Camping alone?

[KAS]

Originally Posted by W5CI

For you folks going alone, what do you do in an Emergency. Say you fall and hurt yourself or like myself cut my head open on my bed room slide last week. I would never go camping alone for more than a few hours.

1 - Don't do anything risky (especially when no one is around)
2 - Let someone know where you are going (I call my daughter when I go boating/fishing and call her when I get back)
3 - Carry a cellphone and the number of the Ranger Station or Camp Office for emergencies
4 - Get acquainted with a camp host if there is one
5 - Stop worrying and enjoy your alone time!


I have been camping alone for years, and I'm no spring chicken. I know my limitations and don't take any unnecessary risks. Works for me so far!

[SidecarFlip]

Interesting thread and reading the varied posts...

I wilderness camp (boondock) alone regularly. The wife likes to camp but I also like the solitude of being alone and being self reliant. Guess that is a carryover from my Eagle Scout days.

I could be out in the boonies all alone and break a leg or get bit by a snake or attacked by a bear or have a heart attack, those are the pitfalls I guess. I don't dwell on the negatives, why bother. You take life and death as it comes....

On the plus side, I like being alone and camping alone, not all the time but sometimes.

I do go prepared (like a good scout I guess). I always have a firearm in the truck and in the camper when I'm sleeping and I keep my cell phone charged and available. I also have a Sat Phone that works anywhere if cell phone service is unavailable I prefer not to use it as airtime is very expensive but it's there if I need it. I carry necessary tools for emergencies, spare tire, tire tools, assorted wrenches and pliers, a portable winch (Lewis Winch), chainsaw and gas for it, hatchet, hydraulic jack, sand pads, snatch strap and blocking, because I always camp off road.

My TC has a comprehensive first aid kit inside as well. Everything from a snakebite to a broken limb can be dealt with. I've had that experience (broken hand while camping alone). Believe me, when it comes down to surviving and getting out alive from a remote campsite, no broken hand will slow you down a whole lot. That was a backpack trip years ago and I survived and actually benefited from the experience. That taught me to be prepared for the unexpected and take it head on. I set my own hand in the woods and dealt with the pain. You can scream and swear and no one hears it.... No one cares.

My alone camping usually includes fishing or hunting (appropriate season) and I get to do my own cooking (and eat it too)...lol It;s about being self reliant...

Hard to beat the solitude of camping alone, especially in the wilds.

Keep posting, I'm enjoying other's experiences....

[gspot01]

That's an amazing story. You are very fortunate indeed!

Just finished the book 98.6 about wilderness survival after a potentially lethal mishap. I don't necessarily recommend the book as it was poorly done, but the content is credible and beneficial:

1. Most deaths result from exposure (hypo-/hyperthermia) and dehydration. Always have water and proper technical clothing.

2. You must make it through the first 72 hours. If you aren't found in that amount of time, your chances of survival drop to almost zero. Always communicate your plans to others and directions to contact authorities.

3. Make a small waterproof survival kit and carry it with you always even in civilization as you can't predict disaster.

I'm by no means a doomsayer or prepper type, but I am currently compiling my survival kit. Better to have it and not need it than...

[Merlin14]

Just back from a simple overnight to check out a new place. I had some minor concerns but ended up in a full service CG as Cub Scouts had all the dispersed and overflow.

Simulated being on my own with dog and alone but not lonely. There is a difference. Hookups weren't used. We dry camp anyway, so this was not a shock to me.

Everything went great and I didn't want to come home.

[SeaDog]

camping alone is very much like living alone good idea to tape who to contact in case of emergency to a window just in case they know who to call. I have it on the house and trailer.

[SidecarFlip]

I recommend Wilderness Survival First Aid Kits, they have one that fits in your pocket, n a waterproof plastic snap case with all the essentials to 'fix' most minor issues. It's always in my pocket when I'm away from the TC in the woods. You never know....

One of my favorite spring time things is wild mushroom harvesting, something you really need a comprehensive guide to do. We have an abundance of Morrels here, blacks and whites and I usually pick at least a large bag and bring them home or eat them there (most). I've learned to preserve them by dehydrating for later use.

Camping alone means being self reliant, even if your 'camping in a motorhome'. A simple trip can turn into a survival trip real quick if you are ill prepared for any and all eventualities.

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by gspot01

The Vikings believed that the exact date and method of our demise has been predetermined, a worldview that fosters bravery, ferocity, and recklessness. Our modern view is that if the medical establishment can intervene quickly enough, we can be saved (which nevertheless doesn't always happen), a worldview that fosters excessive prudence and risk-avoidance.

I think a rational stance somewhere in the middle is the best course. You have to take measures towards self-preservation and survival in the worst case scenario, but at the same time realize that when your time is up, it's just up. In the meantime, if you want to go camping, hiking, or fishing by yourself, go. Just be careful.

Through my life's experiences, I guess I've ended up with a philosophy similar to the Vikings, although I have faith in a very different God.

In the days before cell phones and satellite radios (I remember those days), people still went into the wilderness, sailed the oceans, and flew into the sky - sometimes with others, and sometimes alone. I'm pretty sure the non-return (death) rate was higher - but that didn't stop people from going.

After living in Alaska for 6 years, you see the occasional death despite having the best equipment and training available. Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you.

I camp with my wife (and sometimes kids and other friends and relatives) because I want to spend time with her. But she doesn't get up at o'dark thirty, so I usually go for a dawn hike (1-5 miles) alone. One time, I came back to a black bear having destroyed our food supply - my fault for failing to put the dry goods tote back into the vehicle for the night - but my family had survived without me just fine. It did cost me an upgrade from a tent to a PUP.

I usually prepare well, but I don't let lack of complete preparation, mistakes, or omissions stop me from a looming adventure.

Enjoy camping!

Fred W
2014 Rockwell A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
last trip: Black Hills, Custer State Park
next trip: Utah 5 National Parks

[AbdRahim]

Fascinating reading. Thanks to the OP for starting this topic and all who have responded. I look forward to reading these responses, as they are posted.