canoeguitar wrote:
I had to unlearn a few things, and learn how to slow down and be present in the here & now. To embrace the solitude rather than wrestle with it.
I feel more present, alive, aware, and at peace than at any other time in my life.
That sums up why I enjoy solo tripping. My mantra when alone has become “Slow Down. Pay attention”. Meaning that I need to relearn not to rush, and to pay attention to details.
I do have to remind myself of that mantra. Slow down, I’m not in a race. I don’t need to paddle at full steam without reason (beating an oncoming storm or darkness to camp or etc). I don’t need to rush setting up camp, hurry meals or packing gear.
Going slowly allows me to pay more attention to the details, and I’m less likely to screw up a paddling route, ruin a meal or set up tent or tarp in poor orientation. I’m more focused on the job at hand and, when there is no immediate task to be performed, I’m more attuned to my surrounding; the wind in the trees, the birdsong, the play of light on the water, the sounds or silence that surround me.
The latter leads me to spend more time in contemplation of the time and place in which I find myself, and think less about where I’ve been or where I’m going. And that be-there-now alleviates any loneliness or anxiety.