Sleeping Alone in the Woods

[XCskiNYC]

Okay, here's one for solo hikers, or those who have hiked solo at some point in their wandering careers.

Have you ever slept out alone, either at a shelter, organized camping area, or just at a stealth campsite?

If you answered Yes to the above, what was the experience like for you?


My take on it:

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=289403


The pertinent section of the above trailjournal entry:

"You could probably say there are two kinds of people in the world: those who enjoy sleeping in the woods overnight by themselves and those who picture a bear or, even worse, a townie who wants to offer them a beer, every time an acorn comes bombing out of the trees and hits the forest floor. As you may have guessed, I belong to the latter group. I did not fall asleep until 0200 and woke up at 0500, very relieved when you could 'tell a dark thread from a light thread' as a certain book once said."

[TOW]

I'll never forget when I first stepped onto the trail. I would lay awake at night til I got way too tired to care what all those bumps in the night were. As time went I fell asleep faster and slept more soundly. If ever an animal came too close for comfort I would awake immediately, or if someone came near I would come to full alert. I miss sleeping in the woods.....

[Egads]

I worry more about late night redneck visits than anything else when alone in the woods at night. That's one reason I prefer to be at a stealth site.

[Just a Hiker]

Depending on the time of year that you hike, you'll have plenty of opportunities to camp alone on the trail. As TOW has stated, at first, you'll be keenly aware of every sound in the woods at night as you lay in your sleeping bag. However, the longer you stay on the trail, your comfort level will increase and you'll sleep really well and also discover that it's pretty cool waking up in the woods all alone.

[mister krabs]

I have a small radio with a sleep timer, it scares off the boogie man.

[Father Dragon]

I hike solo almost all the time unless I'm with my daughter and I camp mostly by myself when I can. There have been a few times where I got the willies. I've had bears on a some occasions come into my camp and had to scare them off (can be a bit unnerving, especially when they circle back) , and there was one time where I just really had a bad feeling and moved camp 6 miles over a ridge (saw lots of eyes on that night's walk). I tend to trust my gut. Normally I don't have any issues with sleeping in the woods by myself so, when something doesn't feel right I tend to listen to that feeling.

That said, nothing scares the ***** out of me more though than those darn fool birds that blast up out of the brush when you get 2 feet from them. I swear it is the same one that gets me every-time I hike near Mount Rogers. Always in the same place too; the horse trail right before you get back to Elk Garden.

[Jonnycat]

Being way out alone allows whatever part of the brain that is responsible for human interaction to get turned down to a level that isn't noticeable anymore, and all of the other senses to become much more acute.

It's pretty much the whole reason why I go "out there".

And yeah, it can be a frightening experience when you aren't sure of what is going to happen (and growing up watching bigfoot movies and hearing terrible tales of the deep dark woods), but once you make it back alive enough times that goes away.

[Just a Hiker]

I worry more about late night redneck visits than anything else when alone in the woods at night. That's one reason I prefer to be at a stealth site.

I agree, setting up camp close to a road concerns me more than being deep in the woods. In order to get to a town early to resupply and handle my business, I'll sometimes sleep close to the road crossing and I'll wake up every time I hear a car go by or slow down.

[Jonnycat]

That said, nothing scares the ***** out of me more though than those darn fool birds that blast up out of the brush when you get 2 feet from them.

Sounds like the grouse we have over here; they just explode from right under your feet and startle the pants right off of 'ya!

[Toolshed]

I am always alone. The only thing that concerns me, as others have stated, are the rednecks, townies and troublemakers. Otherwise, I sleep pretty soundly and am not worried about anything - although, when I first switched from tenting to hammocking, I worried about a bear taking a bite outta my a$$ some night .

If I need to sleep by a road, I am usually far away form the trail and hanging in the puckerbrush somewhere to avoid the jackasses.

[Feral Bill]

I once got a bit freaked out camping alone in the Grand Canyon. It was so big and I was so small. Then I looked up at the sky and the canyon shrunk to a managable size. Other than that I sleep like a log.

[modiyooch]

The best thing about sleeping solo is waking in the morning, sticking your head out the tent and glimpsing the morning wildlife.

In the beginning I was afraid of EVERYTHING and then got tired of being afraid.

Don't watch scary movies about WV cannibals. That got me one evening.

I pitch near sunset thinking that's the best way to go undetected. Lately, I have become aware of the increased night walking and night vision glasses that I realize that strategy no longer works.

Lastly, my last night out this summer, I had just set up camp minutes before sunset and a hiker came thru and told me to move because he just saw a bear. I didn't move (no night vision glasses and horrendous mosquitoes). I didn't sleep well either. I caught myself listening for the bear as if I wouldn't have heard him if he did enter camp. Also, it was my first night hammocking and I had the same fears that the above poster about being bumped or bit from underneath. It didn't help when I heard the coyotes (?) . I finally rationalized the situation, and tried to get some sleep.

For the most part, I prefer being by myself. I sleep better without the noise.

[atraildreamer]

Had the old Stratton Mtn lean-to...early 70's...unnerving to wake up at 2am and see a porcupine 2 feet from your face!

Yelled at the critter and annoyed the beast with the flashlight beam in the eyes to scare it off.

Twenty minutes later. the porky returned with a friend!

Used a couple rocks the second time around (didn't hit them...just near misses to discourage them.)

[Summit]

I've been camping since about eight years of age. I don't worry about anything and don't make it a point to listen for noises. I practice safety, prudence, and leave the rest up to The Almighty! Worrying doesn't help one bit.

[Red Hat]

Yep twice... first time was March 04 when i passed up the shelter at Hawk Mountain and went on to Horse Gap to camp. I was alone and pretty scared. Like you, I was up at 5 am and ready to get out of there.

My second time was much nicer. I was at Cloud Pond Shelter in Maine. All my buddies had hiked on further, but I was beat and chose to stay. No one else showed up, but I enjoyed a nice evening alone. I spent a lot of time contemplating my Maine hike so far and decided it was time for me to get off. The next morning I headed to Monson.

[Kerosene]

I've slept alone a number of times, but three stand out:

I was the lone tent at a "horseman's campsite" in southeast Michigan. Rednecks paid a visit in their pickup trucks, circling the campsite on the rough dirt road, at 2 and 3 in the morning. Not much sleep that night.

I was alone at Matts Creek Shelter, south of the AT crossing of the James River. I kept hearing voices, as if from a picnic near-by, but it was only the babbling brook. I'm glad I brought my earplugs.

I was trying to reach Pinkham Notch for the night and ran out of daylight a few miles north on what was basically unmarked trail in September 2006. I crossed a low-lying wet area and found a flat spot in the middle of the trail where I decided to set up my tent. Just as I slung off my pack, I heard what sure sounded like a h-u-g-e animal pounding through the trees just off the trail. That got my heart pounding, and I finally determined that it was probably a moose. However, just as I laid my head down to go to sleep, I realized that a moose that size might just use the trail and step on my head. Took me a while to drift off, and I was up and away by sunrise.

[nufsaid]

Also, it was my first night hammocking and I had the same fears that the above poster about being bumped or bit from underneath.

For the most part, I prefer being by myself. I sleep better without the noise.

But in a hammock you won't be bumped or bit by rocks, sticks, roots or a flow of water from a storm. Those are much more likely to bump or bite you than a redneck or wildlife (not including insects). But those night sounds can be unnerving.

[joec]

Just offset any fears by hiking until exhaustion and then you do not care about the boogie man.

[brotheral]

I've been camping since about eight years of age. I don't worry about anything and don't make it a point to listen for noises. I practice safety, prudence, and leave the rest up to The Almighty! Worrying doesn't help one bit.

I agree !! If you start listening for noises you're gonna have a long, sleepless night whether you're alone or with someone... It'll just be worse alone...

[simon]

Sleep alone and hike alone. I worry about limps and trees falling more then i do animals. Once had a tree fall close by so i guess that is the root of my worry.