Overcoming the Boogeyman and Other Outdoor Fears

While we suspect the Boogeyman is not a real (right?), it’s hard not to wonder what’s around the corner when you’re walking alone in the woods. We get it. Years ago, when we started to head into remote places, and before the internet was a thing, it was challenging to find a buddy willing to spend a week in the woods, sans shower. Go do it alone? That gave us the shivers. Overtime, we started to overcome our fears. You can too.

The biggest trick to overcoming fear is to increase your skillset. We’ll show you how to do it.

8 day solo canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Dent Lake.

Identify your fears.

First, start by identifying your fear. You may know exactly what you’re afraid of. Or maybe, you only have a vague idea. Possibly, you’re afraid of everything. Either way, it tends to stop you from taking the next step in planning your adventure. You may be tempted to throw up your hands and say “forget it, I can’t do it”.

In case you’re wondering, the most common fears we hear about are wildlife encounters, other people, the weather, personal abilities and failure to complete the goal. The upside that you can address all of these fears and even overcome them. So, which ones challenge you?

Some fear is ok.

Realize that fear can be good. It’s what prevents us from going too close to the edge of a cliff. It’s a healthy, built-in warning system. The key is allowing fear to keep us safe but not hold us back from leaving home in the first place. As you spend more time outdoors building your skills, you’ll dial in a healthy response to that fear vs running for the car. We recommend starting with short, local adventures and build from there. Even the backyard works.

Bear claws and spider bites.

Most places in the world will have something that wants to bite you. Ok, maybe not Antartica. If your adventure includes traveling closer to home, then you probably have a good idea of what lives in your neck of the woods. But are you familiar with the habits and possible risks of those critters? If not, we suggest looking into a naturalist program with your local state park so that you can learn where you could encounter wildlife. Go to the nearest rangers station and get the latest info for animals of that region.

Spend a bit of time learning how to address things like insect bites or what to do if a bear saunters into camp (consider yourself lucky to see one). Bring along appropriate medications, spray and salves to address bug bites.

If you travel in high-pressure insect areas, we suggest treating your clothing with Permethrin spray, which we’ve used on multiple adventures with excellent success. Read the label before using.  

Keep a clean camp. This is one of the easiest ways you can avoid having mice and other mammals from coming around to check you out. Don’t leave any food out. Properly securing or hanging your food away from camp will minimize the unwanted visitor. There are rules for every kind of park and wilderness area. If you cannot find any regulations, we suggest using an Ursak or Bear Vault as a reliable animal-proof container. Place into your container food, lip balm, sun screen, garbage–everything that smells.

Carry a can of bear spray. You may hear that it is unnecessary, and it might be, but when we do solo trips, we always carry a can. It provides an additional layer of security. You’re the one carrying it, so who cares what anyone else thinks.

Other people.

Unless you head out at -50° below, you’re likely to encounter other people. When we started our solo adventures, our worst fear was getting attacked by someone on the trail. And while reports of attacks are nearly non-existent and most everyone is cool, it’s apart of life whether you’re in the woods or in the city. That said, it’s can be helpful to buddy up with others on trail for an added level of experience and safety.

Hoping to overcome this fear, we signed up for a self-defense class at our local gym. The biggest takeaway we learned, besides some killer defense moves, was a new sense of freedom. It was very empowering. While it doesn’t take away the fact that you need to trust your spidey-senses, it increases your mental confidence to tackle the risk.

When soloing, we usually bring along Ka-Bar knife, ‘cause we like feeling extra secure. If you carry a knife, learn how to properly use it as a defensive weapon. And because someone may wonder, we discourage carrying a gun (unless you’re headed to the Yukon) for numerous reasons.

Solo winter backpacking trip on the North Country Scenic Trail in northern Wisconsin.

Lightning, thunder and snow, oh my!

If you have ever hunkered down in a tent during a thunderstorm, you know it is a completely different experience than watching it blow by from your living room window. Those booms are m-a-s-s-i-v-e.

So, before the start your trip, check out current and historic weather data of the location you’ll be traveling through. Scour social media or Facebook for any current, first-hand reports. If you’re headed where afternoon thunderstorms are common, learn how to properly protect yourself from a lightning strike. With a little research, you can confidently head into the woods knowing what to expect and how to prepare for it.

As you prepare for your adventure, pack for the conditions you expect to encounter. Wear and bring the proper clothing. Our rule of thumb is to pack whatever you would need to spend the night in the woods. Start by carrying a day pack with an emergency blanket, matches, water, whistle and some food.

When we are out of cell range, we carry a Garmin InReach Satellite Communicator not only in case of emergencies, but for also accessing current weather data for our location.

Knowing your abilities and limits.

Learning your abilities and limits comes with practice and experience. We all have limitations! One way to discover these limits to physically and mentally train for your adventure.

Talk to a personal trainer who specializes in your particular area of interest. They can identify your strengths and weaknesses and provide ways to minimize potential injuries.

Search for an online training plan or join a local outdoorsy group where you can ask questions and observe how others prepare. As you spend more time training and practicing for your particular adventure, you’ll be able to measure identifiable growth. And with that comes security!

For solo adventures, we’re especially conservative in our risk tolerance, so we tend to stop often, observe our surroundings and take things slower. Rushing is not worth an ankle twist or worse hours away from help.

But what if you fail?

Failure is a possibility, but so is success! The biggest indicator of failure is not preparing well for your adventure. With access to the internet, it’s super easy to check trip reports, current trail conditions, ranger warning, closures and local updates. Yes, it will take a little time and effort, but look at it as a fun opportunity to do a little detective work. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be pretty aware and informed. Go into your adventure confident about what to expect and possible risks involved.

The jitters are part of the journey.

Nerves, excitement, the jitters, fear. These will be common companions of your adventures. They will ebb and flow throughout your journey and that’s ok. As your skills increase, so will good judgement–quieting those voices, doubting less. As you grow, surround yourself with others who’ve been there, as they can be a great source of encouragement. You’ll start to distinguish when it’s ok to go solo and when it’s safer to share the adventure with a friend.

So…lean into those fears, let them guide you in taking positive steps forward, where you come to the place of feeling free.

“Being brave isn’t the absence of fear. Being brave is having that fear but finding a way through it.”

Bear Grylls