My first solo hammock trip

[SierraNevada]

Nothing like some peace and quiet

[cmoulder]

Not that I'm advocating fer or agin, but arriving after dark and packing up before dawn are key to successful stealth camping.

[Bammacker]

I agree with a few others. You may not partake, but a couple of shots of grampa’s ole cough medicine seems to settle the nerves a bit for me. I never overdo it, especially on solo trips, but a little does take care of that unnecessary worry.

[Nodust]

I really enjoy solo camping. I started because my shift schedule never matched with someone to go with me. Now it’s almost my preferred trips.

Trash stays with food bag. Normally use a ziplock that had my first meal in it.

Widow makers are tough to spot at night. I’m fairly minimal camper. But carry a good headlamp that can shine tree tops. Sometimes widow makers are just tough to spot though.

Good job on first solo. It gets funner each trip.


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[Slack Packhiker]

I hiked the AT solo for a month Fall ‘16. Never again. I usually saw 1-2 people on the trail in 24 hrs. Plus water was iffy. 2-3 days solo hiking would be okay though.
Most of the time I was close to shelters, but not always. Those nights were scary. Ear plugs? Not me, I listen hard for snapping branches, etc.

TallPaul, while checking my Guthook app on that trip, I saw that you had commented on a particular gap. I think it was about water.
We were within hours of one another. It would have been so cool to at least spend a few minutes chatting.

[Mountnormal]

My first solo night out in my hammock I heard several animals but could identify what they were so I felt OK with them...*splash* "That's probably those muskrats I saw earlier"..*hoot* "Cool, an owl".."Potter patter/scuffle* "A mouse on top of my bicycle pannier"...but then I heard a growly, grumble, snorty sound...I told my self that it was a deer grunting but after much online investigation afterward I'm 93% sure that it may have been a cougar. They have recently been spotted in Wisconsin. I heard the noise on and off for about an hour despite my loud whistling and my verbal suggestions to "Hey! Get on outta here now!" (said with my best Cajun accent). Luckily it started to downpour and thunder/lightning moved in...I was then able to sleep soundly...at least until I had to pack up my bike and pedal 35 miles home in the rain. All on all I'm glad I didn't get my jugular ripped out by whatever was making that noise.

[johnspenn]

I've only been solo once so far. Even when I'm out with my wife I still seem to hear everything, and being solo didn't make it worse or better. Either way, I think TallPaul mentioned above- I feel like I'm awake a lot overnight but I always feel refreshed in the morning.

I've never heard a fox like above but screech owls can make quite a racket haha. I love the sounds of frogs and the symphony of cicadas in the summertime too.

As mentioned, I keep my trash in a ziplock from my first lunch or dinner and hang it with my food.

It's normal IMO to be sensitive to sounds out in the wilds. I might take some vitamin "I" after a hard day of hiking but I don't take sleep aids whether pill or liquid form, and when I'm awake in the middle of the night instead of grumbling because i can't sleep i just enjoy the wilderness experience. It's a mindset thing because when I'm home and can't sleep i grumble lol.

Get back out there and listen! Good job.