Tag Archives: itinerary

Hiking Solo? Leave an Itinerary!

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“What seems to us bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.”
– Oscar Wilde

I have had the opportunity to do a great deal of thinking since I’ve been laid up after my surgery. One of the questions that keeps running through my mind is, what if I had been alone during that backpacking trip? What if I didn’t have my two friends there to call for help in what has proved to be one of the worst days I have ever had. Now, when I originally planned this trip, I was going to go alone but a couple of months later I asked two friends if they wanted to join me on what was supposed to be a three day adventure.

Thankfully, Ray had an app on his phone that was able to give the exact latitude and longitude of where we were. If I had been alone, I would have only been able to give a general description of where I was therefore possibly delaying my departure from the trail. Jaime immediately knew to call 911 and the Park Rangers to summon help as quickly as he could. Once again, if I had been alone, due to my physical condition I am not so sure whether I could have properly summoned help and I may have sat there for hours waiting for another hiker to come along.

When I was younger I never thought that hiking alone could be a dangerous activity. I spent many days in the woods and my family didn’t even know where I was or when I was going to be back. I never thought for one second that I would ever get hurt hiking!

However, as I started to get older, I decided that it was probably in my best interest to leave an itinerary, just in case.  So what info do I leave my family?

  1. The first thing I do is write down the name of the trail map(s) I will be using. Next, I make sure that I carefully detail what trails I will be hiking on. The most important thing to remember about this one? Never, ever deviate from the information that you leave for your family!!
  2. Make sure that after you write the information down you tell someone that you are going hiking and that you have left an itinerary. If no one is home when I am leaving, I will text my wife and tell her I am going and that the info is in the kitchen.
  3. When I start the hike I will text my wife to let her know that I am heading out on the trail and how long I think it will take me to complete the hike. If I think that I am going to be later than I originally thought, I send her a text letting her know that.
  4. As soon as I have completed my hike, I usually give my wife a quick call just to let her know I am done.

I used to think that leaving all of this information was overkill. After fracturing my ankle last month, I am now more committed than ever to making sure that I let someone know when I am going to be out hiking.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Make sure you have more than enough water for your hike. Stay hydrated!!!!!

Happy Hiking!!!

Hiking Alone Or In A Group? Be Safe!

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“I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked, I am mad for it to be in contact with me.”

-Walt Whitman

In a reply to one of my last posts regarding hydrating, Barb Knowles of Saneteachers.com (a friend and colleague) asked if I could write a post about hiking/walking alone against being in a group. I added to that some simple things that you should do to help make sure that you come back home safe.

Over the last week I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this very subject. In my last post I told you about an incident last Thursday that led to me being in the hospital for six days. Thankfully I was hiking with friends but I have kept thinking, “What if I had been alone?” Would I have been  able get the help I needed?

Now that I am older, I tend to be a much more careful hiker than I was in the past. Twenty years ago, I would head out into the woods for hours at a time, alone and a times without a map. At times I would stay on the trail, others not. The point being I didn’t really pay much attention to what I was doing. I just did it!

Hiking Alone:

I love hiking alone. Some people don’t, but I like the time that I get to be in the woods and think things out. With that said, I now take precautions to make sure that if anything happens to me, it won’t be hard to find me. I don’t want it to get to the point where you would just look for the buzzards circling a set area. Here is a list of what I do:

  1. Leave an itinerary: This may seem obvious, but leaving a detailed route of where you will be hiking is imperative. Don’t forget to write down where you will be parking your car. The most important thing about having an itinerary is following it. If you decide to veer off the trail to see that extra view and something happens, that will just delay rescuers.
  2. Bring a MAP of where you will be hiking. If you have a GPS, include that as well.
  3. Make sure you have enough water. even if you are only going out for a couple of hours. BRING WATER! You never know when a couple of hours could turn into a half of a day or longer.
  4. Bring snacks/food. The amount/type of course depends on how long your hike is. Going out all day? Bring a sandwich. A short hike? Maybe an energy bar or some GORP (good old raisins and peanuts).
  5. First aid kit/Electronics/Extra laces/Extra shirt-Any other items that will make your hike that more enjoyable should be included.
  6. And of course last but not least-Your cell phone…

Hiking In A Group:

Hiking in a group, with either 2 other people or 20 presents its own unique set of challenges. I would still include all of stuff from the Solo Hike but other things will need to be adjusted. When you hike with a group, your pace will be at the mercy of the group. When you hike with a group, when you take breaks will be at the mercy of the group. You give up a certain amount of  the solitude and individualism that I cherish and this may affect the total distance you hike and the time it will take you. Some people, however, like the social aspect of hiking and don’t mind group excursions. It’s all up to you!

The bottom line is this. Whether you like to hike alone or in groups, it is really important to make sure that you let someone know where you are going to be. Be prepared!

If after reading this you believe that I have missed anything, please let me know in the form of a comment. Thanks!

Happy Hiking!!!