Having grown up in the Scouts, I always went on trips with at least several comrades, but as full-time work and full-time college have kind of drawn all my old hiking buddies apart into their separate lives, it's hard to get even a single wingman out on the trail with me.
To date, I've gone on two trips solo, but these were at Point Reyes, which is basically "Backpackerland! The New Disney Theme Park!".
Personally, I yearn to return to the national and state wildernesses, but therein lies my problem: a wee anxiety about going into untraveled terrain alone.

I've been out seeking advice, and have found these blogs:
1. http://bwca.cc/activities/hiking/articles/solobackpacking.html
2.
http://hikingdude.com/hiking-alone.php
3.
http://solofriendly.com/10-tips-for-hiking-alone-safely/

There is also a wealth of additional information on the subject to be found, but I thought I'd pick a few brains here for personal advice on what anyone's done or would do to get into the swing of the solo backpacking trip.
If I can name one thing that is personally holding me back, I think it's just a deep-seated (14 years) to the BSA's buddy system: two heads are better than one.
The idea of having a Clouseau moment in the wilderness without a wingman around is a threshold worth overtaking.

So, what say ye, Backpacking.net board o' messages?
Any advice for an old dog looking to become a lone wolf?


Edited by Robotmoose (05/01/13 10:07 AM)
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