‘Solo trekking is not for everyone’

A solo trek is not everyone’s cup of tea

“There is no need for a solo trek, period,” says Digvijay Rathore, who runs his own trekking company, Mischief Treks. “I’ll never trek without professional backup. It is always advised to be with an experienced trek leader who is specifically trained to handle adverse conditions. Do your research, stay safe, and think about the family you need to come back to,” he adds.

Shubrank Mukhiya, co-founder of Hiker Information & Knowledge Exchange aka HikeX, believes solo treks are misunderstood. Preparation, he says, can cut out a lot of the risk. “We don’t stop driving cars when accidents happen,” he adds, “But with freedom comes responsibility; with adventure comes risks. And risks require preparation.”

The basics, he feels, are often underestimated. “Assuming that hiking is simple and easy can be fatal, as in this case. When we run our Hiking Field Course, we teach hikers all essential outdoor and safety skills so that incidents like this do not happen,” says Mukhiya.

Manvendra Singh Shekhawat is currently on a solo 2000-km Sahyadri trek. PIC/ INSTAGRAM@askmanav

People also underestimate the demands trekking makes on the body, says Rathore. “Your fitness level needs to be beyond just gym fitness. Trekking needs different muscle groups; the muscles that you train in the gym are selective ones,” says Rathore. “It has nothing to do with being ‘fat’ or ‘bulky’ either. A lot of people who might be considered fat sometimes are stronger and have more endurance than a gym-going person,” he adds.

Equally important is to tell people back home where you are going. “Whether trekking solo or in a group, one should always share their hike plan with someone back home so that they know where to look if you don’t return in time,” Mukhiya adds.

This advice brings to mind the movie 127 Hours (2010), which portrayed the story of American trekker Aron Ralston, who was trapped in a canyon for over five days after a boulder fell on his arm. The chances of being rescued were bleak as he had not told anyone where he was going. Eventually, he had to cut off his arm to escape.

Manvendr Singh Shekhawat, Shubrank Mukhija and Digvijay Rathore

The trekking community is already grappling with the waves of inexperienced trekkers who are inspired to try solo treks after watching social media videos. 

Rathore, who has been in the field for almost 20 years, says that social media has also sparked a worrisome trend of unverified trekking companies and groups. 

“I once met a person in a base village who called himself a trek leader and brought 50 participants with him. It was shocking to know it was the first trek of his life, and no one had bothered to check his background before booking. This is why it is crucial to research the group you are going with,” he says. 

At the end of the day, even with all kinds of preparation, there is no way to guarantee there won’t be any accidents. “There is no blanket answer [to what mistakes a solo trekker should avoid],” says Mukhiya. “The idea is to minimise unknowns and uncertainties in the planning phase. Know the trail before you hit the trail.” 

What can one do if something does go wrong? “In countries like the US, you can simply click an SOS button to communicate with dedicated emergency device via small pocket-sized satellite communication devices. In India, these are banned. So if you are out of network coverage and there is an emergency, only two things can help you other than hope. First, your skills and training, and the second is a safety tool like ‘Emergency Alerts’, available for free at app.manav.in,” he adds.

The app Mukhiya refers to is HikeX’s WhatsApp-based emergency service. If hikers don’t return on time, the app sends an alert to their emergency contacts with their trek details. The app has been live for a year now. 

The ‘Manav’ here hosting the app is Manvendra Singh Shekhawat, co-founder of HikeX who is currently mapping the Epic Sahyadri Trail of 2000 km. He hopes to document the entire trail, much like the long-distance trails in New Zealand, UK and US. This will eventually help other trekkers plan their route. Shekhawat is making this journey solo, with short stops to exchange information  with a a team member and replenish supplies.

He understands why there is so much resistance to solo treks from the community. “These are people who have been hiking for 20-40 years. They’ve seen accidents among groups as well as solo trekkers,” he says. “Solo trekking is definitely not for everyone,” adds Shekhawat who has been trekking for over a decade now, “It requires a lot of skill and patience. Once you have learned the skill and only after a few years [of trekking experience], one can maybe start with small and easy solo treks.” 

Safety first

>>  Always opt for trek organisers with a limited batch size for an optimum experience
>>   Choose an organiser that has a legitimate official website and provides email confirmations of bookings 
>>  If the payment is to be made to a personal account, that is a huge red flag
>>  Check if the organiser is famous for “reels” or “reliability”. Look for reviews and how long they have been conducting treks
Digvijay Rathore, founder, Mischief Treks

No guarantees with experience either

Nature can best even the most experienced trekker. In 1999, Arun Samant — a trekker with over 30 years of experience known for his treks on Himalayan and Siachin glacier — died while descending from the summit of Gyasumpa or Gya III in Himachal Pradesh. It was later found that the team was underprepared and did not carry food or other supplies to the summit, causing Samant’s death due to exhaustion.

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