Alone

[boatman]

Reading the first kayaking post I see that once again the instruction that one should never canoe alone is repeated. This solemn warning is also common for hill-walking, snorkelling and almost any other outdoor activity. But, there is a quote that I like from The Song of the Paddle forum, "People tell me I shouldn't travel alone, but I've never been told that by anyone who has ever done it."

What is better, to not do something because you can't find a group available at the same time or to do what you want and be aware of the risks and the responsibilities involved?

 

[sandbender]

I have traveled alone for most of my life, sometimes I have been quite a distance from the beaten path and often in bits of the world where there was no mountain rescue service or equivalent.

I might have had a long lingering death at the bottom of a gully somewhere but I didn't and I wouldn't swap those memories for anything.

Each to his or her own though.

 

[forrestdweller]

I have traveled alone for most of my life, sometimes I have been quite a distance from the beaten path and often in bits of the world where there was no mountain rescue service or equivalent.

I might have had a long lingering death at the bottom of a gully somewhere but I didn't and I wouldn't swap those memories for anything.

same is true for me! although sometimes i wish i had someone to share my thoughts/experiences....

 

[copper_head]

I've not done a huge amount of solo stuff but I do regularly go hiking and camping by myself. I don't see it as a real problem, I tell my partner where I'm going and when I'll be back and try to check in when I can. Of course things can go wrong but everything has some risk associated with it and I do my best to mitigate those risks.

 

[GGTBod]

I am on your side there, until you have done things alone you have not truly done them, like hill walking or orienteering done in a mother duck line following the leader, the leader is the only one doing anything and making decisions and being reliant, the rest are sheeping along behind on autopilot and at best involved in an informed way if they are choosing to pay attention but the leader is the one doing it for real making decisions and keeping people alive, i am not saying people should run off up mountains in flip flops i am saying someone done this stuff first and they lived to tell the tale because they prepared and educated themselves first. (prepares for storm of abuse with teflon unbrella)

For kayaking i too will be on many adventures when i will be totally alone, i have a month planned living on and around loch lomond next month (just bought my train ticket). I am very safety conscious and understand the risks involved and i am taking the decision to trust myself not to kill myself, if i die i was wrong but i was wrong doing something i loved, i have no intention of doing anything to risk my life, but, technically i risk my life everytime i leave the house even on foot, i live in a terrible rough area of Newcastle and people get killed all the time just going for a pint or a walk, this does not stop me going to the shop or going cycling, i know the risks and take sensible precautions against the risks as best anyone can.

I have been really close to actual death 3 times in my life, the last time i was stabbed in the stomach and the knife went through my liver and spleen and it took 4 hrs of a laparoscopic operation to save my life, this was less than a mile from my home and a case of mistaken friggen identity so i'll be damned if i will let the possibility of death stop me doing anything.

Educate yourself on the dangers and take best steps to prepare for them, don't go off half cocked, tell people where you are going and what you are doing and when you plan to be back, you wouldn't run across a road without looking left and right or walk through my neighborhood at night without knowing you could defend yourself and if you couldn't defend yourself you would not go out in my neighborhood, same principle with anything in life, get real skills and training from people who have already done it like this for example, know the risks involved and prepare for them, simple things like dressing for the temp in the water not in the boat are vital little details that make all the difference.

Best of luck i hope you get into it as it is a great way to explore

 

[Toddy]

It's an awkward one this.

On one hand the intention is clearly to give the best, the safest, advice.
On the other is when do we stop needing to hold Mummy's hand ? and speaking as a Mum here, it's rather disconcerting when adult sons now take my hand to see me safely across a road very caring and courteous of them I'm sure, but I'm also sure it feels just like boatman, sandbender, et al, must feel when reading the aforementioned 'good advice'

Ehm, pick your battles I reckon. If it's going to fret folks knowing you're out on your own, then leave information and an agreed latest time to contact (or know that I will phone the police ....HWMBLT walks and climbs alone since his walking/climbing partner of over thirty years died of an aneurism). before someone goes looking for you.

Know yourself, even the playgroup associations acknowledge that risk is part of life, regardless of age
Good preparation helps confidence too.

cheers,
M

 

[Clouston98]

I've not done much alone because I prefer company. I've never gone with more than one person and it's my old man who comes, he enjoys it loads and I teach him skills I've learnt myself. For me it's good crack round the fire at night, funny moments and just having a good time which for me doesn't happen to much alone, I like to be with people. We always have a great time and have some moments when we crease up laughing at something said or done, it's also nice to share moments too, like watching you catch a dish and then cook it and eat it or just - do you remember the time when.... Like once some stags had a rut outside our tent, we were scared at the time but had a right laugh afterwards, good times doing what you enjoy in the woods etc and food company is a part of that for me. But as said to each his own.

 

[shutupthepunx]

i travel alone alot. I enjoy the simple freedoms of stopping when i want and not feeling lik eim holding someone up, or changing route/ plans/whatever. I am often around alot of other people, have been living in collective houses etc, so it is quite nice to have time alone. i feel like i really know myself and my limits and my boundries really well, and when to give up and what i need to do to make this situation okay etc.

 

[Macaroon]

As has been said above, the vast majority of the truly memorable times in my outdoor life have been experienced whilst alone; the world in general reacts in a completely different way to a single traveller than to any group, and the dynamics of all situations change dramatically when you're in a group of even two. I value solitude when moving around above most things, although I love to meet people whilst on the move and am more than happy to interact and sometimes join up for a while when it feels right to do so. There's a time and a place for me to be involved with groups of people and I can enjoy those times fully, but I still often leave the house with the dog, a day's kit and water, and without the slightest idea of a plan of where I'm going and just walk wherever it takes my fancy; literally follow my nose! I just couldn't be without that independence and freedom,
and much as I truly love to go off with my partner it's not remotely the same experience...........

 

[Dogoak]

It's very important to have a very good skill set, knowledge, attitude, etc. for whatever your doing when solo. I've done a lot of my outdoor activities on my own, very occasionally because other folk aren't available but 95% of the time it's out of choice. I'm experienced and fully aware of the risks I take and the responsibilities involved. IMHO anyone who ventures off on their own needs to really understand the full implications of a problem arrising. Not just to ones self but also to families, loved ones, rescue teams, doctors, nurses and the list goes on. 728 people reported to have taken part in the German cave rescue the other week!

Whatever you do, however you do it, have fun, be safe.

 

[British Red]

It's my old man who comes, he enjoys it loads and I teach him skills I've learnt myself. For me it's good crack round the fire at night, funny moments and just having a good time which for me doesn't happen to much alone,

Enjoy every moment of it Cameron. Its fantastic that you have such a great relationship with your Dad - cherish it as he wont be around forever.

That said, as your life changes and you work in a busy place with lots of voices and noise, a little quiet alone time may be just what you need. Or not.

Increasingly as I age, I dislike crowds, noise and hustle and bustle. Whilst BB worked away recently a week passed and I saw no-one. The funny thing was I wasn't even aware of it until she asked where I had gone that week (I hadn't left the homestead). I know for some large groups or a partner is necessary. Like others on the thread, it doesn't work for me and I dislike being told what I "must never" do.

 

[John Fenna]

I have done a huge amount of solo hiking, canoeing, etc etc but mostly once I had gained a basic understanding of the very real dangers of each activity and was in a position to make an informed risk assessment. Until you know enough to realise how little you know I think that taking part in "adventurous activities" will always be safer with company
It is also true that "Good judgement comes from experience ... which often comes from bad judgement!"
You learn a lot from your mistakes - if you survive your mistakes!

 

[Haggis]

Herself and my children are perfectly horrified when I go out alone, but I must either go alone most of the time, or not go at all. In winter, when it is -40, the snow is nigh waist deep, the wind is screaming, and I must have my daily session of snowshoeing, who would go with me? On "blue bird" days of summer, some of them, or a friend, might want to go, but then they immediately begin dictating terms. They will only go so far, they will only stay so long, they must have this or that, they must stay here or there, and they must drive me mad with their endless whining over the weather, the bugs, or a thousand other natural wonders. Then too, I find I am much more careful when traveling the bush alone. I understand the importance of getting "out there" with a companion, but it is the rare companion who makes the outing a pleasant one, and lucky are they who find such traveling mates.

 

[Pete11]

All good advice.

It is a personal decision, to travel alone. Many do so without any mishap. The usual caveats about time and place for ''checking'' in is a good idea.

I travel alone , wild camping a lot. A mobile is , at times , useless in the Highlands. Its all about common sense. You do not attempt something that is out side your skill set, miles from anywhere. Thats just plan daft!

Learn new skills with some company/group, practise them so it is second nature. You can then strike out , further afield on your on with more confidence.

Pete

 

[Stew]

The beauty of going alone is you're fully aware of the capabilities of everyone in the group.

 

[bambodoggy]

The beauty of going alone is you're fully aware of the capabilities of everyone in the group.

Lol....and the lack of capabilities in my case too

I do both.....started in groups as a kid, mates, cubs, scouts etc....drifted into solo stuff as I got older and now have my son/sons starting to want to come out with me....I'm happy either way

I'm from an outdoor Ed back ground and with my instructor hat on I would advise younger more inexperienced people to go in groups.....when you're at the point when you're capable of going it alone, you won't need the advice of an instructor anymore.....just a hearty "good luck and stay safe".

 

[oldtimer]

I love my friends and family and am a sociable type, but I have always preferred to enjoy the wilder places on my own, free from responsibility for others. The solitude is important to focus on the experience.

However, my penchant for going alone gives my wife considerable anxiety and I feel guilty about this. She always thinks that I will "push it too far" and worries that at 70+ I will try to do what I used to be able to do. Since she had a bad fall in the Pyrenees a couple of years back, she imagines that I will do the same when I'm alone. I know my capabilities and I have a life time of experience to draw on, but I feel that we should also take into account the feelings of our nearests and dearests and our reponsibilities towards them.

 

[bearbait]

I've probably hiked alone well in excess of 95% of my hikes all over the UK, and from Alaska through YT, BC, AB, and large chunks of the mountains, deserts and forests of the western US through to the Mexican border. Summer and winter. I tell noone where I'm going nor when I'll be back. I have a satphone which I don't take with me. (Have also single-handed a yacht.)


My life begins at the edge of my comfort zone. But I have knowledge and experience and gear. And, to be honest, I'd far rather die out there tomorrow hiking on a mountain or in a desert than die, for example, doubly-incontinent in a care home in 10 or 15 years. Or in a car wreck on the M25.

 

[bearbait]

The beauty of going alone is you're fully aware of the capabilities of everyone in the group.

But the conversation is still just as cr@p!

 

[santaman2000]

But the conversation is still just as cr@p!

But: