Into the Unknown

After watching the sunrise for a few hours, I decided to spend the rest of my time wandering through the wilderness. For anyone wanting to complete a solo hike, is thinking about hiking, or just likes to be out of cell coverage, let me give you a few tips. First things first, know where you are going. It seems simple and stupid, but one wrong turn could ruin the whole trip. I knew about Crater Lake and had looked at a satellite image on Google Maps about the route that led to the lake, but I never truly mapped it out. And when I began my hike up, there weren't many signs. At a major intersection, I asked another group of hikers which way to go, they said left. Long story short, the left path ended up leaving my confused, lost, and off the main trail. To avoid potentially becoming lost and ruining your trip, try creating an offline route to follow. I have found the free versions of All Trails, Map My Run, and Gaia GPS (in order from my favorite to least-favorite-but-it's-still-very-good) to be excellent at providing offline directions. Something as simple as knowing your route can save you a lot of trouble if you become lost or confused. Some other tips I would give are, bring extra food and especially water in case you spend more time than you aniticipate, know that 1.5 miles on a trail doesn't mean you're going to beat your fastest 1.5-mile run, and know the animals that are in your area. Taking just a few extra minutes before you leave to scout out your hike could save you a lot of trouble if you run into any.