Alone vs. group backpacking

When I hike, camp, or backpack, I like to do so alone. There are great advantages to hiking alone, but there's also great downsides. Each person has his own idea of fun and relaxation and I prefer doing it alone.

Hiking alone is awesome in my opinion. You have the time to yourself to think and enjoy the outdoors, not to mention the peace and quiet. When at camp, I only have myself to cook for. When hiking alone, you only have yourself to be accountable for. This really takes the weight and responsibility off your shoulders compared to group camping.

I personally enjoy getting to camp, setting up the tent or hammock, making dinner, eating, and going off on a day hike with only myself. I enjoy the peace and quiet and not have someone bugging me. I thoroughly enjoy listening to music when I hike and its difficult to do so when you're hiking with someone else. There's just something magical about having the trail to yourself, especially for introverts like me.

On the other side, group trekking has its benefits. Even though I thoroughly enjoy hiking on my own, it's nice to have someone to enjoy the experience with. Having a few friends or the family there can really make the trip a memorable experience. A great benefit is everyone shares the load. You can split gear up among everyone to lighten the load. Even though you have to cook for more than one person, everyone usually carries his own food and cooking that additional food doesn't really add any significant time. Weight is really cut down when maybe one person carries shelter the other carries cooking equipment. This really helps when you're also climbing and have all that additional heavy climbing gear.

When you hike with someone else, you have more of an accountability to each other and everyone's responsible for the other. All groups have a leader that is head of the trek which can be a good thing. When you go on a longer trip, it's always good to have a leader to keep the group together and to keep things going. In addition, you also have team members that serve their role. In larger groups, you can have your group leader along with the second leader who is in the back to help keep people from straggling behind. You can have a navigator who is responsible for directions, a timer who manages scheduled breaks, a medic to take care of injuries and medical emergencies, a scout who can go ahead to find the best route, and it goes on. The load is shared among everyone.

Another benefits is the additional people for emergencies. If something tragic happens to you on the trail and you're alone, you have to fend for yourself. When in groups, everyone looks after each other and there's always enough people to assist in emergencies. You can also just enjoy each others company and make memories that will last a lifetime.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both hiking alone and hiking in groups. I suggest try both and discover which you like best. You may be like me and enjoy both.