Alone with Demons

[DougPaul]

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself".

Almost true in the NE woods. It only takes a moderate amount of care to reduce the threat from animals to negligible.

The threat from two-legged animals reduces as one gets farther from the trailheads. Unless people are hunting Spruce Grouse (see thread "Mountain Chicken -- Yummy or Not?")...

For quite a while I saw lots of "bears" which turned into rocks, logs, etc as I got closer. After a while, I just stopped noticing them. I have seen moose and skied through a moose yard (no moose present) in a tight valley, but still no bears... (Actually I have seen a bear when I was being given a lift over a road that I would have walked.) I just try to make a bit of noise as I move to let them know that I am coming. (At night, a headlamp will also warn them of your presence.)

One other thing--I have heard the sounds of something "right behind" me many times. When I stop, of course, it stops. Just the sound of my pack or gear creaking from the motion of my walking. A bit spooky until you figure it out...

Doug

 

[Neil]

The transition from our normal lives to doing a solo hike or bushwhack in remote country is a very big one, not to be sloughed off. It's normal to feel some anxiety at first. I always do when I go bushwhacking alone. I bet if I spent a week out in the bush alone I'd feel kind of anxious back in the big city.

After I've been out there for a few hours I feel great. I feel just like Lou Reid when he sticks a spike into his vein and feels like Jesus' son. The only difference is my habit won't kill me. Just as addictive though.

 

[Mike P.]

Random thoughts

HP clean, but dated fixtures, A sharp knife, I'm not sure I've seen any there but I have not looked under all the pillows either

Chomp, overly emotional, now I'm not sure I want to read it (actually I think I did back then & just blocked it out) because I hike with him & as all guys know we don't talk feelings, we talk sports, cars & women, but not necessarily in that order! So go Red Sox & Johhny throws like a girl (no offense to the women here) but I bet he got a new car with all that Yankee cash.

Good Luck Abster on your trip, Galehead is a nice stopping point on day one.

 

[Artex]

Somehow this thread eluded me until now. But don't fear the Yeti. There's yet to be a documented assault on a human.

 

[snowbird22]

I have head about ghost stories in Whites.... People being swear there being followed hearing footsteps but nobody there..... headlamps going on in the middle of night while people are asleep......I read some ghost stories about the observatory.... Ghost of hutkeeper at carter hut... different stuff like that. Anybody else know anything about this or have experiences??

 

[Abster]

Snowbird,

You might want to start a new thread. I think this one is dead.

I have heard stories about ghosts in the Great Gulf.