Going Solo

The carpark is packed with caravans, motorhomes and gigantic utes loaded to the brim with kayaks, bikes, SUP boards and any other kind of recreational toy you can think of. From the lake there are shouts echoing out across the water to its shoreline. For me though, I’m seeking solitude. It might seem odd to gravitate towards activities that leave you with alone in the wilderness when you’re a solo traveller but it’s something that I’ve always loved and grown to appreciate more and more through experience. 

It’s just a day hike but I’m keen to get going and reach the summit by early afternoon to make for a casual afternoon at the top taking in the surrounds. The trailhead description didn’t lie, it’s a steep ascent that’s unrelenting and the sun is getting warmer with each rising step. Before long though, I can peak through the canopy of the trees and view the start of a beautiful view. I take a swig of water and push on. 

A few hours later and I’ve scrambled my way to the top of a rocky outcrop. I sit my daypack down and grab another drink as I take in one of the most beautiful panoramic views I’ve ever experienced. Below me sits an iridescent turquoise lake with barely a ripple upon it. It’s flanked by jagged snow-capped peaks that act like fingers holding water the palm of a hand. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to venture to the Canadian Rockies and experience something like this. I think it was a picture of Lake Louise that first grabbed my attention and sparked the desire to explore this magnificent and wild region of the world. It’s hard to believe that I’m actually here, witnessing this view with my own eyes and sore legs. 

The best thing though? There’s nobody within kilometres of me and the only sound is the wind flowing past my ears. Many people are reluctant to venture out on their own to do, well, anything these days. It seems the need to have a companion in every activity is just the norm and those who are alone are looked upon in a strange way. I’m often asked by passing travellers, ‘you’re just by yourself?’ Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to experience things with others and that can often make things memorable. But being alone can facilitate you to experience something for what it truly is and to appreciate your surrounds. There’s no distraction from where you are at that moment in time. Your senses are heightened and things begin to take on a new perspective. You notice certain nuances of the mountains, lakes, trees or whatever lay before you. The clouds take on the beauty of an artists brushstroke and add to the picture. You can smell the crispness in the air and feel it as the wind pushes it around you.

Venturing out by yourself also gives you the chance to reach parts of your thinking that you don’t get to all that often, or that you didn’t even know existed. You challenge yourself psychologically as much as you do physically. Many people spend their lives in fear of being alone and seek out others simply to avoid it. They’re frightened of being alone. Maybe they’re frightened of what they may find when their thoughts are given the freedom to takeover. There’s nobody else to distract them. Others distract themselves in different ways when they find themselves alone. Smart-phones, social media, TV, music; the list is endless nowadays. All for the sake of keeping boredom at bay and restrict the mind from wondering. As I sit here on top of a boulder in the middle of the Canadian Rockies with no distraction, I encourage anyone to defend that this is a bad idea though. I have the beauty of my surrounds all to myself and there's no sense of boredom in sight. The photos I take won’t do it justice and the stories I spin won’t convey my day nearly as well what I’m experiencing right at this point in time. I'm happy with that though. I'm content to file this memory away and know I'll be better for it, that I've learnt something new or thought something new. 

Just as I’m getting lost down the rabbit-hole of my thoughts and my eyes gaze deeper into the water below and the clouds above, a squirrel sticks it’s nose out from a nearby rock to inspect my lunch. Just when I thought I was alone.