I love solo traveling, but that is NOT because I am a loner or because I hate people or because I am anti-social. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
One of my favorite parts about solo traveling is making friends on the road. Being alone pushes me to say hello and reach out to people I otherwise wouldn’t have if I was traveling in the comfort of a group or with a partner. These simple hellos can lead to some incredible connections and hilarious, spontaneous experiences, which is what happened in my hike to Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park.
Angel’s Landing is one of the most popular hikes in one of the most popular national parks in Utah- giving it the potential to be a very crowded hike. Crowds are a particular problem at Angel’s Landing because for the very last stretch there is a chain link guard rail to hold on to that essentially only allows for one way traffic.
I, however, was determined to have Angel’s Landing all to myself and so the night before I set my alarm bright and early so I could catch the first shuttle bus to the trailhead. But then I hit the snooze button…. several times. By the time I finally woke up- I was in such a rush I completely forgot to check the weather. Mistake # (or I guess #2 if you count the snoozing).
I arrived at Zion’s Visitor Center just as the second shuttle bus of the day was pulling out and started silently cursing myself for pressing that snooze button. This didn’t last long because quickly I started up a lovely conversation with the two men who had also just missed the shuttle (because one of them just HAD to take a bathroom stop). A minute later two energetic girls about my age walked up and joined in the conversation as well.
Before I knew it- the next shuttle had arrived. We continued our amiable conversation all the way to trailhead and began developing quite a fun group dynamic . We all went to hit the rest rooms prior to starting on the trail and I assumed that was where we would part ways. However, once I got out of the restroom, I was delighted to see that this new group of mine was standing there waiting for me and the six of us marched off together towards the trailhead.
The Angel’s Landing trail is a little over 5 miles out and back and is fairly strenuous the entire time. It starts off with switchback after switchback and ends with that wonderful chain link guard rail I told you about earlier. I was definitely the most out shape of the group (which I blamed on my 80 hour work weeks)- and though I wanted to socialize, I quickly hit the limits of my respiratory capacity and was huffing and puffing.
I had hiked by myself so much recently, that I forgot how much fun it can be to hike and enjoy nature and physical activity with others. I belly-laughed so many times during our upwards trek and had such a fantastic morning getting to know these pleasant, open-minded people.
I was enjoying myself so much- I didn’t notice the clouds rolling in. But roll they did, and about 45 minutes into our hike the rain started. And then the thunder. And then the lightning.
We huddled under an over-hang to stay dry and decided to see if we could wait out the thunderstorm. I was completely unprepared for the rain- I didn’t have a rain jacket or even a hood to keep my head dry. My brand new DSLR camera was also in serious jeopardy because of my lack of preparation.
If I was by myself- I probably would have called it quits at that point. I probably would have been terrified at the prospect of being near the edge of a canyon in the middle of a lightning storm. I also probably would have deeply regretted it the next day, because Angel’s Landing was the hike I was MOST excited about going on.
Thankfully, I had met this darling and daring group of compadres. Because I was with them I felt safer. I didn’t feel alone and I had the morale and motivation to wait out the storm and continue on the top. I also had someone who offered to put my camera in her dry bag- which helped to even further ease my worries.
The storm finally passed. The trek out to the very tip of Angel’s Landing was scary. Holding onto the chain linked guard rail and tip toeing near the edge of a threatening canyon definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. Because I was with my new friends, I felt braver and up for the challenge. I had the support and encouragement I needed to keep going, and boy was it worth it.
The feeling when we got to the top: pure elation and amazement. I have never felt awe on such a physical, full body level before. And oh yeah… remember all those crowds I was worried about. Totally non-existent. The storm had scared everyone else away. We had Angel’s Landing ENTIRELY to ourselves on a Sunday morning and since the storm had just rolled out we could see for miles in either direction. It was glorious.
And that, my friends, is the true magic of solo traveling. You grow, expand yourself, and make amazing connections in the process.
What are some of your stories about meeting people or having spontaneous adventures while solo traveling? I’d love to hear them!
