alone in the woods

**william#** · 10-10-2007, 19:58

ok here is a question
what you do when you are alone in the woods ?
esspecially when your out for more than one night .
your on your own you cooked and have all the camp things done do you just get in your bag or are there things you do ie read - go stalking through the woods or start texting everyone you know >?

**shep** · 10-10-2007, 20:03

I usually sit and make a big pile of shavings out of a piece of wood. Sometimes the bit left over looks nice, sometimes it ends up on the fire!

**Shewie** · 10-10-2007, 20:06

Depends really on what the weather`s doing or if I`ve anything in particular I want to do.
Sometimes I like to go for a mooch about and see what going on with the badgers and foxes at my permission.
To be honest though I usually just spend hours staring into the fire or sometimes read a book.

**Ogri the trog** · 10-10-2007, 20:52

I think the last thing to enter my mind would be texting my mates!
Bshcraft TV seems to be favourable at this time of year.

Ogri the trog

**commandocal** · 10-10-2007, 22:24

For me on my own i normally go for a ninja stalking walk about to see if i can see or hear anyone else that would be in the woods with me, I then go to my camp and camoflauge it again because by now i have night vision and set a few alarms up around my camp , I.e string with a tin and a few stones in - I do all this before i settle down and get the fire going because when im alone im very cautious and superstious about my safety, Then for the night i just plain and simple relax by the fire carving a branch in to some dodgy shape then throw it away on the fire and sometimes sing

then ring and text everyone i know and dont know and have awkwardly long conversation about nothing with them, and sometimes if i bring a collection of grub i see if i can make a big stew or broth with it

I swear if you stumbled onto me when i was camping alone you would think i was a mad man

( Not that i am ofcourse

)

**Lodian** · 10-10-2007, 22:59

I plan to on he 15th and 16th go for my first time on my own. (dog coming)I plan to take a book and try a few things in it and go on a Fungi and herb search.

Also there is plain evidence of Deer there Partly because its other name is "Forest of Deer" and there number 2s are left everywere, and the pile of photos that exist of them.
There is also a Puma apparntly there and there is photographic evidence.
So it will be a "fun " experience.

**stotRE** · 10-10-2007, 23:11

I like to sit there,fire blazing,hot brew in hand and listen to the forest.

I am usually asleep in no time.

**British Red** · 10-10-2007, 23:30

I have a small radio with a single earpiece (nowt fancy here) and have been known to swing in me hammock with a brew listening to "A book at bedtime" on Radio 4. A good book, read outdoors is a great thing too. I usually have one but often it only gets opened if it rains. Otherwise its bimble with the camera, gather wood, purify water, dwell over making silly elaborate meals (chilli is a great one - I can spend 2 hours on a chilli and frying tortillas etc,), spot some wildlife, taking my time. I right up for slow paced bushcraft these days - I can spend a day just setting camp!

Red

**william#** · 10-10-2007, 23:36

phew so far seems like we are all doing the same things - comando lol yeh i end up often on a stalking around ninja style .
i also tend to get a lot of sleep paralasys and lucid dreaming when im sleeping out too

in the summer months i often sit there making cordage

havnt tried a radio yet might take one next time im out for a few days (which might be from tommorow).

**BOD** · 11-10-2007, 01:45

Originally Posted by william#

ok here is a question
what you do when you are alone in the woods ?
esspecially when your out for more than one night .
your on your own you cooked and have all the camp things done do you just get in your bag or are there things you do ie read - go stalking through the woods or start texting everyone you know >?

Good question.

Usually have a brew or 2 or 3. Listen to the forest. put wood on fire. bank up fire for the morning. Lie in hammock thinking then go for a wee in the middle of the night.

Not overly wise to walk away from camp at night in the jungle as I normally do not go anywhere near campsites. I think it is what you call wild camping

No phone reception usually and I do not bring a radio or music so I talk to the dog sometimes (does this count as alone?).

When the dog starts speaking its time to head home!

**Wayne** · 11-10-2007, 02:15

I tend to drink far too much coffee so I only sleep a few hours each night.

When camping alone I enjoy carving projects and listening to the woods

Night time in the woods is my favourite Owls, Badgers, Foxes etc.

**william#** · 11-10-2007, 07:58

more often than not i am not somewhere i can have a fire (or least not near where i can set up camp) which is annoying as a fire is the best tv . i was out for four days about 10 days ago thought it was a bit to cold for hammock so it was bivi bag and tarp affair - i tended to wake up every hour or so mooch around then sleep again though woke up at one point with a big slug crawling up the side of my neck (hopefully i can get out today for 3 to four days gona use hammock).will take rm book and see if i can find a mini radio as well . i already know i will be stalking round ninja(sued o) style too .
im kinda kicking myself as well as i had the chance on a good deal on night vision headset 6mths ago wish i had gone for it as would of given a new dimension to moving around the woods especially when there is no moon .
im not a big reader these days though have been dipping into one of my rm books recently as ever rm inspires have found , though i hate to admit it , that even just a chapter or even a few pages of rm can be inspiring while out its like having a mate there with you reminding you why the hell you are sitting out in a dark wood alone and not on the sofa watching scrubs.
i have gathered a lot of injuries over the years and in the outdoors ,as i imagine most here have found,when yu have energy and feeling strong it can feel amazing out even in the hardest of conditions. though when an injury comes back to haunt you things get pretty hard pretty quickly i wonder how our ancestors dealt with this .
though i have to admit that sometimes i just walk in set up a camp and just mooch around camp which is relaxing despite injury's (but i do not have to look for food i have rat packs in sack).
i suppose the purpose of this thread is because i am out at least a night or two every week at the moment and am finding the same kinda stuff coming up out there alone . often on the first night. i get very lonely for a bit confused why ive done this to myself again asking why the hell am i not in the pub lol.
i go through elation to terror and back again i can find myself hunched by a tree for an hour in the most peaceful state that i would pass as a bud hist monk to massive tv withdrawals you would think i was a cold turkey addict . but year in year out i keep doing it to myself .
seems a lot of people get similar so it seems quite norm i really think a fire help immensely though it can also give away your position which your hidden silence can often give you a sense of safety too .
also for years i have heard the same noises at night i have found out a lot of the sounds but some still elude me .

ps
wayne
Know The Wisdom Of Patience During Times OF Inactivity.
ty top tip !

**Emma** · 11-10-2007, 17:18

My three major things to do are eating, listening and thinking (though eating is seasonal depending on what's around). If I get restless then I'll read, or sing, or climb trees. Or poke about in the undergrowth to find interesting little insects or other creepy-crawlies (if dark, then interesting textures of leaflitter, or guess the leaf from the shape and feel). If I get bored of all of the above, well I could always clean my boots or do some physio stretches...

**PJMCBear** · 11-10-2007, 17:50

I'll either read a book or do nothing. "Nothing" as in sit by a small fire and come to, hours later wondering what happened in the 3 hours you've just missed.

**Pablo** · 11-10-2007, 18:10

I love walking about at night. There's a lot to see (if you can) and whatever moonlight is available puts a whole new aspect on things. You have to necesssarily go very slowly so it's good practice for stalking. It's quite a challenge finding your way back. I often get lost coming back into camp but I try not to use white light if I can help it.

Once back in camp, I stoke up the fire (or light the hobo stove), kick back, put the sharp shiny things away and have a wee snifter of brandy or port and listen to the wood and the fire. It's not long before I'm wriggling into the hammock.

This for me is the best part of the trip.

Pablo.

**spamel** · 11-10-2007, 18:12

Originally Posted by PJMCBear

I'll either read a book or do nothing. "Nothing" as in sit by a small fire and come to, hours later wondering what happened in the 3 hours you've just missed.

....And notice that drinking those bottles of booze that are now empty is what has happened! Hic!!

**SOAR** · 11-10-2007, 18:23

I normally like to carve or just sit and enjoy the silence trying to listen to the wildlife, or relax with good old Radio 4 with a good drink.

Simon.

**woodstock** · 11-10-2007, 20:46

After dark I normally lay in my hammock watching the stars and listening to the night and the crackle from the fire when I eventually nod off I sleep like a log, I always sleep better out than in

**dwardo** · 12-10-2007, 11:50

Same as most of you guys really..

I like to sit and watch the fire with a favourite tipple and maybe catch something on radio4 like a good play/story or read a book. I tend not to read large novels/stories more wildwoods or other bushcrafty type things as they can give me ideas for things to try the next morning.

But as above mostly just smile like a mad man and giggle to my self whilst staring at the fire...

**pothunter** · 12-10-2007, 12:01

William#

I watched a program a few years ago about 'Peat Marsh' a bronze age body found in a Somerset peat bog. He had some tattoos that had no aparent significance until someone sugesteed that they coincided with acupuncture points. This may have been one method that they used.

Pothunter.

**Chris G** · 12-10-2007, 12:59

I thought that those stripy tats were on the chap from the alps?

**mazeman** · 12-10-2007, 14:08

Originally Posted by pothunter

William#

I watched a program a few years ago about 'Peat Marsh' a bronze age body found in a Somerset peat bog. He had some tattoos that had no aparent significance until someone sugesteed that they coincided with acupuncture points. This may have been one method that they used.

Pothunter.

Maybe he was a bushcrafter with a low boredom threshhold.

**Hoodoo** · 12-10-2007, 16:11

I'm a biologist. I'm never at a loss for something to do in the woods. Field guides, binos, and a handlens and I have all I need to keep me occupied.

**mayfly** · 12-10-2007, 18:31

If it's fine, I like to find a decent opening in the canopy, get well wrapped up, and star gaze. There is so much out there to think about, I find this very therapeutic! Deep in the woods, there is very little light pollution which helps a great deal. Chris

**crazyclimber** · 12-10-2007, 22:40

for me the same as most others here I think. Depends on a lot of things. I still spend more nights on mountains than I do in woods, which is where more artificial entertainment comes in. On the hills I'll tend to snuggle into a sleeping bag, read a book or listen to language CDs on an mp3 player. In the woods I often take a walk, enjoy the wildlife and the scenery. Sometimes play games - see how quietly I can move, how close I can get to X without it seeing me, etc.
Also like Mayfly said, lie down and watch the sky above

It's wonderful at this time of year; dark early, meteor showers, watching the satellites going over...
The strange thing is, at home I can get bored, whereas in the outdoors I never seem to

**Carcajou Garou** · 13-10-2007, 01:46

Mend and repair, plan out the morrow, sit by the fire and dream, listen to some music, read, listen to the night and watch the stars, remember.

**traderran** · 13-10-2007, 06:50

With us it is in the sack by dark an up at the crack of day to start hunting.

**woodstock** · 17-10-2007, 22:09

Originally Posted by commandocal

For me on my own i normally go for a ninja stalking walk about to see if i can see or hear anyone else that would be in the woods with me, I then go to my camp and camoflauge it again because by now i have night vision and set a few alarms up around my camp , I.e string with a tin and a few stones in - I do all this before i settle down and get the fire going because when im alone im very cautious and superstious about my safety, Then for the night i just plain and simple relax by the fire carving a branch in to some dodgy shape then throw it away on the fire and sometimes sing

then ring and text everyone i know and dont know and have awkwardly long conversation about nothing with them, and sometimes if i bring a collection of grub i see if i can make a big stew or broth with it

I swear if you stumbled onto me when i was camping alone you would think i was a mad man

( Not that i am ofcourse

)

Are you by any chance in a Theatre of War at the moment either for real or imaginary nothing wrong with the latter just wondered

nothing wrong with keeping yourself safesafe

**commandocal** · 17-10-2007, 22:41

Well i will be soon

, Just my area i have a 1 mile area of woods literally you can walk from 1 end to the other in 5 minutes and i come from a town where you have to keep safe or you going to get stabbed, aha, Example, when i first started camping i just bunked down anywhere, Some yobs ( teenage chav dickheads as they are called ) saw my fire while they where walking through the woods in their big group getting drunk one night and found my camp started causing **** and i was just with my mate, luckily we dont take any crap and they realised and buggered off, but i say if im on my own and a group comes and they find my asleep or switched off ive had it havnt i? I mean nowdays you fight back YOUR in the wrong, so i like to take the precatiuon. :P

**Sickboy** · 17-10-2007, 23:41

Just spent a week by myself in the woods and spent the entire time collecting, splitting, drying, swigging (cold martell) and eating! Its good to be alone, saves argument's and stress

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