My take on this is that a party of four is optimum; this leaves two to go for assistance, or whatever, while one tends the victim. This all depends on circumstances.

For low and low moderate risk hikes and backpacks, I have no problem taking off solo. Trails, popular areas, and cell coverage all are low risk. I have turned around on both solo day hikes and backpacks where I felt the risk was too great.

Safety with hiking partners are dependent entirely upon the skill and common sense of your partner(s). A partner skilled in land navigation, camp skills, first aid, and having their head firmly planted on their shoulders is a blessing to hike with. I've hiked with others that either been blithering idiots (toted more alcohol then water into the desert) or yahoos that were as likely to end killing themselves as getting you killed trying to rescue them (free climbing up the side of a waterfall).

Wow. Just that is just so unbelievable. AND what bad judgment they had all made not to put up any shelter which got them wet in the first place. I hope that poor guy's companions did have a touch of hypothermia. If not, they're the just really poor examples of humanity with whom I'm embarrassed to share the gene pool with.

HJ

Booooring.

Oh, you've hiked with Bear Grylls?

HJ

Whatever is optimum really depends on the group and less dependent on the numbers. I'd say anywhere from 3 to 5. More than five and it's get harder to get everyone syncronized.


I am surprised there aren't anymore "never-go-alone" advocates here. It seems we all share the same basic views about risk awareness and risk tolerance. You all said it so well I can't think of anything further to add

One is none, two is one, three is a spare?

Going solo is a different, often profound experience of the wild and your place in it. I say be safe, be prepared, but do it.

Besides other people do annoying things like talk, or get injured ....

Okay, one more comment and I'll leave this alone just so as not to veer any further OT. In a way I agree & hope they were somewhat hypothermic, just because that means they weren't just despicable people. But even so what possessed them to sleep in the rain/wet when they all had tents? That's just baffling to me. Especially if two of them had winter survival training! They had no excuse for not knowing the risks of getting cold and wet and not taking steps to stay out of trouble.

Okay, rant off![/rant!]

I can't add a whole lot to the thoughtful comments already made.

I have done most of my hiking solo, dayhiking and backpacking. I don't think it's for everyone, but in some ways I prefer it. There is a meditative aspect and a rhythm to moving through a landscape that I can rarely find when being pushed/pulled by a group.

I do find that I am extra conservative and walk with greater awareness when travelling solo. I also move a bit slower, since I'm carrying a bit more weight. I don't push quite as hard to make the hard target of a destination on a map; if I need to stop and make a rough camp where there's water and a view, I will. The destination is a place in my head as much as anything. I will also turn back if there's a creek crossing that's just a little too wild or a little too much fresh evidence of wildlife or I smell snow on the wind. No heroics, and no social pressure to push on when prudence suggests otherwise.

I learned my craft before cell phones, sat phones, and PLBs had coverage in my wild places. Though as I get a bit older, I might consider throwing a rental PLB in my pack if I'm going off the beaten path. The idea still seems invasive somehow, but I accept that there are situations that cannot be fully anticipated no matter how careful I might be.

I don't know about hiking, but I do know that snowboarding with a buddy is probably about 10 times safer than snowboarding alone. If you have a serious crash in the back country, you can have all the best equipment in the world, but a snowboarding budding is most likely going to be able to keep you alive. A buddy can go get rescuers, help you move out of powder snow if you physically can't, etc. - been there, done that, have the T-shirt.

Yeah, winter conditions really up the ante, particularly if you're in avvy country.

HJ