Adventuring As A Solo Woman
Sometimes there will be no one to go with, so you have to take yourself.
As a woman hiking by myself, I often hear “Aren’t you afraid”, “I could never do that” and my all time favorite “If you were my wife, I would never let you do that”. Even from a young age, we’re taught to be scared of the world and to never do things by yourself. Despite it being 2022, there still seems to be a stigma on women being independent and doing things on their own. Getting out in nature on a regular basis is often something I have to do solo and I’ve embraced being a woman alone on the trail. If you were to ask my mother, she would tell you she’s terrified for my life and that I am sure to be eaten by a mountain lion or murdered by a drifter in the woods. However, I often feel safer on a trail by myself than I do most days walking in downtown Denver alone.
So how does one confidently go hiking by themselves? What steps can you take to feel as safe as possible? I always follow the same plan when I’m going out solo, whether the hike is a 20-minute drive from my house in the foothills or I’m heading into the backcountry. Here are my Top 5 for having a successful solo hike.
Plan and prepare. I always tell my husband where I’m going and when I expect to be back. I share the trail map with him, tell him how far I’m planning to go and when I plan on being back. If he’s traveling for work, I tell a friend my plan. This way if I don’t return or I’m not heard from at a specified time, they know to send out the search parties.
Wildlife. When I first started to hike on my own, I was a little nervous, wildlife being at the top of my list. To qualm this fear, I did some research. What were the actual chances of being attacked by a black bear? What about mountain lions? In the last 30 years, there have only been 25 mountain lion attacks in the state of Colorado and only 4 fetal black bear attacks. Wildlife wants to avoid us as much as possible and will only attack should they feel threatened or if they are in dire straights. Most of the time, they want to avoid us as much as we want to avoid them. If you do see a creature, should it be deer or lion, always remember never to approach.
Check the weather. Is it going to snow/rain/hail? With our crazy Colorado weather, you never quite can tell and you could get a mixture of everything. Packing enough layers and a raincoat are important should the temperature decide to drop or a storm roll in. If you’re hiking above the treeline, make sure to start early in the morning and be back in the trees or to your car by noon.
Listen to your body. If you planned on hiking 10 miles but your knees hurt after 5, turning around is never a bad idea. If something isn’t sitting right, listen to your gut, there's usually a reason. It's better to be safe than to risk life or limb. I’ve had to ditch plans for weather, snowpack, blisters, and forgetting gear. It sucks, but I’m never disappointed that I decided to turn around. I still got to be outside enjoying nature and used my body which was ultimately the goal.
Have a map. I’m no master navigator, I can use a compass to point me north but I don’t know how to navigate very well. I do however, know how to use an app. There are some great free hiking trail apps out there that will even work when you don’t have a signal. It's a great way to check your progress and see where you are should you lose the trail. REI’s Hiking Project and All Trails are both super helpful and have saved me more times than I can count when I literally don’t know where to turn.
You don’t need fancy gear to enjoy a hike on your own, just a good plan and you’ll have success. Throw in a positive and mindset, you too can be one of those ladies that your friends and co-workers will envy. Being able to hike solo allows you to have the freedom to explore when a friend is not available or your partner would rather not tag along. It also feels amazing to be a badass out on the trail by yourself.
Resources: https://kdvr.com/news/colorado-has-the-countrys-second-highest-amount-of-deaths-by-black-bear/
