[pct-l] The hazards of hiking alone

[Nathan Miller]

For everything we do and every choice we make, there's always a trade-off--always.  Whether and how to hike is no different.  My last three hikes were done solo mainly because everyone who was interested in joining me had to bail for one reason or another and I was too stubborn to just stay home, despite my wife's wishes.  The first of these ended prematurely when blisters prompted me to make a strategic withdrawal--on this trip, I only saw one person in 3 days.  On the second, I had no mishaps at all (aside from some relatively short-lived bad weather on Mt. Hood) and met a lot of other people on the trail, a few of whom were also out there by themselves.  On the third, I encountered a cougar, a bear, a rattlesnake and then subsequently crashed the car on the way home--I saw a few people the first two days, but no one the rest of the time.  Good times, good times....  Anyway, my wife, understandably insists I don't hike alone.  In fact, most people to
 whom I talk about hiking -- section or through -- say, "Oh, you're not going alone, are you?"
After reading this list and hiking, I've come to conclusion that hiking by one's self isn't really any more dangerous than doing anything else by one's self.  I'd be interested in hearing about y'all's attempts -- successful or not -- to convince others of this.  I fear I'll miss out on some great hiking because I fail -- through my own fault or not -- to secure hiking companions.

-Nathan Miller
Newberg, OR