High Sierra Topix

It was no particular song I just made it up as I went. I came across a bear playing with a pine cone but did not see me. After watching it for a bit I began whistling a song which the bear did not seem to know which direction it was coming from. It looked off in the distance in a manor that suggested what the hell is that? When it finally saw me it seemed to take on a posture of "another stupid human making annoying noises" and finally walked off on it's way.

"...if you go out in the woods today, be sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise... "

Being alone in wild nature has always been something I love. But then I am also an introvert. The only person I go camping with at this point is my wife who is also an introvert. We enjoy sitting in silence together watching and listening to the water, sky, and trees. There's an unspoken communication between us. I also spend a lot of time with photography, which is essentially a solitary pursuit. My wife and I are also both writers. When we hike, she carries a pen and a piece of paper and scribbles down random thoughts. In campsites, I like nothing better than sitting looking at the scenery and writing pages of random thoughts in a notebook. It’s therapy for me. I’ve been clinically diagnosed with depression. Being alone or with my wife in nature is the best therapy I know.

We all have different reasons and go through different emotions when hiking solo. I go to be alone with God in his creation when searching for clarity and answers. Focusing on him in prayer while hiking and a waterproof bible has been my best backpacking tool but I sure don't enjoy cold mornings when alone, seems human company raises the temperature!

shane

I'm another one that has spent much of my adult life living alone and learned from a young age not to let it bother me. Though note I come from a family with 5 younger brothers and one sister so grew up in a "community" and always had friends in school years. And as a hi tech working person over a few decades here in Silicon Valley especially in engineering groups have been up to my neck in communicating with others to the point I enjoy the quiet times. In fact I infrequently play background music or watch much tv when home because I enjoy quiet instead preferring reading non-fiction science and technical books or dealing with my never ending photography chores like post processing.

I do recall one time as a twenty-something feeling rather lonely out in the remote northwest Yosemite backcountry to the point it did shorten that trip. So maybe all of us have the capacity to feel lonely at times. The fact is during solo backpacking trips, I'm usually always so busy, I have little time to think about being lonely. That is despite the fact I primarily semi-basecamp thus am more often not on a trail hiking to the next destination. In any case I do prefer being with others in the backcountry versus solo if other persons are enthusiastic and can carry an intelligent balanced conversation.

I do get lonely sometimes in camp, but it isn't an issue. I would rather be alone in most situations, simply because my friends or family that I backpack with just want to walk a ways and then camp, where as I am all about getting into and exploring the high country, and finding out whats over the next ridge. The only time I get to hike my own hike is when I am solo. Therefore I solo on almost all my trips now a days.

The mountains are enough for me to keep me busy and entertained.

I usually hike solo for a couple of reasons. First is that there is usually no one to go with me. However, what I found out rather quickly is that I enjoy going solo because as a pastor, I deal with people all the time. Solo backpacking is a way to get away from all of that, clear my mind, and allow the beauty of God's creation to put my focus on Him. When I do that it refreshes my soul in ways that I have not experienced otherwise. Silence and solitude are two of the spiritual disciplines and are very hard to find while off the mountain.

The only time I have ever felt lonely was at Iceland Lake (Emigrant Wilderness) the Saturday that the Rim Fire broke out. I was camped on the Western side and sat for over an hour (might have been two) watching the most magnificent display of Alpine Glow on the Eastern wall of white granite. It was beyond a doubt the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (well except for my bride on our wedding day). The loneliness was because there was no one to share it with. I must have taken a 100 pictures of the ever changing view that evening. I wish that I could share those with you but somewhere on the way down the drainage to Relief Creek I lost the camera.

I was really impressed by how thoughtful the responses to this have been. I did the large majority of my trips with other people because by in large human beings, we a scoical creatures and I certainly am also. I went on trips by myself only because at times none of my friends had the time go when I did. The longest trip I took by myself was 9 days from Kiings Canyon over avalanche, over colby and over lucy's foot. The longest I ever went without seeing any body was, I think, 4 days. I only felt really lonely during the evenings. I think this was because when I was cross country and it's late in the day I knew that no matter what I did I couldn't see or talk to anybody that day.

Wandering Daisy wrote: here in the Sierra, so few places allow dogs.

I'd guess about half the Sierra is National Forest, dogs are allowed there.

Come north.