First and last solo!

[Buddur]

Sorry to hear of your plight, coldfeet. I unfortunately did my first solo after a dood backed out of a trip at the last minute. There was noone else to take his place, so I did the hike anyways. I can't say I was truely alone because I had my dog with me to talk to. Regardless, I know what you mean about thinking crazy thoughts and hearing sounds and all. In the end, that fear will make you stronger.

 

[BrentD22]

One time...

The only time I've been really scared on a solo (which I hike solo about 90% of the time) was when I hiked up Tuck's Trail after work at about 9pm in January. The hole way up I kept hearing noises along the trail. I was very please to get up to the care takers cabin that night!

 

[Jasonst]

I think my biggest fear in camping solo is blind Marty Moose meandering over my tent, looking for the juicy center! Uhhh OK Rocky, uhhh uhhh. That's all I need is freaking Bullwinkle wandering into my campsite.

 

[Howack]

The only time I've been really scared on a solo (which I hike solo about 90% of the time) was when I hiked up Tuck's Trail after work at about 9pm in January. The hole way up I kept hearing noises along the trail. I was very please to get up to the care takers cabin that night!

We had a Red Fox follow us all the way to Hojos on one winter night hike

As for being scared when soloing, when starting a hike before dawn, I will be a little scared but once I get moving and turn up the Ipod I pretty much forget about it.

 

[chinooktrail]

I solo backpacked once, about 12 years ago. I hiked up to Liberty, and camped at the tent platform, on fourth of July weekend. I was solo, but not alone. It was one of the worst experiences I have EVER had hiking. I hated every second, which was entirely possiable, because I did not SLEEP at all. I was just waiting for that moose/bear/bigfoot/rabid killer rabbit to crash into my tent. The only thing I brought to read was my White Mountain Guide. So all I could do was plan more hikes, not very relaxing. I lied at the trailhead when someone asked if I was hiking alone, it just didn't feel right to tell someone. I made it until first light, got up and out and back to South Conway before 8am. Yes, by 8 am. I guess it stuck with me, because not only have I not done it again, but it has not even entered my mind to TRY it again.

 

[Periwinkle]

Another wierd first solo hike: On my way down off Osceola, my very friendly golden retriever started sounding off what I call his "psycho alert" bark to let me know that a lone hiker was coming up the trail. Although I trust & appreciate my dog's instincts, my own were already screaming "this just ain't right". The guy was heading UP, close to sunset with no gear and wearing street clothes. In a thick Russian accent, he asked me how far he was from the top. When I told him he was still 15 minutes from the summit, he said "I go down", then proceeded to plunk himself down near my glowering dog to eat an apple he pulled from his pocket. Alrighty then... I'm thinking, "Yah, me too dude, as fast as I can!", made a lame excuse, and boogied off that mountain! I was sure the "Mad Russian", as I dubbed him, had bushwhacked around me and was lurking around every corner. I tried to rationalize, telling myself that he was probably some immigrant enjoying the wonders of his new home, but couldn't get past the fact that my dog didn't like him. The last guy that my dog barked at like that was my old neighbor that I called "The Man With Too Many Shovels". Ya get my drift, right?

Obviously, we made it. I continued on to many solo hikes -- including a surreal experience and bear encounter on Jefferson and many forced practice night hikes, then full on night hikes to overcome my fear of the dark. I sang my way down many trails, headlamp blazing. I relished every trail I had to myself all day (and night!) I worked my way up to my first solo tent overnight (which, BTW, was Liberty). I loved every single minute of it. I still dream about it, revisiting trails, views, and the feeling of being out there living life to the fullest.

But, all wonder aside, I'll get back to Earth and be practical for a brief moment. I never tried anything without trying it out on a short easy trail near home, especially putting on and using crampons. Winter hiking deserves more vigilance. Be safe! I wish you may more adventures.

 

[judyhawkins]

I was out solo in the Adirondacks, a few years ago, sleeping in a shelter, completely wrapped up in my mummy bag with just my nose sticking out. I woke up in the middle of the night to find that something was licking my nose -- it felt like a fat, strong cat tongue and freaked me out, so I went back to sleep (my usual response to wildlife encounters when I'm in my sleeping bag -- huge bears in Yosemite, whatever... I mean, if they're going to eat me, I'd rather not know about it). When I woke up in the morning, I was lying all nice and warm and cozy and unmolested in my sleeping bag (phew! nothing ate me!) but then as my brain cells began to connect, I realized I was hearing something moving around in the shelter behind me. I almost went back to sleep (really truly, that was my first thought, duck and sleep), but got too curious and stuck my head out of my bag just far enough to watch an enormous (well, at the moment it looked about bear sized) porcupine waddling out of the shelter.

It paused at the edge of the clearing and gave me a really dirty look, like "Couldn't you have left more food around than just one salty nose?!" It was one of the most humanly communicative looks I've gotten from a wild beastie.

I was very, very glad I'd hung up my boots. Not to mention my food. But having been solo there's no one to confirm the story. Oh, well.

 

[Chip]

I've convinced myself that I AM what everything ELSE in the woods should be afraid of !

A rope line around the tent and the bear bag in the tree a distance away should help also...

AH CR@P, you guys had to say something, now you've got me rattled, I'm going out again this weekend by myself...
maybe my wife will let me take one of our boys...

 

[NateinCT]

going solo

I have never camped solo while hiking, but I used to do a lot of motorcycle touring when I lived in Japan, mostly from hotspring to hotspring. Usually I would find someone else going the same way (also solo) and we would stay together for two of three days before splitting. The first time I stayed solo was two weeks into my first trip. I was on Sado Island on the backside near Niigata. The ferry arrived late in the day and I wanted to get around to the far side of the island before bedding down. At the southern tip of the island I had a weird run in with a local who got mad at me for riding my bike down a smaller street than I should have been (I couldn't tell when I came into the alley it would narrow that much). That sort of unnerved me because he was really vocally angry and that doesn't happen too much in Japan.

I pressed on to a beach area about 30 minutes further down the road and found some campsites that had campers. Maybe because I was still spooked, or maybe because I am cheap, I kept on moving and went to a dark strectch of road, came down a ways toward the beach, and pitched my tent. The bad things was, passing cars could probably get a glint of reflection off my motorcycle and I had the rainfly up since it was sort of drizzly so I couldn't see anything save the diffuse glow of the random passing car....

I spent a pretty sleepless and anxious night alone anf hooked up with another rider for the next two nights on the island. It was (mostly) all in my head, but it still freaked me out quite a bit.

That said, I've hitchhiked solo all over Japan and had a string of great experiences

 

[chinooktrail]

Okay, here is a silly question, do you speak Japanese? Just wondering why you were living there, seems quite exotic to me, but then I am from Maine...

 

[NateinCT]

the Japan question

I speak Japanese.

I was there for a little over a year 98-99 in college, then back for summer in 2000, then back for graduate school on a fellowship from the Japanese Ministry of Ed. from spring 2001 till Sept 2003. I am also still in a band in Tokyo so I have been making trips back every other month or so for shows since moving to CT.

And as for exoticism, I've almost been to Maine- got as close as Wakefield/Ossipee- so close yet so far