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  1. #1
    Registered User wolfywolfy's Avatar
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    Default Any Solo's who tent want to share tips

    Are there any solo female's, I mean any female who have hiked alone and slept in the woods in their tent with no one else around who was not afraid? Do you get over the fear? Did anything ever happen? I tend to want to sleep near shelters where there are people and afraid someday I might be the only one there. Alone only worries me after dark, daytime I am fine.

  2. #2
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    I have spent many nights alone in my tent with no other people in the vicinity, and actually prefer it now since for me hiking is to get away from it all and have some time to myself. In most of the areas I hike in the biggest threat is probably other people. I don't camp too close to roads, and I am always vague about my plans if people ask. If animals are your concern, be sure to handle your food properly. Don't sleep where you cook for example. Earplugs also help some people get a good night's sleep. It does take some getting used to, maybe try sleeping outside at a car campground first if you're nervous.

  3. #3

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    I almost always hike alone. This is because most of my friends are not able, or not interested, in backpacking. So yes, I've slept alone, tented, both at shelters and in campsites. I've only been uneasy once - I didn't realize I was as close to a road as I was (on a ridge above it), and late that night I heard a group of men who were obviously drinking come & set up camp at a site just off the road below me. They partied for a couple of hours & presumably spent the night. I stayed very quiet & didn't turn on my flashlight. I waited until I heard them leave the next morning before I moved on. They were probably harmless, but I didn't know, and I wasn't willing to find out.

    I have never really had a problem on the trail. You will gain confidence as you get out more often, and as long as you use common sense, you will be fine. Most of the people I have met have been very respectful, helpful, and good company. I have loved meeting people from all over the U.S., all ages, all professions.

  4. #4
    Registered User Sandy of PA's Avatar
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    I get my best sleep alone in my tent in the woods. Fear is learned, it can be unlearned. If needed start by camping in your yard, get used to night sounds, owls, coyotes, deer snorts, etc. Build from there. Guys can also be scared of tenting alone, maybe you need a hiking buddy to get started.

  5. #5
    Registered User mister krabs's Avatar
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    Not a female, but suffered from the same fear when I started, fueled by family and friends that thought sleeping alone in the woods was an indicator of mental illness or a lack of a sense of self preservation. I found that the thing that got me most was the unfamiliar sounds, amplified by the "dark in the woods multiplication factor" which states (as I make it up) that each noise sounds an order of magnitude larger -- a bug sounds like a chipmunk, a chipmunk sounds like a squirrel, a squirrel sounds like a raccoon, a raccoon sounds like a hog and a hog sounds like a bear. I overcame this with a small radio that has a sleep timer. Earplugs also work great -- if you can't hear it, it doesn't exist!

  6. #6

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    I started being a little afraid of being alone, but now I love being in my hammock with no one else around. One of my first times at an out of the way campsite I was freaking at a noise and slept fitfully. In the morning I realized it was acorns falling to the ground and had to laugh at myself. I also carry a Spot device so i know help will be on it's way into an emergency.

  7. #7
    Registered User wolfywolfy's Avatar
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    I camp alone all the time and it never bothers me at all. I have camped alone knowing there was a camp host a block or two away and it never bothered me. I have camped with my car at the site and it never bothered me. But the thought of hiking 6 plus miles in the woods and camping alone and no one around kind of bothers me. I am going to have to force myself to do it and just get over it and wondered if my fears are rational or not. I will sleep with a weapon at first just to help me sleep (do not plan on ever needing it). There is a Big difference in sleeping alone 1/2 mile away from everyone and sleeping alone miles and miles away from everyone.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by wolfywolfy View Post
    I camp alone all the time and it never bothers me at all. I have camped alone knowing there was a camp host a block or two away and it never bothered me. I have camped with my car at the site and it never bothered me. But the thought of hiking 6 plus miles in the woods and camping alone and no one around kind of bothers me. I am going to have to force myself to do it and just get over it and wondered if my fears are rational or not. I will sleep with a weapon at first just to help me sleep (do not plan on ever needing it). There is a Big difference in sleeping alone 1/2 mile away from everyone and sleeping alone miles and miles away from everyone.
    When I first started camping alone it was in state parks and state forest campgrounds, and I felt pretty much the same -- people were nearby, and that gave me a sense of safety and comfort.

    Then I started camping later in the season, when few people or no one at all was around. And yes, once the sun went down I was creeped out and was very jumpy at every sound and shadow...until finally I asked myself "What is it you're afraid of?"

    And there was no good, realistic answer: there certainly aren't any animal preditors around here, so I could check that off. The idea that someone was hiding out in the cold dark woods waiting for me to happen to come along was laughable, and IF anyone were to approach my site, they'd be stumbling through the brush and making the same racket I made when walking around -- and if a rodent or a deer can wake me up at night, a human would too. And if that were to ever happen, I know that I can be prepared for my defense.

    I love tenting out, away, and alone now...although I'd be lying if I said I sleep soundly the first couple of nights. It usually takes me a 2-3 nights to settle my senses down -- and that's true for spending nights at a hotel or any trip away from home.

    Like everyone says, trust your gut, be aware, be cautious about how much you tell strangers. But don't let your fears get in the way of your dreams.
    fortis fortuna adjuvat

  9. #9
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    Depending on where you live, you might have RV parks nearby. I do, and several of them offer primitive camping sites on their property. Might be an option to get used to camping by yourself and you know that you can call the RV park staff (besides 911) if you have any trouble. I don't have fear of camping alone, but at night, most people can get easily creeped out by weird noises, so I think it's pretty natural to feel uneasy.

  10. #10

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    When I first started backpacking, I was alone on all my hikes. I started by doing overnight trips when there was a full moon. That meant that if I heard a noise, I could see what was out there. Having a 'night light' made me feel safer. Then I realized that the bright light made it hard to sleep, so I stopped deliberately going out at the full moon, but by then I had done a few solo trips so wasn't afraid any more. Hiking the AT solo finished the job. By the end of the hike I was not at all afraid of being alone in the woods. I was at home.

    One thing I learned though is to be smart. Don't tell anyone where you plan to camp or the fact that you are alone. If you meet someone who makes you nervous, move on. Don't sleep within sight of the trail and if you leave the trail, make sure you don't do it where anyone is watching.

  11. #11
    Registered User birdygal's Avatar
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    The first few times I have attempted to solo backpack on the AT I chickened out. Ended up calling my DH to come pick me up at the nearest trailhead after just hiking 5-10 miles. I did manage to do one overnight by myself on the pinhoti I was pretty surprised how well I slept. the 2nd and 3rd time did not bother me at all that was a year ago though now I seem to be right back at square one again.

  12. #12

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    Ooooo I love this! I never would have thought of purposefully going out during a full moon but it's genius!
    Long distance hiking made simple at https://www.youradventurecoach.com

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by wolfywolfy View Post
    There is a Big difference in sleeping alone 1/2 mile away from everyone and sleeping alone miles and miles away from everyone.
    Yep.
    Your much safer in the latter.

  14. #14
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    Yep.
    Your much safer in the latter.
    Double YEP!
    Give me a real Wilderness Area every time. The farther away from power lines and pavement the better.
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  15. #15

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    Best sleep ever

    Yosemite
    Hemmed in by rock cirque
    Windless
    No insects
    So quiet I could hear me blink

    After long day

    But things that go bump in night dont hangout above treeline. So maybe OP should try above treeline....
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 07-09-2017 at 21:33.

  16. #16

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    For some people, knowing you are totally alone is when the fear kicks in.

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Traffic Jam View Post
    For some people, knowing you are totally alone is when the fear kicks in.
    You got to let go.
    Accept you can die, any of 10,000 ways
    Nothing you can do to prevent fate
    Then dont worry
    Your free

    What you got to live for anyway?

    As my daughter says " you cant fly if your afraid to fall"

    I recall a documentary on D day, where a commander told how he motivated his squad in the hell they faced on the landing. He told them "lets not die here, lets go die up there. "

    Once they accepted they were going to die, they were free to fight. Until they did, they were paralyzed with fear.

    Mental desensitization.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 07-09-2017 at 22:38.

  18. #18
    Registered User Suzzz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    What you got to live for anyway?
    I don't know about you but I've got lots to live for!

    And I completely understand the OP, I'm exactly the same. I have no issues with being alone in the daytime and I've been sleeping alone in a tent for years in campgrounds, backyards and remote camping with a group... but alone... in the middle on nowhere... I've never done it and the idea of it freaks me out. Yes, I know, it's mind over matter, but that's easier said than done.

    Nevertheless, in two weeks I'll be doing my first section hike of the AT... alone. At first I wanted to go with someone. Anyone. But the more I thought about it, the more it became clear that I really wanted to do this trip alone. Then I got thinking about sleeping alone and began looking for a hiking partner again but then I quickly came back to my need for some alone time. As much as I like being around people, this is MY hiking trip and I want to be selfish about it. I don't want to have to negotiate every decision... or lack there of. I want to be able to wake up, eat, take a break, and go to bed when I want to, not as the result of a negotiation. So in order to do that, I'll be shelter/ campground hopping. I figure I'll have to be very unlucky to find an empty shelter this time of year. I'll start that way and hopefully one day I'll feel comfortable sleeping alone anywhere. Baby steps.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Suzzz View Post
    I don't know about you but I've got lots to live for!
    The desire for others presence is to "protect" you from harm.

    You have to stop being scared of being harmed.
    Or stop believing that others are protecting you.
    Accept the risk. Quit worrying about it.
    Its the desire to be protected from harm thats the problem.
    No ifs, ands, or buts. No other solution.

    In very few cases do I think if either a killer bear or deranged psychopath, was killing you, would nearby campers intervene....

    How one gets to that point is different matter.
    Sometimes the brain just gets tired of focusing on something if overloaded with it.

    A lot can be gained thru mental visualization excercises, without ever actually doing. Immensly powerful tool.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 07-10-2017 at 00:25.

  20. #20
    Garlic
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    My wife is a solo AT thru hiker, not a forum person. She'll tell you that whatever spiritual being you believe in is in the deep woods. Go out there, get away from the scary people and mechanization in civilization, and relax and enjoy it.

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