how dangerous is solo backpacking i live close to

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Anon06/22/26, 06:05No.2872584

it's not the people you have to worry about...

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Anon06/22/26, 16:46No.2872613

All of the spooky shit about Appalachia is a meme. Too developed for cryptids. They're all out west. Remember, nothing ever happens.

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Anon06/22/26, 20:12No.2872626

Unless you find another autist nobody will encourage you to go innawoods alone Weigh the odds and decide for yourself

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Anon07/01/26, 20:37No.2873491

I just did the Massanutten Ridge trail alone and frequently do 6-12 mile day hikes along the AT. Nothing has ever happened to me, unless you just go wandering on people's land you won't accidently stumble across a meth lab (happened to my dad and brother when they were roaming). Don't know where in Appalachia you are but in virginia we have the AT, Tuscarora, Massanutten, and all of those are long, well established trails that don't cross people's land. Meth labs happen out in the back 40 of someone's grandpaw's unused farmland, not on mountaintops. Pic from my last hike. Really sick of every urbanite talking about Appalachia like its this big haunted thing "oh you'll get nabbed by skinnies, theres things in those mountains". People are so desperate to make places more interesting because they don't actually go out and appreciate whats actually there, the biggest thing out here are black bears and they're massive pussies, you can scare em off by yelling

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Anon07/02/26, 00:40No.2873500

You'll probably be fine. Most people are. Solo hiking the AT is extremely common. Sure there are spooks and serial killers and your own dumb ass tendency to fall off cliffs or get lost, but so long as you take care and act respectfully it'll most likely be okay. Bonus points for not being frail or a woman.

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Anon07/04/26, 03:00No.2873686

Depends on the location. Grizzly and polar bear territory is moderately dangerous. Most other places aren't dangerous as long as you have enough food and water.

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Anon07/13/26, 22:46No.2874497

Several questions for you to answer, the more you answer "no", the more dangerous it would be for you:1-Are you naturally unlucky, or are you accident-prone? 2-Have you spent at least several years in the outdoors backpacking? (Not consecutive, just have you been backpacking as your main hobby or favorite hobby for more than 1 trip per year the last several years) 3-Are you ABSOLUTELY certain that if something terrible were to happen that (a) people would worry enough about you to send word that you are missing, and (b) that you have several methods to signal for help, i.e. Garmin Inreach, radio (with knowledge on how to signal for help) and a way to know EXACTY where you are (coordinates on a map, not "inbetween these two hills)If you answered "no" to at least one of these questions, please consider going with someone who can be useful in an emergency and has been at least familiarized with outdoor leadership and survival skills.I'm not saying you should not solo backpack, but as long as you are asking "How dangerous is solo backpacking?" I am assuming you haven't done so yet.Develop more survival skills or hone the ones you already have, gather ways to signal for help if shit hits the fan, and ALWAYS have someone at home or a close friend know EXACTLY where you are going, when you will be going, and when you will be back.Stay safe!

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Anon07/15/26, 11:40No.2874660

i literally only go alone because everyone irl is a loser that doesnt want to do anything other than sit at home

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Anon08/07/26, 17:52No.2876987

The wilderness in the gorges in west NC are fucking creepy as hell, even with people, since they are abnormally dark and cast with shadow due to being so deep between tall mountains. They really feel like the dark forests you see in games or old medieval movies. I heard stories from my dad about tales he heard during his solo work travels in the mountains, and the ones in the general region that involved supernatural entities were:>Will o the Wisps Malicious ghostly lights that trying to lure individuals into dangerous situations or into getting lost. >Brown Mountain Lights Wandering ghosts (usually natives looking for tribe members lost to battle). >Yunwi Tsunsdi or Moon-eyed people Cave-dwellers with large crescent shaped eyes that are nocturnal. Cherokee legends tell of driving out these creatures. >U'Lag'u Giant yellow jacket the size of a house that would snatch people and carry them off to never be seen again.Dad used to tell a story about the brown mountain lights passed down from some time after the colonial days where people would observe trails of the lights moving through the mountains like a line of people with torches. The tale recanted that they were native search parties formed of spirits looking for lost warriors from battles from over the eons. In this story, it was said that they were observed traveling in vicinity of a distant cabin across a valley where a settler lived alone. Other local settlers went to visit him after and found him scalped with his eyes and tongue ripped out and missing.I've been out myself to the gorges region and stayed overnight a few times. I haven't personally seen anything that ever looked supernatural, but the feeling as you become more isolated in those mountains almost feels oppressive at times like something doesn't want you there. Normally nights out are pretty loud. But the creepiest times when you're out there remote is when it is dead silent at night. I don't know if I could do it solo, bros.

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Anon08/08/26, 18:52No.2877069

The danger of solo hiking isn't any of that shit you mention. The danger is getting conventionally injured. If you trip and break your ankle/skull/spine, then there's nobody to treat the injury or go for help. Best case scenario you call for help, but if there's no signal or you lose consciousness, you're fucked. Even if you get a message out, without somebody mobile to flag down rescuers it'll be harder to find you, and you might not have the time to wait if you're badly hurt.I go out solo all the time though. This is the danger, decide if you're willing to take the risk. Safest group size is 4 - one to treat a casualty, two to go for help so that they aren't alone if they get injured too.

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Anon08/13/26, 18:12No.2877530

>Are you a man with reasonable athleticism, the ability to plan ahead and make reasonable decisions for what is within your ability and to respect unsafe weather? Not dangerous at all.>Are you a small woman but otherwise reasonable in all respects? Not very dangerous, although mountain lions occasionally attack small children and women. Nonzero chance of a dangerous "man.">Are you an idiot who makes bad decsions such as inadequate water, supplies or clothing, unrealistic fitness goals for speed and distance and disregard for dangerous weather? Might be dangerous.Overall very safe.

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Anon08/24/26, 10:16No.2878384

I always think... What are the chances two crazy people bumb on each other on the woods? Broh you probably the kind of person other people would be scared of encountering in the wild

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Anon08/30/26, 15:35No.2879005

It’s literally so fine, if ur worried just like tell someone where you’re going and when you’re expecting to be back, and you’ll be good

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Anon08/31/26, 01:45No.2879057

I moved from the north west to Knoxville for work and have gone solo hiking plenty of times. There is no "true" wilderness out here, everything is developed and you are never farther than a few miles from civilization. Hav not had any spooky occurrences or seen illegal grow operations. The most you need to worry about are trail junkies because how close you are to population centers.

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Anon09/02/26, 15:42No.2879268

The hiking itself only moderately dangerous. The real danger though is if something goes wrong. If something happens and you are alone you are 6/10 fucked.

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Anon09/06/26, 23:18No.2879548

city people can’t imagine life outside the concrete cube so they will tell that you will die if you try

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