# A night in the woods



## hunter33 (Jul 9, 2016)

I spent 24 hours in the national forest with just the very basic supplies, tarp, knife,ax,paracord, water,fire starter. It was very interesting. I had two different bears come into my camp, and a pack of coyotes in the middle of the night. I was afraid of bears prior to that night but actually lost my fear of them after that night. The one thing that surprised me the most was the overwhelming boredom of being alone with nothing to entertain my mind. I have never had any survival training or much of any camping experience. I do hunt and fish and enjoy the outdoors but that's about it for training. When I left the woods I said never again. That was a year ago and I am now planning a week in the woods this fall. Anyone else have similar experiences?


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## sgtusmc98 (Sep 8, 2013)

The boredom statement is (something). It is funny how we get used to many different activities or things and when they are gone we really notice. 

Normally when camping I am completely fine with a fire to entertain but without a fire it can be very boring.

I have noticed times when the power would go out and the house would become quiet, constant sounds that we never think about are there, when they are gone they are very noticeable and that silence can almost be stressing. M


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## OutInTheWoods (Jun 13, 2016)

sgtusmc98 said:


> The boredom statement is (something). It is funny how we get used to many different activities or things and when they are gone we really notice.
> 
> Normally when camping I am completely fine with a fire to entertain but without a fire it can be very boring.
> 
> I have noticed times when the power would go out and the house would become quiet, constant sounds that we never think about are there, when they are gone they are very noticeable and that silence can almost be stressing. M


Being alone in the woods sucks. Luckily when I go out camping for a couple days to a week or more - the wife comes with.

We entertain each other.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Hunter the next time you go to the Woods, try to disengage your Conscious Mind (it will take practice), it's the Logical, Analytical part of your Mind. Tune in to the more Primitive portion of your Brain, it's there and the more time you spend in the Woods the better you will get at doing this. Soon you will See, Hear, and Feel enough to keep you from getting Bored. Your Boredom comes from your connection to the Modern, everyday Life and the constant barrage of stimuli from that life. When that stimuli is removed we feel bored.


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## hunter33 (Jul 9, 2016)

Thanks for the advice. I am going to try again this fall. I am planning things to do like fishing a nearby river and studying the edible vegetation to help with the boredom. I had a friend who was suppose to go with me but he backed out at the last minute. I think I would have been better prepared had I known sooner that he wasn't coming along. When I tell people what I did, most say I am crazy but some say they always wanted to try it


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## hunter33 (Jul 9, 2016)

One of the things I did was to make sure it was t just a camping trip. I didn't want any creature comforts. The original reason for staying a night in the woods is because I hunt a good distance off the road sometimes and wanted to be comfortable if I didn't make it out one night. I accomplished that. The things I brought with me I mostly have with me in a back pack. I think everyone should try it at least one


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## sgtusmc98 (Sep 8, 2013)

One of the most boring camping trips was with my wife, it wasn't the company but location that made it boring. During the day it was great, we were in the Serengeti, in the campground it was fairly congested but you couldn't do anything and since we were close to the equator there was about 12 hrs of night, I normally sleep about 6-7 which left 5-6 hrs just laying there in the dark. Thankfully the second night I got sick and didn't know which end dinner was going to come out. There were reports of lions in the bathroom the previous knight and Cape buffalo on the edge of camp. To say the least I wasn't bored because I kept trying to figure out what I was going to do, of course I could throw up out the door of the tent but wondered if the noise or smell would attract the lions, or if I had to go to the bathroom what would I run into on the journey?


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Instead of going primitive all at once you could always work into it. Break up the trip into small overnights but give each trip a focus on a different survival skill. For example make one trip about fire starting. Another shelter building etc. Have all your normal stuff besides your focus. Everytime you complete one don't bring it next time. In a few trips you'll be primitive. If you go out for an overnight and start a primitive fire, build a decent shelter, catch food and cook it you won't leave much room for boredom. That takes a good bit of time and energy.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Back when I was in my teens, I attended an 8 week survival school in the Adirondacks, in NY. The last week was our 'solo', we could take as much or as little as we wished. It was fall and got pretty chilly at night.

Sticking just to the being alone part, the instructors warned us about it before we went. Said it would be something none of us had experienced before. The main thing was to keep your mind occupied. After I had a shelter built and scouted out the limited area we were allowed to (roughly one mile each way of where we were each left so you didn't go into someone else's area), it did get mighty... not lonely, but you did feel alone. Any food I foraged I took my time preparing it, not just slamming it down. I spent a lot of time at a little creek, water was there as well as crawdads and small minnows. I spent time devising various traps and areas I could catch things in. 

Trying not to expend more calories than I took in was hard! I came up with games to amuse myself. One was to toss a small stone and let it hit a rock in the creek. I would take another and try to hit the same rock. If I did, notice the second rock it hit and try to replicate that throw.... If I missed a toss bouncing a second, third or so rock, pick a new rock and start over. That gets boring after a short while so try and pick which rock you can make a second bounce on. 

I would whittle something each day. One day a fork, next a spoon, then a bowl... If I got through, I try to make a better one the next day... Work on the shelter for a bit each day, my area... Nothing I did took all day to do, so I would not get bored. I could have spent all day doing something, but would not have that thing to do the next. Even foraging for food. I scouted pretty much everywhere the first day so knew right where to go. Had I been thinking, I could have found one food source, looked for another one the next day...

Even just meditating or listening to the woods, I had all night to do that. I'd crawl in my nice little leaf lined shelter, close the 'door' and just curl up to keep warm and listen. Let me tell ya, a deer or little chipmunk can sound like a huge bear at night!!! You are all alone with a sheath knife and a pointy stick murmuring "pass me by, pass me by, pass me by..."


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Forgot to mention! our scenario was that we had become lost from a group on a day hike. We had no compass or knowledge of the area. We were to stick tight and wait to be found, it might take a few days for help to find us.


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## hunter33 (Jul 9, 2016)

Those are the kind of experiences I love to hear about. I want to test myself and also learn to survive outdoors. The land I just bought makes it more interesting in different ways. The time I was in the woods overnight I was on national forest land. The next time will be on my land. I don't want creature comforts but wonder if a radio would be too much to ask


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

One thing that you could do if you get bored again on your next trip is doing something like weaving a basket out of grass or a rope. It would help pass the time and give you experience in weaving should you ever need to do it again in the future. You could also try rock splitting and see if you could sharpen wood with them.


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## Kodeman (Jul 25, 2013)

Many, many years ago I read somewhere about this very same situation about how important it is to occupy the mind. The solution was simple, always pack some reading material in your pack. Whatever interests you. In my pack, I keep literature on first aid. Reading passes the time constructively, with the added bonus of learning. Secondly, the pages can be used, if necessary, for fire starting purposes.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

I don't think I've ever been bored in the woods. Too much to do, see, explore.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Ive spent some of the most memorable times of my life in spike camps. My Grandpa always took me on the overnight trips in deep where most folks wouldn't consider going. We did it year round and ate what we could scrounge trapping hunting or fishing. Sometimes we had a half shelter and at other times we built a fire on a creek bank and went to sleep with the stars overhead. I do it several times a year with my boy. We are going to wade Bull Creek in a couple weeks spend the night on the bank and eat what we catch. I look forward to it more than anything.


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

Hunter try taking a small entertainment item. The value of entertainment/morale items in shtf or survival situations is often overlooked. I carry a deck of cards in my BOB. You can make a travel game set using an altoid tin. A couple dice, a cribbage set, or whatever small item suits you.


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## hunter33 (Jul 9, 2016)

One of the reasons I wasn't too active was because it was unseasonable warm that day and I was already working up a sweat getting firewood. I decided to stay at camp instead of exploring the area to prevent getting too hot and sweaty. I didn't bring any entertainment items because I wanted it to be realistic to being lost and being forced to spend the night. My next overnight will simulate shtf situation. That's why I did it and will do it again, to learn and get better prepared. Like I said, I enjoy testing myself and want to be totally prepared when/if the real situation happens. Ben there done that type of attitude


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Remember, this should be fun and educational. Not life threatening. You want to learn to live off the land? Great, but take food with you but don't eat it except in an emergency. You want to practice making a fire without matches? Fine, but take matches and a lighter anyway?

Mother nature is a bitch and she teaches hard lessons. Not too far from where I live there is an old bus out in the woods. It is quite the tourist attraction. Every year there are a few that hike in to see the place where some fool took himself to die. He came to Alaska, an area that he did not know, and his plan was to live off the land with skills he did not have. The movie and the book make him out like some sort of hero. What he was, was a fool that didn't know what he didn't know and it killed him.

By all means, get out there and learn. Remember, most of us here learned this by doing it with someone that already knew it. Trying to teach yourself is admirable but mistakes can be deadly. Keep a cell phone handy, don't go too far, take things easy and avoid 'a bridge too far'.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Since you will be spending this trip on your own land, consider building a longer term primitive shelter, and perhaps a decent cooking facility. boredom should not be an issue in a primitive camping/ survival situation.


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## hunter33 (Jul 9, 2016)

I am taking it slow and have back up plans incase it doesn't go well. I tell people where I am going and when to expect me. I need to go at least a mile back to get away from other people. I wish I had someone to teach me but also enjoy figuring it out myself. Had a buddy that talked the talk but couldn't walk the walk. So I mostly do this stuff alone


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Don't ignore the bears. You may have "lost your fear" of them this trip and come across a momma with cubs or an injured, angry or old starving bear that will teach you to be scared again if you survive. There is no shortage of videos on you tube of people who have been toyed with/stalked by bears. Be careful.


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## hunter33 (Jul 9, 2016)

I have a healthy respect for them, just do not fear seeing them anymore


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