For many, the call of the outdoors is an undeniable force, beckoning adventurers to venture beyond familiar territory. While the idea of solo camping and exploration is a thrilling prospect, it also offers a unique opportunity for self-discovery and rejuvenation. However, the thought of going into the wilderness alone can be daunting, particularly for those who have been displaced, marginalized, or underrepresented in outdoor spaces.
From extreme weather to personal danger to wildlife, there’s a heightened sense of vulnerability that comes in considering solo camping, but it can be one of the most empowering and rewarding experiences.
It never hurts to remember tangible camping tips such as using a carabiner to latch your tent zippers from the inside; pack a first-aid kit; drop a location pin to alert friends and family of your campsite before you go; and sleep with an air horn or pocketknife within reach.
Before planning an outdoor excursion, solo campers should also be armed with sound advice including how to project confidence in unsafe situations, learn how to trust their instincts, and overcome the fear of the unknown.
Prepare and overcome your fear
“The first time that I camped by myself I was absolutely terrified,” says travel writer Lauren Gay. “Then of course as a Black woman, we have all types of people with all types of viewpoints, and you never know who you’re going to encounter. But I approach solo camping the way that I approach things in any other travel – that I don’t want to live in fear. I want the experience.”
Although Gay notes that she had been underprepared in the past, she found a great sense of pride after making it through her first night alone in her tent.
“It was so serene,” she says. “Just knowing that you really can take care of yourself, can transfer that same feeling of confidence into your everyday life with obstacles you may be facing or goals you want to meet.”
In addition to triple checking the weather, arriving at a campsite before sundown, and never traveling without a firestarter; Gay implements little sources of comfort to help ease any nerves while off the grid. Things like bringing a sleeve of Oreos to make “s’more-eos,” and packing a journal and watercolor supplies to help her mind wander. For first-time solo campers, she recommends warming up to the experience by camping somewhere like a state park, where there are multiple rangers and other campers within view.
As a seasoned Yosemite National Park Ranger, Lissie Kretsch emphasizes the importance of planning ahead. “It’s crucial to do your research and know your limits and capacities before embarking on a hike or camping trip. This preparation ensures you’re not only taking care of yourself but also respecting the environment.” She adds, “The independence of solo camping means you’re not just along for the ride; you’re in control of every aspect of your experience, making it crucial to be well-prepared and self-aware.”
(The hiking gear you shouldn’t leave home without)
Listen to your intuition
To some extent, solo venturing may require you to step outside of your comfort zone. And that’s certainly a reason to experience it. But skilled campers note that as much as it is about proving something to yourself, you should never feel pressure to prove something to others.
“Listen to your intuition. If something doesn’t feel right or doesn’t feel safe, pack up and go,” says Gay. “You’re not proving anything to anyone. Intuition is our first natural defense mechanism––like cat’s hairs standing up. Listen to that and what your senses are telling you.”
For CEO of GirlsFightBack Nicole Snell, she sought out the safe haven of the outdoors while living in an abusive household as a child. In the years since, she has strived to reframe the negative and restrictive narratives around being solo in the outdoors, and instead supplement them with awareness and boundary-setting tools that can instill a sense of preparedness and empowerment.
“Being out in nature is not inherently more dangerous than walking down the street, but we feel that we’re helpless because we are by ourselves, but that’s not true,” she says. “If someone attacks you, it’s because they’re an attacker, not because you said or did anything that caused them to do that. Setting a boundary is far more likely to deflect a situation than it is to cause escalation of a situation.”
Snell notes that often on the trails that women may worry too much about being nice when interacting with strangers, and often at the expense of our own feelings, own comfort, or even our own safety. She enforces that every person has every right to set their own boundaries, and that while you can interact pleasantly with strangers, you should never let it be known that you’re on your own, nor should you let others know the location of your campsite.
Like Gay, Snell emphasizes placing trust in your own intuition. She recalled an instance where she went out to one of her frequent and favorite trails, but had a bad feeling, trusted her intuition, and went back and did the backpacking excursion two days later. That, she says, is what it means to be empowered.
“Empowerment isn’t saying ‘don’t ever go solo’,” she says. “It’s saying, ‘hey go solo hike, travel solo, live your life’, but if you encounter something that causes your intuition to have a reaction and respond to stimulus––listen to it.”
(The essential camping checklist for beginners.)
Join a growing community of diverse campers
Snell recalls that at the beginning of her father’s lifetime, he was not allowed to enter National Parks. The history of our national parks has marked a reflection on our societal biases, with segregation laws existing in parks through the 1950s. Even after desegregation, national parks remained exclusionary as numerous public institutions during a considerable part of the early 20th century. Today, a lack of diversity in the outdoor space still rings true, with 77 percent of National Park visitors identifying as white.
“As humans, we’re so deeply connected to nature, and in a lot of ways it has been made inaccessible,” says Snell. “Especially to people of color, and the indigenous people who were forcibly removed from their own land, and not having access to their own sacred spaces and culture.”
Indigenous Mayan Mario Ordoñez-Calderon, a Navy veteran and outdoor educator utilizes solo time in the outdoors to find clarity in his thoughts and heart, and highlights that his connection with nature is intertwined with his indigeneity. Not above it, nor outside of it – but part of it.
“My being is interconnected with nature,” he says. “It was always an undeniable call to be out in nature for me, but it didn’t just stop there, it came with the understanding of responsibility to tend and care for the land.”
For Ordoñez-Calderon, caring for the land and respecting its power is part of what gives him peace while camping solo.
He reflects on a backpacking experience in which he was so cold that he didn’t sleep, “I remember how badly I wanted it to be the morning,” he says. “What helped me get through the night was always affirming myself to stay calm and how the storm will pass.”
Drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia notes that within the LGBTQ+ community, there are a myriad of figurative storms that arise when in the outdoor space, which keep many people from venturing solo.
“Everyone who loves the outdoors needs to do their part to make the outdoors a safer and more equitable place,” she says. “What this looks like is taking action as an ally to build safe and inclusive environments. Don’t be afraid but be informed. Take precaution and go experience the joy. Know that the outdoors are your place, too.”
Avery Schuyler Nunn is a California-based writer and photographer who is stoked on science.
link