Why I trip alone

[sweeper]

I have gone solo for over 40 years and I never saw it as taking away from my family. I spent a lot of time in the backcountry with them to the needs of each. My ex did not like the woods or steep terrain, my current wife would rather camp in one location, my son can't afford to do multiple trips to remote areas. I've never left my family every week to run off and play basketball or golf.

Being alone in the backcountry is something I enjoy and my family understands and supports me.

Solo comes with the same risks as in a group, the consequences are the difference.

 

[ppine]

People obviously do not go on solo trips only because they enjoy it or it is their hobby. They go solo because they have to. It is a form of self expression and a mental health plan. When Sweeper says he has been going for 40 years this way it validates the point. There are so many right ways to do things in the outdoors. Find your own path and paddle it. Do not be apologetic, just be careful so you come home in one piece.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

If electronic saviors and such violate that person's sense of going it alone then so be it.

This topic is not titled about going solo but going alone. It's an interesting philosophical and canoeing question as to whether one is "alone" if carrying an electronic communication device. I don't think so. I think we are alone only if we are incommunicado in the wilderness. Like the original canoeists.

Personally, however, I am not an absolutist or purist. I do carry a PLB. But neither I, nor anyone I know, has any interest in talking or texting me when I am away on car or canoe trip for a week or 10 days. (And, anyway, I don't have a smart phone, have never texted, and never plan on doing so.)

Which brings up this very relevant fact situation:

People obviously do not go on solo trips only because they enjoy it or it is their hobby. They go solo because they have to.

This most closely matches my situation. I've never had a spouse who was interested in canoeing or camping. My kids were somewhat interested when they were young, but now they are grown and gone. I always used to run whitewater with clubs, but all my friends from those days have left the sport, moved away or died. I currently have no local paddling acquaintances who paddle other than local day trips. Most paddling clubs today are almost 100% kayakers, and many of them show reluctance to include an old guy in a solo open canoe.

I do paddle sometimes with participants on these canoe forums, but that's only an occasional thing when we happen to be in the same locale.

So, mostly, I paddle alone because I have to. That doesn't bother me -- in fact, I like it -- and it's completely consistent with how most of the rest of my life is conducted. I drive alone and hike alone. I read, watch TV, surf the internet, study, go to church, shop, go to sports events, take photos, and think alone. That covers most of most days. I expect to die alone. For that, much of my solitary and contemplative life has been practice.

Of course, if other people are in situations where they have family and friends with whom they enjoy canoe tripping -- or texting or shopping or whatever -- that's simply a different life situation, not an ethically better or worse one.

 

[Philtrum]

I like long trips but my wife only gave her blessing for the first one on the condition that I carried a satellite phone. I have come to realize that the sat phone makes it more of a solo adventure. When trouble happens I can get on the phone and arrange a fix myself.

I've heard many people (with a rare exception, all men) comment about their wives giving their blessing and that they wouldn't go without it. I respect this attitude, provided it comes from a genuine and compassionate desire to ease a troubled mind. No one who isn't an experienced tripper understands how fine-meshed one can make the wilderness safety net. (Unfortunately, some highly experienced people don't get this either.) I've explained what I do to keep safe - both solo and tandem - but she didn't get it because she hadn't been there and done it herself.

For what it's worth, my safety net includes:
- Sticking to my trip plan
- Staying mostly on more well-traveled routes
- Moving carefully whenever on foot
- Not traveling in questionable conditions

My own attitude is that what I do doesn't depend on anyone else's approval. I'm not arrogant about it, just independent and self-contained with a sharply-honed awareness of myself, my surroundings, and the paramount importance of safety.

I once shared this poem by Dawna Markova with someone as a way of explaining my philosophy.

***************************

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.

***************************

The tethered tree grows bent and bears no fruit.

 

[memaquay]

So, mostly, I paddle alone because I have to

Glenn, Im not sure if that's what Ppine meant, perhaps he can clarify it. I have to paddle alone, or solo, to get away from people, not because people won't come with me. I have already had to turn down two parties wanting me to do trips with them this summer. As it stands, I have four group trips this summer, possibly more. The nature of my job has me trying on a daily basis to make 90 kids do things they may not be interested in doing. This continual psychic friction can cause a general disgust with humanity.

So when I say I have to go on a solo trip, it's to get away from humanity, let nature sink the frayed nerves a little deeper in the skin, recharge the soul, whatever Thoreau type cliche needs to be applied. I usually go hard, so that by the second day the only thoughts in my mind are eating, sleeping and defecating. I take the Sat phone, but usually don't call the wife, she knows I have it if I need help. The Spot is even neater, it infringes very little on time or solitude, just pressing a button while I make supper.

To try to categorize some of the replies, I would list the following thoughts:

1. Some go solo because nobody will go with them, or it's to hard to find like minded people.
2. Some go solo as a validation of their perception of themselves.
3. Some do it strictly for the adventure.
4. Some do it to get away from people, to have a break from humanity.

I'm in #4. That's not to say that I'm bloody minded about it though. I went on a solo fall trip a few years back, on the second day I met some moose hunters on the river, stopped in and got royally drunk with them. Sometimes it's hard not to be found, so you just gotta roll with it.

 

[sweeper]

The eight pieces in the last two posts just about sum it all up for me memaquay's whys and Philtrum's safety net and then experience kicks in when you're on there.

The people you meet whether solo and in a group are part of the adventure also.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

1. Some go solo because nobody will go with them, or it's to hard to find like minded people.
2. Some go solo as a validation of their perception of themselves.
3. Some do it strictly for the adventure.
4. Some do it to get away from people, to have a break from humanity.

I'm in #4.

Life changes. You get older. Then much older. The life changes can be dramatic.

Thus you -- any of us -- may be in a different category in the future, or in some category not even on our currently perceived list of possibilities.

 

[memaquay]

Very true, nothing in life is for certain. There might be a time when I no longer go solo at all, or a time when I only go solo, or a time when I no longer canoe at all. In the words of Jim Morrision, I'd like to get my kicks in before the whole craphouse goes up in flames.

 

[Philtrum]

This topic is not titled about going solo but going alone.

For what it's worth, my intent was about going by myself, i.e., one person, one canoe, no one else in my group but me (including my dog if I brought him).

The people you meet whether solo and in a group are part of the adventure also.

Definitely!

 

[Seeker]

I prefer the simplicity of traveling alone, and love the quiet of empty woods and lakes, but miss the company of people around the fire at night... I can't usually find people to go along who have the same ideas on light travel, and therefore usually end up going alone.

 

[sweeper]

Especially hiking it hard to find someone take has the gear, time and matches your hiking ability.

On the 1st day of a hike I start in the predawn light. Many times I've arrived at a campsite up the trail and there's that one early riser cooking the coffee, and every time I've been offered a cup. That doesn't happen with a group.

 

[ppine]

Good words by Glen and Phil. I used to backpack a lot with just my dog and understand the definite need to get out there and run your own show. It is totally logical that people that work with kids, are in public relations or just have a busy regular schedule would indeed benefit from a solo trip. There are plenty of people that have hectic lives that have never figured out the bliss of trips in the bush. They tend to medicate themselves instead with things like alcohol, too much food and other drugs like football. We should all give thanks for the fact, that the people around here figured out early in our lives the value and restorative value of time out there, which is magnified when going solo.

My Mom reminded me recently of all of the nights I spent sleeping in the back yard with a fire in all seasons while in junior high and high school. We started overnight canoe and hiking trips at age 11 in the Boy Scouts. We quickly moved on to overnight trips without adults by age 13. Nature is my religion, it always has been.

 

[Philtrum]

Nature is my religion, it always has been.

yes

 

[Guest]

That got deep fast.

For me, it is just simpler to plan and execute a solo trip. And the simplification compensates for a slight lack of ease; physical ease in camp chores, mental ease in having a paddle buddy nearby for safety. Even, in rare moments, conversational ease with the right friend.

When I trip with a companion or two I prefer being with folks who are likeminded of course, but likeminded, or at least cognizant or respectful, of some of my peculiarities. I need time alone in the woods, even when with companions. I need quiet, and largely prefer trips with folks who don’t have much to say if it doesn’t need saying. I much prefer staying a day or three if the site merits and allows.

Many of my most memorable trips, and most enjoyable trips, have been with a companion or three traveling on different dates, schedules, put-in, take-out, permits, etc.

Paddle in solo, have a day or two in camp alone, welcome a friend or two, maybe paddle on myself in a few days later, or linger while they continue on.

I really enjoy the change in group dynamic or solo to companion change as friends come and go during a trip.

And, although I relish my solo time alone with no one around, I have met some fine new friends and enjoyed their company when I shared a site with folks unknown. I expect that I tend to be more outgoing if I’ve been out for a few days solo than if I’m in camp with paddling friends around the campfire.

Those solo, with-friends, solo trips are fraught with their own inherent difficulties. Missed connections, concern about no-shows or unforeseen weather issues. But when they work they can be special.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I am liking paired solo trips. With one other person. I never got much into the group thing meaning group of six or eight. Paddling my own craft I can see what I want and not impose on anyone else to take pictures. I can waste a good bit of time with the camera.

This of course has its own risks.. communication is key.. I've managed to lose my paddling "partner" a time or two in big waves and that is a bit of a problem.

One of the things I find on truly solo trips is I talk to Everyone I meet. And if all I meet is a toad, I talk to it.. I spent a good bit of time singing to myself in WCPP "Talk to the animals". I too am more outgoing on solo trips than at home where I seldom see anyone for weeks.

Its all about your personal perspective. I can get away from humanity at home as I live in the woods and not the city. Others views of course will differ.

The loons are squabbling now..its been a slow spring for them starting to get territorial.

Traveling in a group of two I have found some mighty pleasant times meeting other groups, especially on the Green River where we have sometimes shared a campfire or a game of beach bocce.

 

[sweeper]

Talking to toads works. I had a conversation with a female moose one spring and she let me know that it was her trail and if I wanted to continue I should use the woods.

 

[Guest]

This of course has its own risks.. communication is key.. I've managed to lose my paddling "partner" a time or two in big waves and that is a bit of a problem.

I’ve lost a companion in waves as he winked in and out of sight, a diminishing dot glimpsed over the crests, made more complex because I was following his lead on a heretofore untraveled route. He of course waited up once in a more sheltered area, and I came upon him signaling with his paddle which side of a shallow water gut to favor.

I am uneasy with communication beyond the spoken word or signals. We have family tripped with FRS radios, where a couple of us would head off to scout a site or route and the others linger ‘til they heard the “come ahead” or “never mind” word. That presented a brief and agreed upon bout of electronica communication, and I could deal.

Having to “check-in” on some predetermined schedule seems obtrusive. What if I forgot, had some technical problem, effed up and hit the wrong button or ran the batteries down? That seems a basket of undue worry.

I have known route plan and fair idea of my put in date left behind. And often a more flexible notion of my take out date.

In an ideal situation I can ignore time, day and date, and check in post trip when I am out safe and sound, along the road somewhere back in cell phone contact.

The biggest risk is probably driving, travelling from here to there, or here to there to there to, eh, maybe there, with the latter sometimes being a spur of the moment decision, wandering unfettered.

I am far more secure, and confident in a risk management sense, once I am there, readying a launch and destination.

 

[Alan Gage]

The biggest risk is probably driving, travelling from here to there

I often hear this said and wonder if it's truly the case. No argument that more people die driving than hiking/canoe tripping in the back country but I wonder what the stats are if you look at the percentages?

Not that I think it makes one iota of difference either way on how you should/shouldn't trip, travel, or check-in. Just one of those things everyone says that I suspect may not be true.

Alan

 

[snapper]

Two quick thoughts...1. I found a toad lying under the bow deck of my canoe one time and it seemed content so I allowed him to hitch a ride. Spent most of the day communicating with the critter and he even became a part of our group's trip name and skit (I was working for another program on this one).
2. Based on what I've been told by insurance/liability folks, more accidents occur within 5 miles of home than anywhere else. Next in highest order of potential for an accident is the drive to/from a trip. After that it's the potential for an accident on the trip itself with some activities being more risky than others.

So much of the idea of "risk" is based on a person's perceived risk instead of real considerations. For that reason I'm happy to let folks think what they will and do my best to minimize the actual circumstances that could lead to an accident or unexpected situation. Just my thoughts. YMMV...

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[ppine]

This is a great discussion you will find no where else. I like the attitude people have when they go solo. They accept and deal with the inherent risk.

Here is a quick analogy from another discipline. I read recently about a lady from Oklahoma that had ridden horses for a living most of her life, working cattle and performing as a trick rider. In retirement, she rode every day and was recognized in the Cowgirl Hall of Fame for her achievements. One day she was out riding solo like she usually did, her horse threw her and she was killed at age 94. The police came and social services were knocking on the door of the family members demanding to know why an elderly lady was out riding by herself. You don't understand they said, she rode every day of her life. Riding was her life.