Hiking alone or with company is strictly a matter of personal preference. Each way has much to recommend it.

Some newcomers begin hiking with a group until they gain a measure of confidence and then choose to go solo.

Other newbies start walking solo then discover they enjoy sharing the way with a particular trail buddy, a group of hiking companions, or a whole hiking club. Many hikers like to alternate between hiking with friends and family and hiking solo.

Hikers have a broad range of abilities, interests and enthusiasms. The company they choose to keep on the trail reflects that diversity.

Hiking Solo

Too many so-called hiking authorities have wrongly turned a positive suggestion "For maximum safety, hike with a companion" into a negative absolute: "Never hike alone."

While there is no question that it's safer hiking with a group than solo, "How much safer?" is a legitimate question to ask.

Is the risk of hiking solo so great that each and every hiker should wait until he/she has company in order to hit the trail?

Absolutely not. Go take a hike. Alone. The risks, while often overstated, are real, and the precautions needed are crucial, but such risks and the requirement for additional precautions are not reasons to decide you can't hit the trail solo.

Having two or three in your party is a definite advantage if something goes wrong; someone can go for help. Four or eyes are better than two; a hiking partner may notice a danger that you overlook. You might remember essential gear your hiking buddy forgot. This safety-in-numbers theory holds for hiking as it does for most forms of outdoor recreation from camping to kayaking, rock climbing to mountain biking.

Hiking with a group-or at least with a trail seasoned friend-is a good idea for first-time hikers. Most inexperienced hikers are uncomfortable going solo.

Sometimes, after a few hikes, a craving for solitude develops--by which time you should be able to take care of yourself on the trail. There's a lot to be said for solitary hiking, as the writings of Thoreau, Whitman and Muir would seem to indicate.

I can speak with some authority on the subject of hiking solo since I'm often alone on the trail. Most of my friends have what they remind me are "real jobs" and can't answer the call of the wild with me in the middle of the week when I tend to go hiking.

I enjoy hiking with my male friends, with my spouse and my children or "on business" with a ranger or a trail advocate showing me a new trail. Solo hiking, however must encompass about 80 percent of my hiking experiences.

Intrigued as I am by the natural world and grateful for the escape from everyday life, I've rarely been lonely on the trail. Not only do I value my time alone on the trail, I find that I often return with a deeper appreciation for the people in my life.

A significant number of hikers have a craving for solitude, which can only be accomplished by solo hiking. These hikers need time alone in the woods or on a mountain to recharge their spirits and be happy.

Some people need solitude occasionally, some regularly, and find the best opportunity for getting it is by taking a hike. Hiking solo serves to nurture a special relationship with yourself and with the natural world, and perhaps even provide a time to contemplate your spiritual path.

Tips for the Solo Hiker

• Know your limits. No one is going to monitor you but you. Don't exceed your personal speed limit overreach your capabilities.

• Leave your itinerary with a trusted friend or relative. Even better, be personally accountable by reporting your whereabouts to someone at an appointed time.

• Adhere to your stated plans for both your hiking route and schedule.

• Go out of your way to contact park staff or land management personnel. Visit visitor centers. Check-in at ranger stations. Sign-in at trailhead registers.

• Add to your first aid kit. It should contain more supplies to care for yourself-over a longer length of time, since there is a greater likelihood no one will be around to help you or go for help.

• Carry a whistle and mirror to signal for help and assist rescuers in locating you.

• Stay alert. Even a minor mishap like a slip and fall or twisting an ankle can be a serious incident for a solo hike.

Hiking with Others

If you're accountable to someone other than yourself, you're more apt to walk the walk. When you're facing an early-morning start, weather that's hot and humid or cold and rainy, general malaise or low spirits, having someone you can depend on-or who depends on you-makes a difference.

Making an appointment with someone to take a hike, keeps you accountable for actually doing the hike. All too often in our busy lives we give up what's not critical to our work or family responsibilities, and cancel something like a hike because it has no immediate benefit or practical purpose that we can see.(I understand this attitude-and have struggled with it myself. However I hope this whole book refutes the notion that there's more to hiking than putting one foot in front of another.)

I'm convinced men and women are wired differently. Women can talk on the trail AND observe the scenery, while enjoying every moment of the hike. Women multitask, even on a hike.

Contrary to the teasing we get, men can walk and talk at the same time, though men also like to hike along in what I call companionable silence-together, yet a little separate, wordlessly enjoying the presence of another while simultaneously appreciating being alone with one's own thoughts, too. Men without women have been known to go primal on the trail, enjoying the simple pleasures of sweating, scratching and burping…

Finding a hiking companion means finding the right companion. Look first for a hiking companion toward your spouse, another family member or a friend. One presumes you have ready access to these individuals and have something in common with them. Time on the trail can enhance your relationships. Hiking offers a great opportunity to spend time with someone you care about.

Choose your companion carefully. Not every city friend is a good trail buddy. For truly happy trails, a good hiking companion should share the same fitness goals, pace, and nature appreciation orientation as you.