[pct-l] Solo Woes

[dsaufley at sprynet.com (dsaufley@sprynet.com)]

Some of the folks I've known who nearly broke down due to the challenges of solitude weren't people I would have suspected would do so.  They weren't the type who seemed to need an audience, nor did they seem to have any kind of dependence on others for anything.  It seems that the loneliness that they experienced was just so overwhelmingly profound, and it surprised them.  For those who may have already been physically at their outer limits after several months of daily marathons, dealing with loneliness was another factor in the mental mix of whether to stop or continue.  No matter what activity you're doing, all of the factors in and out of your control that affect you add up:  hunger, physical stresses, weather, terrain challenges, equipment deficiencies, and mental outlook all combine to define your experience.

Humans are social beings.  It's our tendency to pair and congregate, and hermits are anomolies.  The need for companionship varies by degree in us like all other aspects of our makeup.  You may not know your capacity to endure prolonged periods alone, in a new and wild place, until you get there and find out.  You may like and enjoy it, or it may be a miserable experience.  

OTOH, you really don't know how well you'll get along with a pre-chosen companion in the same set of conditions.  

As for me, I plan to do my sobo JMT hike solo for the freedom of doing what I want when I want, but I also plan to not do anything hairy alone (i.e., high snowy passes or challenging fords).   I will wait for amenable fellow travelers because I am a chicken at heart.  Of course, I will be passing most of the nobo PCT hikers that we've already hosted, so I don't think I'll be having a lonely experience by any measure.

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
>From: stillroaming <PCT@DelNorteResort.Com>
>Sent: Mar 16, 2006 4:51 PM
>To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
>Cc: samh@samh.net
>Subject: [pct-l] Solo Woes
>
>In '02 I hiked from Campo to Agua Dulce alone, '03 Sisters, Or to Stehekin,
>Wa alone and '05 Campo to Cajon Pass alone.
>
>It's not the trail per se, it's what you bring with you *to* the trail.
>
>Personally, I prefer and enjoy hiking alone. In the everyday world it seems
>that someone wants to impose their constraints upon you. From what you buy
>at the store, to what you wear, demands by your spouse or boss, what to
>watch on *gulp* TV and on and on and .....
>
>On the trail that daily interaction immediately goes out the
>window....buh-bye! Some folks enjoy the solitude, others simply cannot
>handle the cold-turkey transition. You will be able to identify them on the
>trail (puppy-dogs). And it's not a bad thing, it's just the way some folks
>are built. Their life requires an 'audience' if you will. Folks who validate
>their lives with the lives of others.
>
>Hiking with someone through the Sierra's was fantastic for all the practical
>reasons. Personally, I wouldn't want to go through all those snowy passes
>alone. Hiking with someone provided me with a sense of security. Maybe a
>false sense of security, but security none the less.
>
>I've had 2 night time bear encounters while alone. Both times I was too
>tired to be bothered by it. The next morning in both cases, I admit, I was a
>bit rattled.
>
>In '02 there was a hiker a ran into a few times and I'd say to myself,
>"There goes so and so with their entourage in tow." Now, on the list I've
>heard that person talk about the solitude and it makes me chuckle. (No Mags,
>it's not you! :)
>
>Hiking in any direction you will meet plenty of people along the trail.
>However, you may go for 2-3 days without seeing anyone. While it may make
>you lonely, ask yourself, when was the last time you went 2 complete days
>without any human interaction? For me, the experience gives me a greater
>appreciation for those around me.
>
>I hope that confounds and irritates everyone around me. ;)
>
>Scott Parks
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