What is it like to be totally alone-so alone that there is no one to talk to, even if I wanted to have a conversation? Being alone in my home, going on a solo walk through our neighborhood, or having the door to my office closed is not being totally alone. There is always someone available with whom to converse, if I desire. Now extend being totally alone for days rather than hours and add to it a place where there is no cell phone service, no cars, and very little if any human generated noise.
This place for me has often been Isle Royale National Park, located near the north shore of Lake Superior. I have experienced many days of being totally alone while solo hiking and kayaking on the island. When I am totally alone the sounds of nature are much more crisp and clear. All of my senses are heightened, in part, because of the need to be totally aware of my surroundings. I don’t have another set of eyes or ears to watch out for me so I am responsible for my own safety. I miss those I am close to but I don’t miss the noise of civilization. As I talk to myself, the sound of my voice startles me-it seems almost foreign. And I do talk to myself. We have had a lot of good conversations and done quite a both of soul-searching during these moments alone.
When I return to civilization I am immediately confronted by the noise and seemingly endless supply of problems and bad news. The noise of civilization begins in the early morning hours and continues till the close of day. As I drift back into my daily routine, I am reminded why I sought out silence and solitude in the first place. I feel a little like a sojourner in civilized life and I have this longing to again be totally alone.
Author’s Note: If interested, I have listed a few books that can provide a better perspective of what being truly alone is like. Three are about being alone on water while the others are on land. There is something about being alone on water that is profoundly different than being on land. You just can’t walk out to the nearest outpost. Both of these photos were taken on Isle Royale on a solo kayaking trip. The top one is my solo tent at Lane Cove and the bottom photo was taken from Belle Isle.
- The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier (Sailed around the world alone in an around the world yacht race in 1968)
- Alone by Admiral Richard E. Byrd (Spent six months alone in Antarctica)
- Sailing Alone Around the World by Captain Joshua Slocum (Sailed alone around the world in 1895)
- Adrift by Steven Callahan (Spent seventy-six days lost at sea)
- Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (a classic)
