I have been doing quite a bit of hiking and wild camping in the UK but always with good company. Going solo has been a long time on my To-do list, a proper challenge actually, because of my fear of… psychopaths. I know.
Weather, animals, difficult terrain, all these possible dangers are manageable: you use your knowledge and experience; you assess the risks and make a decision. But this doesn’t work with the psychopath.
As with most fears the best medicine for me is exposure and if you are like me on the apprehensive side of things, do it in small steps, prepare yourself, think of a backup plan and, most of all, be kind to yourself.
I decided for an easy start, and after getting into the right mindset, I left my good company behind and took to the hills before hitching my tent. If the psychopath came, I assured myself, I could call for help and would only need to survive for about 2 hours, a prospect I could contemplate.
After keeping myself busy with eating, packing and repacking (it was going to be a rainy, windy night), I settled in my sleeping bag and started listening. I had seen sheep, hares and grouse on my way up, and now I could hear them beneath the whispering wind and the quiet pitter-patter drizzle on my tent. No psychopath would bother looking for prey in this weather I thought to myself and miraculously fell asleep and only woke up when the sun rose!
Confronting your fears instead of backing down brings about a sense of accomplishment and empowerment, and I felt as if I had broadened my world by opening another door and nothing would ever stop me from going outdoors, whenever I feel like it.
I will still think of the psychopath when I solo camp in future, but it has become less of a fear, and I can handle it as an inside joke with myself, shrinking it into the size that it deserves.
Addendum:
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