Finding Compatible Hiking Partners

There are times when those of us who prefer solo hiking want another buddy along on our excursions. But finding the right partner can be tough. Sometimes, many of our friends or family can't fathom the idea of hiking up thousands of feet and several miles to a rugged peak.

Fortunately, there are a few reliable Web sites these days to help in our search for compatible hiking partners. For those who favor New Hampshire's White Mountains, check out a few of the Web sites devoted to this part of the country: http://www.viewsfromthetop.com the Appalachian Mountain Club's bulletin boards at http://www.outdoors.org and http://www.alpinezone.com to name a few.

Neither specifically have sections on matching up hiking partners, but if you pop in on a regular basis, the personalities of the regular posters become evident and soon you will find yourself a natural part of the community. You start to get a real sense on what type of hiker each member is: fast, slow, daring, cautious etc.

After about a year of tracking and participating fairly frequently in the AMC's bulletin boards -- there are actually several topic areas, including Gear Talk, Hiker Journal, Mountains and Molehills and Trail Conditions -- I started getting comfortable seeking out hiking partners among some of the regulars on the board. I felt as though I already knew them. But it was equally important as we planned out some hikes that each of us were specific and -- in some cases, pointed -- in our questions back and forth to make sure we were on the same page.

In one instance, I corresponded with a woman who sounded as though she was familiar with the White Mountain terrain and was keen on hiking 4,000 footers. But when it came time to meet up the day of our hike, she hadn't brought the proper gear and seemed a little skittish about hiking anything bigger than some of the falls and tourist destinations in the White Mountains. She was friendly enough, but our goals were clearly very different.

Since I'm a slow hiker, I also want to make sure that my fellow hiking partners know the pace I set for myself. Some people are fast hikers, but don't mind someone trailing behind; others are fast hikers and get antsy if someone's not keeping up.

Ask your new friends: do they prefer to camp or simply do day hikes, what kind of gear do they have, how long have they been hiking and how many of their hikes are in the White Mountains versus, say, smaller and easier terrain found in Massachusetts or Connecticut? Think about every possible angle or stumbling block that could ruin a great trip.

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