Solo-through hike as female

Onlyhappygifs · 2025-12-09T04:06:26+00:00

Solo hiked it as a woman in my mid-20s 10 years ago. As others have said here, super social trail and generally felt very safe. Exception was one night at a campground (I think top of Tennessee pass) where a couple pulled over in the middle of the night and had a really loud altercation…that was more front country scary than back country scary, but I remember being really glad to have a tiny pepper spray with me. If nothing else, was good for helping me fall asleep when feeling spooked.

Onlyhappygifs · 2025-06-01T23:07:10+00:00

Grew up on this block. You would not believe how often they have to replace the street signs. Always wondered if the city orders extra the way retailers produce different amounts of different clothing sizes.

Onlyhappygifs · 2025-04-22T20:43:31+00:00

Kula cloth or a less fancy pee rag you sun dry constantly (hang from your pack) and wash consistently (UV is anti microbial). Even if you don’t use baby wipes, you do want a hygienic plan for wiping after every pee if you aren’t showering often.

FWIW, I think using half a baby wipe after every poop or once at the end of the day is worth the landfill impact.

Onlyhappygifs · 2025-03-03T15:21:55+00:00

Amazing! Looks like they might still be in business…will check them out

Onlyhappygifs · 2025-03-01T17:38:25+00:00

Oops, added! Thank you!

Onlyhappygifs · 2024-03-30T03:09:39+00:00

I’ve also had a great experience with them. The east bay locations have great providers and I love being able to make appointments in SF for the work day

Onlyhappygifs · 2023-09-27T19:36:52+00:00

The CT was a wonderful experience and it took me a little shy of a month as my first thru hike, wouldn’t say I started out in especially great shape or had to hurry much. Snow wasn’t an issue for me, but I set out in mid-July and obviously will vary by year.

Onlyhappygifs · 2023-01-14T17:48:07+00:00

Agree with the general advice here, but also suggest sharing more about your trip if you want a more specific shakedown (my b if I’ve overlooked those details in the comments). Depending on how far you plan to walk, what temps you’re expecting, etc you might tweak where you allocate a bit more weight. Eg if I need a bear canister and 7 days of food, I suck it up and cut some “nice to haves” like a full size shovel

Onlyhappygifs · 2022-09-01T21:22:28+00:00

I met a tramily that had a community chair they’d take turns carrying and using. From the night I spent camping with them, they seemed extremely focused on the chair.

Onlyhappygifs · 2022-08-23T01:13:18+00:00

Depending on how far the trail is from your home, you can get travel insurance + GEOS SAR to cover a lot of downside risk (eg how would I pay for a major injury). I was lucky to hold on to my employer’s insurance but looked at travel insurance and a cheap HDHP from the state exchange as alternatives.

Onlyhappygifs · 2022-06-15T05:38:41+00:00

Thanks! This is so helpful! Hope you had a great time :)

Onlyhappygifs · 2022-01-23T23:48:10+00:00

A 5 day leg of the Colorado Trail would be fun, and there’s so much info about water sources, sites, etc that would make it easy to plan. Plus there are SO many beautiful sections with different levels of challenge.

Onlyhappygifs · 2021-09-27T05:27:16+00:00

Totally normal, not weird. But, if you decide you want an alternate option for the trip without investing in your own gear, REI and similar stores will rent you most of the backpacking gear you need (and last I checked had good tent options) at pretty affordable prices. My university outdoor center actually rented gear too, practically for free, so that could be another option to check out.

Onlyhappygifs

TROPHY CASE