days on the A.T. during my vacation time this year."
3. Embrace the Loneliness
Arguably one of the toughest things about backpacking solo is controlling your mind. Especially when it comes to feelings of loneliness. Sometimes I'm a champ at it, and other times I fail miserably. Not letting my emotions get the best of me and ruin an otherwise perfect trip is an ongoing process. At the beginning of my solo backpacking "career" I often mistook the feeling of loneliness for a feeling of urgency or being in some kind of danger. Maybe you can relate? I would get so anxious and worried about not being at home with my family. Sometimes I would break into a cold sweat realizing I wouldn't be crawling into my safe warm bed at the end of the day... or the next two nights. Needless to say, giving into these feelings instead of taking control of them stole valuable time at camp I could have spent reflecting on the day or staring up at the stars.
At some point I realized "This is just silly." Sitting all by myself at camp distressed and worked up over literally nothing is silly! So when I start to feel that sense of urgency or panic caused by loneliness creeping up, I stop and take a deep breathe. Then, I ask myself "Is there something actually wrong? Or am I just experiencing a feeling I don't like?" 9 times out of 10 it's nothing more than a negative feeling. Some things I like to do when taking a deep breathe just isn't enough is:
Read a short bible study/pray
Read a book
Listen to a podcast
Go through footage from the day on my camera
Jot down the highlights of the day in my trail journal
Another thing that helps in the moment is changing my mindset about the situation. Instead of being bothered that I'm alone, being grateful that I have this great campsite all to myself. Or appreciating having a weekend off from whatever responsibilities I have back home. Or even soaking up the fact that I have NOTHING to do! How often in our busy day to day lives do we actually get a moment without a single thing to do?
I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope it brought you some encouragement today. Before you go, don't forget to check out the videos and trail journals from some of my favorite solo trips: