Solo Women Campers/Hikers

[Aeryn]

Hi All,

I just registered on the forum and am glad to be here. I plan to teach myself to tent camp once the spring weather warms things up. I'm a single woman, and while I'm not terrified to camp alone, I'm not completely thrilled by the idea either. I'm the kind of person who enjoys my alone time, but being away from home and vulnerable does make me a little bit nervous.
I'd love to hear from other women who have gone or do go camping alone. Any thoughts or tips? Stories?
I hope to take my dog with me on occasion, and that will help with some of the anxiety, but there are places I'd like to go where I can't take him. Also - taking the dog presents its own problems. What in the world do I do with him when I go to the bathroom or shower?

Anyway, glad to be here and I hope to hear from you!

[lizrfoust]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

If you're just starting out tent camping, I would suggest to take a fellow girl friend along with you whose more used to tent camping just to help you get the feel and get comfortable pitching your tent and stuff like that. If you're going to be bringing your dog with you, make sure that he/she is always on a leash and kept secured in your campsite at all times.

[Shadow]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Immortal Ben can give you tips on dogs.. He takes his backpacking.. The dog has its own backpack even.

As far as being secure, there are lots of ways, from having the park Rangers stop by and check on you, to doing what I do, bring a gun, bowie knife, and my martial arts training with me. :D

As far as tent camping, I love it. I go alone, or bring my GF or one of my other female friends with me. It's nice having someone to help with stuff, and bond with, but I also love being there alone. It's a really nice experience just being by yourself.

Aside from reading stuff on the forums, the REI website has a lot of articles, checklists, videos, etc about camping. www.rei.com

Ask around among your friends if anyone likes camping and arrange a camping trip with them. Even an overnight trip will teach you lots. I've been camping for years, but just a couple new pieces of equipment forced me to go for an overnight just to test things and work out any kinks.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Aeryn, I tent camp & hike solo. I started by deciding one day I wanted an adventure; went to REI, bought a tent & sleeping bag; headed out to a state forest. I've been hooked since.

I started a blog about my (mis)adventures, fears, musings as a solo outdoor woman. I didn't keep up with my blog last summer but the posts I do have describe what I went experienced.
http://atplayinnature.blogspot.com/

I'm curious though. Since you said you weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of solo camping, why have you decided to do it?

We all would love to help and discuss with you!

[Aeryn]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Wow! Thanks for all of your responses!

My first trip is going to be with a group of women in a New York State Park. I am definitely going to do my best to learn tips and tricks from them. After that, I will try a short solo trip, probably to another state park fairly close to home. This way, I can try and be pretty sure that I will have the basics down before venturing further afield.

Shadow - sounds like you have lots of friends who like to camp. I don't though, so that's part of the reason I decided to venture out on my own. The other reason is simple economics. There are places I'd like to visit, but I can't afford to stay in hotels. It has been a rough twelve months financially, and I need to make sure I don't run myself into debt by spending lots on travel. Also - if I camp - I can often take my dog, something which isn't always allowed at hotels and B&Bs.

I think when I said I wasn't "thrilled" it's mostly my fears and anxieties talking. I don't really mind solo time. In fact, I often seek it out. In this case though, since there is a lot to learn, I am afraid that I might forget something (like how to put up my tent - lol) or have a scary encounter with a bear or have a scary encounter with a creepy guy or...you get the picture. None of these things is enough to stop me, but I am a stickler for planning and preparation, so I'm trying to think about this new adventure from every angle before I take it on!

Thanks so much for the links. I will read up!

Aeryn

[Shadow]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Aeryn, I tent camp & hike solo. I started by deciding one day I wanted an adventure; went to REI, bought a tent & sleeping bag; headed out to a state forest. I've been hooked since.

I started a blog about my (mis)adventures, fears, musings as a solo outdoor woman. I didn't keep up with my blog last summer but the posts I do have describe what I went experienced.
http://atplayinnature.blogspot.com/

I'm curious though. Since you said you weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of solo camping, why have you decided to do it?

We all would love to help and discuss with you!

Hey, 'll have to check out that blog too. As far as her solo camping, what I got from it was the idea of being "alone and vulnerable away from home". Mainly a security issue I expect.

[Aeryn]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Yes - that's it. I want to be prepared so that I can make myself as safe as possible.

[Shadow]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Yes - that's it. I want to be prepared so that I can make myself as safe as possible.

Yeah, check out the knowledge base on the REI site.. If you are worried about forgetting something, they have checklists for about everything there.

It's good to prepare for contingencies, but even things like a bear (or man) attack are not that hard to handle if you educate yourself and learn some skills.

[immortal_ben]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Hi Aeryn! I am the guy with the camping dog, lol. Glad to hear that you aren't about to let a bit of anxiety keep you from enjoying the great outdoors. I want to congratulate you on studying, asking questions, and being wary of your safety while alone.

Concerning safety, statistically speaking you are so much safer out in the woods than you are in any sizable city. Still, there is great wisdom in being prepared for the possibility of meeting some scum or animal out there. If you are the type to carry a handgun, I highly recommend doing so, and getting some training to that effect. Some people would rather not "pack heat" and that is fine as well. A nice can of bear spray would work on an errant human being as well as an unruly bruin. The main thing to remember if you take any item like that (including a stun gun) is that the item does you no good if it is snug in your backpack inside the tent while you are on your way to/from the potty. Those things need to be ready for use in a split second, and need to be practiced with. I was a police officer in the Army for eight years, and have 27 months in combat zones, so I know whereof I speak.

Are you planning to camp in campgrounds (I think you are, from reading your posts) or doing what is called "dispersed" or "primitive" camping? There are some separate considerations for either way you choose.

Hopefully your dog is well-behaved and knows basic commands. Otherwise, trying to deal with an unruly dog will just stress you out and ruin your adventure. Then, in campgrounds, like lizrfoust said, they will likely require you to keep your dog tethered to your site. Personally, I do not stay in campgrounds so I do not need to worry about that.

Taking a toy that your pooch loves is important. My dog loves to fetch sticks, but I do take a rope toy as well, because sometimes I camp where there really are no sticks to be found. A warm, comfortable bed is as comforting to your dog as it is to you, so I recently got my dog one of these... http://www.rei.com/product/803062/ru...hlands-dog-bed It is insulated, but I still put a cheapo blue foam pad under it.

[immortal_ben]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Now, I used to be concerned with little doggie paws tearing up the floor of my tent but have found that my worries were for naught. I simply place Dexter's bed right inside the door of the tent, and he knows he is not allowed to wander around elsewhere inside. He steps directly from the ground onto his bed, turns a few circles, lays down, and waits for me to cover him with his blanket if temps call for one. In fact, just today I got home from a 3 day, 2 night camping trip. Temps dropped into the high 30's at night, so in the tent all you could see of Dexter was the tip of his nose poking out from under his blanket, haha!

My dog is a true desert dog and gets chilly sometimes, so he has a fleece lined jacket. Then I also have boots for him when we are on nasty trails, going through tons of cactus (CURSE YOU, CHOYA!!), or trekking over hot sand. Yes, Dexter does have a backpack and he carries all of his own gear to include food and water. I also have some collapsible food and water bowels for him.

Camping with my little buddy is mostly awesome, but sometimes it's really a pain in the butt. If you are in a campground, you may need to leave your pooch staked out by your tent while you shower and potty. There may be no way around it because of campground rules.

If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask or even PM me. I check this forum usually two or three times a day, unless I'm out in the sticks..... I have been out three times already since Christmas...

[Aeryn]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Thanks so much! I plan to see how my dog Patrick reacts to the tent by setting it up in my backyard and encouraging him to come inside and rest with me. I hope to do like you and have a small area with a blankie where he will just lie down and sleep at night. The second time I take him out, it will be with a group of other women and their dogs, so I'm sure I will get tips from them about hiking and camping with their pups. For now, my plan when alone is to get to know the neighbors and ask them to keep an eye out on my campsite (and Patrick) while I do quick potty breaks. Otherwise, I will just tie him out or possibly even put him in the car with the windows open (depending on conditions).
I have been looking into boarding him at dog day-care type places near campgrounds I hope to visit. So - if I am in Acadia National Park, I can drop him off at day-care in the morning, take a hike or go kayaking then get a shower and go back to pick him up in the afternoon. After that, he and I can take a different hike and hang around the campsite. Patrick is 11, so he can't do long or difficult hikes anymore. But, I still want him with me and want him to have fun. He's the best!

[Aeryn]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Also - to your other points. I don't plan on carrying a handgun or even a big knife as I don't have any sort of training or idea what I would do with them. I do plan to sleep with a whistle next to me so that I could make lots of noise if that seemed like a good idea
I might also consider bear spray, but that would likely only be if I was planning to overnight in a place where I knew there were lots of bears around. Though I do recognize it would also be pretty effective against a non-friendly person!
For the first year I will almost definitely stay in campgrounds, so I anticipate that these sorts of anxieties will be minimal; but going forward I think I might decide to do some wilderness backpacking. In that case, I would want to have a good idea of how to defend myself against man and mouse!

[shawnbebout]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

If you are worried about forgetting stuff you have a couple of options. Your first trip can be closer to home or you can do a sake down night in the back yard. Just make your list and add anything that you have to go back in the house for. Plus it will tell you how your dog will react to sleeping in the tent.

[Carmen1979]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Just thought I'd chime in..I took my first solo camping trip this last weekend. I stayed at a campground that my family has camped at for years, I didn't want to head off to somewhere unfamiliar on my first trip by myself. I was surprised as I had no fear the entire trip..sometimes being out at night in the woods is creepy to me (perhaps odd for someone who likes to camp!) but I really never had much anxiety. OK I had anxiety when I couldn't get my fire to start, but I got it going eventually! PS..bring fire starters with you if you're new to building fires.

I carried a gun, but then I've done a lot of shooting and feel confidant with my skills in that area. There were only a couple other groups in the campground, but they seemed fine.

My only tip would be, prepare for it to be colder than you think it will be! I actually left earlier than I planned b/c I could not sleep due to the cold (it was in the 20's). For me that ruins it, so definitely overestimate what you'll need to deal with the cold! I left probably 10 hours early b/c I could not fall asleep at night, so I knew I was useless for hiking the next day, so I decided to go home and get some sleep. Luckily I was only a couple hours from my home. But even though I had to leave early I consider it a success b/c I managed to set up my tent, get my fire going, and hike and sleep over in the woods fear free (that was my main goal, to see if it would be too much for me anxiety wise). I"ll get the cold weather gear down for next time

[Hikenhunter]

Re: Solo Women Campers/Hikers

Aeryn, I too am a lone camper. Although I am a male I have some anxiety issues when I camp alone. My dog ,Copper, accompanies me as much as possible but generally I don't take him when I' camping in campgrounds because I know if I let him alone for even a short run to the bathroom, he will bark and possibly cause prblems with other campers or the camp hosts. If you are camping with another person then she could hold the dog while you go to the bathroom or for a shower. Believe it or not the best place to be with your dog is in the backcountry. That way he will always be with you andf in the off chance that there is a stranger about he will probably let you know.You will find, however, that the backcountry is a safer place than the campgrouns simply because there are fewer people out there and in most casesyou can set up camp away from the main trail. Good luck in your new adventures.