{"id":172453,"date":"2025-04-05T21:20:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T21:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/adventure\/after-5-years-ive-stopped-solo-hiking-now-im-forging-new-paths\/"},"modified":"2025-04-05T21:20:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T21:20:16","slug":"after-5-years-ive-stopped-solo-hiking-now-im-forging-new-paths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=172453","title":{"rendered":"After 5 Years, I\u2019ve Stopped Solo Hiking \u2013 Now I\u2019m Forging New Paths"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"After<\/p>\n

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After five years and five incredible multi-day solo hikes, Explorer Karolina wonders what\u2019s next? Hint: more hiking, but maybe a little differently.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

How It Started<\/h2>\n

Every year for the past five years, I\u2019ve taken myself on a solo multi-day hike. When I was 19, I decided I wanted to do something hard to celebrate my 20th birthday (naturally). I can\u2019t pinpoint exactly where the idea came from, except perhaps, as this reel<\/a> puts it, having read Wild at a critical juncture in life (in my case, the angsty age of 15).<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong>How To Start Hiking For Absolute Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n

Five years ago, I was at a loss with myself, flailing for some semblance of an identity. I\u2019d moved interstate for university the previous year, and after two tumultuous semesters, returned home to take a break. More questions than answers were popping up, rapidly and incessantly. So, I turned to the age-old friends \u2013 solitude and nature.<\/p>\n

I picked a five-day trail two hours south of Adelaide and made effective use of the EOFY sales at Anaconda. I planned it well \u2013 I turned 20 the day I finished the hike.<\/p>\n

Keen for a SA Day Hike? <\/strong>Read Karolina’s guide to Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park<\/a><\/p>\n

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Got the beautiful SA coastline all to myself<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It was a formative experience. I learnt the importance of proper planning and gear testing, as early on the trail I realised I didn\u2019t bring enough fuel for my little hexi stove.<\/p>\n

I experienced the euphoria of hiker\u2019s high for the first time, but also felt an intense fear while wild camping along the trail, painfully aware of being a young woman alone.<\/p>\n

Four years later, and with many of Australia\u2019s hiking trails under my belt (Larapinta Trail<\/a> in 2021, Overland Track<\/a> in 2022, the Grampians Peaks Trail<\/a> in 2023) I completed my first overseas hike and the most physically challenging one yet \u2013 the GR R2 on R\u00e9union Island.<\/p>\n

Looking Back at \u2018Solo\u2019<\/h2>\n

When I was 19, choosing to go solo was a grasp at identity and a bold claim towards independence. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding my friendships too. I think I wanted to prove I could do what I wanted without anyone\u2019s help.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wonder if [multiple ex-boyfriends] would be surprised by what I\u2019m doing\u2019, I wrote in my journal.<\/p>\n

I finished that hike triumphant, drunk from ticking off the parameters I\u2019d constructed for myself. I swiftly decided it\u2019d be a yearly tradition.<\/p>\n

For a long time, \u2018solo\u2019 felt like a virtue in and of itself, as if the hike would be worth less if I did it with other people.<\/p>\n

\u2018Take some friends with you\u2019, my darling mother pleaded.
\n\u2018The point is to do it by myself Mum!\u2019<\/p>\n

But after five years of doing it by myself, the pedestal on which \u2018solo\u2019 rests has begun to wobble. That isn\u2019t to say it was unshakably planted atop one from the beginning.<\/p>\n

My journal entries from that first hike don\u2019t hide a sense of loneliness, fleeting yet nonetheless present.<\/p>\n

\u2018When I arrived at camp, I wished I had another person with me.\u2019<\/p>\n

Similar statements are found in journals from 2021-2024. But this feeling of loneliness didn\u2019t outweigh the pleasure of solitude in nature or the sense of achievement I derived from my hikes. And it still doesn’t. However, I\u2019ve begun to question the endless pursuit of \u2018a solo hike every year\u2019.<\/p>\n

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To share this would have been nice from time to time<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After finishing the GR R2 last October, questions bubbled away. \u2018Solo\u2019 at what cost? And to what end? I imagine myself at 60, listing off 40 years of annual solo hikes. Is it doable? Of course. Most things are, with enough time, money, energy, etc.<\/p>\n

However, in life you can\u2019t do everything. And I wonder what kinds of sacrifices I\u2019d have to make in pursuit of this numerical, quantifiable goal. What counts as a long enough distance anyway? So far, all my hikes have been five days or longer. Would I be satisfied with a two-night weekend adventure? What if I spent five-months walking a trail like the Te Araroa<\/a>? Could I take a break the next year?<\/p>\n

But, most importantly, do I really want to have such an Excel spreadsheet approach to an activity that\u2019s supposed to be my reprieve from the modern world?<\/p>\n

What was it like to go solo for the first time?<\/strong> Karolina shares more reflections from her SA trip<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Maybe it’s time to change my perspective to hiking<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Looking Forward<\/h2>\n

Five years after that first solo hike, the glaring question mark of self has mostly dissipated. At 24 I feel a lot more grounded in \u2018me\u2019, even if the outer boundaries of \u2018me\u2019 are always slightly in flux. The compass needle has found a somewhat consistent direction. I\u2019m not flailing anymore.<\/p>\n

In a way these hikes have served their purpose. They\u2019ve no doubt contributed to me growing into a confident, self-assured, and courageous woman, who now has a solid bank of evidence of setting her mind to something and getting it done.<\/p>\n

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Each step on the trail has been a self-affirming experience<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And I admit, I don\u2019t feel like I have to prove myself so much anymore (deleting Instagram off my phone for months at a time probably also helped with this one). I\u2019ve found some peace.<\/p>\n

And so, upon reaching any milestone, you pause to consider the next one. After all, what\u2019s the value of a goal that\u2019s never ending, never changing?<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve gained experience, my appetite for more challenging terrain, conditions, and navigation has also increased. Some remote and very technical hikes, like the Drakensberg Grand Traverse in South Africa, now sit on my list, but walking them solo starts to push into the unsafe zone.<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/strong>Why My First Solo Overnight Hike Was (Almost) a Disaster<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019d be nice to join a group of more experienced hikers and learn from them, and the safest option for me too. There are many landscapes we don\u2019t experience in Australia, and part of respecting the conditions is not going in blind. Learning through and with people keeps you safe.<\/p>\n

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Now I’m seeking company in remote, unfamiliar places<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nature is, ultimately, meant to be shared. My many years of individual adventure have fostered a yearning for community. I often think about Christopher McCandless\u2019 quote at the end of Into the Wild<\/em>, that \u2018Happiness is only real when shared\u2019. There are many interpretations, but the core message I think is true. Connecting with community in nature is a special, wonderful thing \u2013 one I\u2019ve grown to value more and more.<\/p>\n

I must note that \u2018solo\u2019 has also been a product of logistical necessity \u2013 if I waited for people to join, I simply wouldn\u2019t have done as many hikes. Everyone has their own life and priorities. Nevertheless, I\u2019m increasingly drawn to the idea of making a hike more accessible and inviting people along.<\/p>\n

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Can’t wait to see a few more boots in this frame<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For the first time, I have a partner who\u2019s as excited as I am about spending two weeks in the bush with no shower. I\u2019d love to experience a long-distance trail with him.<\/p>\n

Additionally, I want hiking to be a net-good, especially for tourism. Many places in Asia or Africa require hiking guides.<\/p>\n

This ensures that money is spent locally, people have jobs, and that hikers have a more culturally enriching experience. Maybe in these places, the disembodied solo hiker doesn\u2019t always align with ethical tourism values?<\/p>\n

So, after at least 726km spent on the trail (of course my goal-driven individualistic-society self counted it up), it\u2019s time to be less dogmatic. I love hiking, with all my heart. I want to do it for the rest of my life and around the whole world.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019m 60, I hope I get to look back on a lifetime of hiking experiences, in diverse places, with diverse people. \u2018Solo\u2019 will no doubt play a part, but it\u2019d be a shame if it were the only part.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Breathtaking Multi-Day Treks for Solo or Group Hikers<\/h2>\n