Going into the bush alone.

hiwa

hiwa

Joined
Jun 7, 2009
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There are quite a few times I have went solo into the woods, just to be with nature, with no one to decide things for me. There are a lot of good insights in Horace Kephart's writings and others that I admire a lot.
That being said, do some of you spend time going into the woods more often alone than with company ? Are there things you do differently because of this ?
Does it affect your choice of cutting tools ? Do you take certain precautions other than letting someone know when and where you are ?
These are questions I have been wondering about lately , as my future forays into wilderness will be mostly alone. I always bring a FAS , survival kit, compass, various firestarters , firearm , and of course a selection of blades and an axe. Gearwise , I've been pretty well set for a long time , and know how to use it. My query is more of a philosophical one than gear , but please feel free to speak your mind, as I respect all opinions.

Thanks :)
 
Hiwa, i spent 95% of my time alone in the woods. My entire childhood i spent alone i the woods, doing my own thing, marching to my own drum. I get along with few people, the exceptions have been the BC Wrecking Crew in the last few years. Of course, i have mellowed with age, that may be a factor.
 
I envy you that you have that life style. Most of the time I bring my wife and son , but lately , I've been yearning for my bachelor years when a lot of my trips ( and their inherent solitude ) where by myself. I learned a lot from reading and trial and error , as I had no one to teach me. My research into bushcraft at an early age saved me from a lot of grief , as I grew up mostly with no parents around . :eek:
 
I couldn't do it, I have to have a dog to share my findings and views with !
 
Rarely am I alone, I almost always bring my dog, but often alone in that I'm not with other people. It doesn't really affect my gear choices, I always have my FAK, at least a couple blades, some fire stuff, and some survival stuff for shelter, signalling, water, etc. Always enough food and water for my planned time in the bush as well.

I enjoy other peoples company in the bush, but I like getting out by myself as well. No one to keep pace with or slow down for, no one to annoy me. I admit if I wasn't with my dog, I would probably take comfort in carrying a firearm, but legalities don't permit, so I guess I'll deal with it when she's not around.

I'm a pretty social person, so for any length of time out in the bush I'd probably prefer a companion, for no reason other than to avoid boredom, but for day hikes, and maybe solo overnighters(haven't done one yet), I'm fine by myself.
 
pitdog said:
I couldn't do it, I have to have a dog to share my findings and views with !
Click to expand...

I used to have a large GS that was a great bush companion , but he's gone now. Coincidently , we have been considering getting a new canine member for the family. Something to consider , as dogs make great companions in the bush.
( As a lot of your posts so eloquently show ! )
 
Most all of my time camping etc. is done solo. Been that way since I was 11 years old. But then I am one of those types who doesn't seek out much human contact.

I have been blessed with spending long periods of time alone in the outdoors. My gear choices are a bit different than the modern ultralighters. Since I generaly always go alone my shelter is either a tarp or my jungle hammock. As to blades I usualy travel with three, occassionaly two.

Going solo I have foound that I am much more careful in my route selection etc. I always carry some first aid supplies and they are generaly far more extensive than the first aid kits most carry. To date I have been blessed with only having had to use it on others. Excepting of course the little cuts and scrapes that are normal for wilderness travel.

I much prefer the solitude and quite and peace of the wilderness to life in and around people.

Problem is that If I went out and lived the way I prefer I would be violating a whole slew of laws these days.
 
wildmike said:
Most all of my time camping etc. is done solo. Been that way since I was 11 years old. But then I am one of those types who doesn't seek out much human contact.

I have been blessed with spending long periods of time alone in the outdoors. My gear choices are a bit different than the modern ultralighters. Since I generaly always go alone my shelter is either a tarp or my jungle hammock. As to blades I usualy travel with three, occassionaly two.

Going solo I have foound that I am much more careful in my route selection etc. I always carry some first aid supplies and they are generaly far more extensive than the first aid kits most carry. To date I have been blessed with only having had to use it on others. Excepting of course the little cuts and scrapes that are normal for wilderness travel.

I much prefer the solitude and quite and peace of the wilderness to life in and around people.

Problem is that If I went out and lived the way I prefer I would be violating a whole slew of laws these days.
Click to expand...

best post yet.

AMEN!
 
I find the older I get , the more I crave solitude. No people, traffic, artificial noise of any sort and getting back to my nature roots, I guess I've been stuck in the city too long. I want to make sincere efforts to get out a lot more. As far as gear goes , I'm covered. I've tried all sorts of arrangements and kits, and have narrowed it down to what works for me. I feel confident in my abilities,am reasonably physically fit, well versed in survival skills , and able to look after myself. I must travel quite a distance if I am to be free of human presence. This is the main obstacle I face. ( with a 15 year old Dodge:rolleyes:)
 
I don't go hiking alone, but i often going mountain biking alone although I bring my bodyguard who is made of polymer.
 
I've never spent an extended period of time alone solo camping. And it is something I would like to start doing in the future. I definitely agree w/ Bushman, and others who like to chill to their own groove, and not worry someone else, etc.
 
I have done solo canoe trips of up to a couple weeks in the Yukon and AK. Also some solo backpacks. I often prefer to have one or two good companions but that's not always possible---and the occasional solo trip can be a good thing.

In the old days I carried an EPIRB and now I have a PLB that sends ID code and GPS coordinates in an emergency. If I did a lot of solo, I'd consider one of those SPOT devices. Ron Hood told me he has been impressed with the unit.

DancesWithKnives
 
So far I've camped out by myself four times and it's highly enjoyable, in fact when I find other people around I feel like it's some sort of intrusion even though I might be on a walking track or camp site.

So far the most extreme outing was camping out half way up Mount Wellington in Tasmania. The sound of the Tassie Devils at dusk really scared the absolute crap out of me.
 
I go alone, I like to go at my own pace, not cause somebody wants to power walk..........I like to just sit down and look at things, listen to the animals, sheeple don't understand it.....:D
 
I go alone 2/3 of time i usually carry the same material as when i'm with someone else: my 870 for bears,a knife,a bic lighter or two, a saw & an axe for fire,some water & food.
 
Other than whitewater trips I ONLY go backcountry alone. I have yet to find anyone here that can hang with the miles and pace I crank out, and even then I still find myself babysitting them setting up camp and constantly give me crap about my bushcrafting methods. Why people camp with jetboils and a SAK instead of taking a machete to build a real fire, and then give me crap about my method, is beyond me. Hey buddy, on the last night when you are eating your soup and coffee cold because you're out of fuel, don't come looking to me to share my fire... I always pack my .357 Taurus 651, it gives me peace of mind just in case. That in combination with a machete and a tomahawk, the only other thing you need to pack for defense from potentially dangerous animals are a pair of balls and knowledge about the temperance of those animals. Longer trips I take my .22 target rifle. I bought a spot and used it for about a year but now the service charges are so high I can't afford it, I just pack a map, a compass and my little Garmin Venture HC GPS-if I can't find my way in and out then I deserve to suffer alone, lol...
 
Good post Payette!

I get a kick out of the folks who look critically at my swiss mountain ruck and say "isn't that heavy". Then leave a trail of broken gear falling out of their ripped up pack.

When my kids were growing up and I went out with the family my wife at the time would saddle me with the slowest child, and all the food. It was the only way to slow me down to where I stayed somewhat in sight.
 
Aye I hate ultralight yuppie products, they are merely excuses to sell products made from smaller ammounts of lesser quality materials at a higher price. Light ripstop will never take the abuse that I give my 1000D mountainsmith pack. Heavy cordura or canvas and leather, when I'm sliding down a mountain on my ass I don't need to lose a bunch of gear through the hole that would wear in the bottom of an 'ultralight' pack.
 
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