Backpacking didn’t just change my life. It completely changed how I see myself.

Through solo hiking and backpacking, I learned how to build real confidence, trust myself and stop waiting for “someday.” If you’ve ever felt stuck, afraid or unsure whether you’re capable of hiking or backpacking alone, this post will show you how solo hiking builds confidence, both on trail and in everyday life.

I Didn’t Always Feel Confident (Not Even Close)

If you’ve watched any of my YouTube videos or followed along on my solo hiking and backpacking trips, it might look like confidence just came naturally to me.

It didn’t.

I didn’t grow up confident. I wasn’t someone who just knew she could do hard things. For most of my life, I let fear make decisions for me:

  • Where I worked
  • Where I lived
  • What I believed I was capable of
  • Whether I could really hike or backpack alone

And the interesting thing? My fears weren’t limited to the trail. Fear showed up everywhere. Fear kept me working at jobs I hated. Staying in relationships I should have left. Playing small even when I wanted more.

The Real Fear Behind Backpacking (and Why Confidence Feels So Hard)

When people think about hiking or backpacking alone, they usually jump straight to the obvious fears:

  • Being alone
  • Feeling lonely
  • Running into sketchy people
  • Wildlife encounters
  • Getting lost
  • Getting hurt
  • Running out of food or water
  • The unknown

Those fears are all very really. And they’re very valid. But if I’m being honest, my biggest fear wasn’t actually being out there alone. It was whether I could get out of my own way.

The Moment Everything Shifted

When I first started hiking, I feel in love with it almost immediately. I wanted to go all the time. But the more I wanted to go, the harder it became to always find someone to go with me.

People canceled. Schedules didn’t line up. And eventually I got tired of waiting.

I remember thinking:

Why should I have to put my life on hold waiting for someone else?

Why was I waiting for permission? For someone else to be available?

Why couldn’t I just learn how to do this on my own?

These questions changed everything.

How Solo Backpacking Builds Confidence and Self-Trust

Solo hiking confidence isn’t built by being fearless. It’s built by learning how to trust yourself through experience. Backpacking gave me a lot more than miles and pretty views.

Freedom

The first thing backpacking gave me was freedom. No coordinating schedules. No more waiting around. No asking for permission. Now, when I want to hike, I can just go.

  • I can go when I want
  • Turn around when I want
  • Take breaks when I need them
  • Change my route without consulting anyone

It’s my hike. My pace. My rules.

Self-Trust

When you’re out there alone, you have to trust yourself. You make the decisions. You solve the problems. You figure things out.

Over the years. I’ve handled everything from sketchy weather to questionable trail conditions to knowing when it was time to turn around. Every single time I handled something on my own, my confidence grew.

And the best part?

The confidence didn’t just stay on the trail. I took it home with me too.

Mental Health

Solo hiking is like an open-eyed meditation for me. No cell service. No notifications. No email. No noise. Just space to think…or not think.

Some of my best ideas and clearest decisions have to come to me while hiking alone.

Some of the books that helped reshape how I think about fear, adventure and trusting myself are ones I’ve read both on trail and back at home. I shared a few of my favorites here: Outdoorsy Books to Read (That Aren’t Wild).

Confidence

There’s something incredibly powerful about knowing you can take care of yourself.

It changes how you show up:

  • You stand a little taller
  • You speak up more
  • You take up more space

And yes, hiking and backpacking alone kind of makes me feel like a badass.

Why Solo Hiking and Backpacking Can Change Your Life

If you’re someone who’s:

  • Tired of waiting
  • Tired of feeling stuck
  • Tired of letting fear decide what your life looks like

If you’ve ever thought:

  • I just need more confidence first
  • I’ll do it when I feel ready

Here’s the truth: This isn’t really about hiking.

Backpacking doesn’t just teach you how to walk farther.

It teaches you how to:

  • Trust yourself
  • Listen to your instincts
  • Make decisions without second-guessing yourself
  • Handle discomfort without panicking

And when you start trusting yourself out there, that trust follows you home.

You start speaking up more. Setting boundaries. Trying things you used to talk yourself out of doing.

You realize:

  • You don’t need permission
  • You don’t need someone else to go with you
  • You don’t need to be fearless

You just need to start.

This Is What Backpacking Gave Me

Not just miles. Not just views.

Belief.

Belief that I can do hard things, both on trail and in life. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or unsure, I come back outside. I walk it out. I sort it out.

Outside, things feel clear again.

Support for Women Who Want to Build Confidence Backpacking Alone

I know solo hiking and backpacking isn’t for everyone and that’s okay. But if something in this post lit you up…if you felt that pull while reading…That’s exactly why I created The Confident Solo Female Backpacker System. It’s for women who want to build confidence without white-knuckling their way through fear.

Inside the program, you’ll learn how to:

  • Plan and prepare
  • Manage fear when it shows up (because it will)
  • Build confidence step by step
  • Trust yourself, both on trail and off

If you’re curious, you can book a free one-on-one Zoom call with me to talk about your hiking and backpacking goals and see if this program is a good fit for you.

If You’re Still Waiting for Someday…

Maybe today is the day you stop waiting. Not for permission. Not for the perfect moment. Not for fear to disappear.

Confidence isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you build, one step, one hike at a time.