I’ve been planning an overnight camping trip for sometime this week; but something about the idea is making me feel… disquiet. Uneasy. I can’t figure out why; I’ve got a nice set of equipment, I have people who know where I’m going, and so on. But I can’t shake something resembling an “ugh field” that eases when I think of /not/ taking the trip.
And so, I’m concluding that the rational thing to do is to pay attention to my gut, on the chance that one part of my mind is aware of some detail that the rest of my mind hasn’t figured out, and postpone my camping trip until I’m feeling more self-assured about the whole thing.
Hm. I have been camping quite a few times, but would not really be comfortable camping alone. Might be true for you as well due to perceived lowering of risk.
ETA: This is more of a preference thing for me than an actual concern thing.
Don’t worry, I’ve got the essentials. And enough luxuries, like a folding solar panel, that I could head out for a week or more, if I were so inclined, and bought an upgrade to my cellphone dataplan.
Considering from various perspectives, a trip to some nearby city and staying at an Airbnb or hotel raises more interest than disquiet; so it seems to be something about going camping, rather than taking a trip, which is bothering me. An imagined day-hike only raises questions about transportation, not unease, so it seems to be something about overnighting. Cooking? Water source? Sleeping? First-aid kit? Emergency plans in case of zombie outbreak (or more probable disasters)? I can’t quite put my finger on it.
And since almost the whole point of such a trip is to /improve/ my psychological condition by the end of it, I’m starting to feel a tad annoyed at myself for being less than clear about my motivations to me. :P
After some further mental gymnastics, the plan I’ve come up with which seems to most greatly reduce the disquiet is to buy a backup cellphone, small enough to turn off, stick in a pocket and forget about until I drop my smartphone in a stream. Something along the lines of taking one of the watchphones from http://www.dx.com/s/850%2b1900?category=529&PriceSort=up and snipping off the wristband, or one of the smaller entries in http://www.dx.com/s/850%2b1900?PriceSort=up&category=531 ; along with the $25/year plan from http://www.speakout7eleven.ca/ . Something on the order of $65 to $85 seems a moderate price for peace of mind.
I am, however, going to take at least a day before placing any such order, to find out if such a plan still seems like it /will/ offer increased peace of mind. Not to mention, whether I can come up with (or get suggestions for) any plans which reveal that my actual disquiet arises from some other cause.
Have you gone camping like this before? If you have, were you by yourself when you did? I’m just trying to eliminate the source of your unease being something simple like stepping out of your comfort zone.
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.
Acting on A Gut Feeling
I’ve been planning an overnight camping trip for sometime this week; but something about the idea is making me feel… disquiet. Uneasy. I can’t figure out why; I’ve got a nice set of equipment, I have people who know where I’m going, and so on. But I can’t shake something resembling an “ugh field” that eases when I think of /not/ taking the trip.
And so, I’m concluding that the rational thing to do is to pay attention to my gut, on the chance that one part of my mind is aware of some detail that the rest of my mind hasn’t figured out, and postpone my camping trip until I’m feeling more self-assured about the whole thing.
Hm. I have been camping quite a few times, but would not really be comfortable camping alone. Might be true for you as well due to perceived lowering of risk.
ETA: This is more of a preference thing for me than an actual concern thing.
It is because you forgot to pack TP. Bring TP and things will be ok.
:)
Don’t worry, I’ve got the essentials. And enough luxuries, like a folding solar panel, that I could head out for a week or more, if I were so inclined, and bought an upgrade to my cellphone dataplan.
Considering from various perspectives, a trip to some nearby city and staying at an Airbnb or hotel raises more interest than disquiet; so it seems to be something about going camping, rather than taking a trip, which is bothering me. An imagined day-hike only raises questions about transportation, not unease, so it seems to be something about overnighting. Cooking? Water source? Sleeping? First-aid kit? Emergency plans in case of zombie outbreak (or more probable disasters)? I can’t quite put my finger on it.
And since almost the whole point of such a trip is to /improve/ my psychological condition by the end of it, I’m starting to feel a tad annoyed at myself for being less than clear about my motivations to me. :P
After some further mental gymnastics, the plan I’ve come up with which seems to most greatly reduce the disquiet is to buy a backup cellphone, small enough to turn off, stick in a pocket and forget about until I drop my smartphone in a stream. Something along the lines of taking one of the watchphones from http://www.dx.com/s/850%2b1900?category=529&PriceSort=up and snipping off the wristband, or one of the smaller entries in http://www.dx.com/s/850%2b1900?PriceSort=up&category=531 ; along with the $25/year plan from http://www.speakout7eleven.ca/ . Something on the order of $65 to $85 seems a moderate price for peace of mind.
I am, however, going to take at least a day before placing any such order, to find out if such a plan still seems like it /will/ offer increased peace of mind. Not to mention, whether I can come up with (or get suggestions for) any plans which reveal that my actual disquiet arises from some other cause.
Have you gone camping like this before? If you have, were you by yourself when you did? I’m just trying to eliminate the source of your unease being something simple like stepping out of your comfort zone.
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.