So I did eight days on the Superior Hiking Trail solo ending on the 4th, and I realized it's the longest I've been in the woods solo. I'm a very talkative, social, and extroverted person, but I also spend a lot of time doing activities alone and appreciate the introspection. So I didn't think too much about eight days hiking solo.

For four days I loved the solitude but on the morning of the fifth day I was *DONE* with introspection - I needed to talk to other people. Of course, the SHT isn't wilderness and it's pretty busy. So when I came upon two fellow-hikers stopped for a mid-morning break I asked if I could join them for a while. I continued to hike alone for the rest of the trip, but I shared my site that night with a few other hikers. I stopped the sixth day for a beer and sandwich at Lutsen, and talked with others there, and I shared my site that night with a couple who were happy to share. I spent the seventh night at a state park and talked with others there, and on the eighth day I hiked out to the Cross River wayside, where I talked with people in the bakery as I awaited my pickup.

It was an awesome trip, but I'd be interested to hear from other very-extroverted people who've done solo trips in wilderness. I really enjoyed true solitude those first four days, but I think I'd have been in a pretty significant funk after that if I hadn't been able to talk with others. You can also see from my Inreach statement that my text messages, which were no more than "heading out" and "arrived at camp" for the first four days, got increasingly chatty in the latter days.

So do other extroverted people do much solo tripping? If so, how do you handle the long-term lack of social interaction? Do you have a similar experience of suddenly hitting a point where you need to talk to people?

I am also very extroverted. When I started to paddle solo once a year many years ago I also struggled with simply having no one to talk to. Over the years this feeling has diminished but is not gone. I still hear the phrase “happiness is best shared” in my head once in a while on solos. I normally paddle in Quetico so see even fewer folks than the BW. I am probably too talkative when I do run into folks on a portage.
In my case I have slowly adjusted to not talking to others and with each passing trip it is less of an issue.

I don't think I'd be classified as a very extroverted person, but I do talk to people. I'm more extroverted than in younger years. Like Granite Cliffs, I can be pretty chatty on a portage, especially after many days.

I think if and when I'm "DONE with introspection", I just turn to "extrospection". What I mean by that is my attention shifts from me to the world around me. I do frequently talk to me, myself, and I, as well as "Chippy Chipmunk", various other creatures, life forms, and spirits.

So, Tom, my best guess if we met each other on a portage trail while we were doing respective solo trips we would most likely camp wherever we met on the trail so we could simply continue our conversation all evening.

GraniteCliffs: "So, Tom, my best guess if we met each other on a portage trail while we were doing respective solo trips we would most likely camp wherever we met on the trail so we could simply continue our conversation all evening."

Sounds about right - and a good idea.

Before I retired, I needed solo trips to clear my mind of job related stresses. I didn't want to talk to anyone or answer one more phone call.

Now that I'm retired and free of the rat race, I find solo tripping less attractive. I want to share my memories with someone else and appreciate camaraderie and conversation.

awbrown: "Before I retired, I needed solo trips to clear my mind of job related stresses. I didn't want to talk to anyone or answer one more phone call.

Now that I'm retired and free of the rat race, I find solo tripping less attractive. I want to share my memories with someone else and appreciate camaraderie and conversation."

I'm kind of the same. As I get older I enjoy being alone less for long periods. My favorite trip these days is a hybrid solo. Kind of going solo then having a prearranged meetup in the middle for a few days or even finish the trip as a group. It's really good because I scratch that itch to get away and really slow down for awhile and when I get restless and need to talk to others there's company to look forward to. I highly recommend this style of travel.

A few years ago I did my first three-night solo backpack trip in many years. Learning to be alone is like a muscle that needs to be worked out. Even though we can be "alone" in our house, it's not the same. Being "isolated" is a better term as you don't have the normal stimulus that is constantly around us. Some won't call it isolated but based on what the typical person feels, the term is appropriate.

I prepared for my solo trip. I knew I wanted to enjoy nature in it's raw form but I also made sure I had some audio books, a physical book, and some music. I'd hike a bit and make friends with the squirrels but I'd also listen to some music in one ear. One of the things I don't get to do as much as I'd like is enjoying music so it was one of the things I included as a reason for being out there. When I got to camp I absorbed all that and in time I listened to some of a book. Then I'd look at trees, etc.

On the third day, I was certainly feeling alone and was not necessarily eager to go home, but I was ready to.

On my second trip, I prepared differently. Rather than a canister stove I used a twig stove. I made gathering wood part of my day. I made my own tarp pegs instead of using the ones in my pack. I made a pack hanger, and then took it down when I left. And on and on.

In two months I'm getting my fishing gear out and will re-acquaint myself with that and will make that part of my BWCA/Quetico/Algonquin trips. Catching, cleaning and cooking the fish will take me another step closer to "being out there" and occupy myself.

It's a reality that we are immersed in constant contact, with few exceptions. Learning to be alone can be considered a skill, one that some of us have to work on, me included.

As a dyed-in-the-wool introvert, I don't have the same reaction to solitude (I find it discomfiting when I encounter others while I'm on a solo), though I always find it funny when I encounter people out in the woods who clearly have been missing human conversation.

I ran into a guy this spring who was on Day 6 of an 8-day solo. I was paddling one way, he the other...We both had fishing poles visible, so my polite question about his fishing success led to a discussion of the weather, his clothing choices, weather radios, hammocks vs. tents, lake trout lure preferences, treble hooks, the spread of smallmouth bass, the best lake trout lakes, which tackle box system is best, and (I think I've got most of them) the trouble of soloing with young kids back at home. This last point raised the topic of satellite phones, but an impending storm ended his soliloquy and had us both heading our separate ways. :)

an introverted type here with the enjoyment of conversing with others if it occurs.
I made a friend with a fella who works for FS as a firefighter. When visiting Alaska he showed me around some and I do believe I talked till he tired of my yak, yak, yakking. So, I suppose it true to say that once I get going......possible to cross over. :D

carmike: "As a dyed-in-the-wool introvert, I don't have the same reaction to solitude (I find it discomfiting when I encounter others while I'm on a solo). "

I used to be more of an extrovert, but as I get older I am realizing I am more introverted. I have the same reaction when canoeing solo, a discomfort of encountering people. In fact, if I do see people, I will actually go out of my way to avoid them.

mjmkjun: "an introverted type here with the enjoyment of conversing with others if it occurs.
I made a friend with a fella who works for FS as a firefighter. When visiting Alaska he showed me around some and I do believe I talked till he tired of my yak, yak, yakking. So, I suppose it true to say that once I get going......possible to cross over. :D"

Ha Ha, I might resemble that remark, yep no bear bells were needed that day :-)

It seems that i have transitioned from being solo to being with another solo canoe paddler.
my recent trip with boonie was great. it got me out of the forest service camping i had been doing as of late, day trips. etc., and got me back in the bush traveling again.
i really enjoyed it! i packed out earlier than him, and got the return trip to myself, which i thoroughly enjoyed as well.
i see myself canoeing with 1-2 other solo paddlers in the future.
conversation and company is a good thing.
I've done enough soloing by myself.

bwcasolo: "I see myself canoeing with 1-2 other solo paddlers in the future.
conversation and company is a good thing.
I've done enough soloing by myself. "

I recently did my first paddling (in solos) with someone other than my wife in 25 years.

I am also figuring out that I like a little solitude and company on the same trip.
Give me a shout if you ever want to do an overnighter at a campsite while on a solo trip.
I'm in Duluth half of the time and retired, but I tend to be picky about weather with my ability to go on the spur of the moment.

bwcasolo: "It seems that i have transitioned from being solo to being with another solo canoe paddler.

i see myself canoeing with 1-2 other solo paddlers in the future.
conversation and company is a good thing.
I've done enough soloing by myself. "

Same here but I still like the solo time with just me and the dog but not for the whole trip. I'll be going to Quetico for two weeks in early Sept. 2020 and maybe I can camp for a night or 3 with some of you. I think it's a good idea for anyone wanting to do this type of hybrid trip to post their intentions here or we could start a separate thread.

Additional thoughts:

Like awbrown, now that I'm retired and free from some other stressors as well, I find it less necessary to be alone for longer periods.

I went on many of my early solos due to the difficulty of coordinating trips with others and there is still truth in that, but recent experience is that is less of a concern with soloists and others here.

I enjoyed recent trips with Mike (minnmike) and Curt (bwcasolo) and look forward to more of the same with other soloists.

Somewhat OT but TomT mentions his dog being his companion on solo trips. I read an article on dogs recently and the author mentioned that dogs provide companionship and allow for solitude at the same time. Although I usually didn't take my dog canoeing she has accompanied me on many a trip to our hunting land so I can relate to the analogy.

Safe travels........

mpeebles: "Somewhat OT but TomT mentions his dog being his companion on solo trips. I read an article on dogs recently and the author mentioned that dogs provide companionship and allow for solitude at the same time. Although I usually didn't take my dog canoeing she has accompanied me on many a trip to our hunting land so I can relate to the analogy.

Safe travels........

"

I left her home in 2017 and regretted it. She’s just an awesome dog very at home on a trip. One of my fondest memories is a very still dusk on Birch lake island in Quetico. We were sitting on a rock ledge about 10 feet over the water watching the sun light up the far shore. Suddenly a procession of three beavers came swimming by directly under us. They were single file with the huge one in back. Luna pricked her ears up and studied them not making a sound. The beavers all looked up at us but just swam by. I remember the massive one actually stopped and turned his head up at Luna for maybe 5 seconds before moving on. Luna then slowly looked at me with this wide eyed look that made me laugh. It was an unforgettable moment.

I have more I remember about the beavers story. The first two to swim by were fairly close together followed by maybe 10 feet by the largest beaver I ever saw. When this beaver stopped it splayed out its limbs and floated in the clear water down below us. With its flat tail laying on the water and head peering up it was quite a sight.

Luna was on her first camping trip and was 2 and 1/2 at the time. She had no clue what this creature was. Anyway, having a calm dog with on a trip is really great if you are introverted or extroverted. I don't recommend dogs that will not stay or listen or chase wildlife. That could end up being a nightmare.

I was extremely lucky when we exchanged our wild and crazy border collie puppy for a 1 year old Luna. The breeder was keeping Luna to be a puppy mama but apparently she was very afraid of their horses so they gave her up. That's what we were told anyway. Sometimes you get real lucky.

Lucky you, TomT. If I was sure to have a mellow dog like Luna, I'd love a companion on my solos.
My 150 lbs. St. Bernard-Great Pyrenees mix, Levi, just won't work in a canoe.

I'm very extroverted in social situations, much quieter at home. Sounds similar to yourself. The times I've done longer solos, I've snuck up on it and built like a muscle. I had to LEARN how to be alone, and I'm planning a week-long solo, something I've yet to do, and is why I'm in this sub-forum now. How I improved at being along is to:

- A physical book
- An audio book
- A physical book that is skill-based, like a yearly map/compass book to keep myself sharp and learn new tricks
- Music. though many are against this, I don't take a loud stereo into the wilderness. Usually it's a low playing speaker that is difficult to hear at the edge of camp.
- A journal
- I come up with scenarios and insert myself into them and think them through
- Fish
- Cook with my wood stove instead of gas to occupy my time gathering sticks a little at a time during the day
- Stare at the water boiling
- I even download a few movies to my phone and watch a bit of one of them laying in my hammock.

I don't want the above to sound like I don't take the time to enjoy nature .... I do. I also get a fix of "people" a bit each day with the music or a movie at night.

Great cold winter topic. I like the direction of doing solos with meetup plans and have done these with other board members. I highly recommend the idea. With each party having a permit it has allowed some quality time both alone and with others.
Now that permits are getting harder that option may become difficult. I will be posting planned trips and be open to sharing camp with board members who might be in the area.
As I get older I feel that being alone sooner, it reminds me to be careful.

Good thread and very helpful to this true introvert but labeled an extrovert at work. I've only done solo trips up to 5 days (hunting out west) and there was always something to do. Planning my first longer solo in June, 12 days, and reading about the experiences and advice of others is helpful.

One idea from a friend that I'm trying...I'm writing each day on every other page of a journal. When I'm out of my solo, I plan to reflect on the topics I've already written and add details on the back. I don't know...something for the mental aspect that is interesting to me.

Bring a volleyball. Wilson!

Keeping a journal has many positives. I took paper/pen but not good at keeping up. Dictating into my device has provided an audio journal I can listen to on the drive home or other times. I do the dictation when I climb into my hammock for the night. Ambient sounds are a nice positive, think rain on the tarp.