Going solo

Let's Talk Solo

Solo trips - they seem to be a big rage in today's society, which I think is excellent. People are taking advantage of the resources they have and often scrimping even pennies and dimes together to go on awesome vacations. I've read about solo trips to Iceland, Ireland, and Costa Rica, but sadly, my budget was not that expansive. I only had a few hundred bucks for my first solo trip. So where did my minute, college-drained budget and red Ford Focus whisk me away? The first place, which is one of my favorite places (that I've been to so far), was beautiful, mountainous Colorado. The second, which I'd never been to before, was Arches National Park in Utah.

A frozen lagoon in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Now if you're perchance thinking about going on your first solo trip, I want to initially applaud you and say 'way to go!!'.

Secondly, however, I want to warn you to ignore anyone trying to dissuade you from going. There will be those people who either freak you out of going (usually by saying there will be murderers or something else equally as terrifying) or convince you that you don't have enough money.

I'd like to comment on both of these things.

Yes, there are dangers out there. But guess what, there are dangers EVERYWHERE! Even happy Disney World has it's dangers. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go. However, please do your research before going and also I wouldn't advise you staying at places like the Bates Motel.

The second part - money - which is usually the biggest excuse for not going on vacations, is very understandable. Often times, money irritates me so much I just want to throw my hands up in the air and say 'can't everything be for free?!' -- please tell me I'm not alone.

Yes, money problems suck. But believe me when I say trips don't have to cost thousands and thousands of dollars. You can do them very cheaply. In fact, I've seen flights to Europe for less than $200. (Norwegian airlines - *hint hint*).

One of my absolute favorite travel podcasters, The Budget Minded Traveler, has excellent tips for traveling cheaply. Trust me, it can be done, even if you are a college student living off of Ramen noodles. Oh, BTW, here's Jackie's website: http://thebudgetmindedtraveler.com

So moving back to this solo trip thing... it can be done, and at long, long last, I took a jump and went.

Boulder, CO
I took about a day and a half to drive to Boulder, CO. (Small tip for driving during solo trips: you get tired and the very best way to stay awake is not coffee... it's belting out musical soundtracks - I promise you.)

Even before I was in the hopping town, I saw the massive Flatirons jutting out of the earth in a lopsided fashion. What a cool site it was!

In Boulder, I stayed in the hostel at the Boulder Adventure Lodge. It had a great feel to it - welcoming and kind - and the accommodations were excellent. It was very clean, had a microwave, grill, and fridge, and a hot tub. The hostel prices are quite good (about $45/night) and it's a quiet area tucked into woods and mountains. Plus, it's only about a five-minute drive from the heart of the town. I would definitely advise going here.

Now, one of the biggest things during a solo trip is that you meet TONS of people. So, if you're an antisocial person, I don't think solo trips would be your cup of tea.

At the hostel, I met a lot of nice people who, like me, love to travel. One guy I'd met had gone to Israel around ELEVEN times! Another guy moved around from place to place with his food truck. I think that's one of my favorite things staying at a hostel - you get to know well-traveled people.

Flatirons
The day after arriving in Boulder, I went hiking at the Flatirons. Sadly, two of the Flatiron trails were closed when I went, but that certainly didn't stop me from huffing and puffing up a different trail. I worked myself up a variety of different landscaping. One minute the trail was a dirt path out in the open, the next it was enclosed by pine trees, and finally, I was scaling large boulders and thinking about the steps Sam and Frodo climbed in the last Lord of the Rings (yes, I'm a nerd).

Overall the trail wasn't as hard or time-consuming as I was thinking, which was a slight disappointment. Don't get me wrong, the sights were cool. But the hiking wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped for. If you do head out to the Flatirons, I'd give the entire park about a half day.


Rocky Mountains
But... the day after, I drove up to Estes Park to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. I have been there before, but wow, I forgot how beautiful it was. And with the blizzard-like snow whirling down, the scenes looked straight out of a Christmas Card.

Even before entering the park, people were pulling their cars to the side of the road, photographing herds of elk. All of it was so charming.

My brother and future sister-in-law told me about the hike to Mill's Lake and convinced me to take the scenic path.

As snow salted me and a cloud of my breath went before me, it felt like the trail was transporting me back in time to a 'simpler age' without cell phones or cable TV - a life that seemed more full and more how life should be lived.

I marched uphill for several miles, always a slow incline, but still doable. While I'd usually be able to complete a few-mile trek in just a couple of hours, the Mill's Lake route was different. Every turn I took was worthy of another photograph. Dusty rocky mountains stood proud and tall as if they were each the Goliath of mountains. Happy green pine trees complemented the snow and outlined the trail. Partially frozen and partially gushing waterfalls added sound to the quiet mountains.

When I, at last, reached Mill's Lake, I couldn't help but drop my jaw at the beauty. A glacier-like lagoon spread out before me, with a covering of thin ice and snow. Surrounding the lake, powdered trees and mountains rose up to the half-grey, half-blue sky.

Beautiful Mill's Lake 

No one else was around and the very small sound of sprinkling snowflakes and whirring breezes tickled the bare air. I tell you, that is what serenity feels like.

Now after about a thousand or so photos of Mill's Lake, I headed back to an intersecting trailhead and took a tail to a glacier. However, I lost that trail quite quickly and started on my way to the Sky Pond. I met four people on my way up and they told me just how beautiful the Sky Pond was, but also how icy and windy it was. I trekked up a steep slope of ice over rock, wishing I'd brought my Yak Trax. Then I got to a literal cliff ledge that was the dividing factor between me and the Sky Pond. I tell you I tried every which way to yank myself up, push myself up, or simply ice climb up, but I couldn't make it. But turning around, I saw a sight that has yet to be beaten.

Miles of rock and snow strewn mountains were everywhere as if they were pine needles on a forest floor. The sun glowed strongly over the mountain kingdom, and an iced over lagoon reflected light - the very same one I'd stood at just a few miles ago.

Another thing to remember going solo is knowing when parks close as well as when the buses stop.

I had no idea so I basically started sprinting down an ice-encrusted mountain terrified that I would get locked into the National Park and freeze to death - yes, I overthink things way too much and also freak myself out.

Of course, I wasn't left behind. In fact, people were actually coming into the park when I was, at last, leaving sweaty and breathing hard.

Colorado National Monument and Moab, UT
So after the Rockies, my journeys took me out of Colorado and into good ole Utah - the home of red rocks, red dirt, and red arches. On my journey there, however, I took a side track to the Colorado National Monument. I had never heard of it before, but it was AMAZING! It looked a lot like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon and mere steps off the trail transported you back into the old west. If you find yourself heading out west sometime, I definitely urge you to check it out. It may not be very well known, but it sure is worth seeing.

Just a small part of the Colorado National Monument

After reaching the end of my long drive from Boulder, I stayed at a campsite in Moab - and not going to lie... I was not a fan of it. Don't get me wrong, I love camping! I'm a huge camper - have been all my life. But the campsite itself was pretty aggravating. I won't tell you which campsite it was because I don't want to rain on their parade. But, I had registered online and the price was a lot cheaper than other campsites in the area. However, this campsite lost my registration and for just three nights of staying, I paid $133 - for a TENT SITE - without any electricity (and let me tell you, it was cold. I really could've used my heater.) (Rant over.)

Anyway, I, of course, met some great people there. The first night, I met some guys who went dirt biking and shared a meal with me, and the third night, I shared a pizza with a girl from Denver. Again, I express to you just how much you meet people when you travel solo.

Arches
Moving on, I started out really early for my day at Arches National Park, but still don't think it was early enough. There was so much to see there, so much to hike, so much to do. Every inch of the park felt like falling into The Lone Ranger films.

Just a few of the rock structures at arches

Rusty red structures towered like castles and dried up shrubs and cactuses speckled the ground. In many areas, the floors of the canyons showed fossilized wave prints. They almost looked like withered skin or pages of a book. While the park carried this old western look throughout, it always changed. There wasn't a point when something would look exactly the same.

In one area, just barely into the park, there were petrified dunes. They literally were stone sand dunes.  I jumped out of my car and hiked along the moon-looking landscape, snapping photos every three steps.

And, of course, came the arches - soo soo many arches. I couldn't believe how beautiful rock could be, and at first, I had no idea how structures like this could've ever formed. Later, I read that large chunks of rocks fell, leaving the archways.

On the hike to the Delicate Arch (which is a long uphill battle - just warning you), there were entire mountains and boulders covered in a blue color. I have never seen anything like it before in person and what a neat sight it was. -- Just a quick interlude, I really think a person can see as many pictures as they can of a place, but they will never get the full understanding or feeling until they are actually there.

The last part of the arches I got to very late in the day, sadly. It was an eight-mile hike to an assortment of trails. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to do the entire route because it was getting dark and I'd already gotten lost (several times) and didn't want to get lost in the dark. But, I did take a quick hike to the Landscape Arch, which looks like it's stretched putty. I guess in 1991, people started hearing these loud cracking sounds and suddenly hundreds of tons of rocks broke off and left behind the arch.

Arches National Park is so beautiful and it has a feeling of excitement and hidden adventure. Take the road less traveled while you're here (or the trails less traveled) and see every rock, arch, and cactus you can. It is something straight out of a movie set and it's a land that demands fun.

Dead Horse Point and Canyon Lands National Park
Alright, so after hiking about 17 to 18 miles at Arches, it's easy to say that I was extremely sore and blistered. Every step I took had me saying 'ouch' and then rubbing sore muscles. But that didn't quite stop me from exploring two smaller parks - Dead Horse Point and Canyon Lands, which are right next to each other. I'm not sure if you've heard of either of these parks at all, but they do tend to get overshadowed by Arches, so I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't.

Now, quick heads up, Dead Horse is NOT a national park, so if you do go, you will have to pay a fee to get in, but it's not that expensive.

On the hike at Dead Horse Point

Both parks were equally beautiful and astounding. Each park had massive canyons with cliffs you can hang your feet over and rocks are strewn about the area. I took a three to four-mile ridge trail at Dead Horse. While my body was in aching pain, I was not blind to the beauty surrounding me. Dead Horse is a smaller park so, after that hike, I headed over to Canyon Lands.

I couldn't convince myself to take longer hikes at Canyon Lands, so I think the longest hike I took there was only a mile or so. Thankfully, a lot of the sights could be seen from my car. I do really wish I'd had another day to hike Canyon Lands while I wasn't in pain. I think one of the coolest sights was the whale rock. If you go, definitely check that out, even if you don't hike it, it's still a neat sight. There was also another arch there. It wasn't quite as big as the ones in Arches, but it was still very impressive.

Ouray, CO
I love Ouray (pronounced your-aye). I've only been there once before, but it is one of the most beautiful places in America, and it's not that well-known. It's a tiny mining time in Colorado a little ways from Durango and it is known as the Switzerland of America (and rightly so). The mountains are absolutely breathtaking. I know a lot of people say beautiful things are breathtaking, but this actually is. The mountains remind you just how small you are in a big world waiting to be seen and discovered by you.

About a half hour drive from Ouray, you can already see the incredible mountains.

While the mountains are snow-dusted in October, the aspens are a vivacious yellow brightening up the entire landscape and giving off a happy glow.

When I'd been to Ouray before, my family and I took a Jeep out on the trails and what an experience that was. If you go to Ouray, which I highly suggest you do, splurge a little and go Jeeping for a day. See mines and mountains you couldn't see otherwise and have an adventure you'll remember.

What You Realize Going Solo

As this was my first solo trip I realized several things:

• You have a lot of freedom. If you want to go somewhere, you don't have to ask if anyone else wants to go there or not.
• As I mentioned before, you meet a lot of people. Often when you go with others, you can stay secluded to your group and may miss out on meeting interesting people.
• You learn about yourself - how independent you are, adventurous, etc.
• Sometimes you will wish for someone to be with you at all times, even just to share the experience or to laugh with.
• At times, it can be hard to be motivated and explore when it's just you.

Going solo is something I always wanted to do. There is not a day I regret doing this trip and I highly suggest every adventurer taking at least one solo trip - but plan out an agenda first because that can motivate you. It's a good thing to remember though that you shouldn't be dependent on others for adventure and excitement. Be a self-starter and go see the world, even if no one else is available!