View Full Version : Sleeping Alone in the Woods
XCskiNYC
09-20-2009, 12:16
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."
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.....
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
09-20-2009, 12:42
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
09-20-2009, 12:44
I have a small radio with a sleep timer, it scares off the boogie man.
Father Dragon
09-20-2009, 12:48
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
09-20-2009, 12:48
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
09-20-2009, 12:50
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
09-20-2009, 12:50
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
09-20-2009, 16:35
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
09-20-2009, 16:40
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
09-20-2009, 16:52
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
09-20-2009, 16:56
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!:eek:
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! :eek::eek:
Used a couple rocks the second time around (didn't hit them...just near misses to discourage them.)
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.
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
09-20-2009, 17:24
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.
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.
Just offset any fears by hiking until exhaustion and then you do not care about the boogie man.
brotheral
09-20-2009, 19:38
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...:-?
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.
WalkingStick75
09-20-2009, 19:58
Most of my hiking as been solo, it does take some getting use to but like when you were a kid and you would hear noises under your bed, usually after watching a scary movie. :) The same is true in the woods, you soon learn that their is nothing to be scared of except for the mice, bears, moose running through your camp and if your are too close to a road the worse of all...... man.
MikenSalem
09-20-2009, 20:02
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.
Yep Yep Yep :D On occasion if I do hear something out in the fringe I might try and bust it with the light just to see if I'm guessing right about what it is. My only fear is a skunk will come under my hammock about the time I step out to go... so I look ;)
And a BIG YEP! + No need to worry <>< there's not anything there at night that wasn't there in the daytime.
Grew up on a farm and I like animals, especially with taters n gravy:eek:
Tuckahoe
09-20-2009, 20:03
If you are camping alone, just think about zombies as you wander off to sleep. he he he
I slept alone most of the time on the PCT. I sleep great alone in the woods. I usually fall asleep before the sky is completely dark and wake at first light. The strange thing for me is realizing that even out in the wilderness I still have insomnia once in a while.
dreamsoftrails
09-20-2009, 20:05
And a BIG YEP! + No need to worry <>< there's not anything there at night that wasn't there in the daytime.
well, except for big naked sasquatches with histories of sex crime....
well, except for big naked sasquatches with histories of sex crime....
Guess it's alright if they are sasquatch babes ;)
Jeez, is this really a serious thread?
Heck, there is a 50/50 chance nothing horrible is going to happen so why worry?
Heck, there is a 50/50 chance nothing horrible is going to happen so why worry?
OK jack, support your statistics :D
Lone Wolf
09-20-2009, 20:26
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?
sure. it's what lone wolves do. what's the skeery part?
Wise Old Owl
09-20-2009, 20:29
I was thinking finding a porcupine on the tree above in the morning....
Taking a leap of faith!
OK jack, support your statistics :D
Well, my name ain't Jack and I ain't very good at statistics amd math and such, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn once.
Not Sunshine
09-20-2009, 20:35
I just returned from a 4-day solo trip - first ever as a soloist - and even though I have a SLEEP NUMBER queen-sized bed awaiting me, I wish I were still out in the woods. It got dark: I curled up in my tent. It got light, I crawled out. 12-hours, I estimate was my average over the past few nights and I cannot wait to get out there again! Sure, a shower is nice, but my solo trip was EVERYTHING I expected it to be - and then much, much more - and it rained! :-p
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'm a redneck and yuppy's scare the crap outa me.
tndrfoot
09-20-2009, 20:45
i use ear plugs ant take a sleeping pill from wal-mart i dont have a care in the world. before i could not sleep a wink everything i herd i woke up and took hours to fall asleep try it it works. for the animals u will wake up when u fee.l them touching ur tent
Don't watch scary movies about WV cannibals. That got me one evening.
Dang, you gave away my secrets. How else am I suppose to get some protein?:eek:
FritztheCat
09-20-2009, 20:50
Earplugs saved my sanity. If I can't hear it, then it doesn't exist. ;)
MintakaCat
09-20-2009, 20:50
I backpack alone all the time but at night I'm too tired to care about anything. LOL
Big Dawg
09-20-2009, 20:54
yes,,, i was a little jittery the first time, but now i get a rush sleeping outdoors alone w/ mother nature.
I'm a redneck and yuppie's scare the crap outta me.
I'm neither young or an urbanite, so rest assured there is no need to be afraid of me :eek:
Sometimes when I see a dog off it's leash I get scared it will pee on my clip flashlight while I am sleeping.
Feral Bill
09-20-2009, 20:58
I'm a redneck and yuppy's scare the crap outa me.
No worries, they only want your retirement money.
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.
yep
...........
MikenSalem
09-20-2009, 21:11
I heard a sstory.. mmaybe two..
One poor fellow was laying in a bivy in northern NH and a Moose just walks up while the guy is sleeping and stomps him to death. Hogs ate a guy in GA this spring, four of them jumped him and began to tear him to pieces, they say he crawled about 50 yards before they finally finished him off.
Worst case was a guy and a girl were just getting settled in for the night when a through hiker who'd passed them earlier in the day clubbed them both and they came to with tourniquets around their upper thighs because the guy had amputated them for food. After they caught him he admitted he figured the couple wouldn't ever be able to catch up to him... and once more
Whatever happens; be sure to rinse the toothpaste from your mouth really well, coyotes ripped a guys lips off after he bedded down right near Elk Park, NC..:eek:
datadog314
09-20-2009, 21:17
Well, if it's my time, there isn't much I can do about it............worring about it seems to be kind of useless. I do all my travels alone. I worry more about swimmimg in deep, dark, water... as snapping turtles scare me waaaaaaay more than "things that go bump in the night".
Big Dawg
09-20-2009, 21:23
I heard a sstory.. mmaybe two..
One poor fellow was laying in a bivy in northern NH and a Moose just walks up while the guy is sleeping and stomps him to death. Hogs ate a guy in GA this spring, four of them jumped him and began to tear him to pieces, they say he crawled about 50 yards before they finally finished him off.
Worst case was a guy and a girl were just getting settled in for the night when a through hiker who'd passed them earlier in the day clubbed them both and they came to with tourniquets around their upper thighs because the guy had amputated them for food. After they caught him he admitted he figured the couple wouldn't ever be able to catch up to him... and once more
Whatever happens; be sure to rinse the toothpaste from your mouth really well, coyotes ripped a guys lips off after he bedded down right near Elk Park, NC..:eek:
you liar... stop skeerin us :eek::D
MikenSalem
09-20-2009, 21:36
you liar... stop skeerin us :eek::D
I forgot about the earwiggs! You better sleep with cotton in your ears else one might crawl in and then it's over. I was in the ER one night with K Stones and this woman was screamin in the next bed over. I mean she was screamin. They finally got it out but they couldn't just pour stuff in to kill it cause it had already perforated her eardrum and was eatin it's way to her brain. Just think what'd happen was you all alone in the middle of nothing and one of those burrowed in. you'd go crazy and nobody would be able to figure out what was wrong with you. They'd probably shoot you figuring you were deranged if they had a gun. Cancel Christmas, bye bye, crazy from a bug and dead from a slug!
Big Dog don't need to be skeered I don't wants him out of breff when I catches him. tee he he
True story. My friend went to the ER because he said he had a bug in his ear. Nobody at the ER believed him. He insisted he could feel the bug crawling around in his ear. Finaly this old doctor came in and washed out his ear with some kind of fluid. The doc asked if his ear felt better and if the "bug" was gone. My friend said ya, his ear felt pretty good, but the bug was in the other ear. The doc used used a paper clip to pull a bug out of his ear. My friend was drunk at the time. Maybe thats why they didn't believe him.
Well, my name ain't Jack and I ain't very good at statistics amd math and such, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn once.You know, 73.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot. :rolleyes::D
You know, 73.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot. :rolleyes::D
Makes ya wonder where the other 44.4% comes from???:-?
Snowleopard
09-20-2009, 22:48
I forgot about the earwiggs! You better sleep with cotton in your ears else one might crawl in and then it's over. I was in the ER one night with K Stones and this woman was screamin in the next bed over. I mean she was screamin. They finally got it out but they couldn't just pour stuff in to kill it cause it had already perforated her eardrum and was eatin it's way to her brain. Just think what'd happen was you all alone in the middle of nothing and one of those burrowed in. you'd go crazy and nobody would be able to figure out what was wrong with you. They'd probably shoot you figuring you were deranged if they had a gun. Cancel Christmas, bye bye, crazy from a bug and dead from a slug!
That actually happened to me in the Peruvian Amazon (on an island in the Amazon River). Fortunately, it wasn't one of the super nasty little wasps they had there, but was just some poor lost bug. It wasn't painful, but was excruciatingly weird feeling. We got it out washing the ear out with water. This was really a place where you didn't want to have any serious medical issues.
Remember, the Blair Witch Project was only a movie.
Wasn't it? :eek:
modiyooch
09-20-2009, 23:16
Think twice about reading "The Girl Who Loved Tom Jordan" by Stephen King before hiking the backwoods of Maine. You may not even want to hike solo much less camp solo.
MikenSalem
09-20-2009, 23:36
That actually happened to me in the Peruvian Amazon (on an island in the Amazon River). Fortunately, it wasn't one of the super nasty little wasps they had there, but was just some poor lost bug. It wasn't painful, but was excruciatingly weird feeling. We got it out washing the ear out with water. This was really a place where you didn't want to have any serious medical issues.
Oh that part is true!
The woman was asleep in her bed with the window open. The bug had perforated her ear drum and was causing excruciating pain inside her ear. They could not flush the ear and had to "go get it". I have made it a point that if a bug goes into my ear it's shortly dead. :-? I'll worry about getting the peices out in a minute.
Bilge Rat
09-21-2009, 01:29
That actually happened to me in the Peruvian Amazon (on an island in the Amazon River). Fortunately, it wasn't one of the super nasty little wasps they had there, but was just some poor lost bug.
http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/dre0513l.jpg
Trailweaver
09-21-2009, 01:42
I hike alone sometimes and always make it a point to get as far away as I can from any roads as quickly as I can move up the trail. I have camped alone at shelters and at campsites, and once had a whole mountain alone (I know because I camped on top, and I hadn't seen anyone for nearly two days when I set up camp). That was a little spooky, but turned out fine. I've just learned to sleep after a long day's hiking, and try not to listen to every little sound.
Big Dawg
09-21-2009, 06:37
Big Dog don't need to be skeered
i ain't fraid a nuttin... :cool:
Darwin again
09-21-2009, 08:56
It's sleeping in the woods.
You carry the tent.
You pitch the tent.
You climb inside the tent.
Sometimes you snore, sometimes you don't.
Sometimes it rains.
JokerJersey
09-21-2009, 09:42
The very first night I was out in the backcountry, it was a bit odd. Turned the lights off and you got the really "dark" dark, instead of the city dark. If you let your mind start wandering down those roads, it can get bad quick. I can't remember what book it was, but the author compared fear to a rat and said that once you let it out, it just gnaws and runs around until you get it back in its cage again. That really is the case, in my experience. Once I laid back, closed my eyes for 10 minutes to get my night vision, remembered that I have had the training that I have from the military, and that I survived a war...I was fine. I was asleep 15 minutes later. Every night after that was smooth sailing.
Now my g/f on the other hand...she was worried about the bears, snakes, crazy people, raccoons, the Jersey Devil, spiders, evil fish, falling trees, lightning...etc. Truth be told though, after 2 days, she was fine too. Now, she falls asleep right away, doesn't worry about things, and hikes like a champ.
I'm more scared of really steep elevation gains in short distances now. :D
nice and quiet that's what I like about the woods and sleeping at night. The noise of work, 20-something sons, and others whew... I never had any issues, no limbs falling, no racoons a biting just peace........
Pringles
09-21-2009, 12:00
The first time I camped in the woods alone, I was separated from my friends, so I was alone unintentionally. I got to sleep ok, but I woke in the middle of the night thinking that "if there was a bigfoot, he'd be right here, in these mountainous woods." I didn't sleep so well that night, after that. Bigfoot didn't come, by the way.
Now I hike and camp alone a lot. It rarely bothers me, though I spent a night at Wapiti Shelter this spring, alone, and that was kind of spooky. In the late fall I switch to a warmer sleeping bag, which has a zipper that sticks sometimes. With no companions, I worry that I'll be stuck in my sleeping bag until spring...when they find the body.
Oh that part is true!
The woman was asleep in her bed with the window open. The bug had perforated her ear drum and was causing excruciating pain inside her ear. They could not flush the ear and had to "go get it". I have made it a point that if a bug goes into my ear it's shortly dead. :-? I'll worry about getting the peices out in a minute.
An ice pick makes short work of a bug in your ear. May take a few tries.
Feral Bill
09-21-2009, 13:40
i ain't fraid a nuttin... :cool:
Not the path to longevity
OldStormcrow
09-21-2009, 15:43
I pretty much hike solo, but never have any trouble sleeping....perhaps something to do with a cozy fire before bed and a cozy flask of Bushmills Irish whiskey. My vicious and outrageous snoring seems to keep all mammal and insect life away while I sleep like a (drunken) baby.
MikenSalem
09-21-2009, 16:08
I thought that was jus for crabs? Oh almost forgot and ice :eek: Anybody want me to fixum a little drinkie? What about it Big Dawg you ain't a frady-dawg is ya :-?
I think an ice pick would be an improvement over my size 16 fingers. They don't fit my ear OR my nose thank you.
Shuddap Felix, bad cat, BAD CAT! and your little doggie friend too, bad dawg, I say BAD Big Dawg!
Morning Glory
09-21-2009, 16:17
this is a very familiar story....This is about exactly what happened to me...except someone else rolled into Cloud Pond about 7 p.m. I didn't care to keep up with my friend that was trying to finish the HMW in 6 days...Barren Mtn. just about killed me. He was waiting for me at the blue blaze to Cloud Pond and he wanted to go 7 more miles to the next shelter. I told him to have fun and that I was more worried about killing myself trying to keep up with him than I was worried about getting killed camping by myself. The next day, I hitched back to Monson after hiking down to Gulf Hagas.
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.
An ice pick makes short work of a bug in your ear. May take a few tries.
Not the path to longevity
Feral Bill's comment applies to more than one post. One try might be all you'll get Darwin :-?
it generally takes me a couple nights to get back into 'woods mode', where i know what's making what noises at night, but it can keep you awake. once i get it figured out again, i sleep pretty well. humans scare me the most. where i camp it's mostly sticks falling, followed by coons/ possums/ armadillos, then other animals. i've been tapped on the butt while sleeping in my hammock, by something, but i don't know what... probably a fox. despite the number of boars here, i've never had any 'invade' my campsite. deer make that weird snorting noise, and the one bear, well, that was definitely a night of no sleep!
It's easy to get freaked out by strange noises in the night.
I carry a little 1 ounce MP3 player with different stuff on it, sometimes podcasts, sometimes music, etc.
Listen to recorded NPR ... puts me out like a light.
Big Dawg
09-21-2009, 19:40
Anybody want me to fixum a little drinkie? What about it Big Dawg you ain't a frady-dawg is ya :-?
no frady-dawg here,,, fixum up
coheterojo
09-21-2009, 20:06
I sleep alone with alarming frequency. In the woods I mean. When I plan a hiking trip I always let my friends know so they can come along as well. Used to be, if people bailed, I'd get all boohoo-y and not go myself. I finally developed the intestinal fortitude to go on my hikes w or w/o others. To be perfectly honest I prefer the solo experience in so many ways.
Also I do quite a bit of hiking here in the Francis Marion NF on the Swamp Fox passage of the Palmetto Trail. I've developed quite an afinity for night hikes. The night is never as dark as it seems(with some alarming exceptions). Just spending alot of time in the woods at night allows me to experience another magnificent dimension of its glory. I feel extremely comfortable in the woods alone.
How's that? Too verbose?
Out on my Long Trail Hike this year I had a good 2 night and 3 day stretch of seeing nobody at all. It was a terrific experience partly because I was used to sleeping in the woods alone.
The first time sleeping out in the woods alone I remember being really tense during the night. It's just like anything else I guess. Experience will make you more comfortable with it.
I'll always remember my first night sleeping alone in the woods, during my thru. It was a little campsite a mile north of Dick's Creek Gap. I was hiking with several others and my knees were realy hurting. They continued on and I decided to stop for the night. I thought that others would stop for the night and use the same camp site. It was a nice spot right next to a small brook. As it started to get dark, knowone showed. I built a fire and layed in my tent listening to all the night sounds sort of afraid to fall asleep. I soon woke up and it was daylight again.
I had fliped,from Duncannon, PA, finishing my thru there. The time hiking after Labor Day I spent much time alone. Once hiking for two days without meeting another hiker. I spent my last three nights alone in shelters.
Speaking of sounds, I was hiking the PCT and passed another hiker late in the day. After I passed him there weren't any other places to camp so once I found one, I assumed he would probably camp there, too.
In the middle of the night I could hear snoring. Man that guy can really snore! In the morning after I put my tent away he was still snoring but I couldn't see where he'd set up his camp. I explored the area and discovered that the snoring was really the sound of two trees rubbing together.
Shutterbug
09-22-2009, 12:53
Speaking of sounds, I was hiking the PCT and passed another hiker late in the day. After I passed him there weren't any other places to camp so once I found one, I assumed he would probably camp there, too.
In the middle of the night I could hear snoring. Man that guy can really snore! In the morning after I put my tent away he was still snoring but I couldn't see where he'd set up his camp. I explored the area and discovered that the snoring was really the sound of two trees rubbing together.
I was hiking the Colorado Trail and hadn't seen another human all day. As it was getting dark, I made camp in a meadow where I saw quite a bit of scat that was unfamiliar to me. Only a large animal could have left that size pile.
I thought it might have been left by a mountain lion or a bear, but I wasn't sure. I crawled into my sleeping bag wondering about what kind of large animal might be around.
Soon after I turned in, I heard a loud noise that I didn't recognize. It was a rumbling sound that lasted about 10 seconds. I just couldn't imagine what kind of animal would make that sound.
About every 30 minutes during the night, I would hear the sound. It always came from the same direction.
For the next two days, I wondered about what kind of animal had kept me awake that night. I decided that it was probably an elk. I had heard and read that elk make a "bugle" sound, but didn't know what that sounded like.
At the end of the hike, I was waiting at the trialhead for my ride. The trailhead was on a busy highway. A large truck came by. As the truck started down the steep grade, the driver down shifted and guess what? There was the sound!! The "animal" that kept we awake all night turned out to be the sound of a truck using its jake brakes.
The night sounds are what makes solo camping exciting. I love it.
Alligator
09-22-2009, 12:59
Trucks do leave large loads.
**collective groan**;)
Many many many times. Doesn't phase me at all. Although since I spent some time away from the mountains, I prefer the tents now to the shelters. Mice did not used to bother me, but when I became recivilized, they began to.
There is some small measure of apprehension, but it really is very very minor as long as you're not near a road. You'll hear anybody or anything approaching and come full awake. The difference I suppose is that when you're with people, you can rely on them to wake up if anything approaches, and there's safety in numbers.
Any apprehension should not keep people from sleeping in the woods alone. It's a cool experience.
I walk softly through the woods, but carry a BIG stick just in case :)
ShoelessWanderer
09-22-2009, 15:35
LOVE sleeping alone in the woods! So much easier to experience nature & just enjoy some solitude. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sleep004.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
I take the ostrich approach: I wear earplugs, and if I can't hear it, it doesn't exist! I sleep really well alone in the woods like this.
Bare Bear
09-22-2009, 17:20
I have hiked and slept alone a lot more than I care for. It is good and bad depending on where you are. I can recall being in a swamp in Fl and seeing the blazes 6 foot up trees and realized that was just above the high water marks! Think of that when you have 20 miles of swamp to crawl and it is raining.......
On the other hand, on several long distance hikes I have truly enjoyed being alone especailly the last month of a long hike. You are left alone to think about you have accomplished towards your own goals, solved all of the worlds problems, etc.
Sleeps_With_Skunks
09-22-2009, 17:48
My first solo hike without Bearpaw was going well at long hunter state park until two things happened.......A skunk wandered into my camp (no surpprise there) and thought about snuggling up to my tent for the night before wandering off, then 4 hours later I heard a HUGE kaboom and the lake lit up like the fourth of july. Seems some guys were night fishing with explosives and the rangers caught up to them near my camp. so...I picked everything up and walked over to a different campsite farther back from the lake. Made for an interesting night.
I am more likely to wake up in the middle of the night or get a bad night's sleep if there are other people around. Plus, I enjoy my alone time especially in the morning.
XCskiNYC
09-22-2009, 22:38
It's easy to get freaked out by strange noises in the night.
I carry a little 1 ounce MP3 player with different stuff on it, sometimes podcasts, sometimes music, etc.
Listen to recorded NPR ... puts me out like a light.
When it comes to sleepy time, I'm pretty much addicted to newsradio, or NPR, or a really wordy PBS documentary, anything with well-modulated human voices going on at length puts me right out.
One of the biggest traumas on this hike, besides all the bear warning notices at Fahenstock State Park, was that the new radio brought along couldn't pick up WCBS AM (newsradio).
When I was young and blissfully ignorant of my mortality, I loved being alone in the woods. I'm just not as fond of the solo thing anymore. I much prefer the company of friends. Back in April, I found myself on an unexpected solo hike, and I wrote about it for another website. It's a long entry, but if you're interested, you can read all about how I climbed to the top of the Priest, and then turned around and took 5 (yes F-I-V-E) days to get back to Reed's Gap: Playing Head Games (http://southeasternbackpackers.com/trip-reports/16-none/86-playing-head-games)
freefall
09-23-2009, 01:40
You end up getting used to sleeping alone in the woods. I personally, have a rough time sleeping w/ someone else then I do out in the woods.
mr. dribbles
09-23-2009, 08:24
I have just started solo hiking- love it. After waking up in the hammock with a critter in the camp- turned out to be a porcupine- I decided that the critters that make noise won't be the problem. It's usually a chipmunk or porcupine. It's the predators that don't make noise that will get you. Never heard the bear in the Adirondacks open the bear canister. So might as well sleep well and not worry about stuff you can't hear anyway. A good single malt highland scotch and ear plugs help.
randyg45
09-26-2009, 13:19
If Daniel can sleep with lions, I can snooze with the occasional bear.....
partly cloudy
09-26-2009, 14:15
Left out of Penn_Mar late one evening. Didn't make it to Devil's Racecourse shelter. Just went off the trail and strung up my hammock, no tarp. It was fantastic. The lights of Hagerstown in a distance, but total darkness around me and the stars to look at. One of the most memorable night on the trail. I prefer solitude with occasional conversation while passing.
The first night I ever backpacked overnight was solo. Just as I was about to drift off, about half a dozen coyotes starting howling about what seemed like was a hundred yards from my tent. I am about wet myself. After the initial fright went away, it was enjoyable listening to them communicating with another pack across another ridge. It was quite beautiful actually.
RastaHiker
09-26-2009, 14:33
I am planning for a NOBO in 2010. I recently went out for my first solo overnight hike on the AT. The day started out great, nice weather, beautiful scenery, just me and the dog having a blast. We got to the shelter kinda early, set up everything, ate, made a fire and were just settling in nicely when we hear someone else coming. I was happy to have the place to myself, but realized I would have to share with what sounded like multiple people. They were really loud coming through the woods carrying on a vibrant conversation. About 20 minutes later, I realize all those voices were coming from one person. The man was screaming at hiself in different voices as he was walking. As he came into view I saw that he had on huge clear construction type glasses... like the kind you would wear if you were operating a table saw, jeans, workboots, and was carrying a jansport bookbag on his back and some Kroger bags in hand. ***!!:confused: I try to make conversation with the guy but he only gives me one word answers if he answers at all. He slurps out his can of chili and noodles like a wild animal and then passes out with the boots and glasses still on. The only reason I stayed at the shelter once he got there was because it was raining and I had no tent. In the middle of the night he gets up three different times to pee. The third time around 3am, he actually pees on the boards on his side of the shelter! At that point, I'm out, rain or not!
I don't know where this guy came from but he really was the strangest being I've encountered in my life. The great thing about the story is that I got to meet him in the middle of the wilderness, at a small shelter that just the two of us had to share. Yay! He definitley made me rethink my plans for thruhiking for a few days, but I've decided that was mostsly just a freak experience. And if something like that does happen again at least I'll know I can handle it. :)
Wise Old Owl
09-26-2009, 16:24
My first solo hike without Bearpaw was going well at long hunter state park until two things happened.......A skunk wandered into my camp (no surpprise there) and thought about snuggling up to my tent for the night before wandering off, then 4 hours later I heard a HUGE kaboom and the lake lit up like the fourth of july. Seems some guys were night fishing with explosives and the rangers caught up to them near my camp. so...I picked everything up and walked over to a different campsite farther back from the lake. Made for an interesting night.
You always have some of the best posts.....:D
This is one more reason NOT to stay in shelters.
Have dinner at the shelter then sleep down the path a ways in your own tent.
I am planning for a NOBO in 2010. I recently went out for my first solo overnight hike on the AT. The day started out great, nice weather, beautiful scenery, just me and the dog having a blast. We got to the shelter kinda early, set up everything, ate, made a fire and were just settling in nicely when we hear someone else coming. I was happy to have the place to myself, but realized I would have to share with what sounded like multiple people. They were really loud coming through the woods carrying on a vibrant conversation. About 20 minutes later, I realize all those voices were coming from one person. The man was screaming at hiself in different voices as he was walking. As he came into view I saw that he had on huge clear construction type glasses... like the kind you would wear if you were operating a table saw, jeans, workboots, and was carrying a jansport bookbag on his back and some Kroger bags in hand. ***!!:confused: I try to make conversation with the guy but he only gives me one word answers if he answers at all. He slurps out his can of chili and noodles like a wild animal and then passes out with the boots and glasses still on. The only reason I stayed at the shelter once he got there was because it was raining and I had no tent. In the middle of the night he gets up three different times to pee. The third time around 3am, he actually pees on the boards on his side of the shelter! At that point, I'm out, rain or not!
I don't know where this guy came from but he really was the strangest being I've encountered in my life. The great thing about the story is that I got to meet him in the middle of the wilderness, at a small shelter that just the two of us had to share. Yay! He definitley made me rethink my plans for thruhiking for a few days, but I've decided that was mostsly just a freak experience. And if something like that does happen again at least I'll know I can handle it. :)
When I was young and blissfully ignorant of my mortality, I loved being alone in the woods. I'm just not as fond of the solo thing anymore. I much prefer the company of friends. Back in April, I found myself on an unexpected solo hike, and I wrote about it for another website. It's a long entry, but if you're interested, you can read all about how I climbed to the top of the Priest, and then turned around and took 5 (yes F-I-V-E) days to get back to Reed's Gap: Playing Head Games (http://southeasternbackpackers.com/trip-reports/16-none/86-playing-head-games)
Lellers,
You bring up a very interesting point .... if you're hiking with a group, and one has a non life threatening injury that slows them down, should the group stay together or should they split up?
ShelterLeopard
11-13-2009, 01:58
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."
For the most part, I sleep in or near shelters, but a couple of times I've slept completely alone ("stealth camped", I suppose) far away from any shelter or anything. The first time I slept in what was clearly a used campsite (three fire rings, plenty of flat areas for tenting, etc...) and I'll admit, I was a little nervous. Wel, pretty nervous. Twigs snapping, you know. So, I decided to take the "emergency" sleeping pill I had brought. Slept fine and all. Every night after that I "stealth camped" (well, not near a used campsite or any sign of previous hiker habitation) and was fine.
harryfred
11-13-2009, 03:19
I hike alone, and sleep alone a lot of the time in shelters or my tent. I can't say I've ever realy thought about it. I'm very comfortable in the woods. I grew up roaming around in the woods in SE PA and alot of nights I simply sat leaned against a tree an slept till the sun woke me no tent no sleeping bag.
nitewalker
11-13-2009, 08:10
True story. My friend went to the ER because he said he had a bug in his ear. Nobody at the ER believed him. He insisted he could feel the bug crawling around in his ear. Finaly this old doctor came in and washed out his ear with some kind of fluid. The doc asked if his ear felt better and if the "bug" was gone. My friend said ya, his ear felt pretty good, but the bug was in the other ear. The doc used used a paper clip to pull a bug out of his ear. My friend was drunk at the time. Maybe thats why they didn't believe him.
i know the feeling. i had a bug get in my ear one time and it was one of the most annoying things i have ever felt. i was driving myself to the doctor when i felt it start to crawl out. the darn thing took its sweet time but finally crawled out. it took all of 2 min to come out. the funny thing is that most bugs are pretty silent but letone crawl around in your ear and see what noises they make, not good! the bug ended up being about the same size as a mosquito until i crushed it against the side of my head as it tried to fly away..:eek:.................................smack. ......:Dahhhhhh
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."
My first night out alone was at a shelter in Vermont in the 1980s. I, like you, didn't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. Every little noise required investigation. I lit a candle inside the shelter for a sense of security. The more time I spent out alone at night the easier it was. I still camp predominately near shelters or at established tentsites, not so much for company as to not be a nuisance to authorities who take a dim view of "stealth" camping (yes, I have done that a few times, mostly due to running out of daylight on my way to an established area).
You'll feel more at home sleeping alone in the woods as you do it more often.
I heard a sstory.. mmaybe two..
Yep, I heard those same stories.
Also heard about a guy near Franklin that found a nice level path to sleep on, but was a little worried about the tracks on it.
Sure enough, the 2:45am train to Knoxville flattened him.
ShelterLeopard
11-13-2009, 12:36
Yep, I heard those same stories.
Also heard about a guy near Franklin that found a nice level path to sleep on, but was a little worried about the tracks on it.
Sure enough, the 2:45am train to Knoxville flattened him.
I went hiking in the hundred mile wilderness (you know all those logging roads, I'm sure), and we were exhausted at one point and decided to stop when we got to a logging road.
A couple people wanted to sleep in the logging road (they thought that particular road was out of use), but the rest of use said no way, so we slept pretty far away, but within view of the road. Lo and behold, around 3am a HUGE full logging truck ROARS by. The kid who suggested sleeping in the road was sitting bolt upright in the tent.
He would've been street pizza.
Cookerhiker
11-13-2009, 13:05
I've slept alone too many times to enumerate, sometimes in shelters, sometimes in my tent. So I began to think how many consecutive nights have I slept alone and came up with 3 that I can recall now: Hiking southbound in Virginia from Craig Creek Rd. to Pearisburg (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=92490) in early April. I met some other hikers including some early thruhikers but didn't share a campsite with anyone for 3 nights.
Incidentally, early April is a great time to hike as long as the weather cooperates (which it did for me).
ShelterLeopard
11-13-2009, 13:24
Earplugs saved my sanity. If I can't hear it, then it doesn't exist. ;)
Yep- I bought a huge container of earplugs at RiteAid for my thru. And the only thing that freaks me out when tenting (strangely, it only worries me when I'm alone, but it is the same danger, alone or with 50 people) is being crushed by a tree.
Hikerhead
11-13-2009, 13:40
I've never liked seeing a bear very late in the day when I'm starting to look for a place to hide and hang my hammock. It's happened to me twice in SNP, the last time a few weeks ago. All the little noises seemed a lot louder but nothing showed up, except for the deer snorting.
I have only hiked and camped solo, and most of the time I really enjoy it. The first time i ever hiked i was 16 and didnt really have a clue of what i was doing. i parked at a lot that happend to be 3 miles from the trail and started off in the opposite direction on the wrong trail. i found i guy with his kids at a creek and asked him which way the trail was. I had to walk 3 miles on an abandoned railway bed while it was starting to get dark until i came to the trail. I couldnt find the shelter ( raush gap) becuase i went north on the trail instead of 200 yards south so i just camped out off into the woods about 100 feet. I cooked some dinner and then tried to sleep. It wasnt that bad. It only took about 45 minutes to get to sleep, the russeling in the woods did tend to keep my hand on my knife. but it was pretty lonely. The next day i met a really cool guy, I think his name was Bottlerocket and that made the hike alot better. The first night is always the hardest and it gets easier and more relaxing.
I havn't had the experience yet of hiking and camping with other people mostly because the people i know in my age group aren't interested in just walking in the woods.
The third time i had ever hiked i was alone again. i was camping on the top of the pinnicle. at about 1030 PM i kept hearing foots step and i was starting to freak out a litte. i just laid there for a good 45 minutes listening convincing myself it was nothing. I eventually got out of my tent and look around and saw a guy digging through his pack about 50 yards away on one of the cliffs. I went over to my still smoldering fire and sat there and poked at it. I was not sure if he knew i was there or not so i figured i let him find me if anything. As he was leaving i looked over and he said Hey. We talked for a few minutes; he was a real nice guy just hiking back to his car becuase of an unexpected situation where he coulnt stay out like he had planned. as soon as he left he found a copperhead in the middle of the trail 40 feet from my tent. It was actually really cool to see.
The first two nights I slept in the woods alone, I awoke at every little sound. The next time I was alone it was for 4-solo nights in the WMNF. At the end of every day, I was so tired, I completely crashed.
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? YES! YES! AND YES!
If you answered Yes to the above, what was the experience like for you?
Quietly contemplating! Sometimes I feel, as many others historically have(Jesus, Gandhi, Muhammed, Moses, lots of modern day outdoors enthusuasts), being alone in nature refreshes the soul. It provides the ability to come full circle and refocus on what is really important. If you believe in the biblical account of creation God placed us in a garden - What might we take from that?
"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."
Whether I'm sleeping alone, or with others, in the woods I think being informed while at the same time accepting that unexpected and unknown events will occur is often a better way to experience nature rather than giving into fear and specifically fear of the unknown!
When you related your story I pictured Tom Hanks stranded on a small isolated Pacific island wondering what were all those bumps in the night he was hearing. Turned out to be coconuts falling from the palm trees! The unknow doesn't have to be harmful! Unless, of course you decide to sleep under a coconut tree that's dropping coconuts!
On the flip side, Joe Pesci, playing a harcore inner city New Yorker in My Cousin Vinny, just couldn't stand the unknowns in nature so he found sleeping solitude on a prison cell cot while a prison riot was ocurring!
XCskiNYC
11-13-2009, 23:30
Hey all, thank you for your thoughtful posts on this subject.
Those who predicted it would get more comfortable with experience, you were right.
Those who suggested a campfire (even if CT forbids), that was an excellent tip. I have since become a faithful flamekeeper and now even own a Gerber Pack Axe to get the nice big trunks down to fire log size. Dead wood only!!! The green wood doesn't burn well :cool:
XCskiNYC, So you've apparently overnighted solo since your first post. Now it's your turn, tell us about your experiences, what was your first nights like, and when did you feel like you had turned the corner to feeling comfortable?
RiverWarriorPJ
11-14-2009, 09:17
....i solo all the time.......(no feiends) lol w/my dog......but he is usless from sunset 2 sunrise.....but during traildaz 07 i was camping 4 miles outta town when sum drunk townies invaded my site....i got outta my tent....we had words.....and this idiot told his pitbull 2 get me......lotta yellin'.....but my pup was still snoring......pitch black......i heard the dog growling in my direction....as he neared.......i heard ZEUS cum out of the tent then drag that PitBull into the woods.......just heard alot of yelping.....2 min later Zeus went back 2 bed.....lol....5 min later there were screams from the woods that i'm going 2 sue 4 hurting his prize dog.......ask soul rebel......he was near by...
DirtBagger
11-14-2009, 09:55
Give it time.
Not Sunshine
11-14-2009, 10:19
at the risk of sounding like a druggie - i rely on benadryl if i haven't hiked myself to the point of sheer exhaustion. i carry it with me anyway - and it always guarantees 7-8 hours of blissful incoherence.
Jim Adams
11-14-2009, 10:20
Hiked late one night into dark in Maine and just got too tired to go on. Looked around and found no flat space to sleep so I just threw my mat down on the trail and covered up with my bag. Was sleeping good until I heard loud "sniffing" near me. Had to roll off the trail until the moose walking on it left the area then rolled back on the trail and went back to sleep. First time in my life that I realized that I was very comfortable in the woods.
Stealth camped one night on the hiker / snowmobile bridge over the river just past Abol Bridge. Got the s**t scared out of me when in the middle of the night it sounded like a herd of cattle running toward me on the bridge. I woke and sat up just as a little red fox ran past me. Layed back down comfortable but was a while before I could sleep due to the adrenaline.
geek
Surplusman
11-15-2009, 09:57
My first night on the AT in over 40 years was also my first night alone on the trail in as many years. I spent the night at the Mt. Wilcox North Shelter all by my lonesome. The hoot owl made his presence known, there were some critters squealing and scuffling around in the leaves, and of course, shelter mice. Aside from the faint sound of a jet going across the sky, there was no other sound of "civilization." I went right to sleep with no problem. For those of you who have spent the night or nights alone in the woods, you've had an experience that few other people ever will have.
ShelterLeopard
11-15-2009, 19:15
at the risk of sounding like a druggie - i rely on benadryl if i haven't hiked myself to the point of sheer exhaustion. i carry it with me anyway - and it always guarantees 7-8 hours of blissful incoherence.
I actually go to my doctor, explain about how much difficulty I have sleeping for the first couple days, and she prescribes sleeping pills (just for the first week).
And Benadryl affects some people in the opposite way- some get very hyper after taking it.
Well, I've slept in the woods, or near the woods, almost since I was born. My folks camped in the White Mountains on their honeymoon, and almost every summer thereafter until they died six decades later. I returned to serious hiking and backcountry hiking when I returned to Maine in 1958. It didn't become an obsession, however, for another few years.
But I did hike alone many nights starting around 1968. I vaguely recall some nervous moments at first. But it quickly became routine.
Not, however, on my third night on the trail in April 1993. I was tired and stopped at a trailside open area in Georgia. I went to search for water, which my guide book said didn't exist But I found a trickle, enough for supper. Then the worse storm I'd ever camped in erupted.
I managed to cook a marginal supper on my Zip Stove, despite the accelerating winds, and crawled into my sleeping bag.
I peeked out of my tent to see giant pines bending almost to the ground. Occasionally, a large limb fell a few feet away. It was too late to move. I could never reset my tent, even if a sheltered area might be found.
So I decided, "what the hell. Whatever is going to happen, will happen." So I went to sleep.
Nothing happened. In the morning I continued my trek north.
Weary
BlazeWalker
11-15-2009, 21:41
I just read an old thread about the bad things that have happened on the trail! I'm starting to think twice about going alone...
ShelterLeopard
11-15-2009, 22:45
Blazewalker- going solo is awesome, and you should definitely try it. I love going solo- just don't set up camp near roads, widowmakers or hicks. Will have more coherent and interesting advice in morning, when I can actuyually think.,
downes911
11-16-2009, 00:45
Blaze, I too am going solo, and I have read far more good than I have bad about the trail, plus you won't be alone depending the direction and when you start.
Like others have said, the worry is the rednecks...one of the few bad experiences I had on the AT was one night when I camped next to a dirt road on the top of a mountain...I figured it would be OK since it was such a secluded area and not a well traveled road...
Around midnite I awoke to a bunch of rednecks throwing beer bottles at my tent and daring me to come out. I stayed in the tent and after about 45 seconds they got bored and left.
So yeah, don't camp near the roads, no matter how much they may seem like nobody uses them...you can bet every local kid knows which dead end roads to drive down on friday and saturday night when they want to get drunk with their friends.
Remind yourself that toads, squirrels, and birds sound like a rhino in dry leaves. Cheap entertainment is to shine a light on toads.
Old Hiker
11-16-2009, 09:11
When I was an Assistant Scoutmaster and camping with my Troop of Scouts, I liked to be off and alone by myself at least 50 yards away. That way, when I had to get up twice a night (never mind why!!), I didn't disturb anyone else. The first night for a while, I was always startling awake with some noise. Now, unless it's something large/loud, I just sleep through it. Waking up by myself has given me a lot of wildlife opportunities I never would have had camping with a bunch of other people, as people tend to be loud in the A.M. Waking up in my hammock and seeing mom and fawn grazing 15 feet away is great! Watching a family of raccoons ambling past was great as well. I would pass on the mice(?) skittering across my rain fly around 0300, though!
While hiking the PCT I noticed that I never saw any rednecks or inexperienced backpackers or hunters or really any other people at all who weren't also long-distance hikers once I was about 10 miles away from any major road. So my policy was not to camp within 10 miles of a major road.
I did not solo when I was younger ........... but I have done that a few times in the past couple of years. For me it turned out to be no big deal to sleep alone, but I have been out in the woods on occasion for most of my life. I think it is just a matter of being out enough to get comfortable.
A stranger experience to me, is when you haven't seen a person in a few days, and it starts to feel like you're the only person out there. Then when you least expect it you run into someone. Don't know why, but this always startles me for a second.
A stranger experience to me, is when you haven't seen a person in a few days, and it starts to feel like you're the only person out there. Then when you least expect it you run into someone. Don't know why, but this always startles me for a second.
Same here, except that the first thing you see is a 100lbs dog thats snarling and growling at you... then it's 80lbs owner goes "Oh Don't Worry He's Friendly!!"
Plodderman
11-16-2009, 15:56
I solo hike most of the time and have only had one bad experience at a shelter in the smokies in 2005. Most of the time if allowed I try to find a secluded spot but have stayed in crowded places as well.
I sleep lightly in the woods, but I do that. I like the sounds of nature.
I have never had a problem out in a natural environment.
I do not "camp" near people, roads, or urban areas. To me, that just isn't hiking, backpacking, or whatever. To me, that is "tramping".
I love my Black Diamond Beta Mid pitched high for the view.
I like my Outdoor Research Bug Bivy for "stealth" camping in a better campsite.
I will only stay at a campground, if the people are congenial, or, at least like their own campsite. If not, I leave.
I think this is because different sorts of people now frequent rural places, and campsites, than I knew as a child going family camping, canoeing and fly-fishing for trout.
I love re-capturing those days, although I do not like to kill a fish. My behavior was disgraceful the last time I caught a fish.
I cried. I had already handled the fish, without wetting my hands, and so, I had to kill the fish. Dad wasn't there to gut and mom wasn't there to cook the trout. Me? I just like to eat trout.
I just hike to enjoy those most beautiful vistas and find "ideal" campsites, to make more memories.
To answer the question: Yes. No problem.
I love solo hiking and sleeping alone in the woods.
BlazeWalker
11-16-2009, 17:45
I've gone solo before. 3 days here in pa was the longest. I agree that the odds of something going bad (w/ people) is so low that it is not even a factor. Not camping near roads and not sharing too much info with strangers is something most hikers learn from day one.
XCskiNYC
11-17-2009, 15:42
XCskiNYC, So you've apparently overnighted solo since your first post. Now it's your turn, tell us about your experiences, what was your first nights like, and when did you feel like you had turned the corner to feeling comfortable?
Well, you asked:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=291976
First solo overnight after the one inspiring this post was in early Fall at Telephone Pioneers Shelter.
Some of the posts here actually helped. Like the idea of not letting the Fear Rat get on too long of a leash. Keep that guy in his cage.
Building a fire is good.
I still hear all the noises. In fact at Tel Pios I was still pretty jumpy but there's something about that shelter, being on the side of steep Cat Rocks Ridge, that's comforting. Also there's only one approach path so nobody can sneak up on you.
With the cooler weather there isn't as much noise. Most of the acorns are finished falling. The tree frogs are hybernating or anyway doing something that keeps them quiet.
Next solo overnight was October at Ten Mile River. I was pretty relaxed by then. Again, the fire helped (which side of the border is TMR, is that CT or still NY?):cool:
Next solo overnight, the day after TMR, brought up a point several have mentioned that when you get real tired you don't care that much about where you are sleeping. I was, indeed, really exhausted after the little jaunt up and over Mt. Schaghticoke and associated similarly high (and often rockier) peaks. Plus, what with the CT-AMC's aggressive program to save on white paint, which must explain why in a very tricky place where the trail enters a stone gully and the actual path is not at all obvious and the trail does over a 180 shift in the course of maybe a tenth of a mile, I got lost. So by dark I stopped at the first flat spot which was alongside Thayer Brook.
Babbling water is very pleasant to sleep near.
Next solo overnight was in November at Stewart Hollow Brook where coyotes were singing (as I know now courtesy of Spokes and his coyote sound files). The sky was "full of stars."
Next solo overnight was the following night (after Stewart Hollow) at Caesar Brook Camping area.
I still hear every single sound. At one point zipping up my tent made this sound that I really thought was human voices. That made my heart rate double for a few seconds. Mostly, though, when I hear individual sounds I perceive them as just that: a dead branch falling, a chipmunk moving through the leaves, or whatever else I might guess the noise is.
a chipmunk moving through the leaves, or whatever else I might guess the noise is.
Could be an anaconda sneaking up on you.
Not to worry, it only wants a hug.:)
Doooglas
11-18-2009, 07:15
LOL
All of the time.
I'm pretty much a loaner, hence living in the middle of nowhere, and a good bit of my life has been in the woods either solo or with a dog.
Down here it's almost always solo, or with one or two other people I'm guiding.
It's far too dangerous for a dog in the jungle at night.
XCskiNYC
11-18-2009, 19:13
Could be an anaconda sneaking up on you.
Not to worry, it only wants a hug.:)
Hugs, not drugs! No, seriously, there are no anacondas on the trail south of the MA border....:dance
LOL
All of the time.
I'm pretty much a loaner, hence living in the middle of nowhere, and a good bit of my life has been in the woods either solo or with a dog.
Down here it's almost always solo, or with one or two other people I'm guiding.
It's far too dangerous for a dog in the jungle at night.
Somebody told me the rain forest is even noisier than the AT in the summer. Plus, something's always trying to creep up your arm. Or some other body part.
Never been myself. Once tried to climb uphill east of Puerto Vallarta but there was this wild pig and it intimidated me into turning back toward town. Not sure if that was jungle or not. Kinda dry really. Walked in the woods to shortcut to the beach at Zijuatanejo. That was kind of jungly.
RiverWarriorPJ
11-19-2009, 02:38
Remind yourself that toads, squirrels, and birds sound like a rhino in dry leaves. Cheap entertainment is to shine a light on toads.
4 sure.......i was in Mass a few years back and noticed a bear runway, but it lQQked old so no biggie.....later........loud noises in the bush....alone....no dog no weapon....no nuttin......really HEARD my heart beating........10 min later.....a porkiepine came out of the bushes......whew.....
GrubbyJohn
11-19-2009, 08:36
Don't watch scary movies about WV cannibals. That got me one evening.
Dang, you gave away my secrets. How else am I suppose to get some protein?:eek:
don't worry about us west va cannibals we like road kill better..........:welcome
Plus, what with the CT-AMC's aggressive program to save on white paint, which must explain why in a very tricky place where the trail enters a stone gully and the actual path is not at all obvious and the trail does over a 180 shift in the course of maybe a tenth of a mile, I got lost. So by dark I stopped at the first flat spot which was alongside Thayer Brook.
I saw somebody covering this section last year and it was just fine... I hiked the section a few times the same few weeks you did (late october and early november) and wondered what the hell happened. A Passerby mentioned the Schagticoke Indians might have been chipping blazes off the trees. (I believe that "gully" is a trail that goes from the Schagticoke Reserve to an Abandoned "Ghost Town" / Private Hunting Lands for a wilderness group.
ShelterLeopard
11-19-2009, 12:25
I love camping alone- I had originally had in my mind for my thru that I'd go from shelter to shelter (still bringing my tent, of course), but now I think I may end up setting up solo more often. But, we'll see what mood grips me!
I was at No Business Knob shelter 2 weeks ago and around 10:30 finally surrendered to the mice and got up and pitched my tent. Little buggers were all over the place, including my sleeping bag.
As far as sleeping alone, it's acclimation. First night is a bit tense but after 3-4 days - no problems.
lazy river road
11-19-2009, 14:27
Ok kinda a newbie question and may seem obvious to others but....When you guys stealth camp...do you just walk 200-300 hundred feet into the woods off the trail, set up and hope the ridge runners or rangers dont find you.....I dont want the locations of stealth sites bc I know it is taboo to talk about them here but how do I pick one without getting caught by the boogie man.....It will be my first long distance hike and I am seeking the solitude of the woods....im posting this questions here because it has to do with sleeping alone....thanks guys :)
ShelterLeopard
11-19-2009, 14:31
Ok kinda a newbie question and may seem obvious to others but....When you guys stealth camp...do you just walk 200-300 hundred feet into the woods off the trail, set up and hope the ridge runners or rangers dont find you.....I dont want the locations of stealth sites bc I know it is taboo to talk about them here but how do I pick one without getting caught by the boogie man.....It will be my first long distance hike and I am seeking the solitude of the woods....im posting this questions here because it has to do with sleeping alone....thanks guys :)
Well, the point of stealth is when you're camping, usually people can't see you from the trail, and that after you were there, no one would know anyone had camped there (so you kick leaves around and don't leave an imprint, etc)
Just wherever it's flat enough, and out of view of other hikers.
lazy river road
11-19-2009, 15:16
THX shelterleopard, I def believe and pratice the LNT concept and plan on hammocking so I wont have to look for to flat of land just some treesss.....Just trying to gain a better concept of stealth camping.....dont want to get fined by ridge runners or rangers so basically walk into the woods untill no one can see you or where you could be found and make sure you leave no trace of you being their when you leave.....:) got it
ShelterLeopard
11-19-2009, 18:31
Sure LazyRiver! Basically, all you do is hide, and anyway, if you don't get there really late, they'll never see you, because most ridgerunners don't patrol at night. (Heavy use areas like the Smokies with Rangers, maybe- there you'd need to be very careful)
Good luck!
Ok kinda a newbie question and may seem obvious to others but....When you guys stealth camp...do you just walk 200-300 hundred feet into the woods off the trail, set up and hope the ridge runners or rangers dont find you.....I dont want the locations of stealth sites bc I know it is taboo to talk about them here but how do I pick one without getting caught by the boogie man.....It will be my first long distance hike and I am seeking the solitude of the woods....im posting this questions here because it has to do with sleeping alone....thanks guys :)
Most stealth camping is perfectly legal, so you don't need to worry. You go off the trail so you can sleep alone, away from campsite crowds and chatter -- or because you are ready to sleep and no campsite is near.
There are places where camping is prohibited, and you do need to worry when you break the rules. But most of these rules involve enviromental protection, such as in high mountain areas where stealth camping damages fragile plant communities. Responsible hikers don't stealth camp in such areas anyway.
But for much of the trail you can legally camp most any place you want in my experience. That's especially true where the trail goes through national forests, and state's like Maine, where camping is allowed almost everywhere outside of Baxter Park.
Weary