At least once a week I do a solo hike. I like to get up way before the sun comes up, and in the middle of winter here in Alaska that is really easy to do with the sun not rising until 10am or so. I’ll get up, have breakfast and coffee, make myself a lunch to have at the top of the mountain, pack my bag and get my other gear together, and then get dressed in all my layers. Before heading out I always pop into the bedroom to kiss my girlfriend goodbye and tell her where I plan to go that day (safety first when hiking alone). Then I text her the same thing I just said because she’s half asleep and there is no way she’s going to remember. Finally I head out and start the car.
Where I live most of the hikes I like to do are about a 10-15 minute drive from home. I love to get the heat blasting in my car and listen to a podcast on my way to the trailhead (not to be confused with trail head which is a blast, but not the subject of this story). My car is like this perfect transition point between home and the mountains where I like to recreate. It is a warm and familiar little base of operations where you can get geared up, and get mentally prepared to step out into the often single digit (farenheit) temps of the pre-dawn morning.