Fear of the dark

[taws6]

I guess this sounds kinda silly to some, but sometimes the darkness can be a lttle daunting (guess it's human nature).
How have you solo campers learned to deal with being on your own over night?
I know there's nothing really there, it's just fear trying to take over, and I know I'm in more danger in the towns etc, guess I've seen to many 'Blair witch', and 'Chain saw massacre' type films lol.....
Thanks for the advise

[verloc]

fire and the realisation that your probably the scariest thing in there

[Peter_t]

not silly at all, everybody was once scared of the dark (or still is).
i think i lost my fear because i always enjoyed walking alone and sometimes in winter it would get dark befor i was at home and eventualy i got used to it. now it doesnt reely bother me althow there still is the odd occation when you hear a noise that gives you the creeps lol

so i reccon slow exposure to it is best. go for lots of short walks but dont go strait into the dark but go late evening and let it get dark around you.

hope this helps
pete

[w00dsmoke]

Welcome Taws6

Social Anthropologists have debated for a long time whether there is an inherent fear of things likley to put us at risk and that these are somehow genetically built in, for example there is a universal fear of snakes across the world even in regions where snakes do not exist. Fear of the dark is similar.

The reality is that yes there are things that go bump in the dark but you need some knowledge and common sense to make a realistic assessment of what it "probably" is until you have the knowledge and skills to id the noise. The trick is to know whether it is animal or human. If it's animal you have no fear at all, if it's human, be very aware.
But realistically how reasonable is it to assume a person is going to be bumping around your well hidden camp at 3am? Very very small unless you are near lots of people. So if I were you I'd go out with a very big torch and that will give you the confidence to see what makes any noises and that will reassure you that everything is ok.

It's quite funny this topic as last week I was out fishing late one evening in a fairly remote area and there was a guy trying to hide from me about 800meters away on the other side of the loch. Then as I watched him through bino's he started howling like a wolf woooo oooooooooooooooooo eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee oooooooo
I kid you not and this jkept going for some time. It was quite unnerving. I packed up and started walking back and I had to walk past his side of the loch, anyway as soon as he saw me moving he stopped howling and ran like the devil up a forestry track and I heard a car driving away. I had seen a car on my way in and took a photo just incase...

Anway that's been my freakiest experience in a wee while, my only precaution was to pick up a cricket ball sized rock and put it in my smocj just incase he needed to get close to some geology pmsl.

[firecrest]

Its not silly, we have an inbuilt fear of darkness for good reasons in the past. I suppose the only way to get over it is to do it until you eventually calm down.

[Ruvio]

yep it's another case of practice makes perfect
unless you're a weirdo like me who prefers the dark...

[Melonfish]

whilst in the peaks me and col spied some eyes reflecting in the dark of the woods!
couldn't figure out what it was what with the sheep being on one side of the barb wire fence and not able to get into the plantation.
could have been anything i guess but meh didn't think twice about it, anything out there is more scared of me then i am of it. (except the midges)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GaKoCuobU

[Cobweb]

I prefer the dark as well, but that dosen't help you much.

Depending on where you are, I would suggest a big fire, that should keep any animals away and for the people side of things, keep your axe and knife handy will give you confidence.

If you are sneaky camping, then the chances of someone stumbling across you are minimal. Perhaps going out with a friend for a few nights will help you to overcome the fear, especially if the friend has been out on their tod as well, they can advise you on what's making a particular sound which could prove to be interesting.

Being afraid of the dark is not something to be ashamed about, it's natural

[Calculon]

Have you noticed how much more acute your hearing becomes, whilst sleeping alone in the middle of the woods in total darkness? I feel sometimes that my ears almost twitch like a cat's.

[dwardo]

Chant the mantra "you are the scary thing in the woods with axe"
I am a lot more wary walking through a town at night than the woods, and with good reason.

[Ian H]

I went solo camping last night for the first time. I went to a place I know and have been a few times with friends. Got there early to set up and collect wood and it was great. Although at around 1am 2 people walked past with a torch but that was the only thing that scared me (was fine once they walked past)

will be doing it again without doubt!

[phaserrifle]

I have only been honestly scared of the dark, or more precisely what may be in it, twice while on camp.

the first was when I decided to turn in early, after watching a film that the explorers had made the year before. it was called "duct tape" and was an attempt, only an attempt mind you, to create a scary, "psyco killer" type movie.
but when you are out in the same trees the film was filmed in, your torch dies, and you hear rustling........

the second time we where in a group, and from out of the dark comes what later turned out to be the cry of a mating fox. one girl ended up having a panic attack, and we all slept inside for that night (and the next)

[Prawnster]

I've had mild heebie-jeebies once or twice. Your senses are heightened in the woods anyway and then when you take sight away your mind plays tricks on you. Then it's difficult not to get that weird feeling up your spine that someone or something has crept up right behind you whilst you've been staring at the fire.

I agree with the mental technique of remembering you are easily the scariest thing in the woods (unless werewolf fantasies come into play).
I don't consider any of my cutting tools weapons but I suppose from a tactical point of view, if some crazed maniac wants to molest a wild-camper then he better prepare to get feather-sticked because I am armed to the teeth!

[sandbender]

"...and the realisation that your probably the scariest thing in there ..."

Not always the case...




This thread from a few years back is worth a look through.

[Ian H]

Also you could set up simple trip wires with cans for alarms. I got a link on my computer, I'll post it up later.

Although I'm sure you would be bricking it if a hedgehog or something daft set one off!!

[Shewie]

Get some nights out in a place you're familiar with, the further away from civilisation the better too. Even try and make an effort to go exploring in the dark and see what sort of creatures are making those dodgy noises.

[Lithril]

This is also a good thread to have a read through http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375


Matt

[mace242]

I used to have a serious fear of spiders. It was a thing from my childhood and sometimes they still give me the creeps. But if you spend enough time doing stuff where they are likely to end up near / on you then you eventually dont't care so much. I think for you the dark may be the same. You'll cure it by spending more time out in it. Try going for a lot of walks at night without planning to stay and then increase it. It'll work out in the end - did for me.

[cccc]

I guess this sounds kinda silly to some, but sometimes the darkness can be a lttle daunting (guess it's human nature).
How have you solo campers learned to deal with being on your own over night?
I know there's nothing really there, it's just fear trying to take over, and I know I'm in more danger in the towns etc, guess I've seen to many 'Blair witch', and 'Chain saw massacre' type films lol.....
Thanks for the advise

Interesting one, I haven't camped out solo much in recent years, but in the winter I do a fair bit of night cycling. My favourite routes tend to follow tracks in the local and not so local woods. I am normally the only one out there and once in a while the odd noises do get to me. I can remember two occasions, one when I had to repair a tyre and the other when I saw some odd green lights ( that turned out to be fallow deers eyes reflecting back my lights ).

Both times I was riding along fine, until the doubt / feeling crept in, then you start to hear things and the brain starts to race.

I can remember being pretty freaked out and nervous or what ever was near to me, just out of the torch light, but then logic started to kick in, I had a job to do ( mend tyre / not fall off etc ) and concentrating on this helped a lot. As soon as I got moving again, things seemed to calm and I could enjoy it all again.

I think I have had the same during the day when way out in the sticks, but you can see better then so its not as bad. I guess like a previous comment, theres not much worse than me out there, so does that mean I should worry more or less :-D

[Broch]

First thing - don't watch scary movies or documentaries about the moors panther before going out (especially don't watch Dog Soldiers if you're camping in Scotland).

Get to know what wild animals sound like at night - foxes, deer, and owls can all make very scary noises (does anyone know if there are any DVD's of those noises?).

Try to camp with something solid behind you - a tree or rock or something - it may not do any good but it makes you feel better if nothing can approach from behind.

Don't camp near bubbling streams or gushing rivers - it may sound nice but at night you cannot hear anything alse and that can be scary.

Above all don't allow your mind to dwell on the ugly possible - train yourself to daydream the delights of being out in the wilds whilst you stare at the bushcraft TV.

Cheers,

Broch

[Treemonk]

Some good animal noise recording here:

http://sounds.bl.uk/Browse.aspx?coll...choice=Mammals

[tobes01]

The only scary thing out there is other people. Normally doesn't bother me in the slightest, but the shoot estate on which I have permission to sleep has a problem with poachers, so I have my shotgun in the bivi bag with me, absolutely not for self defence, but to let the b*stards know that there's someone else out in the wood with them (and yes I have permission to have that there too). Also means I can go and get a bunny for tea :-)

[Goatboy]

Hmm, creepy stories round the campfire time.

I'm pretty much 100% behind the "...you're the scariest thing out there..." credo as it was taught to me. In the UK at least all humankind usually has to worry about is more human kind. Though remember dogs and cows don't mix, and deer get pretty wound up during the rut... enough to have a go and finish you off if they want too. ( Plus I knew a man who was pretty successfully eviscerated by a hare, but to be fair he had shot it first).

On to my campfire story. A number of years back I was camped at Loch Etchachan below Creagan a' Choire Etchachan ( it's right next to Beinn MacDuibu or Ben Macdui as its better known).

I set up my tent in the early evening on a slight rise near the water, good views all around, stunningly clear windless day. Cooked my tea over the Coleman multi-fuel I used those days, ate, tidied up and decided to relax for a while look at the view and read my book. ( You can do both, it's called savouring the time.

Decided to have an early night as it was a long walk out the next day. Warm night so lying on my sleeping bag reading 'till I doze off. I hear something hit the fly of my tent.

Brush it off as an insect or bird poo. Go back to my book. A couple of minutes later I hear it again. Put book down, can't see bird poo through the fly? It happens again, off to my side. Out of the tent... Is someone playing silly buggers? Look around, have a good 360 view of my surroundings for a good few hundred yards, and there's water covering a good proportion of that. I'm pretty good at finding hiding folk, worked with gamekeepers, have hunted, poached the odd rabbit. Pretty sure no-ones about, the only other folk I saw that day were this morning heading the other way in the distance.

Go back to the tent, not been in more than 10 minutes when it happens again... burst from the tent... Something definitely hit the tent. Nothing. Then remember stories of corvids dropping stones on things. Look up, not a sausage... no birds at all, Nada. Feeling slightly uneasy I head back inside as it's getting to-wards dusk.

Lie there, book tossed aside, waiting. And it seems not in vain, something small hits the left hand side of the tent, as I sit staring at nylon another thing hits the fly behind me. Now I'm officially concerned, burst out of tent to be confronted by....

Nothing. Think to myself whilst looking for non existent birds, maybe it's a loose guy line snapping about. No they're all secure and tight, and there's no wind anyway. Have a walk around to make sure no-one is playing silly persons and rather worriedly get back in the tent.

I'll shorten this down somewhat as pretty suffice to say, I spent the whole night awake, awake and bolt upright in the middle of my tent, facing the door ( why the door I don't know in a tent as it's all pretty flimsy) and I'm ashamed to say my knife in my hands. Anything coming through that door was getting it. The reason for this, for the whole night, and I do mean the whole night, sometimes every couple of minutes, sometimes for suspenses sake it would be up to a 15 minute gap, though sometimes in very quick succession, something would hit the fly of the tent, and usually from a different direction from the last.

I thought about making a bolt for it, but the nearest place is about 10 miles as the non-existing crows fly. And in the tent I had that childish head under the blanket feeling of safety.

As soon as it grew light enough ( everything was packed up way earlier believe me ) I grabbed my pack, scooted outside and collapsed the tent after a quick look 'round. While taking the tent down I noticed that there was an outline of little rocks like a mini drystane dyke in the shape of the tent. Something had been pitching pebbles at me all night after all. Tent was thrown into the sack and off I trotted at a much higher speed than is usually achieved.

No I've spent huge amounts of time living in the woods whilst doing research and just bumming around. I actually like the dark as I feel I've pretty good night vision and my other senses are pretty good. Not really scared of the thought of ghosts and boogles as well they aren't there to hurt you. But I was freaked that night, if it was a person, I'm sure I would've heard them shift position, and would they stay there all night?

Also some of the Scots may be thinking Ben Macdui!!! Well I hadn't been on there that day, and where I was, though close isn't really Ben Macdui - and I hadn't really heard of the Gray man at that point.

I still love being out at night, yeah sometimes things make me jump, but that happens during the day too. Just never been able to explain that night, and never camped near there since.

Cheers
Goatboy.

[tobes01]

Ooh I like that story. Nice one.

[Goatboy]

Cheers Tobes,
But at the time I was seriously thinking of new hobbies... and clean underwear.
GB

[JonathanD]

I have a similar story to that from two years ago. I fully recall staying wide awake all night sitting smack bang in the middle of my Akto facing the door with knife in hand, it was horrible. I didn't have pebbles chucked at me that night, but I did have freaky things happen. The first was quite early while reading a book and getting ready for a kip. Very clearly and heavily, a person dug their nails into my fly sheets and scraped their hand from top to bottom. To put it mildly, I shat myself. I was miles from anywhere, but what really freaked my out was my location. It is impossible in the place I camped, to walk without breaking twigs and stems loudly during the day let alone the night. I was in the middle of a damp wood next to a river and the terrain is littered with fallen trees, logs, branches etc. The nettles are four feet high, and navigation to my place is damned difficult if you know the place, and impossible without making noise.

Anyway, THAT happened, and I left it for a good five minutes listening for sound... nothing. Eventually I got up enough bottle to get out the tent and have a looksy. I have PNG's so was probably better equipped to track down and observe the offender than the offender was to observe me. I was sure that they were right next to the tent due to the silence. Got out and nothing. Not even in the distance with my PNG's. I looked around for fallen branches, and again, nothing. I crouched down out of sight and waited for the inevitable tell tale noise of movement that would happen, damned well nothing. Got back into my tent and did some serious talking to myself when it happened again. It was like the bloody Blair witch project. It happened four times that night and it was the most terrifying moments of my life. I only saw it happen once and the print was human sized, that really scared me. The sound was very loud and horrendous, as if the person/thing doing it had pointed nails. There was never a slightest sound of aproach or retreat, which is damned impossible with my senses being ultra attuned that night.

The next morning as soon as it was light, I was gone. Left the tent there until the afternoon and had friends with me. The really scary thing was that there was only my prints in the mud around the tent.... impossible. Every time I camp out alone, it is a mental battle to put his to the back of my mind.

[Goatboy]

I have a similar story to that from two years ago. I fully recall staying wide awake all knight sitting smack bang in the middle of my Akto facing the door with knife in hand, it was horrible. I didn't have pebbles chucked at me that night, but I did have freaky things happen. The first was quite early while reading a book and getting ready for a kip. Very clearly and heavily, a person dug their nails into my fly sheets and scraped their hand from top to bottom. To put it mildly, I shat myself. I was miles from anywhere, but what really freaked my out was my location. It is impossible in the place I camped, to walk without breaking twigs and stems loudly during the day let alone the night. I was in the middle of a damp wood next to a river and the terrain is littered with fallen trees, logs, branches etc. The nettles are four feet high, and navigation to my place is damned difficult if you know the place, and impossible without making noise.

Anyway, THAT happened, and I left it for a good five minutes listening for sound... nothing. Eventually I got up enough bottle to get out the tent and have a looksy. I have PNG's so was probably better equipped to track down and observe the offender than the offender was to observe me. I was sure that they were right next to the tent due to the silence. Got out and nothing. Not even in the distance with my PNG's. I looked around for fallen branches, and again, nothing. Got back into my tent and did some serious talking to myself when it happened again. It was like the bloody Blair with project. It happened four times that night and it was the most terrifying moments of my life. I only saw it happen once and the print was human sized, that really scared me. The sound was very loud and horrendous, as if the person/thing doing it had pointed nails. There was never a slightest sound of aproach or retreat, which is damned impossible with my senses being ultra attuned that night.

The next morning as soon as it was light, I was gone. Left the tent there until the afternoon and had friends with me. The really scary thing was that there was only my prints in the mud around the tent.... impossible. Every time I camp out alone, it is a mental battle to put his to the back of my mind.

Where were you?
We maybe aren't helping folks with this by the way
GB

[tobes01]

What the heck, this is great - love these tales

[JonathanD]

Where were you?
We maybe aren't helping folks with this by the way
GB

I was along a riverbank in Staffordshire near Kinver. Believe me, I've crouched in many hides in 'bandit country' when the local lads have been on the Jamesons, and the fear was nothing compared to this. trying to rationalise it in my mind as to what it could be and their intentions would not work. Id've given anything to have had my BHP that night I fully understand what you went through that night GB.

Don't worry folks, stuff like this is rare (that's what I keep telling myself anyway).

[Goatboy]

What the heck, this is great - love these tales

They are great, but it may scare the heck out've a I still go out there as I'm pretty sure that I'll survive... but if you said zombes I'd be locking myself in the house like a shot.
GB