I walk alone and I run alone and I sometimes walk in the woods behind my house alone. And I think, on some level, that’s almost equivalent to hiking alone. But it never felt like it. I was always told never to go hiking alone. I should have a friend or at least a dog, right? Well, I’m a cat person and sure, I would love to take the cats hiking with me, but well… cats.
I completely understand the safety concerns of hiking alone. And while our ever-so-creative anxiety may convince us we’ll be the victim of an awful and unusual crime, I think this is far less likely than just plain getting lost. Or injured. Or stranded. Or dehydrated. Or stuck in the midst of some other medical emergency, etc.
So why even consider hiking alone? On a quite practical level, maybe you have no one to hike with. Also, I know people who go out solo and seem to feel comfortable and enjoy themselves. In some ways it seems like a rite of passage. Perhaps I’ve seen too many travel influencers going on solo hikes and doing solo trail runs. It’s what the cool kids do, right? If I’m being completely transparent, these solo hikers all look awesome and like they’re having the most amazing time and, damn it, I want to look awesome while having an amazing time as well. Who doesn’t? And then there’s my self-reliant streak which tells me I want to do it just so I know I can.
A Stunning Location
I was in Great Smoky Mountain National Park this summer. While it is the most visited national park in the United States, I think it is sometimes overlooked by hikers. Fortunately, I’ve been there twice and hiked several of the trails and had a great time. Also, you can hike up to 71 miles of the Appalachian Trail while in the park which is always a nice box to check for an East Coast hiker. What I love most about this park is how relatively easy it is to navigate and how much water there is. Ok wait, that’s a lie. Hands down what I love most about Great Smoky Mountain National Park are the bears! I saw bears every day. I saw bears in town, crossing the street, while driving in the park, and while biking in the park. Bears, bears, everywhere! But aside from the wildlife, the trails in the park are easy to get to without having to drive for hours. And when you’re driving and hiking, there are many rivers and creeks which make for gorgeous scenery and ice-cold foot baths.
The Hike
One afternoon, after spending many hours in Gatlinburg, I needed to recalibrate by getting out in some nature. No one else felt like hiking and so here was my opportunity to try a solo hike. Normally I’m the type who likes to get up and out early to the trailhead. After all, if some disaster is going to happen, I’d like it to happen with plenty of daylight left in which to solve said disaster. But here I was heading to the trailhead at 3pm. I packed extra food, 2 liters of water and the bear spray for this…. 3-mile round-trip hike. Aside from the bear spray, it was overkill. I know.
Spoiler alert, nothing terrible happened on this hike. I intentionally picked the hike to Grotto Falls. It’s a trail I’d been on before and it’s a quick out-and-back. It’s rated as easy to moderate because of the 585 ft elevation gain on the way out and the rocky terrain, but this isn’t a tough hike. I also knew it’s one of the most popular hikes in the park given that it leads to a 25 ft waterfall you can walk behind and many pools you can play in. But popular also meant if I ran into any issues, I would also run into other people who could help.
A tip: The parking lot for Grotto Falls hike is on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. It’s a small lot and your best bet is to get there early in the morning. However, when I arrived around 4pm, there was a fair amount of turnover. I pulled into a spot immediately and 3 other spaces opened up while I was getting organized.
The Experience
When I hiked Grotto Falls a few years prior there was a bear sighting just off the trail. Super exciting! But now here I was hiking alone, late in the day and I found myself much more nervous about a bear encounter. Normally I hike with a friend, and we talk loudly and nonstop, effectively scaring off any mammal of interest. In her absence, I had to make noise and talk aloud much of the time and not only did I feel nuts, but apparently I’m not entertaining to myself. There’s only so many times you can sing your made-up song telling the bears you aren’t trying to sneak up on them before your mind goes numb.
Also, I was nervous most of the way to the waterfall. Maybe others don’t experience this or maybe it changes with time, but I couldn’t really enjoy the process. Since I only had myself to rely on, I felt the need to pay very close attention and felt very serious most of the hike.
I made it to the waterfall and did feel a great sense of accomplishment. I walked back and forth behind it a few times, soaked my legs in the ice-cold pool, and had a woman take my picture. I hiked back to the car and gave myself a mental high five and that was that. I had achieved a solo hike!
Am I glad I did this?
Of course! I love new experiences and that’s how we learn. And after a lifetime of being told (often because of my gender) never to hike alone, I felt this was a safe and responsible way to try it. And a way to push limits. However, I don’t think I actually like solo hiking, lol. The combination of stress and lack of fun made me really appreciate hiking with friends and family. After all, I need someone there to drag me to the trailhead when we run out of food and water, get lost, break a leg and a deer attacks us.
I’m curious what others think about solo hikes. Have you been solo hiking? Is this something you like to do? Should I have done something differently? Please let me know in the comments!