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Comment by Sandra on June 26, 2011 at 9:06pm

Correction - my Preparacord came from http://www.survivorgeek.com/.

Comment by Dustine Krisnik on June 26, 2011 at 1:51pm

Thanks so much!  Now if I can get all of my housework done I will plan a trip!

Comment by Sandra on June 23, 2011 at 8:48pm

Btw, speaking of paracord for a survival kit, I just got both a paracord bracelet and belt (nice!) from Preparacord.  Excellent workmanship.  The belt unravels to be 65 ft. of paracord - times 7 strands in the paracord... well, you figure out how much cordage that would give you.

Comment by Sandra on June 23, 2011 at 8:45pm

Cool!  You'll love it!  Where are you going, do you know yet?  I remember my first solo backpacking & camping (combined) trip when I was about 20 years old.  It was so different and I was um, cautious.  Not scared really, just cautious.  But I was thoroughly hooked when I got back.  You experience nature in a way you just can't when you're with other people.

Let us know how your trip was when you get back!

Comment by Sandy Gnade on June 23, 2011 at 8:33pm

Good ideas, Sandra.  I nthink I am going to try my first solo camping trip next week.

 

Comment by Sandra on June 23, 2011 at 2:53pm

I know what you mean.  The one thing I miss when I am in the deep backcountry is access to medical aid.

Be that as it may, I don't let those concerns stop me.  I take a good first aid kit & always upgrade my first aid knowledge as much as I can... a SAM splint is a good idea, plus knowing how to splint with sticks, etc.  There are locator beacons you can buy if you're concerned enough to spend that much money.

Whatever you do, tell someone where you are going and about when to expect you back.  That should help.  Also, take a survival kit that can get you by for at least 3 days - 5 or 7 is even better.  Besides a first aid kit, that should include a mylar blanket or sleeping bag, 2 or 3 ways to make fire, a knife, a small flashlight, cordage (a paracord bracelet is a good idea), perhaps a tarp or bivy sack, a garbage bag for a makeshift rain poncho or shelter, water plus a means of purifying it, some energy bars or MRE's - and a way to signal! 

Take a loud whistle (3 blasts is the international signal for distress) and a signal mirror.

With that kind of insurance in your back pocket, you should feel more at ease.  Also, with all my solo camping, I decided to take a good survival course years ago.  A good one can cost a bit, but every bit I have spent on such courses was well worth it.  I have that information for life.  My survival teacher was Tom Brown, Jr - who does not put you right into a full survival situation like BOSS and other outfits do with beginners. 

Research your options on survival classes well before you commit to one.  Survival knowledge is the best kind of "insurance" you can get if you camp or hike alone anywhere.

Try hiking fairly short distances at first until you build up more confidence.  Then never, ever take risks when you are by yourself.

Comment by Dustine Krisnik on June 23, 2011 at 9:56am

I am interested in solo camping... but I am a bit nervous about hiking alone.  Not afraid of the boogey man or anything, but more afraid of twisting my ankle and having no way to get out by myself.  Any suggestions?  A lot of the trails I go on don't have cell phone reception.

Comment by Sandra on June 17, 2011 at 10:31am

I have to get an occasional "dose" of the woods and wilderness to stay sane in this modern world.  When I'm gone from the woods too long and then go on a camping trip, I can really feel the download of all the stress draining from my mind and body - so much so that it has at times brought me to tears.  I find so much comfort and restoration in solitude in the great outdoors... solitude meaning me and Momma Earth.

Comment by David Jenerick on June 16, 2011 at 1:17pm

Solo camping is about all I do. There is a friend who I hike the AT with, but he is much younger and quicker than I. We'll hike together for the first part of our first day out and then we'll catch up with each other on the last day. So, I spend a good bit of time out there by myself. I do meet other hikers at the shelters when I stop. As far as wildlife encounters, I've run across a feral hog a couple of times and a momma bear and a couple of her cubs while hiking through the Shennandoah valley.

 

I can't always get up on the AT, it takes a little longer each time to drive or fly up there (Nortern Virginia by now). There is a state park about 15 miles frm here that I will hit up every 4 - 6 weeks. That keeps me satisfied.......for a while.

Comment by Sandra on June 16, 2011 at 9:56am

I love reading everyone's experiences when they solo camp - and why we all love solo camping.  For me, solo camping has been a part of my life since I was 20 years old.  That's, uh, a long time ago.  In fact, a very high percentage of all my campouts have been solo.  Most of the time I want to go camping but can't find anyone to camp with.  And also, I just happen to actually like solo camping!

Wildlife encounters?  Oh, yeah, you'll have many more memorable wildlife encounters when you solo camp.  I got within about ten or twelve feet of a doe and her fawn once - and I was completely, totally visible, sitting right by a rock.  Why she didn't see me or even react to me I'll never know.  She and her fawn just walked right up to the small area right in front of me to graze.  I could not believe it.

Anyone else have wildlife experiences that made an impression on them?

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