Going Solo?

[mcvincnt]

I wont even mention the banjo music...

I live in Tennessee, this isn't funny.

[Raskusdrotti]

You can always try going out with a friend but setting up a few hundred yards from each other. This way you are far enough away to have the feeling of being out on your own with the reassurance that you have someone within earshot...

It's taken me a while to do it, but now I love the peace and quiet time.

[dukedante]

Ha, I go with the thought that "what I don't know can't hurt me". Ear plugs and a TylenolPM do the trick anytime. Plus, I snore like a bear getting skinned, so I probably scare off all the woodland creatures.
And yes, I camp in bear and mountain lion country.

[Pipsissewa]

I'm just deathly afraid of random acts of violence and people who would like to do me harm... .

Me too!

[canoebie]

Me too!

Then don't drive anywhere. Drunk drivers are always on the road. I used to work with a DUI prevention program aimed at those convicted of a first offense. When polled, the average number of times these folks had driven intoxicated before being caught was about 65. Risk is often more perceived than real. When I go on canoe trips, I realize the real risk is on the road driving to and from, not on the river.

Fear makes us irrational. Put the rational thinking cap on and understand risk that is real as opposed to perceived. The reality is that while random acts of violence happen, their prevelance from a statistical perspective is minimal compared to those real risks we are willing to take each and every day.

The woods is, in reality, a relatively safe place to be, more than our homes in some ways. Taking calculated risk is an important part of growth. The calculation and minimization of said risk is part of the fun and part of the learning.

[dragon360]

Taking calculated risk is an important part of growth. The calculation and minimization of said risk is part of the fun and part of the learning.

Very well said.

[TadTheTinker]

So much of our time is spent in the proximity to noise. Like no at my desk. The tack,tack of the keyboard, the sound of the fan in the computer, the noises coming from the computer user close by. Someone just came in to sign up for services and that is all kinds of different sounds. Doors close and open. Then there are the sounds of cars, radios, tv's, dishes, cooking, washing machines, dishwashers, the floor creaking a bit as you walk over it, even the sound of the shuffle of your feet over the carpet is sound.

And yet, because we are around it all the time, we don't hear any of it unless we STOP and LISTEN. Do that for just a second. Complete silence on your part, still, no motion, nothing. Just listen to all that is going on around you. Cacophonous (Noisy) isn't it?

Now, the next time you go out into the woods for a hike or just to camp somewhere, take a minute and do the same thing. Stop and listen to all that is going on around you. Leaves falling from trees, squirrels running around, a mouse making a nest, birds, chirping, flying landing, etc. When you stop to recognize these sounds and to really know what they are, they cease to be scary. Don't do this when you are walking, your clothes and the sound of your boots on the trail will mask much. If you do this several times during the day, by the time you get to a point to set up camp, many of those sounds will be in the background and not really noticeable.

As you settle in for the evening, listen to what is out there. Recognize it, label it and enjoy it. We fear to be alone, not as much because of the sounds out there we don't recognize but because we spend so little time with ourselves! It is only when you are truly alone like this that you can 'speak' with yourself and come to grips with who and what you really are. When you are alone in the forest, you have to learn to become a part of it just like you are a part of 'civilization'. And the only way to do this is to get to know who you really are without anyone else to back you up.

I could get sappy at this point but I shall refrain and let you dwell at this point.

Tinker

[canoebie]

So much of our time is spent in the proximity to noise. Like no at my desk. The tack,tack of the keyboard, the sound of the fan in the computer, the noises coming from the computer user close by. Someone just came in to sign up for services and that is all kinds of different sounds. Doors close and open. Then there are the sounds of cars, radios, tv's, dishes, cooking, washing machines, dishwashers, the floor creaking a bit as you walk over it, even the sound of the shuffle of your feet over the carpet is sound.

And yet, because we are around it all the time, we don't hear any of it unless we STOP and LISTEN. Do that for just a second. Complete silence on your part, still, no motion, nothing. Just listen to all that is going on around you. Cacophonous (Noisy) isn't it?

Now, the next time you go out into the woods for a hike or just to camp somewhere, take a minute and do the same thing. Stop and listen to all that is going on around you. Leaves falling from trees, squirrels running around, a mouse making a nest, birds, chirping, flying landing, etc. When you stop to recognize these sounds and to really know what they are, they cease to be scary. Don't do this when you are walking, your clothes and the sound of your boots on the trail will mask much. If you do this several times during the day, by the time you get to a point to set up camp, many of those sounds will be in the background and not really noticeable.

As you settle in for the evening, listen to what is out there. Recognize it, label it and enjoy it. We fear to be alone, not as much because of the sounds out there we don't recognize but because we spend so little time with ourselves! It is only when you are truly alone like this that you can 'speak' with yourself and come to grips with who and what you really are. When you are alone in the forest, you have to learn to become a part of it just like you are a part of 'civilization'. And the only way to do this is to get to know who you really are without anyone else to back you up.

I could get sappy at this point but I shall refrain and let you dwell at this point.

Tinker

Exquisite sir, absolutely exquisite. I like sappy!!

[patriothomer]

Depending on where you live, sleeping out in the back yard may not be a good place to practice solo camping. Tried it once with the kids when we lived in Texas. The teenagers racing their cars down the street, the high school football game nearby, the neighborhood lights, and the police helicopter overhead chased the kids to their beds by 10 p.m. Took my son to a local county park here in Virginia with much better results. Not exactly solo, but he nodded off around 9 p.m. and I listened to the hockey game in peace for a couple of hours before i crawled into the Blackbird for the night.

[nu2hike]

I'm a woman and hike solo 99% of the time! I love the sounds of the the night! The owls, frogs, and cricketts! The sound of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees from which I'm hanging! The sound of fast moving water in a near by stream while I'm being rocked to sleep in my hammock! Perfection!
I would never consider using ear plugs for fear that I would miss hearing something that might need to be heard! I believe that knowledge is power! If there is something out there I want to hear it sooner rather than later!
I always stealth camp for the peace and quiet as well as far the safety of being away from what I perceive to be the greatest threat {at least for me} other human beings! My fears aren't always for my personal safety, but for the loss of the solitude I seek by being in the woods in the first place! What could be worse than hiking all day, setting up camp, getting ready for a quiet peaceful night and suddenly having some loud mouth yahoos set up camp nearby! Now that is scary! :]