Member Blog Post / The Ultralight Life

Camping Away From Everything Else

by Ryan Jordan

May 26, 2021

I love camping in really remote places.

I think the reason for this is related to two things.

One, I have a pretty hardcore type-A, driven personality, and I have a strong need (a drive) for contrast. Quiet and not feeling like I have to do anything provide that contrast. It’s unnerving for the first few hours, or days even. But then it’s a pretty incredible feeling.

Two, I’m generally pretty introverted and enjoy turning everything off from time to time to heal and recover from over-stimulation. I’m pretty sensitive and overwhelmed by noise, people, machines, traffic, paperwork, clutter. Going the opposite direction from all of those things is something I crave more often than I’m willing to admit.

Discussion

This topic has 10 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 10 months ago by Geoff Caplan.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

Author

Posts
May 26, 2021 at 5:31 pm #3716081

Ryan Jordan
Admin

@ryan
Locale: Central Rockies

Companion forum thread to: Camping Away From Everything Else

I love camping in really remote places. I think the reason for this is related to two things. One, I have a pretty hardcore type-A, driven personality

Jun 1, 2021 at 9:56 am #3716529

Keith Johnson
BPL Member

@crossingzion

Absolutely agree. Same animal. I heal in the wild places.

Jun 1, 2021 at 10:32 am #3716533

Marcus
BPL Member

@mcimes

I’m 100% on board with this. Car camping in a busy campground is hardly a get away to me. Nothing is more annoying than waking up to the jackass with a Harley rolling out of camp at 6am for a sunrise cruise.

My favorite spot is at a secret watering hole and I often can camp a weekend in the off season without seeing anyone at all.

Highly trafficked trails are a little better, but still feel like a city without buildings. Even moderately trafficked trails trails have a different feel than low traffic.

By far, I prefer trails where I can count the number of hikers passed on one hand, maybe 2. I’m lucky to live close to the Los Padres forest which is pretty easy to find low-traffic trails and camp spots, although the well known watering holes are crowded in the summer.

Jun 1, 2021 at 10:42 am #3716535

Keith Johnson
BPL Member

@crossingzion

In the Cascades (if you don’t go super deep) we now have happy backpackers who insist on finding the largest logs they can and burning them in a must have campfire and then leaving the massive charred remains for us Leave No Trace advocates to stumble upon. There has to be a movie where this was done, and we all know how movies about the wilds represent a fictional (comical?) version of what the rest of us do. I keep trying to educate as I go… but best to just head deeper where they ain’t.

Jun 1, 2021 at 11:39 am #3716540

Tipi Walter
BPL Member

@tipiwalter

Some delusional people call going out with a 40 foot RV “Camping”. Backpacking Camping is a whole other beast.

A news show once said “walking has been engineered out of American society”—which means if you can walk and carry all your gear and find some rugged backcountry you probably won’t see anyone as 99% of Americans are indoors and/or rolling—and there’s nothing much worse than a Rolling American.

Jun 1, 2021 at 1:51 pm #3716556

jscott
BPL Member

@book
Locale: Northern California

I like camping in remote places too. However, as I most often hike alone, I really don’t mind a bit of human interaction on the trail.

I usually get pretty far into the moutains; the people I encounter there tend to be pretty dedicated and usually interesting. I don’t find the occasional presence of other people ruins my sense of the wildness and beauty of a place. In any case the notion that a place is more ‘mine and mine alone’ is a bit of a fantasy.

Of course loud groups are murder. Boy scout troops…oof.

Jun 1, 2021 at 1:55 pm #3716557

Keith Johnson
BPL Member

@crossingzion

I love meeting folks in the deep. Awesome people. Fun to visit with. 8 hrs alone on a trail is enough time to make kind company seem special.

Jun 2, 2021 at 5:46 am #3716665

jimmyjam
BPL Member

@jimmyjam
Locale: Mid Atlantic

Definitely agree. I am lucky to live only 100 miles from the Shenandoah National Park and although it is a popular park I have several “get away” spots that I head to for a night for a quick recharge and recovery where I know my chances of seeing more than one or two people are slim, especially during the week when I usually go. I always return home feeling much better having been able to get away even if it’s just for a night.

Jun 2, 2021 at 6:41 am #3716671

James Marco
BPL Member

@jamesdmarco
Locale: Finger Lakes

Yup!

Jun 2, 2021 at 7:09 pm #3716884

Josh J
BPL Member

@uahiker

I love remote camping, my wife doesn’t understand. I’m an introvert, don’t mind being by myself or 1 other person at all. Parties, big cities overwhelm me.

Unfortunately I live in the worst place for remote camping, it’s almost hell

Jun 3, 2021 at 1:49 pm #3717008

Geoff Caplan
BPL Member

@geoffcaplan
Locale: Lake District, Cumbria

Oh boy – this rings true for me.

And all it takes is a little imagination.

I live in the English Lake District – a legendary hill area that’s a magnet for the harassed residents of the many nearby cities. Lancaster is 20 minutes away – it’s hardly remote.

But campers tend to cluster around the honeypot locations like Angle Tarn – attractive and relatively accessible. On a typical sunny evening in summer evening it will be crowded.

But just think a bit differently and you can find dozens of deserted spots away from the crowds. Or go out in wild weather. Or go out in winter.

If you can find solitude in the Lake District, you can find it pretty much anywhere.
Author

Posts

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Become a Backpacking Light Member

Forum Access

Unrestricted access to all forums, plus the ability to post and start new threads.

Premium Content

Unrestricted access to all 2,300+ articles, gear reviews, skills, stories, and more.

Community Posts

Post new content to the community including gear swaps, reviews, trip reports and more!

Online Education

Get unlimited access to all our online education (*Unlimited membership required).

Pack less. Be more. Become a member today!

Get Started