Forum Index > Trail Talk > Multi day backpack alone. #Just got back#
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Yana
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Yana
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PostThu Aug 10, 2017 10:25 pm 
Okay, I'm summarizing some tips here:
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don't even think about camping in cemeteries while solo backpacking!
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I like to pee in a circle around my camp, ten or twenty feet out.
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Definitely don't read any stories about Wendigos before the hike.
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I do believe in copious amounts of sleep on the ground juice
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...the possibility of being abducted by UFO's. Keeps me up at night.
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Learn to "Levitate"...that way you will be floating far above any possible danger.
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You're unlikely to see a ghost unless you converse regularly with the spirit world
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play some loud music...I suggest Rage against the Machine, that should scare pretty much anything away.
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Eschewing certain gear is not a condition of a solo backpacking trip. Duh. Pack whatever you want to pack.
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If an axe-murderer or alien (or <insert other crazy danger here>) is gonna get you at night, it is gonna get you no matter what since it will have the element of surprise on sleeping you, and you will die, that's that.
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I always lay a cross of sticks over the freshly-buried grave to mark my passage.
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just get up and pee; nothing's going to happen.

PLAY SAFE! SKI ONLY IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
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pcg
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pcg
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PostThu Aug 10, 2017 10:45 pm 
Interesting thread. I’ve been backpacking solo most of my life and never had a bad experience that was caused by anything other than my own imagination going wild, mostly when I was a lot younger. In the 70s the Carlos Castaneda books were popular and I read them all. That caused me some terrible fearful times at night in the woods alone. I also once camped in the Superstition Mountains after having previously read a bunch of stories about people disappearing there. I had to get up in the middle of the night and hike out to my car and drive a couple hours away before the sun came up and I could pull over somewhere and sleep in the car. I used to build a fire at night to help me feel safe, but have not done that in many years. Besides some peace of mind I got lots of spark holes in my sleeping bag. Over the years my outlook on life and my inner peace have improved and I never have problems sleeping now unless a thunderstorm is close by. It also helps that I’m usually pretty tired when I hit the sack. I still occasionally get waked up by the sound of an animal walking around, and I always try to determine what it is, and although I'll admit to a slight apprehension when I first hear it, I'm no longer visited by irrational fear, which is an awful thing. Probably the biggest thing that makes me feel safe is my spiritual belief that I am never alone, that goodness is ultimately in control of the universe, that we are ultimately all one, and that I am safe and protected. I’ve learned to control my thought and not let it run loose and spiral into a scary place. I’m grateful for this because it has allowed me a lifetime of enjoying the outdoors with little irrational fear for my safety. That being said, I won’t backpack alone in Canada or Alaska because I have some concern about bears there – both grizzly and black, although I have almost no concern about black bears in the lower 48. I do sometimes have bear spray with me, which I carry mainly for concern about cougars while hiking alone at dusk. I’ve had deer, elk, bear, goats, coyotes, porcupines, mice, raccoons, skunks, rattlesnakes, and snaffle hounds around my camp. Probably had cougars around too, but have never been aware of that. I am almost always off-trail. I never leave more than a general itinerary because I like to wander and explore as each day unfolds. I have recently begun carrying an inReach that transmits my location every two hours so my wife knows where I am. As others have said, make your camp away from game trails, do your business far away from your campsite, and keep anything that smells like food far from your campsite and all that will come visit you are your own thoughts. OK maybe some goats… and deer… and mice. Oh, and if you're concerned about getting up and leaving your tent in the middle of the night, do like many winter campers do and pee in a bottle. If you're a gal, get a shewee.

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kevperro
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kevperro
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PostSat Aug 12, 2017 8:00 am 
Going alone is the best way to go. I much prefer getting out to someplace where I'll see nobody for several days. Those are the best trips.

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Jordan
y



Joined: 22 Feb 2008
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Jordan
y
PostSat Aug 12, 2017 3:37 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
Plus, if I'm too close to rushing water, the sound morphs into human voices
I have had this happen. I didnt know it was a thing.

none
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CarriesNineFires
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PostSat Aug 12, 2017 4:14 pm 
I don't remember ever hearing what sounded like voices by a river until a few weeks ago along the White Pine Trail. I heard it several times in different spots, and the voices always sounded different. Really strange. I've often heard meadow creeklets creating their own version of this phenomenon. Usually sounds to me like musical plunking, a dissonant marimba solo. It's just water splashing into water, and it's cool.

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AlpineRose
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PostSat Aug 12, 2017 4:46 pm 
Quote:
I didnt know it was a thing.
In his fantastic Olympic Mountains Trail Guide, Robert L. Wood calls it "river voices".

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contour5
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contour5
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PostSat Aug 12, 2017 6:56 pm 
Quote:
Probably the biggest thing that makes me feel safe is my spiritual belief that I am never alone, that goodness is ultimately in control of the universe, that we are ultimately all one, and that I am safe and protected. I’ve learned to control my thought and not let it run loose and spiral into a scary place. I’m grateful for this because it has allowed me a lifetime of enjoying the outdoors with little irrational fear for my safety.
Very well put. Whether sitting alone quietly in a room, or camped solo in a remote location- it is our thoughts that are most likely to attack us. Just knowing this helps; becoming mindful and gaining awareness of your own thought railroad can be tremendously advantageous in overcoming irrational fears. Fear combined with white noise is not an ideal situation. The mind can produce whatever sounds you are listening for. So, if you are intently straining to hear predators, then everything tends to sound exactly like a bear, or a cougar. I fear cannibals and sociopaths, so I tend to hear those types of voices in the meltwater, if I don't keep my chakras balanced properly.

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markh752
Snoozing on a rock!



Joined: 03 Dec 2011
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markh752
Snoozing on a rock!
PostSun Aug 13, 2017 5:21 pm 
Jordan wrote:
Kim Brown wrote:
Plus, if I'm too close to rushing water, the sound morphs into human voices
I have had this happen. I didnt know it was a thing.
Kids laughing, women talking, a radio station, etc. The boys and I counted around a dozen different sounds before the counting put them to sleep.

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Kim Brown
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PostMon Aug 14, 2017 11:21 am 
I spoke to a member of the Sauk Suiattle tribe once, who said when she and her siblings were little kids, they used to wander into the woods, hoping to play with the children they heard laughing there. The laughing came from near a small waterfall at the back of their property. Her mom told the kids scary stories to try to keep them close to home. I wonder if that’s where the stick-Indian legend came from – to scare little kids so they won’t wander off into the mountains and get lost!

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Jordan
y



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y
PostTue Aug 15, 2017 7:18 pm 
I decided to go out to the Suiattle River Road and up Downey Creek to Cub Lake. Hiked about 7 hrs on sunday to get out to the lake. Rained a little and was in the fog all day. Got absolutely soaked from head to toe through the Bachelor Creek section. The night was uneventful. Climbed down to Itswoot lake the next morning and caught my share of some big cut throat. Kept an 18 incher for lunch then packed to head back down to downey creek. Arrived at Downey Creek about 5:30 and just decided to do the last 6.5 miles and sleep at home. Hiking in the late evening has a definitely has a different feel to it. Good trip, only saw one group on Sunday morning and they were headed out.

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Ski
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Ski
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PostTue Aug 15, 2017 7:29 pm 
up.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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CarriesNineFires
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PostTue Aug 15, 2017 7:41 pm 
Cool. That thread really got people talking about the terrors of the night, or the lack thereof. What was your experience with that?

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Kim Brown
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Kim Brown
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PostTue Aug 15, 2017 9:05 pm 
Jordan wrote:
Downey Creek to Cub Lake
Good lord, you chose that haunted place for your first solo trip???? You gotta be f### kidding me! You got brass balls dude. The 'squatch is back there. And Stick Indians. The Suiattle watershed is one place I'm creeped out about for solo trips. Love the hell out of the place, but no solo's for me there unless it's Green Mtn on a weekend. Too many hants.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Slim
This space for rent



Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Slim
This space for rent
PostTue Aug 15, 2017 10:00 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
The 'squatch is back there
You got it ! That wouldn't be my first choice for a solo overnighter either. That and Nightmare camp east of Ross Lake. But good for you for getting out and doing it. ~Slim

"Lean mean money-making-machines serving fiends"
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge



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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
PostWed Aug 16, 2017 7:35 am 
Kimmy bringing the laughs again up.gif 18" cutt up.gif

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