Ok, this might be more humorous then serious but just wondering if any of you solo canoers have had strange bumps in the night while in the bwca alone. How did you deal with it? The last time I was out with Tim we had a pack of wolves come into our camp at night while in the tent. Being with Tim it didn't bother me, but I can't speak so brave if I was all alone. My daughter had asked me tonight as she was getting ready for bed, what I'd do? If I'd be scared etc. I said I didn't know. Any advise?
Mike

My advice: Leave your hearing aids in the car; that's what I do. :)

On one of my first solos in the ADK's, I was camped on the Oswegatchie. In the middle of the night, there was a loud splash in the water. I was sure it was a bear and sat frozen in the tent clutching my trusty Swiss Army Knife (SAK). In the morning, I ascertained it was a beaver that had dropped a tree in the river.

I also had wolves run through camp in the middle of the night on my first BW solo. I was asleep in the tent on Gebeonequet when a chase went right through camp at 3:00 AM. The first bark was only a few feet from the tent it seemed and I awoke instantly and was wide awake and alert with the hair on my neck standing up. These are not just the figures of speech we normally think of them as; they are real descriptions of what actually happens! I grabbed the nearest weapon - my camp shoe - but they soon veered off into the woods in full pursuit.

Now that I've put your mind at ease, Mike, my advice is to keep your SAK and camp shoe within easy reach in the tent - right next to that .44 magnum.

I'll leave you with my friend Joe's version of The Truth (they shall know The Truth and The Truth shall set them free). Joe had taken some inner city youth into Algonquin on a church youth group trip. One of them just would not buy the idea that those noises outside the tent at night were mice and squirrels, not bears. Joe finally just told him The Truth when he asked how he could be sure those noises weren't bears. He just told him because bears don't make a sound when they come into camp. Joe told me it didn't help.

Have a good trip!

quote boonie: "My advice: Leave your hearing aids in the car; that's what I do. :)


On one of my first solos in the ADK's, I was camped on the Oswegatchie. In the middle of the night, there was a loud splash in the water. I was sure it was a bear and sat frozen in the tent clutching my trusty Swiss Army Knife (SAK). In the morning, I ascertained it was a beaver that had dropped a tree in the river.


I also had wolves run through camp in the middle of the night on my first BW solo. I was asleep in the tent on Gebeonequet when a chase went right through camp at 3:00 AM. The first bark was only a few feet from the tent it seemed and I awoke instantly and was wide awake and alert with the hair on my neck standing up. These are not just the figures of speech we normally think of them as; they are real descriptions of what actually happens! I grabbed the nearest weapon - my camp shoe - but they soon veered off into the woods in full pursuit.


Now that I've put your mind at ease, Mike, my advice is to keep your SAK and camp shoe within easy reach in the tent - right next to that .44 magnum.


I'll leave you with my friend Joe's version of The Truth (they shall know The Truth and The Truth shall set them free). Joe had taken some inner city youth into Algonquin on a church youth group trip. One of them just would not buy the idea that those noises outside the tent at night were mice and squirrels, not bears. Joe finally just told him The Truth when he asked how he could be sure those noises weren't bears. He just told him because bears don't make a sound when they come into camp. Joe told me it didn't help.


Have a good trip!



"

Ha! Thanks for the great advise Boonie :-)

Look at statistics of harmful animal encounters in the BWCA and rest easy. Consider yourself lucky if you get to see any.
That said, I have been scared at times- especially my first solo. Practice and experience make it go away, though. And if you have trouble going to sleep- a little whiskey can calm the nerves- but I probably wouldn't tell my kids that. People have also reported success with earplugs- I've not used them.
I do keep my knife clipped to the hammock ridgeline- more out of convienence- but it is a comforting thought knowing it is right there.

quote muddyfeet: "Look at statistics of harmful animal encounters in the BWCA and rest easy. Consider yourself lucky if you get to see any.
That said, I have been scared at times- especially my first solo. Practice and experience make it go away, though. And if you have trouble going to sleep- a little whiskey can calm the nerves- but I probably wouldn't tell my kids that. People have also reported success with earplugs- I've not used them.
I do keep my knife clipped to the hammock ridgeline- more out of convienence- but it is a comforting thought knowing it is right there. "

Oh I know the odds are rare. I'm not worried in the slightest. Just know when I hear the odd bump i hope my imagination doesn't run wild :-)

I am with Boonie. Without my hearing aids I don't hear much. If I did I am usually to tired to do anything about it.

Haven't had any encounters yet on my limited amount of solo nights. I'll let you know next Friday though because I'm going in tomorrow for a week!

I've yelled "Hey!" a few times. It's always worked so far.

quote Bannock: "I've yelled "Hey!" a few times. It's always worked so far.
"

I'll keep that in mind :-)
My friend made me a native flute out of the hardest wood he could find so I can use it to defend myself if I need to, Ha!
Thanks all

Fear of the dark. The hebegebees. Whatever ya want to call them happen to everyone. Some folks just can't get over them. Nothing wrong with that, certainly nothing to be sensitive over. Either you deal somehow or decide solo trips are not for you. I have several friends who just can not deal with them and decided to no longer go solo.
You will find out, just don't dwell on the choices. Everyone is different in those respects.
Always keep a bailout option, especially on first solo trips.

butthead

My rational mind reasons the risk is very low, but when I wake up startled and the walls of the tarp (or tent) block my view I have a moment of inability to answer that "What' that?" question. I have relied on vision as my primary sense to verify information.
After a couple startles that turned out to be small critters or something along the shore line (beaver mostly) I started spending time just listening. Amazing what sounds are out there and now I can identify most so the startle period of uncertainty is mostly gone.

The sound that has always given me the most pause is that low hum that slowly builds just before the sun comes up. There is nothing like the sound of 1.3 million skeeters within a 5 foot radius of you to force you to decide to just set your jaw, man up and start the day.

Last spring we had a concert all night long. A rough grouse and a loon which took turns. First the cry of the loon then the drumming of the grouse, loon, grouse all night long. It was great. I'm so looking forward to the loons again. I spent every summer from the day after school let out as a kid going to my grandparents cottage on lake commanda near north bay Ontario and I loved hearing the loons and really miss them, so the loons bring back such great memories.

I have only been really startled one time and it wasn't in the BW.

I was at a Forest Service campground in the UP in early May. I was the only person there. I woke up around 1 a.m. for some reason and laid there just listening. All of a sudden a horrible "dog fight" broke out right behind my tent. Growling and snapping and rolling all over the ground. Scared the hell out of me and of course there was no window on that side of the tent. It only lasted about 10 seconds but what ever the critters were, they were BIG!!..............

Suddenly it ended as quickly and as quietly as it started and I climbed out of the tent to look around. Never saw a thing. The dogs, or wolves, or coyotes had slipped silently into the darkness.

Now I see how you got your screen name.
You and a buddy are camping and hear a "bump in the night"

You say "whatsit" nothing.
Another bump, you say "whatsit" nothing.

Then your buddy starts calling you "whatsit" ;-)

quote LindenTree3: "Now I see how you got your screen name.
You and a buddy are camping and hear a "bump in the night"


You say "whatsit" nothing.
Another bump, you say "whatsit" nothing.


Then your buddy starts calling you "whatsit" ;-)"

You nailed it Linden :-)
Actually there's an English show/book called Darling Buds of May and the main character referred to things he didn't know the names of "Whatsit"
It's a favorite show, book and actor of mine. (David Jason) I just liked it so much I use that as my name on YouTube twitter and here
Mike

Earplugs.

Last September I was solo with my dog. We sleep in a 2 man tent and were just getting everything squared away in the tent when something trotted past us. It sounded like a coyote or wolf at a quick trot.

My dog was sitting up and her eyes got huge. I'll never forget the look on her as she slowly turned her head to me. She didn't make a sound but was obviously scared.

For me I do remember having the heebie jeebies on my first couple solos in my 20s. Not much anymore. More of a curiosity to what the sound may be.

quote TomT: "Last September I was solo with my dog. We sleep in a 2 man tent and were just getting everything squared away in the tent when something trotted past us. It sounded like a coyote or wolf at a quick trot.


My dog was sitting up and her eyes got huge. I'll never forget the look on her as she slowly turned her head to me. She didn't make a sound but was obviously scared.


For me I do remember having the heebie jeebies on my first couple solos in my 20s. Not much anymore. More of a curiosity to what the sound may be.



"

Thanks Tom
Mike

The only time I have been frightened at night was not in the BWCA. It was in Rocky Mountain National Park many years ago on a solo into the Lost Lake area.

I was startled awake when I heard an animal noise near my head as I lay in a one person tent with the tent flap tied open. I had left my old, tired hiking boots just outside the door as there wasn't any room inside. Sleeping like a baby I recoiled when I heard some kind of grunt maybe 2 feet from head just outside the netting. I yelled something and fumbled for the flashlight. A porcupine was chewing on the collar of one of the boots.

My yell didn't scare it away but the flashlight did. Got a great look at it very close up as it decided the boot didn't taste that good after all.

Have heard many sounds at night in the BWCA but nothing I would call scary like that.

PS I now sleep with my boots inside the tent

quote gkimball: "The only time I have been frightened at night was not in the BWCA. It was in Rocky Mountain National Park many years ago on a solo into the Lost Lake area.


I was startled awake when I heard an animal noise near my head as I lay in a one person tent with the tent flap tied open. I had left my old, tired hiking boots just outside the door as there wasn't any room inside. Sleeping like a baby I recoiled when I heard some kind of grunt maybe 2 feet from head just outside the netting. I yelled something and fumbled for the flashlight. A porcupine was chewing on the collar of one of the boots.


My yell didn't scare it away but the flashlight did. Got a great look at it very close up as it decided the boot didn't taste that good after all.


Have heard many sounds at night in the BWCA but nothing I would call scary like that.


PS I now sleep with my boots inside the tent"

That reminds me of a story my boss told me that once he was in India at a hotel. One night he was awaken by a weird chewing noise. He turned on the light and on the night stand next to his bed a rat was sitting there chewing on his leather watch band. Can you even imagine?

quote Whatsit: "

quote gkimball: "The only time I have been frightened at night was not in the BWCA. It was in Rocky Mountain National Park many years ago on a solo into the Lost Lake area.



I was startled awake when I heard an animal noise near my head as I lay in a one person tent with the tent flap tied open. I had left my old, tired hiking boots just outside the door as there wasn't any room inside. Sleeping like a baby I recoiled when I heard some kind of grunt maybe 2 feet from head just outside the netting. I yelled something and fumbled for the flashlight. A porcupine was chewing on the collar of one of the boots.



My yell didn't scare it away but the flashlight did. Got a great look at it very close up as it decided the boot didn't taste that good after all.



Have heard many sounds at night in the BWCA but nothing I would call scary like that.



PS I now sleep with my boots inside the tent"

That reminds me of a story my boss told me that once he was in India at a hotel. One night he was awaken by a weird chewing noise. He turned on the light and on the night stand next to his bed a rat was sitting there chewing on his leather watch band. Can you even imagine?"

A rat? Not good...at least porcupines don't spread bubonic plague...right?

quote Frenchy19: "Earplugs. "

Yep. Never leave home without them. Gotta have ear plugs or it's hard to sleep. The woods is not a quiet place in the dark. Usually the wind has died down and every small noise becomes louder with no wind or other sounds that we are used to like traffic to act as white noise and drowned out the other noises.

I have very little fear of the dark anymore. I have spent so much time walking out from bow hunting in the dark etc. that my brain has finally gotten to the point where it realizes that there is nothing different about the world at night other than it's dark. Sure, there's a few more critters roaming about, but I am much scarier than they are. Have you seen my face at night?

When I lead group trips, I'd tell the newbies that the smallest creatures made the biggest noises. Frogs, squirrels, and mice sound like a bear at night. Bears make no sound at all, so if you wake in the middle of the night and don't hear anything - it's a bear. :)

What about when you get home from a solo trip to review photos. And, you spot a shady image in the corner of one of your photos that turns out to be a GHOST!!! (just kidding).

I'm scared almost 100% of the time on portages, at night, or out on the ice skiing by myself. But I overcome it by knowing the statistics don't support the fears. Fear really doesn't go away. That said, I most worry about lightning, falling trees in a storm, or letting myself get too far from shore taking a shortcut when I'm alone and could drown.

I have recently subscribed to Les' survivorman channel and nearly every survivorman episode Les talks about "the long night ahead with the bogey man and bumps in the night". So it's good to know that someone like Les that makes a living by being outside even gets the spooks from time to time.
Mike

The most scared I ever was when I solo backpacked in Glacier National Park. I was in a remote wooded site and just at dawn I hear a bear "bawling" on the trail to my site. Luckily I could tell it was moving away. I never saw it but had a theory that it had a cub and was warning it of my presence. I was blanking bricks at that point.

quote Whatsit: "I have recently subscribed to Les' survivorman channel and nearly every survivorman episode Les talks about "the long night ahead with the bogey man and bumps in the night". So it's good to know that someone like Les that makes a living by being outside even gets the spooks from time to time.
Mike"

They're out there, Mike, I've seen them, too.

Here's the solution I gave my brother after his first after dark latrine trip. He came back and said he saw eyes in the brush looking at him. I told him to turn his light off and he wouldn't see the reflections. :)

My biggest fear is addressed in another current thread: losing my keys. Drives my bat turd crazy!

One night on a Quetico solo I had deer running through my campsite and next to the tent for what seemed like hours but was likely minutes. I am lucky. When I hit the tent I am usually asleep within seconds and don't hear a thing until I have to get up to relieve myself. And then back to sleep instantly. It is a blessing.

quote boonie: "

quote Whatsit: "I have recently subscribed to Les' survivorman channel and nearly every survivorman episode Les talks about "the long night ahead with the bogey man and bumps in the night". So it's good to know that someone like Les that makes a living by being outside even gets the spooks from time to time.
Mike"

They're out there, Mike, I've seen them, too.


Here's the solution I gave my brother after his first after dark latrine trip. He came back and said he saw eyes in the brush looking at him. I told him to turn his light off and he wouldn't see the reflections. :) "

Ha, great advise :-)
Did any of you ever watch Cary the couch skinner's YouTube bwca solo trip videos? He had an empty bottle he took into his tent every night so he didn't have to get up and go outside during the night :-)

quote GraniteCliffs: "One night on a Quetico solo I had deer running through my campsite and next to the tent for what seemed like hours but was likely minutes. I am lucky. When I hit the tent I am usually asleep within seconds and don't hear a thing until I have to get up to relieve myself. And then back to sleep instantly. It is a blessing."

Lucky! I'm a very light sleeper. Normally even the smallest of noises I'm woken up wondering what I just heard. I sleep with a fan on at home. So the ear plugs are what I normally take on the bwca trip. I also pop a Benadryl too :-)
Mike

I love my pee bottle. No skeeters in my tent.

6 years ago on Silence Lake I pitched my hammock really close to the water line. It was a great place to fall asleep. In the middle of the night I heard a huge splash, like someone had dropped a bowling ball in the water from a great height. Chunk! I jumped out of my hammock faster than I thought I could move, thinking, my god t's true, Sasquatch does throw rocks at you in the middle of the night. I yelled into the night pretty loud, and then you know, I was still in wake up mode with adrenaline surging. So after an intense minute of adrenaline fueled fight readiness, I realized what the sound was. Beaver. He must have been working the shoreline and when he got close enough to hear me snoring, he chunked his tail and split the scene.

I had a good laugh after that like a crazy person in the middle of the night! One reason I like going solo is you do get those moments of primitive anxiety from time to time. And then you get past it, and you know a little more from the experience.

quote TheBrownLeader: "6 years ago on Silence Lake I pitched my hammock really close to the water line. It was a great place to fall asleep. In the middle of the night I heard a huge splash, like someone had dropped a bowling ball in the water from a great height. Chunk! I jumped out of my hammock faster than I thought I could move, thinking, my god t's true, Sasquatch does throw rocks at you in the middle of the night. I yelled into the night pretty loud, and then you know, I was still in wake up mode with adrenaline surging. So after an intense minute of adrenaline fueled fight readiness, I realized what the sound was. Beaver. "

Same thing happened to me on my first solo. First night out camped on Alder right by the lake, swinging in a hammock. I had my red light on, doing some reading and about 10' from me one slapped. I would've thrown my book if I didn't have bug netting. Then those suckers woke me up at 4 in the morning felling popple about 40 yards from me.

My first solo was interesting because I've never been worried about bear, but when you're alone, your hackles are up quite a bit more. Survival instincts I suppose. Even went so far as to run a trip-line one foot off the ground around my hammock with a fishing bell on it once I found a basecamp. Nothing much more to do but also wanted a bit more peace of mind.

Now I don't worry so much. Just urinate up the trail from camp away from the lake and don't have them bears on my mind so much.

Three years ago our group were all in hammocks. . .five of us. In the middle of the night my son in law heard a sniffing noise just outside the netting of his hammock. Still mostly asleep he hauled off and pounded the side of his hammock with his elbow. He connected with the head of a moose.

Fully awake he reached for his .357 then realized there were hammocks all around him. So he basically laid awake all night.

Never had a bear or wolves in camp. . .but we have had several moose come through.

After a full day of traveling, I sleep like a log, a bear could carry me in the woods and I probably would wake up and wonder why I was sleeping in the woods, bumps never bother me.

Hope I sleep good tonight.
Just got back from a 3 day 2 nighter solo in the Kenai Peninsula Wilderness.
I didn't sleep that great either night, not sure why except I had a little bug in my plumbing last nite. (Plus it doesn't get dark).

Finished with 4 miles of tripple portaging for 12 miles total, and only 4-5 miles of paddling today. I'm bushed. Did it in 6.5 hours today. I'll post a short report tomorrow.

quote OgimaaBines: "
Now I don't worry so much. Just urinate up the trail from camp away from the lake and don't have them bears on my mind so much. "

Funny- I do this too. No idea if it is at all effective, but it seems instinctive to define your territory by scent.

I am definitely afraid of the dark and it is my greatest challenge on solo trips.

I use ear plugs and Benadryl as well. If something is out there, I don't want to know about it. If it is storming I can hear that through the earplugs but they seem to cut down on the rustling and snuffling.

I also limit my beverages after 5pm because I HATE WAKING UP TO URINATE in the middle of the night.

I'll second you can't always hear a bear. My old dog Bernice woke me up growling once. Couldn't hear anything. Next morning a big Bear turd a few feet from the tent.

quote luft: "

I also limit my beverages after 5pm because I HATE WAKING UP TO URINATE in the middle of the night."

I get dehydration headaches if I do that. Top of the head pounders. I've relied on pee bottles for years so I don't have to leave the tent. Advantage boys. :)