Being Alone in the Wilderness

Being Alone in the Wilderness

Many have a hard time being alone, even more so in a wilderness setting, where there is no escape from you—No chance to run into a human of any sort. Extend that from one day to just a weekend and many just cannot deal with it. We are, for the most part of our lives, always within earshot of noise, be it a radio, TV or the guy next door. Dealing with silence, just a breeze in the trees, or the wind in your ear is not enough. The thought of being by yourself, all night, in a remote camp is daunting to many, who in fact have the skills to pull it off with no problem. Whatever the bugaboos one has, they can be a killer to being alone any length of time much less in a wilderness setting with just you and a campfire for company.

As a young boy I played a lot by myself, never had a problem with it, at times preferred it. Maybe, that was a kind of a conditioning that set me up to not minding if I was by myself. Many wont say they are scared and I believe for the most part it to be true—in some cases anyway. However, a silence can be profound and takes one on a cruise through the mind that they may not care for. The cliche’ of your own demons come to the fore. Even if one has a huge healthy ego, it may not help because not liking yourself and what you know of yourself to be is a very uncomfy place to be. When no distractions are around, such as a radio, TV, or another person, you have to deal with your own self. That is a thing many are very touchy about and never get comfortable with it. Practice will help work you through it. You have to do it alone. I suggest going on long day hikes where the chance of running into others is fairly remote. Take it easy and think about the craft and skills of looking for edible plants and being as stealthy as you can, while moving along. This all takes concentration and frees up your being just you. Practice just sitting still for a half hour, most cant stand it for more than 10 minutes. But, you will learn the art of observing and being with you alone. Learn to laugh at yourself.

I have been asked many times just what I do anyway. For myself, I always have a book to help pass the evening, after a good meal. I find it restful, but I like to read. I will also just kickback and enjoy the stars and critter sounds of the night. I might plan what I will do the next day. If I have no fixed direction or goal in mind, I travel slow and take in everything. I scan ahead and behind, sometimes I make notes and take pictures. Over the years, I must confess, many times I have had a dog with me, so maybe I’m not so alone after all, but the dog doesn’t talk back and they all seem okay with me. Also, a great stress reliever is to yell or sing a song. The dog will think you are nuts, but he isn’t telling anything you don’t already know. In the glow of an evening campfire, I have made traps, even if I do not plan on using em. I’ve also made rough camp furniture. It occupies your brain and hands, and once in a while you can leave a nice stool or backrest for whoever comes along next.

One of the things I have found, when you are alone after a few days, you become ageless. Your self image is out of focus and the picture in your mind becomes a blur of ages, from 5 years old and in between to the age you are now, mostly staying in the younger ages. Suddenly, whatever your true age does not matter any more, because you are really living in the now of every moment. That is a fine goal to strive for . I believe it is a large part in the art of living your own life and not someone else’s idea of what your life should be. We have all heard the saying live in the now, and stop and smell the roses. Well this is your chance to put it into practice. I feel floating in the agelessness is a great gift and you can own it, but you have to earn it. I think you will like it a lot. I’m not sure any book or advice can drown those fears you may have of being alone, even though I have tried to offer a few helpful hints in that direction. Ultimately, it is up to you to learn how to enjoy one of life’s true pleasures, being alone and ageless.