I have, indeed, gone camping like this before, though it’s been a few years since I’ve done anything solo. The last few times I’ve gone camping has been with a relative to campgrounds with showers and such amenities, as opposed to solo in a conservation area or along a trail, which is/was my goal for my next hike. My original motivation for the overnighter was to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything important about soloing, and that all my gear’s ready for longer trips.
I’m in the general Niagara area, and the city papers laud the local rescue teams whenever a tourist needs to get pulled out of the Niagara gorge, so as long as I can dial 911, I should be able to get rescued from any situation I get myself in that’s actually worth all this worrying about. The particular spot I’m thinking of going to (43.0911426, −79.284342) is roughly an hour’s walk from a city bus stop—half an hour’s walk from where I could wave to frequently passing cars, if my phone’s dead.
My plans for this whole trip have been to make it as simple and easy as possible. Amble down some trails for an hour or two, hang my hammock, cook my dinner, read my ebook, and amble on out the next day, enjoying the peace and quiet and so on. It’s the smallest step I can think of beyond camping in a backyard—and since I don’t have a backyard, it’s pretty much as far within my comfort zone as any camping could be. If /that’s/ now outside my comfort zone… then I’ve got a trunk full of camping gear that’s suddenly a lot less useful to me.
Sounds like it will be a blast. The nerves may just be from going solo then. Sounds like you know what your about though, so I’d just override any trepidation and go for it.
I did something similar a few weeks ago (admittedly with some friends). We were probably 40 miles from anywhere where we could flag down a car, and hiked into the woods several miles along the trail. My backpack broke inside the first mile, one of my friends slipped and fell into a stream, there were coyotes in the camp at night, and of course it rained. We all made it out sleepy sore and soggy the next, day but definitely felt better for having gone. Would do again.
I have, indeed, gone camping like this before, though it’s been a few years since I’ve done anything solo. The last few times I’ve gone camping has been with a relative to campgrounds with showers and such amenities, as opposed to solo in a conservation area or along a trail, which is/was my goal for my next hike. My original motivation for the overnighter was to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything important about soloing, and that all my gear’s ready for longer trips.
I’m in the general Niagara area, and the city papers laud the local rescue teams whenever a tourist needs to get pulled out of the Niagara gorge, so as long as I can dial 911, I should be able to get rescued from any situation I get myself in that’s actually worth all this worrying about. The particular spot I’m thinking of going to (43.0911426, −79.284342) is roughly an hour’s walk from a city bus stop—half an hour’s walk from where I could wave to frequently passing cars, if my phone’s dead.
My plans for this whole trip have been to make it as simple and easy as possible. Amble down some trails for an hour or two, hang my hammock, cook my dinner, read my ebook, and amble on out the next day, enjoying the peace and quiet and so on. It’s the smallest step I can think of beyond camping in a backyard—and since I don’t have a backyard, it’s pretty much as far within my comfort zone as any camping could be. If /that’s/ now outside my comfort zone… then I’ve got a trunk full of camping gear that’s suddenly a lot less useful to me.
Sounds like it will be a blast. The nerves may just be from going solo then. Sounds like you know what your about though, so I’d just override any trepidation and go for it.
I did something similar a few weeks ago (admittedly with some friends). We were probably 40 miles from anywhere where we could flag down a car, and hiked into the woods several miles along the trail. My backpack broke inside the first mile, one of my friends slipped and fell into a stream, there were coyotes in the camp at night, and of course it rained. We all made it out sleepy sore and soggy the next, day but definitely felt better for having gone. Would do again.
You’ll have a good time, no worries.