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[at-l] Hiking Alone (was "long post...")

Steven Dopp wrote:

> Fourwh1021 writers regarding hiking alone as a woman.
>
> I advise against hiking alone, whether you are a man or a woman.
>
> Also, I think it is more fun to share the experience with someone else.  I
> do not hike alone.

At last!  Something relevant to "argue" about. :-)

I enjoy it both with buddies and alone, but the winnah is
solitude.  There is nothing like it.  No conversation.  No
obligation of pace to keep up.  Or to keep down.  The
freedom to sing hymns loudly at a sunset, or to say nothing
at all to anyone (including critters) for 6 hours.  For that
matter, the freedom to murmur angrily about blisters,
chafing, rain, or bugs without being christened as a whiner.

And yes,
even the slight increase in danger -- falls, fractures, and
fauna (black bears; I wanted to maintain the alliteration) --
adds immensely to my feelings of achievement at the end
of the excursion.

Somehow, the "one with nature" thing is diluted for me
when it becomes "three with nature."  That said, I will
continue to go out with buddies, too.  That has another
set of (obvious) advantages.

     -Tom Williams


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