True Wilderness Experience

“All this talk about dogs on the trail has got me thinking..

When was the last time you all had a True wilderness experience? I went on a 2 week backpacking trip once and never saw a soul the whole time (except the people I was with). Now THAT's a wilderness experience. I almost couldn't relate when I got back to civilization.”

“Last Sept. I was on a 4 day solo and found 3 tarantulas during that time. I'd never seen one wild before, unlike deer, bear, yada yada yada. Made me feel like I was in a different place, and a different time.”

“Sept. 2000. Six days without seeing civilization. I am seriously overdue!”

“1) Remote parts of the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness this summer! There are a lot of places where there is no clear trail and you follow cairns or compass bearings. Back where you can see lots of goats because they don't like being around a lot of people either. Cutthroats and Goldens abound!
2) Bob Marshall- more bears than people.”

“Ruby Mountains NV. 3 days solo, seen more snakes and spiders than anything else. I loved it. Did see one couple near the trailhead, but didn't see them again.”

“I suppose it depends on your definition of a "true" wilderness experience. For some it would be to throw a bed roll over your shoulder and head out to the wilds. I'm not that hardcore. :)

I go solo quite often and tend to head off the trails. Gone days without seeing a sole. For me it's about solitude and using skills that get me where I want to go (and back) and staying safe. Of course I do carry some creature comforts so being comfortable probably works in there somewhere too.

Don't get me wrong, hiking with others and these occaisional group deals is fun too but I consider these more social events then a "true" wilderness experience.”

“Aldo Leopold Wld in New Mexico gets wilder every year. The trails get more faint and the forest service topo doesn't have enough detail to go cross-country.

I gotta get back there sometime!”

“Back when I was in Boy Scouts, went to the High Uintas with minimal food, lived mostly on fish for 4 days. Now it?s the 5-liter bag of wine, 6 beers and pint of rum that makes it a ?True Wilderness Experience? :0)”

“I'd have to say that any place with groomed trails is definately not wilderness.

But this is no problem. Every state has national forests and other wild areas that are berift of trails. Hardly any intrusions at all when you take off into those "uncharted" areas. Just you and our self sufficiency.”

“I think taht when a bear comes up and bites you on the ASS, while you are on one of those groomed trails, you might be having a wilderness experience.”

“I think that when a bear comes up and bites you on the ASS, while you are on one of those groomed trails, you might be having a wilderness experience.”

“Anybody been attacked by wildlife?

rodents don't count”

“or deja vu!”

“biz, do you have email?

RARR!!!!”

“Oh man, sorry Biz. Put that pepper spray away!

I have never seen a bear on the trail, really! (fingers crossed)”

“hate em”

“Stung by a scorpian once, attacked by smoke crazed yellow jackets but that's about it.

I've seen a few bears in the wild. It's an awesome experience. All of them ran away. Even the mom and cubs we came across year before last.”

“One day in Northern Alaska (beyond the North slope but before the Brooks Range), a friend and I went snowmobiling into oblivion. So it seemed.

We got pretty far out there when we stopped for a break and realized, "uh, where are we?" We were pretty much blazing through the forest with our hair on fire and couldn't give a rip at what direction we were going in.

Outcome? L O S T.”

“I gotta get out more again.”

“A true wilderness experience.. For a guy who grew up in Memphis, where I live NOW is a true wilderness experience.

Seriously.. Any backpack that allows me to walk at least several hours without human contact qualifies in my MIND.. maybe not for everyone else who reads this..

I find that I am most likely to get my better wilderness experiences is when I go when no one else would tend to: snow, rain, cold, threat of thunderstorm.. I have had my best hikes when it was not exactly the best of weather conditions.”

“Downtown L.A. or San Francisco is wilderness.

Backcountry is home to me.

Freeways and rush hour scare me. Remoteness and rugged terrain do not.”

“Tepako, LMAO!!!!!!! your hair was on fire? !!??

we got that here, except

snow = dirt

snowmobile = dirtbike”

“Summer hailstorm in the Sierras.”

“The Badlands in South Dakota is a great place to find "Wilderness".”

“Kluane National Park, yup, that's the ticket.”

“trying to turn over a new leaf, alaska? if youre selling, im not buying.”

“Hey. I created this thread, way back when.

Since then, a couple weeks ago, I saw a baby seal with it's head ripped off dragged off the beach (by something?) in Olympic National park in Washington...no one in sight for miles (perhaps a cougar was lurking in the ferns, waiting for us to meander along?)

I guess you could call that a true wilderness experience. It was dang creepy.”

“It was day three of a 10 day trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I was fishing the wild and free waters of the S.F. Flathead River, nearly 30 miles from the nearest trailhead. The setting sun painted the horizon a brilliant pink-orange. I hadn't seen anyone else in this entire area. Huge cutthroat were rising in front of my like crazy. My fingers trembled in excitement as I tied the final knot to a #8 Dave's Hopper. I casted the fly up the current and watched nervously as it dipped and swirled in the current. BAM! I jerked back, and my line went screaming from my reel. After about a minute or two of an adrenaline filled fight, I had the fat 19" cutthroat trout at my feet. It was gorgeous. Without touching the trout, I slipped the fly from its jaw and it bolted back into the current. The sky turned more brilliant. I casted again and BAM!, another big cutthroat was on my line. What a dream! Just then I heard a big commotion downriver. I turned and watched as a grizzly was splashing across the river. The river was quite wide, and the bear was able to wade across most of the river until it hit a deep section and swam a few yards, then hit shallow water again and made it to the same shore I was fishing from. It shook its fur and slowly made its way up the bushy bank. Heidi and Sierra watched with amazement too. Not feeling comfortable with a grizzly a few yards downriver on the same side as me, and not wanting to walk back in complete darkness smelling like fish, I cautiously made my way about a mile upriver back to my camp on at the confluence of Gordon Creek and the S.F. Flathead River. It was truly a wild moment I'll never forget.”

“In the summer of 92' we were basecamping on the shores of Prince William sound on the rim of Shoup Glacier, east of the Chugach Mountains after a long day of surveying and bushwacking.

That night, there was a full moon, which hovered just above the horizon, and an awsome display of Northern Lights. The smell of the salty ocean, combined with the awsome visuals and the loud crack-bang-splash of melting glacial ice falling into the ocean made for one of many surreal experiences. It was the most "middle of nowhere" feeling I've ever felt when in the backcountry.”

“i saw a grasshopper caught in a spiderweb one time....it was cool”

“i saw a red racer stretched out and balancing on the branches of a tree... its' head inside the small opening in a birdnest,gulping the eggs out of the nest. once realizing it was being watched it seeminly flew out of the tree and slithered away”

“Many to choose from, but one that comes to mind is the following: I took a group of friends who weren't really into backpacking up Hunter Mountain and a few other peaks in the Catskills a few years ago. The first night we camped out at about 3200', near the top of one of the peaks. Around 2am or so, I was awoken at night by the distant sound of thunder reverbing through the mountains. I laid there and listened as the drawn out booms grew louder and more pronounced, and flashes of light began illuminating the walls of my tent. Large rain drops danced off the tent's fly like a marching drummer doing a snare roll. It hit with a vengance, but exited as quickly as it came. I love it when storms hit at night like that.”

“My first black bear sighting in the GSMNP. Rounded a corner after noticing "sign", torn up logs that looked fresh and some tracks and mama with three babes stood up about 75 yards ahead of me in the trail. She ran away with the kiddies following close and at about 100 yards she stopped and stood again - I had remained still as stone. She sniffed and checked me out for a few seconds then parked the kids in some thick brush and headed down the mountain off-trail and proceeded to check out more logs digging for bugs. I stood and watched for a few minutes to be sure she was cool with my presence and eased on up the trail and on down the moutain. I did get a glimpse of her yunguns where they were hidden.

At first very scary, but then very cool. I'll never forget it.”

“i once burned ants with a magnifying glass.....”

“Sirpete and I were camping at Birch Spring Campsite in the Smokies. About dusk a bear wandered into camp and sat down about 50 feet behind us. When I realized what it was I got up and tried to run him off by yelling. He didn't go anywhere. I started throwing rocks (pieces of the old shelter) at him. Finally he started leaving. It took about 5 mins for him to finally leave. Sirpete just stood back and watched the show. THANKS BRO!!!
It's times like that you feel like your at the zoo but only inside the cage with the animal.”

“My first night of an 8 day trip on the PCT North of Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite, the largest Buck I ever saw crossed the trail a few yards in front on me. He proceeded to a large meadow (near the north end of cold canyon) where he met up with a number of deer. We camped in the forrest on the edge of that meadow watching the animals all evening. The day ended with a beautiful sunset.”

“On one of my many road trips during college from Indiana to California, my brother and I were camping on the west side of the Rockies along the Snake River.

Having set up camp early that particular evening, we pulled out our el-cheapo Zebco rod and reels and proceeded to scare the fish with large gaudy bass lures.

After several hours of catching nothing but a good buzz, we heard something moving down the opposite bank of the river.

Then we saw it... a large grizzly emerged from the brush and calmly walked to river bank. Literally moments later, he swatted his massive claw into the water and pulled out a huge rainbow trout. Placing the thrashing fish in his mouth, he made his way back up the bank as my brother and I just stood there with gaping mouths.”

“Hiking Isle Royale during the moose rut last year. Moose so close you could smell the musk. No human in sight for days.”

“I was working in Anchorage and living in a tent on the mountainside above Turnagain Arm. I had noticed an old half buried skeleton of a moose about a quarter mile from my campsite, but it looked to be at least 5 years old, so I wasn't too worried.

One day I was hiking up to my camp and saw a GIANT pile of steaming bear #&%!$. I unslung the shotgun, racked a slug into the hole, and started whistling and singing to let Mr Griz know I was in his neighborhood. I never saw him, but the next day two people were killed by a griz 2 miles from my camp.

Needless to say, I relocated.”

“Woke up at our campsite while canoeing through Quetico Pro. Park one morning and saw a small black bear sitting up eating our oatmeal cookies. Unfortunatly, I did not have my camera in my tent with me. I sat still and watched him eat all of them.

Kind of funny, actually.”

“In March of 2000, I was walking along a riverbed in Utah's Escalante National Monument, when I started noticing a cement-like substance between the solid sand and the wet riverbed. Before I realize it, I am sinking very quickly, but with one hand still on solid ground. After I am waist-high in this, I believe I am going to get sucked under and suffocate, but my friends come to the rescue and pull me out after about 15 minutes. I was cautious of every step I made back to camp, but thought it was very cool to have experienced "quicksand." And I thought that was only in cartoons...”

“Good story Artex,
I love thunderstorms”

“Wow embear !”

“Followed cat tracks down Baxter Creek trail in the GSMNP the morning after a snowfall. Pure white unspoiled snow on the trail in front of us, except for one set of probably bobcat tracks. Very cool, never saw the animal but he was just ahead of us for a couple of miles.”