Re: [Paddlewise] Going solo

Alone at sea

Among the numerous rewards I've found in paddling alone:
The freedom to travel completely at your own pace, neither holding back nor 
being held back by others, and at liberty to change the day's plan 
moment-by-moment when swept away by a whim or a counter-current.
Though you have fewer pairs of eyes to search for wildlife with, the fact 
that you travel mostly without talking means you do not spook animals as you 
approach.
Then there's the fuller satisfaction of completing a challenging trip alone; 
you can be certain it was entirely your own skills and judgement that 
brought you through; there is not the slightest lingering suspicion that you 
used your companions as crutches, even psychological ones.
For me, paddling alone also has rewards I would call spiritual. (As an 
agnostic, I use the term spiritual to refer to the internal life of the mind 
rather than necessarily a personality that survives the destruction of the 
body, but spirituality is nonetheless undeniably important.) I find it 
generally takes a trip of at least several days before the mind habits of 
"civilisation" and society drop temporarily away, so that I can live purely 
in the moment, with what I believe Buddhists call "the chattering monkey" 
part of my mind silenced. At first, my television-addled and 
short-attention-span conditioned mind leaps around searching for 
"stimulation" and instant variety; once I've settled into backcountry mode I 
can watch something which unfolds as leisurely as the languidly rising 
waters replenishing the food stocks of a tidal pool for hours without any 
boredom, and I find it as rich as any human fabricated "entertainment".
Another joy is the freedom to read longer, more demanding books without 
distraction, and to ruminate upon the evening's reading throughout the 
following day, so that you give the author's ideas the attention they 
deserve (but so seldom get in "civilisation").
Philip Torrens
N49°16' W123°06'



>From: "Rev. Bob Carter" <revkayak_at_ptialaska.net>
>To: <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
>Subject: [Paddlewise] Going solo
>Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 23:10:46 -0800
>
>In a couple of days I'll be  taking off on my yearly two week solo trip 
>here
>in Southeast Alaska. Though many people question my sanity, I have my 
>reasons
>for going solo.
>
>
>Admittedly some reasons are selfish....I can go my own speed and camp when 
>and
>where I want to.
>
>
>The other reasons are I hope more profound...The need for solitude (my job 
>is
>people intensive), quiet for life reflection and wilderness for spiritual
>renewal.
>
>
>I would be interested in hearing the reflections of others who go it alone
>what their motivations are.
>
>
>Bob,Sitka Alaska


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