Solitude: What is it ?

“Believe it or not this is a serious question.

What is solitude ??

I've been backpacking for 3 short years and have heard the word "solitude" used many different ways. I'm beginning to think that it means something different to everyone.

What does "solitude" mean to you??”

“Not seeing another human for two or three days.”

“Solitude is what you miss if you're not there.”

“1. no phones
2. no boss
3. no faxes
4. no cell phone
5. no children
6. no husband
7. no cars
8. no car horns
9. just nothing but me and nature.
just being able to get into my own head for awhile whithout worrying about anything other then where am i going to put my head and when should i stop to eat.

maple leaf = mother nature”

“Well...solitude is being alone. Exactly how one defines "alone" and what aspect of "aloneness" is desirable, that would be an individual matter.

But maybe my answer just begs the question...”

“To me, it's simply a solo-backpacking trip where I'm alone with nature and my thoughts. Setting up camp at night with no others in sight is also essential, but seeing a few others on the trail dosen't spoil my idea of solitude.”

“And your occasional boar?”

“No streetlights, no cell phone, and no worries.”

“http://www.aerostar.com/images/sun.jpg>

La Solitude de St. Amant

O! Solitude, my sweetest choice
Places devoted to the night,
Remote from tumult, and from noise,
How you my restless thoughts delight!
O Heavens! what content is mine,
To see those trees which have appear'd
From the nativity of Time,
And which hall ages have rever'd,
To look to-day as fresh and green,
 As when their beauties first were seen!

Source - click between markers: >. . . . . . . . . . <.”

“boar = nature.. although they're officially an invasive species. :-)”

“Solitude is a dangerous thing. WHen you finally achieve it externally, then all the crap in your head comes to the forefront to overwhelm you like nothing else. I'm still getting over that stage.”

“So that's what hits me!”

“when my plans are made according to me. like artex said, i don't mind seeing others on the trail at all. in fact i kind of like saying hi to people and having a good reason to stop and take a break to chat. but solitude is when i stop and go when i want and walk at my own pace. and think my own thoughts without them being interrupted by someone or something else.”

“Solitude for me is not seeing anyone all day, or for several days. It doesn't necessarily mean solo, since I have a sense of solitude when I am hiking with my husband, who lets me be quiet when I want and talkative when I want. It also means not seeing a lot of signs of other people. i.e. on the southern PCT in the desert we didn't necessarily see many people, but the windmills and freeways definitely disrupted our sense of solitude. Solitude allows me to enjoy the feeling that the land is mine and that I am a part of the land as it is a part of me. I lose the sense of boundaries between my self and the world around me. The walls come down. That isn't as easy when I see a lot of other people. Sometimes solitude can make me feel very small and lonely, sometimes it makes me feel free and happy.”

“One can experience solitude on the sidewalks of downtown Chicago during rush hours.”

“but this is what Webster says about solitude:

Main Entry: sol·i·tude

Pronunciation: 'sä-l&-"tüd, -"tyüd

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin solitudin-, solitudo, from solus
Date: 14th century

1 : the quality or state of being alone or remote from society : SECLUSION

2 : a lonely place (as a desert)

synonyms SOLITUDE, ISOLATION, SECLUSION mean the state of one who is alone.

SOLITUDE may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one's usual associates .

ISOLATION stresses detachment from others often involuntarily .

SECLUSION suggests a shutting away or keeping apart from others often connoting deliberate withdrawal from the world or retirement to a quiet life .”

“Some nights you can get solitude by going to see the Phillies play.”

“is beginning to think Miss opie and bitpusher are the same troll...he's usually the one posting definitions....

solitude is miss opie with a 6inch inch swath of duct tape over her piehole..lmao”

“Easy Fella!”

“Sitting alone in a dark house typing meanless posts to complete strangers.

Can I get an Amen!”

“I enjoy the sense of being alone that I get after walking for hours without seeing another soul.

When the walking stops though it is different. Much like treebait, I find that when all the external influences like wife, baby, work, books, tv are removed I am left with just myself - and my thoughts - that often really get to me.

I start thinking about choices, and risks and the value of laying here in a bag of nylon in the woods vs. spending one more night with my family.

I think Emerson or Thoreau mentioned that only in solitude do we find our real selves.”

“are you spyingon me bacpac?”

“It comes after a day or two in the backcountry. Its when I get used to no phones, no beepers, no obligations except to put the miles behind me and set up camp. Its when I stop thinking about everything except what is around me.”

“solitude is hiking without crazy mike!!!!!!

:) :) :)

”

“if you would come HIKE”

“anyway if you would come on a trip we wouldnt be complete strangers. duhhh.”

“Did I mention I prefer solitude? Seems like lots of folks are wanting to escape the pressures of life. Not me. I keep a pretty good balance.

See ya later, but only if you see me first.”

“a mental thang.i find sloitude when i'm completely relaxed, totally carefree. being outdoors, in the wild, it is easier & more common for me to relax to that level. even more so if i'm alone in the woods. you get inside yer head and sort things out, without distractions or stresses. it's like a feeling of satisfaction you get from being sure everything is OK.


however......i actually have acheived solitude playin onstage in a band with 150 people watching. at times, when everything's "on", the band is cookin, the crowd is into it, & i'm not suckin real bad, when it's like i'm all alone up there & it's totaly silent & i'm in my head and not onstage. i am thinking about the notes i'm playing, but not very much. it just sort of flows out sometimes, like reflexes & it's very relaxing when it all works. even though i'm physically workin my ass of & gettin sweaty it's like i'm inna zone of confidence ......and then the song ends.........the crowd yelling shakes you out of it. i'm thinkin, dam, i wasn't even tryin, i dont even remember playing that song just now and they are freakin out. if i was a better player(i'm truely not that good) maybe it would happen more often, but when it does happen to me, it's awesome. very solitudinous!”

“Its getting scarcer all the time to find true solitude. I guess one can make do with what one has but when you look at the larger picture. Like,,,, the dozen+ cars at the trailhead, the heavily carved trail that is to take you there, there are even signs to guide you to it in case you forget why it is you are out there.

Where is the solitude? When backpacking becames more than it really should be? Its not science and it should not be a chore to go do it. Do you really get away when you are so enveloped in what it takes for you to get out.

I guess one has to really make do with what they got.

I found true 'wilderness' solitude,,,, once!! It was more of a craziness now that I think about it. Seeing the Hanks' flic brings it all back home except I was stranded on the Noatak R. with diminishing PB-J and tobacco reserves will only the skeeters, the sun, the rodents and the moaning noise the wind made as it crossed the tundra to keep me companion. What a wierd noise that was!”

“When I read this thread it makes me think of the one thing that doesn't go away in the backcountry-airplanes. I still see the contrails, hear them out there. That makes me think of how odd it was after 9/11 to have no planes flying, and to wonder if I would have noticed.”

“Solitude: the week after 9/11, on the JMT. Most of the people we saw on the trail were on a time schedule, so they flew past us early on. On 9/11 we were camped at a lake a mile or so off the trail, and climbing a 14er, so anyone out there passed by us. A lot of people cancelled trips because of 9/11. We thought it was a joke when we found out 3 days later. Thats when we noticed planes weren't passing above us. It was really quiet. We didn't see many people.

Solitude: Those few days in the Wind Rivers that we didn't see anyone. Sometimes we couldn't see the trail, and had to figure out which way to go. Those few days we saw elk on the trail. This was on the Indian Reservation.”

“feel alone when there is no trail and i'm solo. no evidence of any other human past, present, future, execept me and the gear (planes suk)

actually i'm not a big fan of it in large doses”

“Ginny said what I was thinking... Solitude, for me, is more a state of mind than anything. I can find solitude on a group hike as easily as I can when I walk alone.”

“I remember having complete solitude was about 5 yrs. ago. It was one of those short, fake holiday wkends at college. I lived in the dorms and decided not to go home, but my roomie and almost everyone else on campus did. I literally did not talk to anyone for 3 days. I slept, took long showers, ate a ton, and read. That is the last time I can remember having any complete solitude.”

“Thanks for the input everyone!

I personally don't crave solitude. I guess that's why I wanted to know what everyone else thought about it.

I enjoy going solo on a backpacking trip, and I also enjoy going with a group.

Sometimes this issue is confusing to me because some people rant about wanting "solitude" in the wilderness. Yet others can find solitude at home.

I'm about to find out what it's like to hike alone for six days. I'm not sure how I'll like it.

Looks like I'm gonna find out the hard way!”

“solitude:- Is experienced during the period of time in which you are engaged in taking a final exam.”

“Solitude is not having to say you're sorry.”

“If I plan my day right, I can find solitude all day long at work. I find it when I run,ride,hike and race. Though I must say that I like a mix of solitude and a small group of good friends.”

“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing,
Only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another,
Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.
* Henry Wadsworth Longfellow”

“solitude

Being alone and not noticing you're alone, not missing anyone or anything, enjoying the moment. Few people can stand much solitude. Most of us like to convulte our lives.”

“What biz said. 'Convolute'.







I think many of us need automatic keyboards...”

“English is convulted”

“"Why idly seek from outward things
The answer inward silence brings ?
Why climb the far-off hills with pain,
A nearer view of heaven to gain ?
In lowliest depths of bosky dells
The hermit Contemplation dwells,
Whence, piercing heaven, with screened sight,
He sees at noon the stars, whose light
Shall glorify the coming night."

John Greenleaf Whittier”

“I won't consume the page with this, but for those of you who would care to look...

http://nanosft.com/walden/essays/wal5soltd.html”

“My keyboard need an adjustment to a stronger strike. But I cannot find any way to make such an adjustment.”

“ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
O luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Robert Frost

There. I've done all my favorite American poets. I'm done.”

“those are actually very good piks, in my opinion.”

“FG, great poems....


NS...do you mean you want the keys to be harder to press down, or that you have to hold them down longer for a key press to take?

If the latter, there may be something in the Accessibility settings to help you out. If the former, then a different keyboard is probably the only way to go, although there are keyboard covers made for extreme environments that might give you the desired tactile feedback.”

“A weekend or even a day of time in the woods hiking w/a good friend away from the smog, and modern tools of today. Letting my mind unwind to the quiet time of the creek rolling along over every rock and pebble around my toes in the water.”