Group Hiking

For this hike, I hiked with 3 other people. My friend, Jaden, my mom, and another hiker we found along the way who was hiking by himself. In the book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Backpacking and Hiking, author, Jason Stevenson says, “Let’s say you’ve tried solo hiking and now you want to share the experience with someone else. Good news: going for a walk in the woods is a great way to meet other people,” (Stevenson 18). Hiking gives the opportunity for long conversation, story sharing, and exercise; all perfect ways to get to know someone (Stevenson 19). Though we weren’t planning on meeting and getting to know another hiker on the trail, we did, and it was a lot more fun. It was interesting to hear about someone else’s experiences on trails and compare them to my own, and to just have someone new to talk to in general.

A tip that Stevenson suggests when hiking in a group is “because slower and faster hikers tend to separate, stop and wait for the entire group to catch up at trail junctions, turns, or confusing sections,” (Stevenson 22). This was helpful and an important reminder to make sure that the group stays together. Although our group was small, it’s easy for a couple people to get farther ahead than the rest of the group, making it important to ensure that no one gets lost. Personally, I’ve never hiked alone and definitely prefer going on trails in a group. What do you prefer? Single or group hiking?  

Thanks for reading! 

Stevenson, Jason. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking. Alpha Books, 2010.