Our Answer to Hiking Solo

I feel your concern--as does my wife! I often do solo trips in the Sierra, but they are usually for a few days, not for two weeks. But let's tackle these points one by one, 

1. He's in good shape. That's a great place to start--although good shape at sea level may not feel quite so strong at 10,000 feet.

2. No sense of direction. Hm. See below.

3. Struggles with technology and has no compass or GPS skills. Double Hmm. 

4. He thinks all the trails are well marked. He is correct about some trails, not about others. Does he know which are which?

5. He hasn't done any backpacking in decades.  Hmm again. 

If he chooses to go on a well-marked and popular trail, he should be fine. There will be lots of other people around who can help him if he forgets his matches, takes a wrong turn at a trail junction, or has bad blisters or stomach issues and has to sit and wait for a day or two.

If he picks a more challenging trail without a lot of traffic, it isn't such a rosy picture.

But it also depends a lot on what time of year he will be hiking. I worry about stream crossings. They can be deadly, in that one slip can wash you downstream, crack your head on a rock, and end your trip in a hurry. But not crossing the stream means you might have to turn back and bail on your trip. I worry that he will not have honed his judgement to make that call correctly. 

Weather? Experienced hikers knows when to sit in the tent and not push your luck when a storm swings in, bringing rain, snow, hail...  It's a great way to get hypothermia.  And hiking near the top of a pass in a potential thunderstorm is a recipe for disaster. Crossing a steep snowback can be dicey. Does he know how to deal with those decisions? 

A second opinion is really helpful in these situations. 

A few stories from our hikes over the years: 

We were once a good eight miles up Illiloutte Canyon in Yosemite, middle of the afternoon, when we ran into two young women who seemed a bit confused.  They were looking for Half Dome. They were at least twelve miles from Half Dome, and headed away from it. The only map they had was the brochure the park gave them at the entrance.  They had one bottle of water between the two of them. Had they not met us (on a trail that doesn't get that much traffic) they could well have hiked another hour or more in the wrong direction, leaving them a long way from the trailhead with no food, no water, and wearing only shorts and tank tops. If your husband has no sense of direction, that would worry me.  But if he is carrying all his gear, he can wander around for two weeks before really getting into a serious problem. I'm sure he would find someone to point him toward an exit.  And yes, the trails around that part of Yosemite are VERY clearly marked with signs at every junction. And people still take wrong turns. 

Hiking on the  Snow Creek Trail out of Yosemite Valley, we were headed down after a day hike when we met a couple who were hiking up the steep switchbacks on that trail. The had paused for a rest, and the young woman was noticeably trembling from hypothermia.  We pointed that out to her companion, and he dismissed our concerns. He was an idiot. Different bodies react differently to the elements, and while she was in very good shape, she had no fat on her body, and was hiking in shorts and a tank top. She needed to put some clothes on and take slower approach, but he was adamant that she was fine. Does your husband know the symptoms of hypothermia?  One of them is a reduced ability to think clearly--which means by the time he starts thinking about it, he may not be making sensible decisions. 

Last summer in Yosemite we were hiking out after a backpacking trip along the Lyell Canyon Trail--a very busy and popular trail. We met a fellow in his late fifties, a bit overweight, but hiking slowly and carrying his pack. We chatted with him for a few minutes. He seemed to be okay, but told us that he had hiked almost to the top of Donahue Pass the night before, and found it too strenuous. We had camped below the pass ourselves, and never seen him, so we suspected that he stopped far short of the pass. But he didn't ask for help, and didn't seem in any immediate distress, although he was hot, red in the face, and sweating. As we neared the Tuolumne Meadows trailhead, we met a ranger on horseback who asked us if we had seen a GPS unit on the trail. Nope. Then he asked if we had seen a hiker that generally matched the description of the guy we had seen. We had.  Apparently, his family was tracking his hike via his GPS unit, and it hadn't really moved in two days. They were, understandbly worried. The ranger (on horseback) hurried on up the trail to check on the guy, who I assume made it out okay--but I am sure he never completed the hike he had planned. 

And one last note--an older hiker (70) went into Desolation Wildnerness two years ago after starting a new medication for high blood pressure.  Turns out that medication was also a diuretic, and caused severe dehydration. The hiker made it to his first night campsite and was drinking a normal amount of water, but had cramps so bad that he had to lie down and drink water and electrolytes for two hours before the cramps eased and he could begin to feel normal again. 

That last one was me. It was not fun at all.

All this to say that, yes, I think your husband could do this. But I would insist that he take a couple of shakedown hikes first, both to test his gear and to see how his body responds to High Sierra elevations. I would suggest taking the big trip later in the summer, when there are fewer mosquitoes, lower stream levels, and fewer snowfields. And I would suggest a route and an area that gets lots of traffic, meaning lots of help or second opinions in a sketchy situation. And yes, a partner would alleviate many of those concerns, especially if that partner has a GPS unit and some hiking experience in the Sierra. 

One final note from someone who does a lot of volunteer work in the Sierra. Stay on the trail, no cross country adventures. That way, at least we'll know where to look for the body. 

Hope that helps!