Solo Backpacking

I’ve backpacked solo for so many decades now that it seems odd to me when I have others along. Solo backpacking off trail in remote areas can be a ‘vision quest’ if you are in that fame of mind… a week long meditation. When I am on trail, I actually meet and talk to more people when I am in a group. And I see more wildlife when solo because I am not doing so much jabbering that the wildlife hears us coming. In general, when solo, I just notice more of everything… flowers, water, sounds, the feel of the breeze, the texture of the rock and soil… and directions/route… the only times I ever get lost is when walking along mindlessly jabbering with my hiking partner… aka, not paying attention… not having situational awareness…

Asleep under the stars in Yosemite many years past, small scuffling and sniffing noises woke me from a deep sleep. How lucky I was to just open my eyes without otherwise moving! The skunk and I gazed deeply into each other’s eyes through about a 4 inch distance, then it quietly turned and waddled away.