Long distance solo man

You said it just right. I really, truly enjoy hiking with other people. I really do. But my best experiences in the backcountry have been alone. The way your mind clears and the way the silence teaches you something about linking up with the natural world...it's something you only get when you put yourself there. I'm hoping to do the whole Ouachita Trail Solo sometime. The longest I've ever been out alone in one stretch was 7 full days. I want to do longer.

One of my best trips was a solo trip. All be it a long time ago. I have told Jay some of this but back in the Spring of 1979, I think?? has been a long time ago for sure, I took a solo trip from Winding Stairs trail head to Queen Whilimena Lodge. What I remember most was waking up by the Kiamichi River and the weather was changing on me. I knew that I had to haul my but up Rich Mnt. Quite a climb I am sure even now. When I got
to the top the clouds were swirling around me, Jay remember that Sun.! Just like that but worse. And the OT was a lot wilder back then than now. I decided to take my chances on hitching a ride on the scenic drive. Not to be, found out later that some one had kidnapped two forest rangers in the are and had killed them. No one was going to stop for a fellow looking like me on a road! Any way I enjoyed it and would do it again.

I know that this is an old thread, but I thought about reviving it since soon I am planning on doing quite an extensive solo trip. Now most of yall know that I cannot be gone for many days at once, but soon I will be leaving for 3 days and I plan on really covering a lot of ground during that time. I have only solo hiked a few times, and really not that far away. This is going to be a time not just to test myself, but also grow closer to God, and pray for my family and church. I plan on doing one of these hikes once a month for a while, and eventually I want to fast while I do them. I do not plan on fasting my first trip though, because I will want the extra warmth that food provides you.

Is there anything I need to know about going solo for 70-80 miles? Anything special I need to take that I might be over looking?
I already have a backup plan incase I cannot cover this many miles safely, but really, am I missing something that I do not already do?

Sorry guys that I am not telling you when/where, but this is just something that I have to do, and I will post everything when I get back. I do want to be safe though, and be able to post all those wonderful miles for my team when I get back

BTW - - - Please pray for me

Dwight,

I have only taken one solo trip and I really enjoyed being by myself. It is certanly a time to think and reflect. I don't know about fasting at least for that many miles. Now if you were like me with all of my fat stored on your body that would be one thing! You and only you know your limitations and I say go for it but please be safe friend.

OH

I too alarmed a bit at the fast idea. I know you sed not this trip but..... You know your limitations and comfort zones. Just adjust accordingly. Temps, how much climbs, how far... you know, less distance if you are fasting. Things like that. Maybe 1 day of the multi day trip. Hate to see you hallucinating and take a wrong turn then we have to come find you...

Sound great. Lord, please bless this man, Your servant, in amazing ways as he seeks Your Presence.

PM:
I'm looking forward to hearing about your solo trip, once you complete it.
In order to do 70-80 miles in 3 days, and I kinda have an idea of where, this means you will average 23-27 miles per day. While this is doable, this puts a tremendous physical stress on the body and can result in overuse injuries, such as shin splints. Especially if your body isn't use to knocking out this kind of mileage.
While I understand the religious significance to fasting, trying to do that while undergoing a "marathon" hike is not healthy or safe. You have recently lost 50+ lbs and therefore, have depleted those fat stores. Your body doesn't have the reserves to draw from for energy. This will result in your body cannibalizing itself. It will take energy from the only source that you have left - muscle. This is not good. It will result in a condition called Ketoacidosis. This is what diabetics suffer from if they don't get their insulin. Not good!!!
For the trip that you have planned, your body will expend around 8000 calories per day and you will need to be on the trail for probably 11-13 hours per day. For a 3-day hike, if you were not planning to fast, you will need to carry about 3 lbs of food per day if you wanted to eat enough to keep up with your energy needs. And even at that, you will probably run about a 3000 calorie deficit per day. That's almost a pound of fat per day.
Dwight, in no way am I trying to talk you out of your quest, on the contrary, I want to encourage you in every way. I just want you to make informed decisions and to come back safe from your trip.
UL

LOL...That is what Amanda says too. I have fasted before many times, but never while out hiking, and that is mostly because I have other people with me. I do not fast so that people will say "wow, look at that fasting man." It is a very personal thing with me, that I don't want others to know about. My doctor tells me that I still have 20% body fat (After losing 50lbs ), so I feel I could do a 3 day fast without hurting myself.

I plan on just having fun, and do a lot of thinking/praying. When you have a family of 6 and pastor a church, there are some things that you just have to think/pray about. Not that anything is wrong, I just don't want to have anything go wrong . It's kinda like when everything is going well, watch out because something is about to happen kind of thing.

I may even run across some of yall . Thanks for the advice/concern. I know this is a big undertaking.

UL:

You posted while I was typing this Thanks for the information, it makes me want to carry more food this first trip. I have been doing a lot of running lately, because I was concerned about stress fractures/shin splints too. If I feel like I am over doing it, I will cut my miles way down, because I can always, at any point, change my plans and hike shorter. Again thank you.

PM:

Most of my backpacking has been solo. I enjoy hiking with others, but my real joy comes from soloing. There's no better way to get in tune with yourself, nature, and of course, God. (Just look at Jesus...he went on a LOOOONG solo trip into the wilderness!

As for forgetting something: the temps are coming up, so you're unlikely to get into freeze-to-death situation this time of year (unless you're careless around water). No worries there.

Just make sure your water system is flawlessly prepared (including backup) since you're going to be needing all the water you can suck down if you're shooting for high mileage.

Since you're partly doing this for some intimate time with God, consider this:

Pack a small item into the woods with you. It can be anything; a dollar bill perhaps, an old watch; anything--but it should be something that holds a little significance to you. Carry it with you until you reach the most distant point of your trip, the place along the trail where you are furthest from home. When you get there, find a quiet place way off the trail, sit down, and take out your little item.

Now comes the important part: pray over it. Hold it in your hands and ask Our LORD to bless the little item. Tell him that your heart desires to leave all your burdens, all your thorns, all the sin you don't want anymore--everything--with the little item and for him to take it.

Now, dig a good deep hole (don't stop praying!) and bury the little item. Stay there until you feel His Peace wash over you. Just sit there and let Him have it all. Don't rush, just wait for His Spirit to tell you to move on, then, move on. Try to forget where you buried it.

Don't worry, unless you carry in a lump of uranium, burying a little thing isn't going to upset the balance of nature; besides, if we can't use the wilderness to get closer to God, what good is it?

Have a great trip, and I hope you really get to enjoy your time with the Big Fella.

Thanks Jay,

I have been going over my water for a while now, I have an Aquamira Frontier Pro that instead of using as a gravity filter (its very slow), I planon using it as an inline filter for my bag. I also carry Iodine tablets no matter what so I think I am pretty covered. If the night temps are warmer then, I will be able to drop my underquilt and carry a little less weight.

Thank you all for understanding what I need to do, and for all the advice. On other forums people wouldn't help, they would turn this all around into some big religious debate. I appreciate people just heping it makes me smile

PM,
I think it's awesome and is a testimony to the type of man you are and Who is most important in your life. I think the understanding and support you recieve from this group is not conincidental. God has led all these forum contributors here for a purpose. You are correct about other forums and the response you would receive. I'm sure there would be other like minded people but the overwhelming majority of forum members of say, Backpacker magaizine's forum would likely be of derision or incredulity.
I too have been contemplating some solo trips this year as well. Although, not on the scale you've suggested. God speed with your trip and I hope He speaks to you while you are out there.

Preacha, I admire you. Take care.

Ok so I am working the kinks out of my hike, and so far I realized that my 2L evernew bag is not going to cut it for me. It keeps leaking out of the top airvent, so I think I am going with water bottles that my Aquamira Frontier Pro attaches to. That way I can fill the bottles, and drink on the go. Does that sound good to everyone? The Frontier Pro attaches really well and I get a decent flow from it. I also have sworn off coffee this month, so I only need to heat up two meals. I am taking my Alcohol stove fueled with Heet, and leaving my smaller bowl out of my Ti bowl set. I may take some tea though as I am sure that I will have more than enough fuel.

I have been thinking about my feet a lot too. Usually on long hikes my pinky toes get blisters, so I am going to tape them up with cloth athletic tape, wear liners, and then wear a pair of old trail running shoes (Saucony Grid Aura TR5's) that I use to wear. They are not worn out, but well broken in. Besides soaking my feet in a creek, is there anything else that may help them on this long trip?

I also am realy glad that the time changed as I should have more light to hike with during the day

PM... on a note on the Aquamira... I experianced a blockage in mine this past weekend. It was the white prefilter thats inside the two end caps. Had to pop it out and use it without that peice. Just a FYI for you. And I had been paying expecially great care to get the cleanest water I could find, just for that reason.

Thanks TM, I am taking 2 extra filters with me just in case that happens. I hae already had mine kinda slow down because of those pesky things

Preacha Man wrote:
I have been thinking about my feet a lot too. Usually on long hikes my pinky toes get blisters, so I am going to tape them up with cloth athletic tape, wear liners, and then wear a pair of old trail running shoes (Saucony Grid Aura TR5's) that I use to wear. They are not worn out, but well broken in. Besides soaking my feet in a creek, is there anything else that may help them on this long trip?

I realize this is probably old hat, but I used to struggle with pinkie toe blisters too until I figured out two things:

1. Smartwool Socks. These freaking socks are awesome. They're 15-20 bucks per pair, but EASILY worth it. I prefer the actual Smartwool brand, but there are other semi-synthetic wool socks out there which do really well too. (and they aren't hot! Dry feet don't blister!)

2. Proper boot/shoelace tying. I know this has probably been hashed out about 1,000 times too, but if you don't tie your shoes correctly, you'll get blisters every time. There are several websites dedicated to different ways of tying your boots to make them form to all the little irregularities in your specific feet (everyone's are different, after all) but here's the simple method that works best for me:

I leave the laces sort of loose from the toes all the way to the top of my foot. The only part I tighten is the "crossover point" where most boots have the little hooks (instead of eyelets) on either side just in front of your ankles. (In fact, my Asolo Fugitive GTXs have a "locking" type of hook which the laces pop into and won't loosen, even if the laces come untied.) This little crossover point is what holds your heel in the heelcup. Lacing the lower part of the boot too tight will give you lots of trouble. Let your toes have some room to move but keep your heel firmly in place by wrenching down that one little crossover.

Think of it like you're strapping a racecar driver into his racecar: You buckle him up tight across his hips and chest to keep him firmly in the seat, but you leave his legs relatively free.

Also remember: your feet will swell as you go, so lace your boots/shoes a little looser than what you think they should be at the start so your feet will swell into them. (Or at least remind yourself to loosen them if needed; you might not notice that they've gotten too tight until your feet already hurt...)

This stuff works for me anyway. Take it with a grain...

And take care of those footsies; they're your only wheels out here!

Thanks jay about the good article on foot care, maybe footcare needs to be its own thread under health and fitness . *edit* woops, it already is, maybe I just need to go read the posts

I just weighed my pack, and it weighed in food, plus 2 Liters of water, at 22 pounds. I took UL's advice and packed 3 pounds of food per day, so my food is right at 9 pounds. Most of my food weight is UL's trail mix , only I cut up the mango's and added them to the mix as well. I think 9 pounds base is a good weight dont yall? I traded my pocket rocket fo my Alcohol Stove, and added my I-pod (it has my audio bible on it). Even though 22 pounds is more than I usually carry, that weight will go down fast once I start eating and drinking .

PM:
You might take a look at Injinji socks if you have problems with individual toes getting blisters. These are the socks with the individual toes in them. I suffered with the same kind of problems with my toes until I started wearing these. I also pre-tape any problem areas on my feet before the hike and this also helps reduce problems occurring on the trail.
I know that the 3 lbs per day sounds like a lot, but with what you have planned, I think you will find that you'll need it. Plus, you can always drop some off at your vehicle as you pass by if you do a loop trail more than once and find that you don't need as much food.
Good luck,
UL

Funny you say that because I looked at some today. I already pre-tape my feet before I leave, especially on my pinky toes. I haven't had blisters in a longtime, but I haven't planned this many miles before either. I picked up some Met-Rx 35gr protein bars to eat before I go to sleep, I could not believe that they have 300 calories each . Oh well, I still will be in calorie deficit. Thanks for all the help guys, and I hope to do a trip report for yall soon.