However, at nighttime, it is a COMPLETELY different story. Whether you are a man or a woman, camping alone can be intimidating for some people. campingmastery.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. For the rest of the night, still worried she might boot me, I treated her like a fickle royal patron. The Altars Of A Serial Killer. Thanks for sharing your feedback too 🙂 And I know for a fact that being alone in the wilderness reveals a lot about yourself. Also, surviving a threatening situation—whether it was moving to Venezuela after high school for a teaching job or jumping into the jeep of a guy who pulled up beside me a few weeks after I'd arrived in the country—dependably left me feeling more confident. You might also find these reasons to go camping interesting. You’ll have to carry camping kitchen gear, tent and all. It was midsummer, so both warmer and wetter than my solo trip, and the meadows were blanketed with wildflowers. I’m in New Zealand and my favorite is hands down the Milford Track, which is a 4-day backpacking trip. The dog makes it so much better, because at least you have a loyal friend that’s going to protect you, no matter what! Don’t pick a faraway place. Maybe, I thought, if I delved a little deeper into at least one fear, the others would lift. I'd never been backpacking alone. Remember, the most scariest thing out there is almost certainly you. I agree that experience will build confidence not only for Solo Camping but in any adventure one chooses to pursue. I would consider camping Solo again. It was mid-September, and I was carrying a backpack meant to contain everything I'd need for the next three nights. The statistical chance of something bad happening is very low. "I'm sure she knows exactly what she's doing," she said, smiling, as if to communicate that to people like us—experienced outdoor types—a few days out in the mountains is no big thing. I told myself, pushing on. If you go hiking alone for longer distances, you will have to carry everything, with no way to share equipment with someone else. It’s irrational but the sounds outside the tent still give you … I failed to complete it on the same day and ended up sleeping in a food storage shack which belonged to the porters at the campsite. I waited until she suggested we go to sleep to crawl into my tent. Do you have any specific flashlights that you could personally recommend? Photo Credit: TORLEY / Flickr (CC) 10. I barely slept. I'd sought out fear since childhood, if not always consciously. But I made it through another night. I had not planned out my meals; I'd put batteries that had been in my freezer for years in my headlamp (it promptly died); and while the ranger I'd spoken to had told me that because of bears, I should do all my cooking 100 yards from where I slept, I had no idea how far that was. Subscribe. And finally, four days after I started, I was walking around Jenny Lake, past people in normal, everyday clothes, out for one-mile walks to take in the scenery before heading back to their cars. Trust me – the more you camp alone, the easier it gets. While it’s safe to tell your loved ones where you’re going, it’s not … Camping alone activities will help you kill time. Partly, it was that spending these four days and three nights so utterly petrified made doing anything that might intentionally, unnecessarily jeopardize my existence seem silly, indulgently self-abnegating. And while the latter is rare, as the "Be Bear Aware" section of my guidebook informed me: "A large percentage of hikers mauled by bears were hiking alone." No people to bother you, no one asking when it's time to eat, get up and go when you want to, and PEACE and QUIET. Your email address will not be published. Next to me was an older woman. But how long could such acute fear last? I ain’t scared of nothing. Even though these won’t do much (well the hatchet does), it will make you feel more comfortable, as you have at least SOMETHING there to protect yourself with. 😀, Your email address will not be published. The only difference – there’s less light and it’s much colder. Was midsummer, so both warmer and wetter than my solo trip gives me the chills from..., colleagues, and I have to go into exact detail you extra security and privacy serve... Of this the gun laws in your wilderness ventures at nighttime, it wasn ’ t a commission! 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That area and if there ’ s been any murders lately as well cowboys.