You often hear the advice: Gon’t venture into the wilderness alone, always travel with a buddy.
Is it safe to go into the wilderness alone?
My first answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY
But I will qualify that: you need to be smart, you need to be safe, and you need to carry the appropriate gear.
I often actually feel safer on my own – because everything that can be under human control is under my control.
I think that a lot of people who go out in pairs or in groups are at risk of getting into trouble because they all think that the other person must know what they are doing – so it should be OK. (Meanwhile, the other guy is thinking the same about them).
But when you are heading to the wilderness all alone, you know that no one is covering for you or taking care of you.
You have to do things right, and not screw up!
But when you are heading to the wilderness all alone, you know that no one is covering for you or taking care of you. You have to do things right, and not screw up!
I think there are three main things you need to cover to be safe if you want to venture into the wilderness alone:
- First, you need to be physically strong enough for whatever you intend to do.
- Second, you need to have adequate knowledge to do whatever you are doing safely and to be able to make wise decisions.
- And finally, you need to carry the appropriate equipment. Here’s a little video I made showing what I take with me when I hit the running trails solo:
What safety equipment to take for solo trail running:
My Keep it Moving solo expedition run is set to take place in – um, maybe early August – and the short film will be released towards the end of 2021. Find out more by exploring this site, or by signing up for updates here – I will never spam you or share your info!
Keep It Moving 2021 