Alone in the dark...

[Jay H]

In addition to using hoods when raining in this thread, I have decided that staying in a leanto alone in the night is also freaky. Seems like most times, at least in the summer, there is always another person or of course, friends but spent the night at Mink Hollow LT in the catskills by myself Friday night. I mean, between the yips of a really close by coyote and wondering if I'd get visited by the friendly (year right!) Catskills porcupine, every little noise gets analyzed by my mind into various categories:

1)Small creature going bump in the night
2)Ghoul or goblin about to attack me
3)porcupine nibbling on the leanto/sleeping bag/head
4)Ralph Ryndak working on the grid at night.

In any case, all that analyzing means that one isn't sleeping and dreaming of sugar plum faeries or perhaps a new flavor of Ben&Jerrys.

...and even more strange than that, is the next day, I wake up completely refreshed as if I slept like a log, even though I wonder how many times I poked my head up and expected to see some strange catskills beast nibbling at my feet.

Jay

 

[trailbiscuit]

I'd rather be alone in a shelter than next to a dude going full blast all night on the snore-aphone!

 

[Pete_Hickey]

...I have decided that staying in a leanto alone in the night is also freaky.

It doesn't usually bother me, but one time it did. Just before going on a several day backpacking trip, I picked up a book. I decided to bring that book with my. It was late October, so I wouldn't have much to do evenings, but read.

I didn't choose the best book. It was Herraro's, "Bear Attacks: causes and avoidence"

I was reading the chaopter about black bears. Reading about how, while it is rare, black bears will occationally try to eat someone. Reading a report of a survivor telling about he could HEAR the sound of the bears teeth grinding on his bones.

While I was reading this, a mouse ran across my head.


I gave up reading in lean-tos.

 

[MattC]

Dreams

My mind doesn't play a lot of tricks when I'm awake, but once I'm sleeping, it's a whole new ballgame. I sometimes have weird dreams when I'm sleeping out in the backcountry alone. I'll awaken and then fall back asleep fairly quickly, and sometimes go into that really light sleep, half-awake, half-dreaming mode, which is especially weird.

At Diamond Notch a couple weeks ago, I dreamed that there were people passing by on the trail-first some one walking their dog w/ a flashlight, then a jeep or truck or something driving by! Maybe I thought I was at a campground or something.
The same night I dreamed that there was something making noises outside of my tent. I woke up, listened for a moment, heard nothing and went back to sleep. At least I think I was dreaming! I imagine one might get used to sleeping out doors with repeated nights out there. I have yet to do more than three consecutive nights.

Matt

 

[Doc McPeak]

Good old Pete. Always good for a laugh!

I've spent every solo night in a lean-to alone. Actually all but one. My first solo overnight was in Indian Pass at the Wallface Lean-to. I bailed on a Couchy solo because I was feeling crappy and got all creeped out and pitched my tent out in front of the lean-to and slept in there. It just felt safer in a tent? Since then I've spent many a comfortable night solo in a lean-to, including last week in the Dixes. Now that fall is here I love going out with just my bivy sack and sleeping under the stars in relatively bug and animal free conditions. I'm such a heavy sleeper that I would probably sleep right through a bear attack and wake up and wonder who chewed my left leg off below the knee.

 

[paul ron]

In 30 some years of solo camping I have never been bothered but I atribute that to my loud and constant snoring. So next time you guys try shutting me up think about all the beasties I scare away for you. Bring your ear plugs and get a good nights sleep .

 

[DougPaul]

<reading a bear attack book>
While I was reading this, a mouse ran across my head.

Sounds like you should bring 'tite Poule along to chase the bears away...

Doug

 

[Chip]

Tents are a bit better, at least there's fewer things actually able to touch you. Although there was one early morning I heard what sounded like a horse or moose running into my site, towards and just past my tent - I actually expected hooves and rolled to protect my vitals. After I was fully awake and inspected the site, I concluded that the amount of time this thing took to traverse the area meant it couldn't have been any bigger than a chip-munk...but that guy had me going !

 

[cbcbd]

I do fine sleeping alone in a shelter... and the more I do it the more I feel comfortable. I'm guessing it's probably because every time I'm out I hear something new and find out what it is - Fear is only usually there because of the unknown.

Now I can recognize the sounds of a porcupine chewing on the shelter, privy door slamming with the wind, trees creeking against each other, or my buddy that ate a can of beans as dessert.

 

[Oldsmores]

Tents are a bit better, at least there's fewer things actually able to touch you...)

True statement, but it's a lot easier to see what's about to get you in a leanto

 

[Dugan]

While I was reading this, a mouse ran across my head.

A mouse??? Is that all? One night, in a double level shelter, I bunked on the top level, while two guys bunked on the bottom level. I woke up in the middle of the night to hear one of them hiss, "Don't move." I quietly squirmed forward to bend over the top level to see what was going on. Turns out his friend was reaching for his camera to take a picture - needless to say this would have required a flash - of the skunk perched on his friend's chest, eating crumbs out of his beard!

 

[Jay H]

I don't think I've ever had a creature of the forest roll over me in a leanto. I've had other sleepers try to roll over me before, but usually it's in a tent, not a leanto.

Sometimes, I would wake up and see little mice scurrying over one of the cross beams supporting the roof and there was that one time at the Batavia Kill leanto where we were being attacked by porcupines. Once at Bushnell Falls#2, we saw deer moseying through, but never was I trampled yet...

Jay

 

[dug]

Not a leanto, but the first time I ever solo'd I kept hearing what I assumed was moose or something charging through my tentsite. I was convinced I was going to be crushed at any moment. I finally peaked out there and saw mouse playing in the crunchy leaves next to the tent. I've never let a sound bother me after that. Of course, the babbling brook can certainly sing me crazy at times.....

 

[grouseking]

Not a leanto, but the first time I ever solo'd I kept hearing what I assumed was moose or something charging through my tentsite. I was convinced I was going to be crushed at any moment. I finally peaked out there and saw mouse playing in the crunchy leaves next to the tent. I've never let a sound bother me after that. Of course, the babbling brook can certainly sing me crazy at times.....

Back over Memorial Day weekend 2004, I was camping and a moose came into the tent area around 11:30pm...pitch black no moon. This was my first backpack so it scared the "everything" out of me. I've camped out doors many times before but never have let noises get to me because nothing really ever happened. This moose was big enough so I could feel it walking around the tent. I was worried he'd accidentally trip over the tent, but he did an about face (probably when he smelled the awful stench of humans) and walked away. Looking back, it was most likely nothing to be alarmed about but its more of the thought of having a large animal trip over your tent and accidentally trample you that scares the crap out of me. I haven't been backpacking since. Next time I'll go to a place with a lower moose density I think.

grouseking

 

[rambler]

Well, I wish I had been alone in one shelter in the Smokies this summer. A guy would not stop talking. Finally around mid-night he said he quess we would like him to be quiet, but he kept right on talking. He mentioned that a few years after high school, he decided to go to college, and moved back to live with his parents. After two months of living with them, his parents moved out! Fianlly, I fell asleep, only to be awoken around 1AM. The guy was snoring so loud, I had to get out of there. It was one of those sheters (Double Spring) that had a chain link fence closing it off. I must say I took pleasure in rattling the chain he had closed it with as loudly as possible as I left. Then, of course, it started to rain. Unfortunately, all five of us woke up around the same time, so I could not wake him up again. He never asked why I had moved outside, but I do not remember saying much that morning anyway.
My favorite nocturnal visitors are the owls who hoot, "Who cooks for you".
Know which one I mean? One fall night prowler I never heard was the mouse that gnawed a hole in my down quilt. Couldn't blame him much though, he was just wanting something warm for his winter's nest.

 

[Rick]

My mind doesn't play a lot of tricks when I'm awake, but once I'm sleeping, it's a whole new ballgame. I sometimes have weird dreams when I'm sleeping out in the backcountry alone. I'll awaken and then fall back asleep fairly quickly, and sometimes go into that really light sleep, half-awake, half-dreaming mode, which is especially weird.

At Diamond Notch a couple weeks ago, I dreamed that there were people passing by on the trail-first some one walking their dog w/ a flashlight, then a jeep or truck or something driving by! Maybe I thought I was at a campground or something....Matt

I couldn't have said it better!!!
I have had those same dreams. I think I sleep much more lighter when I am alone on the trail than I do at home - And in that sense, I think perhaps I dream more vividly.
It is also always amazing how much the landscape changes once night falls.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

It's amazing how a small critter like a chipmunk or mouse can sound like a much, much larger animal (especially at night). For some reason, I feel more 'vulnerable' in leantos -- like there's nothing stopping a critter just running over me.

The skunk eating crumbs out of the beard made me laugh, as did Pete's choice of reading material.

 

[The Sikes]

When I read your post Jay, I laughed. I thought I was the only one that did that as my kids slept blissfully unaware (and I wasn't really sleeping alone. I had my 2 kids next to me). The only exception is I don't feel like I slept like a baby the next day.

I can't stand snoring but I think I would sleep better knowing a bear might eat the noisy person over me and I would sleep alot better.

 

[jbrown]

I've spent only one night out solo, and that was in my hammock under my tarp. The only sound that woke me was the gentle patter of rain which prompted me to pull my boots a little farther in.
One night while sleeping on the ground outside my car next to a buddy of mine (with 4 other guys sleeping in the car) I heard the most blood-curdling and frightening sound I've ever heard in the woods before or since. It was a high-pitched RRRRRRRrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh... sound that slid down in pitch while turning into a sort of gurgling. I'm guessing it was some kind of owl, but not really familiar enough with them to identify them.
I've been awoken by some guy's dog (wet and muddy) flopping down at the end of my sleeping bag in a leanto.
When sleeping in the leanto without a floor at Flowed Lands, I've been awoken by a friend who smelled a bear before we saw him. Then we got to watch as the bear pushed a 4" pine tree that had a bear bag line tied to it and slung over the bear cable, made the bag drop down about 3 feet, stood on a rock to reach higher, and tore the bottom out of the bag. Then we got to watch as he scooped the food out and ate most of it. Hey, it wasn't our food, we had ours in canisters that he walked right over to get to the badly hung bag. He was huuuge...

 

[dvbl]

Because I'm a light sleeper, I always wear earplugs when I camp out, whether I'm solo or not. I know that 99.99% of the noises out there are harmless, but they're still noises that vibrate my eardrums and keep me awake. And regarding that slimmest of chances that I'll get trampled or eaten while sleeping in my tent, oblivious to the oncoming doom because I couldn't hear the beast coming, at least my last night's sleep will be a sound one. And I just think about what the newspaper reports would say ("Solo camper wearing earplugs mauled") and it makes me laugh.