Re: [at-l] Hiking Solo

[Cora Drake <cora_drake@hotmail.com>]

Yeh.  I hiked 155 days and camped alone only 4-5.  Hiked alone except maybe 
20-30.  The comfort of company prodded me on to a shelter over and over 
again, but the solitude was wonderful, too.  Love the experience of meeting 
new hikers.  Love the experience of running into hikers I know.  Love 
realizing I've been sitting on a rock long enough to turn my rump to stone 
and I have no idea at all how long I've been there.

My thanks to those who came up when I was sitting (lying) down and changed 
the whole scene just by being there.  My thanks to those who hiked off and 
set me a challenging pace.  My thanks to those who slowed down and kept me 
company.

My definite thanks to those who slept nearby at night and thereby made home 
and hearth of so many many campsites.

Maybe this year's best trailname is "Never Alone."

Just Playin' Jane


>From: "David  F. Addleton" <dfa@wimlaw.com>
>To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
>Subject: [at-l] Hiking Solo
>Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 17:12:45 -0400
>
>
> > << Lastly, I wanted to comment about solo hiking.  I wanted to solo hike
>
> > this
> >  past weekend so I could set whatever pace I wanted to.  However, the
>big
> >  downside was that when I set up camp, I was bored to tears.  >>
> >
> > Carry a book. Talk to the animals. Hike until its dark. Solo hiking is
>great.
> > Never get bored out in the woods.
>
>I love solo hiking and camping. Solitude and silence give special rewards
>not available when hiking with others.  Hiking off season on empty trails
>provides unusual opportunities for observing wildlife largely because
>humans tend to make so much noise and odor.  By yourself you can maximize
>opportunities to observe.
>
>I've also found that solo hiking creates something different when I meet
>someone else also solo hiking on the trail. When groups meet groups, the
>dynamics change, but the group identities remain present; but when two
>strangers who value solitude meet, a new group happens which neither member
>have theretofore experienced.
>
>I'll never forget this forest squirrel who sat on a log observing me for
>who knows how long, since I awoke to find him or her staring at me about
>three feet away. When I stirred, it remained there, staring, and I stared
>back for the longest time. I've seen squirrels before and after, I've fed
>them from my hand, but have not experienced a squirrel's curiosity quite in
>this way before or since. Being solo, gave this squirrel more courage than
>it might otherwise have felt to take a closer look, if others had camped
>nearby. I've also experienced something similar with birds who seem to find
>a single human being considerably less threatening than two or more.
>
>David
>* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List |  http://www.backcountry.net  *


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