Finding Zen Through Solo Camping

Let’s be real. After a solid 10 months of working from home, travel restrictions, and lockdowns, it’s safe to say cabin fever is at an all-time high right now. The holidays, which are normally a relief from the rest of the year, are showing up as underwhelming with parties cancelling and families not able to gather. It’s been a tough year to say the least.

For many of us, this year has forced us to look in places we’ve never gone to find that solace and peace from the swirling chaos around us. For the Glamp Queens, 2020 set us running to Mother Nature! Outdoor activities have quickly become one of the few “safe” options left for recreation and relaxation that doesn’t involve Netflix or your couch.

As fellow camper Lauren P. phrased it, “it was a Zen trip” when she set out on her first ever solo camping trip. For Lauren, taking this trip was both a personal challenge and an opportunity to “live in the moment” and be at peace with her thoughts. Lauren made a clear distinction between the feeling of isolation and entrapment felt from quarantine compared with the sense of freedom found in solo camping.

For many women, the thought of solo camping can sound a bit questionable. We are taught safety in numbers and that being alone means being at risk. It would be false for us to sit here and say that women don’t have to think about this any more than men. Unfortunately, we live in a world that forces us to always be on the alert to our surroundings. But it’s this same ingrained awareness that we bring with us to the campground and while traveling alone. Yes, we may feel the need to take more precautions than our male counterparts and that’s okay! Such precautions can include staying in populated state parks and ensuring cell phone signal is available for emergencies. The point is, there are safe ways of obtaining the freedom and independence gained from solo camping.

When asked if Lauren felt nervous, she answered “no” because at any point she could just drive away. Lauren chose a populated state park for her first trip, did car camping rather than backpacking, and ensured someone at home knew her location in case of emergency. The payoff – meditation, peace and quiet, time to clear her thoughts and a sense of empowerment in building her camp all on her own. Yes, it was cold! And it even rained on her while making breakfast the next morning! But the reward was worth it and Lauren is already making plans to head back out there for her next trip.