I have just finished watching 'Alone in the wild'. A three part documentary on one mans attempt at surviving in the Yukon for three months. I think he did really well lasting for 50 days. It soon proved to be a really tough experience that in some ways seemed similar to a long distance hike. Challenging, dirty, the demands of the weather, potential wild animal encounters, the need for regular decisions to be made, loneliness, excitement and boredom all can come in no particular order and sometimes on the same day. You can be happy and confident in the morning and frightened and uncertain by the afternoon. On the CDT I said to myself 'expect the unexpected'........ this was my expectation!

Certainly being out for days, then weeks leading to months really made me yearn to be around people. Funny really, as directly after my 2008 hike I spent a week in a hostel and felt as though I had been placed in the Big Brother house! So much person to person politics going on quickly reminded me to the other side of human nature. It was very entertaining though. I agree with Ed Wardle that we are social animals and being completely alone could prove to be extremely disturbing. However when hiking alone I usually only had to endure two or three days without seeing anyone.

So what is so appealing about a long distance hike...or indeed any extended adventure or challenge? 

You get the freedom of time for one. For me this is an interesting subject. When you are 'out there' you may get more time than you ever will get in your busy life back home. Think about the past seven days and count up roughly how much time you have had to yourself without music playing or the t.v. on or somebody chatting. When I was hiking last year it occurred to me that I had probably not had so much time since I was a child. But nowadays even children are subjected to the constraints of a 'busy schedule'. I listened to a couple sitting next to me in a remote mountain resort this summer. The lady complained how her friend had let her down when she had been running the kids around on their busy schedule. 'Mother's have schedule's too' she said. I just felt sorry for the little ones.

Mostly these days it's all about input. By that I mean the input of information into your brain! From the minute we wake up until the second we go to sleep we feed on information from a variety of sources. The radio, the TV, the Internet and from each other. Ofcourse there is output too. When you are in the mountains, watching a TV or going on the Web seems irrelevant. I have to say that I have barely watched TV over the past 5 months and certainly did not miss it.  What with the dry terrain I did not even bother with the cowboy TV (a fire!).

Time 'on the trail' is a luxury for sure but for me it is an escape from constant input. For me time alone can be used to appreciate and connect with nature. It was interesting seeing how other hikers behaved on the trail in terms of using their time. Although I like to listen to music at home I have not used an MP3 player on the trail. Probably  a reason why I spotted over 20 black bears in California.

Why do we spend so much time on the TV or Internet. Could it just be a form of escape? Maybe to stop ourselves from thinking about who we are, what we have done or are doing or should do. I am not input but maybe sometimes we should question just how much time we spend watching TV. In the woods the TV does not matter. It will not help you find your way, stay warm, hydrated or comfortable. For this you have to use your brain and some common sense. You have to plan, stay focused, driven and on the ball to avoid getting into trouble. Some people like to rely on others but this can be risky or dangerous.

The challenge. By that I mean there are many dangers out there (this forest is clearly a very dangerous place! see my silly videos). But seriously though it can be. There have been at least 6 incidences on my last two adventures where I encountered 'on the edge' situations and managed to avoid a potentially bad outcome. That does not include maybe hundreds of dangerous situations taken for granted when hiking. You just use your judgement, experience and common sense to be as safe as possible. For example on the last section I encountered extreme winds, a near blizzard at 5000ft, a sketchy river crossing and missed a boulder rolling down the mountain by roughly a minute.

When you are 'out there' only your decisions, skill and determination will get you through. A younger hiker told me he prefers to rely on luck....in my opinion this is very stupid. Hopefully he will not continue to try his theory out on further adventures.

An interesting experience for me is that I sort of 'tune in' to nature. My senses become more defined and I start to notice things around me easier. Movement, smells or views all catch your eye quickly as you become at home in the natural or is it unnatural environment? Ed commented that nature does not care if you are there or not....I also heard a hiker say nature or the trail is cold and heartless. When you feel out of place or in a middle of a storm yes it may give that impression, but that's not the feeling I get when I am having a good day. It makes me feel great to be alive!

On Mt Adams summit 09

(I have changed the wording on this article slightly)