How To Overcome Fear Of Wild Camping Alone | Solo Female Hiker
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.พ. 2021
- To go wild camping is a dream of many, but it's not unusual to feel uncertain and afraid, whether of unknown noises, being caught, not fading anywhere to pitch or gather water, being too cold, alone, or something else. In this video we look at all potential barriers to wild camping and how they can be overcome so that anyone can camp out in the wilds safely and respectfully,.
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My dad taught me to wild camp and he had 3 pieces of really good advice which I still bare in mind..
1)There is nothing that will deliberately harm you in the wild if you know your place....except people.
2)At night, the most frightening thing you'll encounter is your imagination (and the sound of a fox)
3)Have a good exit strategy. If the weather turns or you're really fed up, then knowing how to get back to your car, the nearest road, or civilization in the dark is important...it also alleviates any anxiety you might have in the first place to know you can 'go home' if you've had enough.
For me, camping shouldn't be something to be endured or overcome (within reason). Being physically and emotionally uncomfortable just sucks the pleasure out of being outdoors.
Just to add on to these great points. A good maxim I like is 'Always be making decisions rather than have them made for you.
To build on your point 3) - have a strategy in mind, plan the route, know where your head torch is.. and if the conditions get terrible/you get very cold, make that decision and pack up and move. I feel part of wild camping solo is being okay with making mistakes, having imperfect learning experiences.. and the more people accept that the better their experiences will be as they'll be more open to learning.
I love these tips! I’ll remind myself of these next time I’m out 👍 And yes-the fox 😱 Omg 🤣
Great tips!
your Dad's advice is sound
Great advice. It's dear that make me jump barking at each other.
I feel much safer wild camping in wilderness than being in the big city, and I was born and I live in the big city.
Awesome. I think many people would love it but they just never experienced it so they dont know what they are missing because they never knew what it is to be in the wild nature. :)
20:33
Pippin - "What about breakfast?"
Aragorn - "you've already had it."
Pippin - "we've had one, yes, but what about second breakfast?"
I find I spend all day seeing great places to pitch, except its too early in the day, Then as Im reaching the time to pitch I start to get anxious about whether I will find a place and questioning my judgement about if I should have stopped an hour ago at a perfect spot, and sacrifice a further hours distance that day... oh my lord the conversations I have with myself in my head. I have to say I have always found a nice spot and always felt safe, except once, where I suddenly considered that I was alone in the middle of nowhere in Scotland in the mountains, and realising that I had never felt more vulnerable, yet more powerful. On the whole, the benefits outweigh any anxiety, and its a very empowering experience. I'm looking forward to hitting the hills in the Wild West of Scotland as soon as lockdown lets me out!!
Enjoyed the vlog - thanks for sharing! Where I now live (Western Canada - though I'm originally from London) wild camping has to be combined with attention to food security -- i.e, hanging food up a tree so bears can't get at it, and *never* having food in the tent. I've been woken by a moose and by a bear breathing heavily and gruffly at me inches on the other side of my tent wall at night. It stirs the blood and gets the heart racing, I can tell you! But nothing beats hearing the sound of wolves howling in the evening or during the night, alone in the wilderness with no other human being for tens of miles in any direction. That's when you *really* connect with nature - when you grasp viscerally that you travel as a guest in *their* land.
I grew up beside forest but I'm really afraid to walk or camp alone ... my only fear is being attacked. It really holds me back as I don't go into nature as often as I want and need to. Great video Abbie 🌼🌸🌼
An hilarious incident that happened over forty years ago now to myself and a friend I was camping with. .We were hiking down the East coast of Yorkshire and time was getting on and a sea fret rolled in making visibility a few yards or so. After a brief discussion we decided we were going to stop and pitch up anywhere we could. Climbing over a stone wall we got ourselves al set up and had supper and turned in. Come the early light of dawn at around 5 am the fret had cleared, I looked out of the tent to see 20 yards ahead the front of a detached cottage! We had camped on their front lawn. We quickly de-camped and clambered back over they wall (why we didn't use the nearby gate I've no idea) and legged it off down the cliff path.
Abbie, I just found your channel 2 days ago, and I’m hooked! I am terrified of being alone. I can’t even go hiking by myself for over a mile without my mind going haywire on me and horrible imagination and dark thoughts creeping in my head. I’m so glad there’s someone (you) who’s open, honest and transparent enough to share their struggles and show us they can be overcome instead of making it out like “what’s wrong with you?! just get out there, it’s great!” Well yes, it might be great, but in my head it’s anything but. So THANK YOU! I will start working on those baby steps… not camping alone in the wild yet, but starting hiking, near home, with cell signal, in well traveled areas to build on my confidence… one day, hopefully not too far into the future I’ll be following in your footsteps! THANK YOU!!! God Bless! 💖
its hard to explain how enjoyable even a bad wild camp can be. get there early set up camp, then explore your surroundings, there is nothing quite like waking up in the wild, especially alone. it doesnt teach you what is important, but it does teach you what is necessary, but usually as you pack up to head home, you realize what is important.
I go wild camping all the time on my motorcycle. First time is scary. Your brain is telling you that there's weirdo's in the bushes coming to get you when there's nothing to fear at all.
I'm soon starting just that, so thanks I'll enjoy the fear or the weirdos. :-D
Hey good luck to you Abbie ,keep doing wot you do. Life is for living, I go wild camping on my motorcycle all over Scotland its great and free. But elsewhere its really sad that some people think they can move you on because they say (they own) the piece of earth that you are sleeping on .Even though it's been there for a million years before they were born and will be there long after there gone. Bit sad ...
A great video as always. As someone new to wild camping, i've done a couple on Dartmoor, my only concern is that my tent is too stealthy/green in the dark and a grazing herd of cows/wild horses might trample over me as i sleep. I hope that doesn't add to anyone else's anxieties. Such a shame that so many women's biggest fear is night weirdos and you can bet it's not female weirdos they're worrying about.
Fantastic video. So glad you've have made this. Went through a lot of similar anxieties as starting out definitely triggered some panic attacks but I'd say I definitely also a wild camping 'evangelist' as it is second to none for the feeling of oneness in nature. I've since probably done around 100 nights wild camping in Northumberland and Scotland. Particularly good point about testing it near to home. I personally found that a camping hammock (hennessy) is working a lot better than a tent as by being near trees means you're a lot less exposed and it's always lovely and dry. Not sure about you but I now find that I can't go on a walk and not think hmmm I could camp there or there haha.
Some tips I tend to go with:
Digital maps and OS maps are your friend to plan ahead.
If you find somewhere with an hour or less of walking left stop. The number of times I've walked past a perfect spot to then find a gnarly spot.
Spend a good half hour just listening and watching if somewhat exposed.
If in Scotland you might want to take note of deer (had a couple of times them come very close and investigate though it makes for a great story). The sound the stags make can be very unnerving at night and feel a lot closer than it is and will always be between 11pm and 2am!
Sometimes you can find great wild spots in unexpected places so always keep your eyes peeled.
Brilliant Abbie, I have been waiting for this video. Your videos and patreon vlogs have given me a continued sense of excitement. Keep up the valuable work. Thanks :)
I really appreciate your honesty, the fears you mentioned are genuine.
Awesome video, thanks so much for making it! Great tips, and so honest and authentic. Really enjoyed it 😊
Thanks, Abbie. This is so helpful, to know that as an experienced walker/camper you also have these worries. I'm hoping to solo wild camp once we are able to, but know I'm highly imaginative and the woods at night are not what they are during the day - especially if you're alone. I'm planning to start out with a friend. Like Niks, my main fear as a solo woman (beyond what my imagination could conjure up) would be other people, ie psycho killers (or a rowdy bunch of blokes). Statistically way less likely outside an urban environment, but.. Maybe I need a dog!
When you talked about noises in the night I remembered a backpacking trip about 20 years ago. I was in a field (with the farmer's permission) and there was no-one else around. In the middle of the night I was woken by the tent being literally shaken which scared me half to death! Mustering as much courage as I could (which was not much) I shouted 'What the Hell d'you think you're doing'. The shaking stopped and I heard horses hooves galloping away. I dragged myself out and found that the daft creature had bitten through two of my guy ropes. I can laugh now but at the time I was as shaken as the tent. And talking about water - the best water I've ever tasted was from a spring on the Mendips. I found where it was actually trickling out from the rocks and I've never tasted better!
Retitle needed!!…you are ‘never’ alone with you best happy smiley companion. Camping with your best friend. So actually being ‘alone’ is something else all together.
I really really enjoyed this video Abbie, having the stories intermingled with the advice made this sooo fascinating and I'm so excited to get out on my first solo wild camp soon :) love all your videos, best wishes!
Thanks Abbie - this is just the video I needed!
Great to see you back Abbie. Great tips. Happy camping!
that was very good glad you included the part about water as well as thats so important and its easy to run out or underestimate how much you need.
Great video Abbie. I found small steps helped, easing myself into a more wild environment. First wild camp being on Place Fell with the lights of Glenridding below giving me some comfort. Completely at peace with it all now and seek more remote places to pitch. The solitude of the hills is such a refreshing experience
Hi Abbie and Anna, a great down to earth video, answering every possible question of wild camping. Undiagnosed psychosis sounds pretty scary, just glad that Anna was with you to calm you down. There's so much to consider before embarking on an an adventure, and your video explains it all.
This is such a great video. Your openness and Honesty is inspiring and so refreshing. Horrendous to hear about your night fears. I hope you’ve come some way to overcome that. Amazing video. Loved the mont blanc footage. Ps you two look so amazingly happy! Amazing! 😊👏🏻
Thank you for addressing this topic....it is a concern of mine, and your tips were very helpful.
I cherish your content so much! Thank you for sharing honestly & abundantly!
So cool to see more fellow female solo hikers on the TH-cam. Great little video, love the little dog :-) and that hat! Subscribed!
Great advice and tips. Love your videos ! Keep it up 👍🏻 stay wild 😁
Love the wee doggie. 👍🏻❤️. We haven’t seen green grass in six months, thanks for sharing
Thank you for being brave enough to talk about your mental health. Much love. X. Oh and ace video BTW. I'm a 44 year old guy and I get so easily spooked at night when wild camping alone. Keep up the vids please, your very natural and genuine on camera.
This is a great video -- and it really addresses some real anxieties for a lot of people. You are providing all the right advice: plan and test your gear beforehand. Get maps and GPS apps (even satellite comms devices if needed). Go with a group or a partner if you can. Start local (it is helpful with kids to just camp out in your back yard/garden). I am American, so for us there are issues with animals. I have camped out in all parts of the United States, with all sorts of animals potentially in the area: black bears and even grizzlies, cougars, coyotes, etc. The big thing for us is NEVER having food in our tents and hanging everything with a smell in a tree or putting it in a canister. The first night out for me is always pretty rough -- I am uncomfortable, my brain is in overdrive, etc. But I know that if I have prepared right and hung my food, there is no reason for any animal to come around. And they generally don't.
What an absolutely brilliant video Abbey ❤
Nice video! Very intuitive, honest and informative!
Thank you.✴️
Haven't had too much experience of wild-camping, but am hoping to get out with the tent later in the year when easing of lock-down restrictions allow, so I found this video very useful and informative. I really appreciate the honesty and vulnerability you are willing to share with us Abbie. Thanks.
Great video there is not a lot on TH-cam on this subject (i.e. solo wild camping). Became very interested in hiking and wild camping last year. Did a lot of hiking but have yet to try solo wild camp. This video has encouraged me. Thank you.
Well done you!!
Comprehensive and life affirming.
I haven't camped out in decades but love the thought of spending a little longer than the usual half day out in nature; this has been a little more of the incentive to do so.👍
Great topic and great discussion. It took me a while too to get used to the atmosphere, often when camping alone id be on high alert and imagining that every sound was someone/something 'coming to get me'. I found that night walking in forests and mountains helped a lot, not sleeping out but just going for a long walk, often strolling slowly, sometimes with no headlamp, and just feeling the atmosphere and getting used to the sounds, the senses you use that aren't just your eyes. By now I love being out in the dark, especially in forests, because of the special atmosphere, and when sleeping I just generally put in ear plugs and find I sleep really really well outside.
This is a great idea, the night walks.
Really helpful video, enjoyed watching, thankyou Abby, stay safe both of you 💝 Xxx
abbie I have trouble getting out the front door BUT YOU'RE HELPING
solo camping is definitely satisfying once you dive into it
Great honest video... thanks for posting and sharing your stories
Great tips and you said it right. It's supposed to be enjoyed, so take it steady and everything will be ok.
Great video once again Abbie and good to see Anna making an appearance. :-)
I'm just starting to consider doing this myself and this is a super helpful video! Thank you
Brilliant video! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this. You're a natural infront of camera. can't wait for my first official wild camp.
ThAnks for a great video and honest talk where you give so much of yourself. It was amazing, educational and inspiration. ThAnks for the extra push to do my own wildcamping😀😀
Chris from DK
Wow, I just started weeping in the end of the video. I struggle a lot with my mental health - especially lately - and am really anxious about a hike I'm planning right now for the end of May/beginning of June. THIS HELPED SO MUCH! You mentioned a lot of the fears I'm facing right now and offered really helpful pointers to overcoming them and... YES, I CAN DO IT
I can relate to all that you said. We got to push ourselves past our fears good luck
Morning abbie and Anna nice lovely video nice to see you both again I got use to wild camping when I was out and about with the army and I am still wild camping today in the summer I am never at home iff it's nice I am out living wild.. take care both of you and stay wild xx
Really good and enjoyable video.
Thanks for posting!
(liked and subbed)
Love your videos Abbie! They inspire me in my everyday life to challenge my anxiety and get outside more. Today I went wild swimming for the first time! Keep going :-) x
Nice to see a video ABOUT wild camping and it's experience. Glad to see that it's not (yet another) gear list or stuff that you need. Some very useful information and tips. 👍
As an avid hiker B.C. (Before Covid) camping has opened up a very different view of the hills that I walk in. I'd never before seen the sunset or sunrise. I was always rushing back to the car before it got dark and getting to the start of the hike was always around mid-morning.
Tks for sharing your memories and experiences!!!
Enjoyed this, there is some good points made on this video
Thank you for being so open and honest about your mental health and anxiety’s, I suffer from anxiety and really struggle to go out on my own and the idea of wild camping I would love to do but i worry it will be to much for me so thank you for tips and advise to try and make this easier to learn and get comfy with it!
good advise, it all about the experiences, when things go wrong, these are the best stories
Thank you! This video helped me to let go of fears. I'm going out soon. I learned lots from you. Much appreciation.
Excellent. I think knowing that we all have the same feelings on occasion helps us to realise we’re all not that different after all. ATB🏕👍🍻
I find your films inspiring, I loved your West Highland Way one and it help me prepare for my trek last year. After watching your Zugspitze film has now caused me to add another trek to my bucket list XD
I have been venturing alone. I suppose that my only comment is that “with dog” is much different than solo in my opinion. Glad you have a dog to adventure with you.
I've wild camped since I was 15. I also have a relative who has a history of psychotic episodes. The thought of having the two things happening together and trying to keep them safe is really quite scary. Glad you have managed to not let it stop you getting back out there.
Great video. Your best tip is definitely “get to know nature sounds”. The smallest creatures can make the loudest noises at night - can be scary, but totally harmless.
Great video! There's no doubt that setting up home for the night is very satisfying after a long day of hiking. I've had a few sleepless nights when backcountry camping thanks to my imagination over-interpreting rustling noises, even after doing it for 15 years. Here in Canada, people are mostly afraid of bears but in practice mice and other rodents are far more likely to be an issue. Hearing coyotes howling was pretty cool though.
I was in the woods a couple of weeks back - in the day time and I heard what sounded like an abandoned pup or kitten - on investigation it was two trees rubbing together, you had to be there to believe it - it was weird. Stay safe
As a man I think it may be a lot easier to go off camping in the wild, and I have done this , and it was still quite stressful initially. So well done for taking hold of this and breaking through the challenges. My first Solo wild ‘crash’ was in a bevi-bag, On the top of the mountain :haystacks , Lake District in August. Choosing a site as it is getting dusk, allowed me to feel I was not going to be discovered. Only sheep discovered me, as it turns out. A Perfect experience!. I’m now in California and I would hesitate to do this here, due to more dangerous animals, and people. The wilderness you enter also means safety depends upon the distance and effort to get to civilization. Love your posts Abbie.
Really helpful video. Likely to be Wildcamping on a walk this summer if we can travel.
Great vid. This is probably the question non-campers ask me about the most.
Another great video Abby 👍 you voice what I think is common for a lot of people, certainly me. It’s refreshing to find such honesty and had to admit to for a 55yr old dad 🤪
So awesome. Love your honesty. Here’s to self knowledge ❤️
Love all the videos and advice, even though I have done a number of long distance trails. Recently noticed you in Taunton High Street, but not sure if to say hello or not.
i just wanted to say that this video is quite amazing:) i'm glad i've found you:)
I never felt less macho on my first wild camp - your brain can play tricks on you and feed the last few seconds of a bad dream into your waking state - I woke up at 4am and could have sworn I heard children singing, eerily on my first solo camp - everyone has fears, but generally that's all they are. Great video I will pass on the link to a lot of people I know that have similar barriers to getting out there and enjoying nature - you put it a lot better than I ever could.
I suppose its harder for women alone. I get anxious sometimes too, especially in a wood with the strange noises. Good you touched on this subject. I generally fall asleep with my music on. Keep up the good work.
Thank you enjoyed your video. I’ve camped in friends cottage gardens, campsites and in my own garden years ago with my eldest son when he was 6 years old. The scariest camp in our garden. In the middle of the night, someone started moving our fly sheet. Full of fear we got out. Laugh it was a hedgehog running between the fly sheet and the inner sleeping tent. Yes agree your imagination can be the most scarey part. Much love to you and your viewers.
Great video Abbie both for people new to camping and a also a good reminder of why we do it
I camped alone on the slopes of Carn an t-Sagairt Mor (the rocky hill of the big priest) in the Highlands and being aware that there was a wreckage of an RAF Canberra jet above me, I had thoughts of ghosts visiting me in the night!
Fortunately, I banished those thoughts and slept well only to be awoken by a startled grouse that squawked loudly realising that it had landed next to a human settlement. I squawked too 😁
Thanks for this video Abbie. 👍🤙
Really like this vlog.....I will be starting the Southdowns in June with fannie my Jack Russell. I do laugh when people say they are not worried or scared wild camping. I liked your honest aproch and you identified some of my worries. Take care and look forward to your next Vlog .....or do I call it a video being over 40...anyway thank you
Thanks for sharing Abbie!
Great video with some beautiful honesty.
Beautiful video. Thank you.
Really enjoyed this, thanks. Not patronising, just common sense advice.
Thanks! I am at the exact same point. To gain the freedom on the Turkish trails that I am looking fore I have to get comfortable with wild camping alone. Hope to start in a week or two.
Every day of camping in nature is wonderful and beautiful.
I'm honored to be your best channel friend.
Have a nice day.
👍👍👍🤙🤙🤙👌
Just subbed your channel to support a fellow TH-cam vlogger and backpacker. I was researching on making a video on this very topic myself, women overcoming fears of camping and backpacking solo. So glad I found your channel. I am always looking for women in the outdoors to give my support and encouragement too. Watching from the east coast of the US. Looking forward to watching more of your videos. ~RVA Hiker Girl~
Lovely video many thanks 🙏 x
Great video.. really enjoyed watching
Great advice I'm a new subscriber to your channel and I found this very helpful 👊😉👍
You can search on utube sounds of the night Forrest or woods in the U.K. 8 hours long it's really relaxing,i listen to it most nights,so now when the foxs start screaming i don't even stir 😴🌲⛺🔥👍
I'm watching this too late but I like the sounds of and will 'like' and 'subscribe' now and get back to it tomorrow. Thanks.
Interesting that you mention that crazy sound that tree limbs can make rubbing against each other in the wind. We encountered this the other day on a day hike, and we all stopped in our tracks! It was daylight, so we easily identified it, but if that sound had come in the dark, I would have been terrified!
Fair play lady, good luck on your camping experience 👍
As always a nice video. Thanks. See you somewhere on the track :)
Great video and love the enthusiasm, I remember staying in a large windy / creaky wooden scottish bothy on my own, no curtains and was totally petrified I might see a wolf's head looking thru the window or I might hear the front door bang open.
Camping beside a bubbling stream in Cairngorms and thinking I could hear voices.
Hearing scratching outside in Chilterns to find it was a mole. Something pushing against my head thru the tent inner in Spain, was a kitten.
Hearing heavy breathing outside my tent in middle of Dartmoor, was a cow.
I've learnt every scary sound has a innocent explanation and that gives me confidence.
We're so lucky to live in a country without dangerous wild animals :-)
Great video lots of information cheers
Thanks Abbie. I’m afraid though I don’t think it is irrational to be afraid: a woman on her own is vulnerable, and while the likelihood of being attacked (by another human) is low, there would be little you could do about it if you were. As much as I would love to wild camp I find it difficult to justify the risk, even from what I think is quite a logical and rational perspective. Would love to be convinced otherwise.
I'm also a bit nervous and I'm not sure it's entirely irrational either! I'm pondering taking one of those panic alarm buttons and a pepper spray, just in case. Plus using a location service to let people know exactly where I am, phone reception permitting.
Great video. You are very empathetic. Good. Advice
Thanks for this video. I want to wild camp more (after lockdown) but scared of getting caught lol.
Really pleased I stumbled upon your channel..I'm just getting back into camping and paying for local sites Eekkkkk!! the problem I'm having in the heart of Leicestershire is there's Gamekeepers everywhere. Great clip, thank you.
This is exactly what I was looking for, you really gave me some motivation. My biggest fear is big animals (cows, wild bores) tripping over my tent.
Nice how you started this video. Love it!