How to adventure solo
I love solo adventures as they feel especially empowering. Here are my tips on how to get started hiking, camping and kayaking on your own.
Frontcountry Camping
Camping, especially frontcountry camping, is a great hobby to start solo. At provincial campsites there are often lots of other campers around and I feel totally safe going by myself as a younger woman (is 36 still young?? LOL).
I’ve read online about some women leaving a pair of men’s hiking boots outside their tent or putting out two camp chairs but honestly I’ve never found the need to do that. I keep to myself at the campground and usually find I’m surrounded by families. There is nothing extra I bring when I’m on my own, other than a good book and a journal.
If I’m venturing to rec sites or less populated sites that are more remote, I do tend to sleep with bearspray and a pocket knife - for both people and wildlife. I also pack small luggage locks with me to lock the tent zipper together from the inside, figuring if someone tried to get in I’d hear the zipper struggling and would have some time to wake up. When I first started solo camping I used the luggage locks but over time as I’ve gotten more comfortable I don’t tend to use them anymore.
Solo camping is so lovely. One or two nights on my own in nature feels like I’ve been away for a week. I turn my phone off, read and enjoy time by myself by the fire.
Backcountry Camping
If you’re looking to start backcountry camping on your own, start out by picking a popular site like Elfin or Garibaldi and go on a Saturday night - there will be plenty of other campers and hikers on the trail. For some reason I feel like there is an unspoken solidarity with everyone who has hiked in and feel especially safe camping solo at those sites.
Hiking
When hiking solo there are a few things I’m going to consider. First, I’m going to pick a trail I’m confident is within my abilities. I’ll also let a friend know where I’m going, when I expect to finish, and check-in when I start and end the trail.
It’s easy to make noise hiking with a friend gabbing away, but on your own it's a different story. I’m not one to be singing loudly to myself so I clap. Loud claps every so often, especially before turning any corner or around loud streams of running water. For a while I thought the claps were overkill until I clapped as I made my way around a corner to see a black bear taking off - I was glad to have made my presence known early. Being familiar with the wildlife you’re likely to encounter and knowing what to do is a given, regardless if you’re solo or not.
InReach Breadcrumb Trail
If I’m hiking something challenging or super remote, I really like using my InReach mini bread-crumb feature. It tracks your progress in real-time, dropping a series of GPS coordinates as you hike that friends can track online. I have mine set to drop a pin every 10 minutes which is a good balance of detailed tracking while also being mindful of battery conservation. I only use this feature when hiking alone as each crumb can cost up to $0.10, depending on the subscription plan you have with Garmin.
Kayaking
This may be a hot take but I am a big advocate of kayaking alone. I would never get on the water as often as I do if I had to wait around and coordinate with someone else.
That being said, when I was starting out I was paddling in Vancouver with lots of other paddlers and boaters on the water, in calm conditions, and kept close to shore (swimming distance). As my skills and experience grew, I started to venture out further.
I highly recommend the Paddle Canada courses offered across Canada, to ensure you can confidently self-rescue as that is a pre-requisite to getting on the water solo. The Level 1 skills course is incredibly fun and informative.
Things I do solo kayaking:
Know how to re-enter my kayak by myself in the conditions I paddle in, and continuously practice. If you can’t re-enter, you should not be on the water.
Always wear a PFD with a whistle
Dress for immersion, i.e. dress for the temperature of the water if you were to capsize. I have a winter wetsuit (5/4mm) and a spring/fall wetsuit (2mm) that I pick between depending on the water temperature of where I’m paddling
Check the wind and wave forecast before every paddle
Plan my paddle based on the forecast and water temperature - i.e. in the winter I’m going to paddle closer to shore
Leave a trip plan with a friend telling them when I’m paddling, where I’m launching from and where I plan to paddle, and text them when I return
Keep a charged cellphone in a dry bag on my kayak
Keep a charged VHF radio on my body when paddling in the winter, rougher conditions, or more isolated locations
