Hiking Dude Blog

Last week, I solo hiked about 65 miles around the Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming on the Solitude Trail. It was a great, grueling adventure that I said I'd never need to do again, but am already looking forward to trying as soon as someone says they want to go with me. :-)
I just finished the writing and you can read about it on my 2020 Cloud Peak Solitude Trail hike page.

Hike On!

I finished hiking for today. You can check out my current location on the map and I'll post about my day when I am in coverage.

When you're all packed and just waiting to start a trek, but you don't leave until tomorrow... Time moves sooooo slow just like this turtle on the trail. This is when you have to refrain from adding just this one little item or that extra food. It's not needed and just makes more weight. As long as I don't forget my toothbrush, I'll be fine.

I just completed my SECOND thru-hike of the year! I'm so proud! :-)

I admit that when I posted about my virtual SHT thru-hike back in March I figured life would be normalized by now. Oops! With the pandemic persisting, the National Scenic Trail organizations continue to recommend local hiking.

So, I continue to put in my 5 to 7 miles most mornings and that has finally added up to 800 miles - the length of the Arizona Trail. You can see in the image above that I've covered and re-covered most of my local area. The red circle is about 6 miles in diameter. I hiked for 90 to 100 minutes 5 times a week for 27 weeks.

I know it's not as interesting as a long trail, but better than nothing. Now, I'm working on either the Pacific Northwest Trail, ice Age Trail, or Florida Trail - I haven't decided yet but they are all similar lengths. And, I have about 350 miles or so to complete them.

By the way, I've also picked up over 350 pounds of trash over my 800 miles as a 2020 GroundsKeeper through Granite Gear. Might as well accomplish something while walking.

You can do a Virtual Thru Hike too!
You can virtually hike your trail of choice while staying safe and doing some good where you live. Here's how:

• Get up early while it's still cool and the trails are less crowded. Around 7:30am, our trails just fill up, so I go at 6:30.
• Use gmap.pedometer.com to figure out an 8-mile route around your community.
• Hike this route in 2.5 hours.
• Get home by 9am for a shower.
• Repeat 5 times a week, making new routes.
• Take a bag along and pick up litter.
• Easy Peasy

Hike On!

Finally preparing for a real hike this year!

Like the vast majority of hikers, I've been doing the #stayathome #staysafe #stayhealthy #socialdistancing #recreateresponsibly and all the other hashtags encouraging us to minimize our impact on the spreading of covid-19. I've been walking about 6 miles each morning since March and have started doing an hour or so of hill hiking with a pack on for the past couple weeks. On August 3, I'll be heading out for a week of backpacking.

Since my first trek in the Cloud Peak Wilderness near Buffalo, WY 15 years ago, I've wanted to hike the complete Solitude Loop Trail but each year I've led a group instead. This year, there's no group going so I finally get to give it a try to hike the 60-mile loop solo.

A backpacking friend is driving with me and will do his own solo trip for a few days while I scurry all the way around the mountain. Then, we'll drive home together. So, the only pandemic impact we should have is any stops we make on the drive.
We are packing our own food and the drive will be about 13 hours. So, our only stops will be for gas and bathroom. Using credit cards, there's no risk of exposure getting gas. That means 3 or 4 minutes in a gas station bathroom every few hours is our only opportunity to contract or pass the virus. I feel that is a miniscule and socially responsible risk.

My trek plan is to start at Hunter trailhead on the east side of the wilderness area. We'll arrive Monday evening and I'll hike in a few miles north to find a campsite before it gets dark. If all goes well, I'll make it the 8 miles to Elk Lake where I meet the actual Solitude Trail 038 but I don't expect to make it that far.

The next morning, starting around dawn, I'll hike counter-clockwise to the west, covering the section of trail that I've never been on. This way, I'll have the more familiar sections later so I'll have a good idea of how long they'll take. I plan to walk 20 miles, or until I get tired. If that doesn't happen, and the weather is clear, it's a full moon so I might just hike into the night for a little excitement. I hope to reach Duncan Lake at the northwest corner of the loop to camp.

On the second full day of hiking, I head south over Geneva Pass and then a long, downhill section. At the Paintrock Creek ford, I head east and up into the higher part of the loop past Lake Solitude and to the base of Cloud Peak. If I reach this spot late in the day, I'll camp here. If I arrive early, I have to make a decision. I could stop for the day, do a summit climb of Cloud Peak on day 3 and then hike out on day 4. Or, I could push on east over Florence Pass and camp at Medicine Park then complete the loop on day 3 and have a short hike out on day 4.

And, as you experienced folks know, as soon as I set foot on the trail, the plan changes. So, we'll just see what adventure the trail provides.

If you'd like to follow along, my tracker will be plinking my location here on my blog throughout the days of hiking. I'll write each day, but I doubt there will be any coverage to post until I get off trail.

As part of my commitment as a 2020 Granite Gear GroundsKeeper, I'll be picking up any trash I find and packing it out. Hopefully, I'll find more the last day and not the first. I'll let you know how it goes. So far this year, I've gathered over 350 pounds of trash on my local hikes around town.

Hike On!

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When I thru-hiked the Ice Age Trail across Wisconsin, I met Melanie hiking the trail in the opposite direction. At the time, her trail name was Valderi but it has since become Snowshoe. I'm very envious of Snowshoe because she has made a career of writing about her travels - can't beat that!
Anyway, since I'm no expert on the subject, I've asked Snowshoe to share her views on women solo hiking. Here's her thoughts...

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One of the most common questions asked of veteran female hikers is this: Aren't you afraid to be alone on the trail? Most of the time, the real question behind this question revolves around the fear of being attacked, molested or killed by a male - not having an accident or being harmed by another woman.

My answer, and that of other experienced female hikers, is a resounding No! Sure, there are risks to heading into the outdoors alone - risks that apply to both men and women. And yes, you need to take some precautions. A few of the main ones: Always let someone know where you are going. Carry a medical kit and a phone with charger. (A GPS device that can communicate by satellite is also a wise option.) Have adequate food and water, know the weather forecast and dress appropriately.

But commonsense precautions aside, here are four reasons why solo hiking is safer than you may believe.

1. Few People Are Attacked or Killed While Hiking

Yes, every once in a while some crazy person kills a hiker and it's splashed all over the news. But that's a very rare occurrence compared to the risks we encounter in everyday life. Let's look at some numbers:

• According to the CDC, in 2017 the top causes of death for females of all ages, races and origins were heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, unintentional injuries, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease and septicemia.
• In 2019, nearly 40,000 people died in car crashes in the U.S., according to the National Safety Council.
• After a male hiker on the Appalachian Trail (AT) was killed by a machete-wielding man in the spring of 2019, some panic ensued among hikers. So the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) crunched some numbers and reported this: During the last 45 years, about a dozen people were killed on the AT by other people. But since 2 to 3 million people hike on the AT every year, that computes to a 1 in 20 million chance of being murdered on the AT.

The lesson? Rather than worry about some creeper in the woods, you're better off making sure you always wear a seatbelt when you're in the car, and that you eat well and regularly exercise your mind and brain.

2. Sexual Assaults Aren't Typically Committed by Strangers

If you're going to be sexually assaulted, chances are it will be by someone you know, not a stranger on the trail. According to RAINN – the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network – eight out of 10 rapes are committed by people known to their victims.

3. Trail Associations Have Your Back

Trail associations are passionate about their paths. If they learn of a problem on their trail - say, a sketchy individual lurking in the woods or harassing hikers - they will be on it, stat. Remember, too, that you can always call a trail association or governing body before you set out to ask if there are any current safety concerns. It doesn't hurt to get the names and numbers of some local trail angels, too. Then, should you become uneasy for any reason and want to get off the trail earlier than planned, you'll have someone nearby to call.

4. It's Easy to Hike in Solitude or Crowds

Depending on your perspective, you may feel safer hiking among crowds or striking out where virtually no one will be around. You're in luck, as it's easy to do both. If you want to hike solo, yet have the comfort of many people in the vicinity should something happen, select a popular trail and plan to hike it during peak season. That could be the southern terminus of the AT in March or April, the Florida Trail in January or the John Muir Trail in late summer.

Conversely, if you'd like to wander alone in the woods, there are thousands upon thousands of miles of little-known trail out there to explore. Ever heard of the Kekekabic, Jones Hole or Charon's Garden Trails? Identify some of these paths less followed and head on out.

Over the last decade, I've hiked nearly 10,000 miles, mostly alone. Yes, there was one time when a man made me feel uncomfortable by asking questions I found unusual. I quickly hiked on and nothing happened. But far more significant is that during this same time, dozens of male hikers helped me on the trail – doing everything from carrying my pack over a rushing stream and helping me climb over large obstacles to sharing snacks and lending me a phone charger when mine died.

The message is clear: Shelve those fears and hike on!

Melanie Radzicki McManus writes and blogs at The Thousand-Miler. She has trekked around the globe and is currently attempting to hike all 11 U.S. National Scenic Trails. As of May 2020, she has four down and a fifth partially completed.