Solo hiking/camping

JoRocka

DesertGunR wrote: »

To all the people that are discouraging her, trying to scare her and anyone else from this goal. Please do us all a favor and never, ever, ever step outside again. Lock yourself in your bedroom, remove all the furniture, cover all your walls, the floor, ceiling and windows with thick mattress', wear a full coverage helmet, elbow, knee, shoulder pads and stop eating or drinking anything that you did not personally make yourself, to include water. Actually it would be safer for you if you stopped eating and drinking all together because that is very dangerous too.

Because the last I checked waking up in the morning is dangerous whether you decide to leave your house or not. There are a F#%k ton of statistics to prove that. Check actuary tables for causes of death and you will find far more day to day activities a whole lot more likely to kill you than going on a camping/hiking trip alone.

Life is all about taking calculated risks that you're comfortable with, pushing yourself to the next level, learning new things and above being able to find peace with yourself in all things that you do. This is obviously something she wants in order to try to find a way to bring some peace in her life. I am sure if I looked into your lives I could find something that is considered dangerous enough that I should discourage you from doing. I wouldn't do that to you and neither should you to her.

Thank you and yes you're right I am a raging _______!

There's a significant different between scaring someone and letting them know that what they do could have deadly consequences.

How many lost hikers have you looked for? It happens- it's dangerous.

Saying "hey by the way- you might want to start off slow and gentle- get your feet wet b/c what your proposing is really dangerous"

is signifiantly different than scaring her and telling her to never do it.

it's like- go learn how to ride a 250 CC small motor bike- verses getting on a 1000cc race ready super bike that Valintine Rossi uses to win Moto GP.

It's not saying that the super bike is more or less dangerous- it's all inherently dangerous- but you can prepare yourself in a manner that reduces risks and increases your odds of success. why would you not want that for her?

DesertGunR

@JoRocka If you had read the entire thread. Only a couple of us have given her very sound advice. The majority have tried to discourage her & another one who has expressed interest with horror stories and tales of extreme caution. So go back & read what I advised her to do & how to do it.

Have I had to go on S&R, yes. Sadly, as a former Swift Water Rescue Team Member they have been body recoveries. Some of these have been on meticulously planned trips, by professional rafting companies with multiple guides supervising the customers with all the proper safety procedures in place. A few of them have been the guides themselves that were recovered. Though I am not going to discourage anyone from going whitewater rafting.

Having also been a member of a Heavy Rescue Team & pried more bodies of both types, adults & children, than I care to remember from vehicles of all sizes. As part of that Fire Company I have also had to search houses so dark with smoke, I had to crawl on my belly to find people and sometimes bodies trapped in burning buildings. Though I am not going to tell everyone that wants to drive or live indoors all the horrors I've seen to discourage them from doing either.

Odds are most of you use a treadmill, hopefully you won't be one of over 14,000 seriously injured, or 1 of the 3 killed every year using them. In fact a percentage of people using this very site to improve their health in one way or another are going to die in pursuit of that attempt, no matter how careful they are. Some because they made a mistake in their training. Some just because its going to happen during their training regardless of how experienced they were. Just saying, maybe all of you should use a lot more caution.

In fact most of my adult life has been related to getting people out of trouble of one kind or another. Or training them to face the worst horrors mankind has to offer. So I know of what I speak & if she wants more guidance than the fear that most of you are prepared to give her, she knows where to find me & ask.

As I was told many years ago "Anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing at all!"

tomatoey

DesertGunR wrote: »

@JoRocka If you had read the entire thread. Only a couple of us have given her very sound advice. The majority have tried to discourage her & another one who has expressed interest with horror stories and tales of extreme caution. So go back & read what I advised her to do & how to do it.

Have I had to go on S&R, yes. Sadly, as a former Swift Water Rescue Team Member they have been body recoveries. Some of these have been on meticulously planned trips, by professional rafting companies with multiple guides supervising the customers with all the proper safety procedures in place. A few of them have been the guides themselves that were recovered. Though I am not going to discourage anyone from going whitewater rafting.

Having also been a member of a Heavy Rescue Team & pried more bodies of both types, adults & children, than I care to remember from vehicles of all sizes. As part of that Fire Company I have also had to search houses so dark with smoke, I had to crawl on my belly to find people and sometimes bodies trapped in burning buildings. Though I am not going to tell everyone that wants to drive or live indoors all the horrors I've seen to discourage them from doing either.

Odds are most of you use a treadmill, hopefully you won't be one of over 14,000 seriously injured, or 1 of the 3 killed every year using them. In fact a percentage of people using this very site to improve their health in one way or another are going to die in pursuit of that attempt, no matter how careful they are. Some because they made a mistake in their training. Some just because its going to happen during their training regardless of how experienced they were. Just saying, maybe all of you should use a lot more caution.

In fact most of my adult life has been related to getting people out of trouble of one kind or another. Or training them to face the worst horrors mankind has to offer. So I know of what I speak & if she wants more guidance than the fear that most of you are prepared to give her, she knows where to find me & ask.

As I was told many years ago "Anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing at all!"

right but it would take years to put all your advice into practice (eg learn all about local wildlife).

PAtinCO

The reality is that the drive to the trailhead is far more dangerous than the hiking and camping. The main reason you hear about hiking accidents in the news is that they're not your normal run of the mill incidents.

JoRocka

tomatoey wrote: »

DesertGunR wrote: »

@JoRocka If you had read the entire thread. Only a couple of us have given her very sound advice. The majority have tried to discourage her & another one who has expressed interest with horror stories and tales of extreme caution. So go back & read what I advised her to do & how to do it.

Have I had to go on S&R, yes. Sadly, as a former Swift Water Rescue Team Member they have been body recoveries. Some of these have been on meticulously planned trips, by professional rafting companies with multiple guides supervising the customers with all the proper safety procedures in place. A few of them have been the guides themselves that were recovered. Though I am not going to discourage anyone from going whitewater rafting.

Having also been a member of a Heavy Rescue Team & pried more bodies of both types, adults & children, than I care to remember from vehicles of all sizes. As part of that Fire Company I have also had to search houses so dark with smoke, I had to crawl on my belly to find people and sometimes bodies trapped in burning buildings. Though I am not going to tell everyone that wants to drive or live indoors all the horrors I've seen to discourage them from doing either.

Odds are most of you use a treadmill, hopefully you won't be one of over 14,000 seriously injured, or 1 of the 3 killed every year using them. In fact a percentage of people using this very site to improve their health in one way or another are going to die in pursuit of that attempt, no matter how careful they are. Some because they made a mistake in their training. Some just because its going to happen during their training regardless of how experienced they were. Just saying, maybe all of you should use a lot more caution.

In fact most of my adult life has been related to getting people out of trouble of one kind or another. Or training them to face the worst horrors mankind has to offer. So I know of what I speak & if she wants more guidance than the fear that most of you are prepared to give her, she knows where to find me & ask.

As I was told many years ago "Anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing at all!"

right but it would take years to put all your advice into practice (eg learn all about local wildlife).

god forbid you do take the time to do something right. how dare we suggest that.

Aine8046

I am not trying to discourage anybody from anything. However whatever you do - you better know consequences... I did (and still do) dangerous things in my life, but every time I start anything new ( I started scuba diving last year for example), I want to know what can go wrong and what can I do to minize the risks.

JenAndSome

tomatoey wrote: »

DesertGunR wrote: »

@JoRocka If you had read the entire thread. Only a couple of us have given her very sound advice. The majority have tried to discourage her & another one who has expressed interest with horror stories and tales of extreme caution. So go back & read what I advised her to do & how to do it.

Have I had to go on S&R, yes. Sadly, as a former Swift Water Rescue Team Member they have been body recoveries. Some of these have been on meticulously planned trips, by professional rafting companies with multiple guides supervising the customers with all the proper safety procedures in place. A few of them have been the guides themselves that were recovered. Though I am not going to discourage anyone from going whitewater rafting.

Having also been a member of a Heavy Rescue Team & pried more bodies of both types, adults & children, than I care to remember from vehicles of all sizes. As part of that Fire Company I have also had to search houses so dark with smoke, I had to crawl on my belly to find people and sometimes bodies trapped in burning buildings. Though I am not going to tell everyone that wants to drive or live indoors all the horrors I've seen to discourage them from doing either.

Odds are most of you use a treadmill, hopefully you won't be one of over 14,000 seriously injured, or 1 of the 3 killed every year using them. In fact a percentage of people using this very site to improve their health in one way or another are going to die in pursuit of that attempt, no matter how careful they are. Some because they made a mistake in their training. Some just because its going to happen during their training regardless of how experienced they were. Just saying, maybe all of you should use a lot more caution.

In fact most of my adult life has been related to getting people out of trouble of one kind or another. Or training them to face the worst horrors mankind has to offer. So I know of what I speak & if she wants more guidance than the fear that most of you are prepared to give her, she knows where to find me & ask.

As I was told many years ago "Anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing at all!"

right but it would take years to put all your advice into practice (eg learn all about local wildlife).

Really learning about the local wildlife is one of the most important things since that is who I am going to be around the most, hopefully. Or not in some cases. Fortunately, Indiana isn't bear country. We do have some wildcats, but sightings of them are so rare that some people are still reluctant to believe they are here. We do have snakes as I have mentioned before and coyotes, but interactions with people have been very, very rare in either of those cases, also.

tomatoey

JoRocka wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

DesertGunR wrote: »

@JoRocka If you had read the entire thread. Only a couple of us have given her very sound advice. The majority have tried to discourage her & another one who has expressed interest with horror stories and tales of extreme caution. So go back & read what I advised her to do & how to do it.

Have I had to go on S&R, yes. Sadly, as a former Swift Water Rescue Team Member they have been body recoveries. Some of these have been on meticulously planned trips, by professional rafting companies with multiple guides supervising the customers with all the proper safety procedures in place. A few of them have been the guides themselves that were recovered. Though I am not going to discourage anyone from going whitewater rafting.

Having also been a member of a Heavy Rescue Team & pried more bodies of both types, adults & children, than I care to remember from vehicles of all sizes. As part of that Fire Company I have also had to search houses so dark with smoke, I had to crawl on my belly to find people and sometimes bodies trapped in burning buildings. Though I am not going to tell everyone that wants to drive or live indoors all the horrors I've seen to discourage them from doing either.

Odds are most of you use a treadmill, hopefully you won't be one of over 14,000 seriously injured, or 1 of the 3 killed every year using them. In fact a percentage of people using this very site to improve their health in one way or another are going to die in pursuit of that attempt, no matter how careful they are. Some because they made a mistake in their training. Some just because its going to happen during their training regardless of how experienced they were. Just saying, maybe all of you should use a lot more caution.

In fact most of my adult life has been related to getting people out of trouble of one kind or another. Or training them to face the worst horrors mankind has to offer. So I know of what I speak & if she wants more guidance than the fear that most of you are prepared to give her, she knows where to find me & ask.

As I was told many years ago "Anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing at all!"

right but it would take years to put all your advice into practice (eg learn all about local wildlife).

god forbid you do take the time to do something right. how dare we suggest that.

like, where is this even coming from? i'm just saying that you guys sound like you have a lot of years of experience. hard to pack it all in in a couple of weeks.

tomatoey

JenAndSome wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

DesertGunR wrote: »

@JoRocka If you had read the entire thread. Only a couple of us have given her very sound advice. The majority have tried to discourage her & another one who has expressed interest with horror stories and tales of extreme caution. So go back & read what I advised her to do & how to do it.

Have I had to go on S&R, yes. Sadly, as a former Swift Water Rescue Team Member they have been body recoveries. Some of these have been on meticulously planned trips, by professional rafting companies with multiple guides supervising the customers with all the proper safety procedures in place. A few of them have been the guides themselves that were recovered. Though I am not going to discourage anyone from going whitewater rafting.

Having also been a member of a Heavy Rescue Team & pried more bodies of both types, adults & children, than I care to remember from vehicles of all sizes. As part of that Fire Company I have also had to search houses so dark with smoke, I had to crawl on my belly to find people and sometimes bodies trapped in burning buildings. Though I am not going to tell everyone that wants to drive or live indoors all the horrors I've seen to discourage them from doing either.

Odds are most of you use a treadmill, hopefully you won't be one of over 14,000 seriously injured, or 1 of the 3 killed every year using them. In fact a percentage of people using this very site to improve their health in one way or another are going to die in pursuit of that attempt, no matter how careful they are. Some because they made a mistake in their training. Some just because its going to happen during their training regardless of how experienced they were. Just saying, maybe all of you should use a lot more caution.

In fact most of my adult life has been related to getting people out of trouble of one kind or another. Or training them to face the worst horrors mankind has to offer. So I know of what I speak & if she wants more guidance than the fear that most of you are prepared to give her, she knows where to find me & ask.

As I was told many years ago "Anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing at all!"

right but it would take years to put all your advice into practice (eg learn all about local wildlife).

Really learning about the local wildlife is one of the most important things since that is who I am going to be around the most, hopefully. Or not in some cases. Fortunately, Indiana isn't bear country. We do have some wildcats, but sightings of them are so rare that some people are still reluctant to believe they are here. We do have snakes as I have mentioned before and coyotes, but interactions with people have been very, very rare in either of those cases, also.

Maybe there's a wilderness course you could do, that explains how to handle those animals in different scenarios? (like if a coyote's doing x, do y. if such and such a snake does z, do p. etc)

JoRocka

No one's suggestion do it all before you go out there- take pieces- work on it and get educated- no one just starts and knows everything.


<being said- I mentally thought your post and someone else's came from the same person pushing back saying we were all saying don't do it- which isn't what people are saying>

@JoRocka If you had read the entire thread. Only a couple of us have given her very sound advice. The majority have tried to discourage her & another one who has expressed interest with horror stories and tales of extreme caution. So go back & read what I advised her to do & how to do it.

I have read it- which is why I didn't get your post- "Stop being negative and telling her not to go"

across the board there has been come good advice about how to prepare and how to prepare- not sure where the "negative nancy" vibe you're seeing is- I thought she's gotten some good advice.

CSARdiver

I used to do this almost every weekend when I was single. Ensure people know where you will be going and for how long and when you will return - check in with the local ranger.

Be careful as predators have learned that campers are easy targets. Good friends of mine were assaulted while out camping. Not really sure how smart the predators were assaulting a Green Beret and his martial arts instructor wife (I'm more scared of her). They were able to figure out that something was fishy and thwarted the criminals, detaining them until rangers arrived.

CSARdiver

DesertGunR wrote: »

Feel free to go hiking and camping alone to your hearts content. That's what the experience is really supposed to be all about in the first place.

Things to keep in mind before you go, since you will need to be self sufficient the entire time. These are presented in no particular order. Though all of them are important to keep in mind at all times. This may be a long read. All these things have served me well as I always camp/hike alone.

1. Learn more than just basic First-Aid and pack a well equipped First-Aid Kit (another poster listed a small but useful part of that kit). Check with your local Red Cross for classes. You will need to be able to take care of more than just basic scrapes and cuts. Even on the easiest routes major injuries have occurred, I can attest to that as a Wilderness First Responder. The size and scope of your First-Aid Kit will vary in size depending on how long you plan to be out and away from civilization.
2. Check and Track the weather for your intended route for several days in advance of your trip. Regardless of what the weather report says pack for the worst contingencies. Remember weathermen get paid very good money to be wrong more than they are right. Despite good weather reports I have been on routes that ended up being covered with snow the third day in and was glad I brought warm clothes with me. I have also been caught in torrential downpours that were not predicted. Some trails/routes are notorious for weather that changes without warning or create their own weather due to elevation and location.
3. Ask your local Camping Store (Not a big chain store) if they have classes on map reading and land navigation. Learn to read a paper map, use a compass and a GPS device. Even on a simple day hike it is easy to get lost. Not every Local, State or National Park has easily identifiable or very well marked trails. You need to know how to get back to your vehicle should you find yourself off your intended trail.
4. It sounds as if you are already doing this, but learn all you can about local wildlife in the area you intend to Hike/Camp. Prepare accordingly for all of them as best possible. Most large animals are easy, it is the smaller ones like reptiles and even plant life that can be difficult. Again, check with your local Camping Store for information or search the internet for the Wildlife indigenous to the area and study how to identify them, avoid them, protect yourself from them and treat yourself should you actually come into contact with them. This is especially important when it comes to Ticks. Always check yourself thoroughly for them and when you get back to civilization have a friend check you in places that are impossible for you to check on your own.
5. Always take more food and water than you think you will need. If it is a day hike take at least 2 extra days of supplies. If going on multiple day trips it may not be possible to take enough water, so learn how to use/repair/maintain a water filter and bring it with you. Also learn what plants are edible in the area you intend to be.
6. Plan your route and leave a copy with friends/family before you leave. Set an itinerary of where you expect to be and when, even for a day trip. Keep in mind that you will cover a mile on the trail at roughly half the pace you can walk that same mile in and around town. The more elevation loss/gain the trail has the slower your pace will be. Especially as you add the weight of a pack loaded with supplies. To help maintain a steady pace and prevent injury, especially on uneven terrain I would recommend a good pair of trekking poles.
7. Learn how to make improvised shelters of various types for different weather conditions. Again, check with your local Camping Store. If they don't have a class on this they may know of a person that has good credentials to teach you those skills. Included in this training should also be methods for learning to trap/snare small animals for survival food. This should also include fishing without traditional gear.
8. Learn how to start a fire without matches or a lighter. Just because you have a lighter or matches does not guarantee that they will work when you most need them. You can do this in your own backyard by doing some reading about the subject. Though having someone show you and then observe you until you are doing it right is a more effective measure.
9. You already have firearm for self protection at home. Improve on that training by taking additional self-defense classes and getting in as much range time as you can. Supplement that with taking a hunters safety course so you understand what is required to take down a wild animal for both self-defense and for survival food. Not all Local, State and National Parks allow firearms while you are in their jurisdiction. Research the rules and regulations of each area you intend to go to make sure you are not breaking any laws. Also, take a self defense course from a reputable school that teaches you how to defend yourself without a firearm, pepper spray, knife or baton.
10. Find a good all purpose knife. Learn how to sharpen it properly and most importantly keep with you at all times regardless of the length of hiking/camping trip you plan on taking. It will prove to be one of your most useful pieces of equipment in your kit.
11. When it comes to gear such as tents, sleeping bags, cook stoves etc. You do not have to start our with most expensive gear out there. You also do not have to buy it all at once. Hiking and camping will eventually be a somewhat expensive hobby. In the beginning you can start with good used gear and replace it with better gear as you can afford it. Read reviews about any gear you are interested in adding to your kit. If someone is selling a piece of gear at to good of a price, odds are it is not the best gear to have. Other times it is because it is a much older model of the product and the owner wants to upgrade yet still get some return on their investment.
12. When it comes to packs of any kind, day packs or large multi-day packs make fit and comfort one of your top priorities. Try on as many as you possibly can from as many makers as you can. Then buy the best one you can afford at the time. If your pack is not fit properly and is not comfortable you will soon abandon your pursuit of enjoying the outdoors.
13. When it comes to multi-day trips it is best to do all cooking/cleaning (to include personal hygiene) and storing of food a good distance away from where you plan on sleeping, regardless if you are in bear country or not. Call ahead to talk to Park Rangers or Read the Parks Regulations online concerning food storage requirements for that park. You may have to rent bear resistant containers from the Park or a local store prior to being allowed into the back country. Parks that have a large bear population may even require you to take their on-site course for bear safety. Yellowstone and Denali National Parks just to name a couple examples.

Some of the best times I have had were sitting in the wilderness alone, surrounded by nothing but nature and my own thoughts. This may sound like a daunting list to learn, in some ways it is. You do not have to learn all of this at once. Though as you start to push yourself further away from civilization the more of this you will need to know in order to return safely to your friends and family. Good luck and enjoy nature as it was meant to be enjoyed.

I was building you a "To-Do list", but all this is perfect!

As the OP is a beginner take baby steps. Start with a more public place with little risk and go from there at your pace. You'll learn what works for you as you go along. Just make sure you know your gear inside and out before having to use it where you need it.

For me camping became a spiritual exercise - letting go of all the clutter and simply enjoying nature. I hope you try and and love it.