Getting around my head

[Suz]

 In all my years in the woods, the greatest obstacle I face each time I go out is what is in my head...

I've been an outdoor person my whole life.  I've scouted, camped, hiked, fished, kayaked, canoed, biked, swam, lead hikes, and worked outside.  The thing I keep coming up against is myself.  There are things I think I need to be fine, and when I have to go without or outside that comfort zone, I resist, I think something is wrong, I get scared, I get mad, and frustrated, panic wants to set in, and I have to rationalize myself into serenity.

For instance, I recently acquired a one man tent that is actually a bug net.  This hit my comfort zone in two ways.  One, like the ostrich, I like to hide when I hear something I can't identify in the dark of night.  A regular tent provides that hideaway.  The other thing, is that I've always been in a tent with others.  Both of those  provided a "sense of comfort", either real or imagined.  It is harder than I expected retiring to a solo tent.  With my netting, I'm in full view to come face to face with my darkest fears.  A big purple caterpillar for the taking!  But I've got a fantastic view of the stars!  And my backpack is light.

The other is the sense of security that the campfire provides.  In my mind, it keeps the predators away.  The last two weeks we have camped fireless and it has an entirely different feel.  I was uneasy retiring without the warm glow of the coals nearby.  Given time I'm sure I'll adapt to both of these and it will become the norm.

Our fuel ran out, and my gut reaction is "Oh! No!  I can't go without hot coffee, and eating a warm breakfast!!!",  but we rationalized that we had plenty of trail mix, warm clothes, and a brisk walk, and if we were actually that desperate, McDonald's is two hours away, tops...I even resorted to eating some coffee, to ward off any caffeine dependency symptoms, much to the dismay of my camp mates.  But I only got a mild headache.

We met a group that was at a place on the trail where they had to cross the river.  That is were the trail went.  Their "heads" were reluctant to do that.  The map didn't show that they had to cross a river.  "Get wet?  No way!  It's November, I'll hike around" the collective heads were saying.  As we left the woods, we saw they hadn't made it out yet.  We wondered where they were. 

I pondered on our "heads" on the way home.  Looking back (a luxury they didn't have at the time), they could have taken off their shoes, rolled up their pants, and crossed.  Yeah, it was cold, yeah, the water was cold, but we had gotten warm hiking and were peeling off layers when we met them.  I'm sure they were thinking the same thing as their hike was protracted.  If they had gotten wet, it was early in the day and  hiking would have dried them out and kept them warm.  I don't know how many miles out of their way they went.  The trail from the river was 2.3 miles and from our topo, there was a steep grade at the river, then gradual slope the rest of the way.  Their map had no contours or even the river on it!  Just trails and trail numbers.  I hope they made it home alright, and have adventure stories to tell their friends.

We do go out to test ourselves.  Looking for a little adventure! Half the fun is being scared, tired, thirsty, and challenged to a point.  In a way, we intentionally inconvenience ourselves.  We just have to get out of our way when it happens and accept that this is the challenge we were seeking anyway.

I wanted to use this as a lesson to all of us who venture out, especially those new to hiking and backpacking.  Get our heads out of the way!  Sometimes we have to be mules.  Lay our ears back and go.  Always have a topo map, know how to read it, and be prepared to be inconvenienced and shaken out of your comfort zone.  Happy Trails!

[lawnmowwer]

I am seeing a person seated on a rock looking off a high cliff. Elbow on your knee. Chin in your hand. Pearing into the distance in a lost, but thoughtful way. Wavy lines all around as the text is read by someone with a deep voice.
 
I like your thoughts. I had some of the same ones several years back. When I started packing solo because I couldn't find people to go with me. The security of everything being the same is very real and soooothing. The first trip I almost night hiked back out, but as time went on I started to enjoy the solitude and freedom.

 I should also add I am 5 11 and 235 and have been told by friends that if they meet me on the trail alone they would be hopeful I would keep going and not even speak. 

[Rob]

    Suz, interesting topic....... After more than thirty years of going on treks and predominantly solo overnight and extended backpacking trips I have discovered that it is perhaps the "Head" thing that motivates those adventures into the wood's. I find that planning the excursion, traversing the terrain, taking in all that nature has to offer is a great distraction to those sometimes complicated thoughts and tasks that we seem to burden ourselves with.

    I admittedly (is that a word?) faulter when it comes to my creature comforts, oversized pack, the too big tent, all mentioned in a previous post. I am somewhat OCD when it comes to being organized (not sure I'll ever completely let go of that), so it is not the things that go bump in the night that makes me want to be a pack mule, it's the desire to set up house in the wilderness. Fortunately I do have the ability to do as you say " lay my ears back and go." So I guess in the end I get my just deserves.
However, I will also admit that I'm not alway's a tough guy, at times the dancing flames of the fire (when allowed) will create alarming shadows on the tent, or the owl that finds it necessary to "give a hoot" while I'm answering the call of nature in the wee (pun intended) hours of the morning, can be quite disturbing and disrupt my chances of getting back to sleep. I must say I haven't had the oppourtunity of running into a Lawnmowwer like subject to test his friends thoughts on how one would react. (lol Lawnmowwer).

    I'm not too sure about the "espresso on the go" thing, It seems like a pretty desperate need for caffeine! Are you grumpy in the a.m. too? LOL. Note to self...Take plenty of fuel....

    I do agree that much of the fun on the trail is the challenge it provides, testing our skill, pushing the limits, finding a way to circumvent a problem...even if it put a bad taste in our mouth! And most importantly, "down loading" our heads. Most outdoors people I meet are in touch with nature and themselves. I always enjoy your posts Suz, they are insightful, encouraging, and whimsical. Hope to see you and some of the others on the trails in the spring. Until then, I'm going to find out if bears like purple caterpillers!   Happy trails!  Hopalong  P.S.  What's a topo....sighned,  soggy drawers, just kidding
   

[Lesley]

In Suz's defense, and as one of the dismayed camp mates, there was some freaky little critter that rustled around our camp all night long.  It never came very near us, but it wasn't scared off by our making noise or shining lights in its direction.  Both of which are a little odd for the animal kingdom.  Surplus fuel will be obtained before the next trip so no caffeine headaches will have to happen again.  I'm the holy terror without the coffee goodness in the group. In the meantime I will continue to think that our nighttime guest was an opossum or armadillo. Both are small and fairly safe, however I do wish they would inoculate people against rabies. 

merles

[lawnmowwer]

If I remember correctly You were on a short hike. This says close to a trail head the animal was probubly as you say, and it is not unsual for them to see people or flash lights. So you were a source to abtain food (not you but your scraps). As neat as you try to be We people are nasty and others think it is cute to feed fury little things or throw out their trash. Once you start getting farther in the wood You should notice less and less animals hanging around.

You should also see more and more chance encounters as with the deer in my pic. That deer is about 30 miles from a trail head at the edge of a clearing. We set our tent up about an hour or so before dark. As I was in my tent changeing shoes and looking for dinner and a stove. I heard a sound and bam the tent hit me in the head. I quickly scrambled out of the tent to be standing about 6 feet from that doe. I was thinking holy crap I just got run over by a deer and its still standing here. She turned and looked at me thinking (I imagine) holy crap I just ran over somthing and its standing here looking at me. So after looking at eachother for O' ten minutes or 2.5 milliseconds or somthing like that. I jumped back in my tent. She went for that stand of trees. As I banged my head on my camera I got an idea. See if I can get a picture, and there it is. 

If memory is correct I think that only ants, small rodents, and grizzlys eat "candy filled" purple caterpillers. Not sure about the grizzlys but I know ant and robents like candy filled green two man A frame caterpillers. I think the technical name is Scouticus Practicallessoni num ( part of the Iknowbetterine Tennagerum family) for the green one. Many new adventures to all LOL.

[Suz]

We were about 1.5 miles from the trailhead.  It was a high pressure area, and we were off the trail, but near and established campsite.  We didn't eat on our site, but within hearing distance of it, as was the trail.  We heard something rustling in the leaves, a rooter...Back to the knowledge and evidence of feral pigs in the area, brought on the alarm.  But we flashed the light, made noises, and the rustling continued.  A screech owl, screeched.  It stopped for a while, and then resumed about the time we were getting ready to turn in.     So we know the owl made an impression.   I slept fairly well, but matt and merlesray woke and heard the thing all night long.

I got up early and went to investigate and saw no signs that resembled the disturbance we heard.  I laugh, thinking it was some field mouse, coon, or oppossum, turning the leaves looking for a bit.  But there was none of the damage left by the pigs, so it wasn't them.  Turkey season opened, but they are so shy, I doubted it was them, but I have seen one near a campground at Cheaha.  I've also encountered skunks in the campsite.  Not loud enough for hunters, unless they were trying to sneak up on us, but we didn't see anything in our lights.

The reason we were close in is that we were late getting to the woods, the parking was packed, and as we went in, we were losing light.  We stopped while we had enough light to set up camp and make supper.  The lite backpacking guide suggests eating on the fly, then hiking another hour to set up camp.  That assures that no food smells are around the camp.  Something I plan to try soon.

As for the expresso on the go... when I was a kid, I used to sneak coffee beans that mom would get.  So eating the coffee was no big deal for me, except wondering if my smile was full of grounds.. and being called weird!!!

I believe  I started trying to do without "stuff"when I went to the beach.  Everyone is so weighted down with stuff that the really never venture out and experience the area. I've learned how to do it at the beach, we are very bohemian there, but haven't developed the hang of it camping yet.  But that will be my next dissertation...."Stuff"  I'm enjoying everyone's posts, I'm sure we all have "stuff" to write about.  Ha!  Suzglass