"How do you spend that much time alone in your head?" My friend John asked. We had just spent the past several minutes talking about my latest hike through Zion's remote Kolob Terrace section of the national park. Home to slot canyons Das Boot and The Subway, I had spent the day hiking to the top of Ram's Peak. Ram's Peak is the stunning white sandstone triangle-shaped monolith connected to but separate from Greatheart Mesa. The hike had taken most of the day, and I had gone solo.
"I just don't think I could do that," he said; he's probably wrong, but he will likely never experience the profound joy that solitude can bring. I think back after we hung up the phone; I don't ever remember a time in my life that I didn't crave solitude. Growing up, we lived on a hill overlooking the city at the end of a street (later made into a thru street). The mountain was Juniper trees and sagebrush, with our nearest neighbors that had children my age a quarter mile away. I spent my time shooting a basketball on a sloped court and riding my minibike through the trees.
Technically the bike I rode was a Tote Gote; [1] However, very few people recognize the name unless they have used the heavy-duty motorbike to carry deer out of the backcountry. The gote wasn't fast, but it allowed me to explore, which I did every day during the hot summer months.
The most challenging time of my life for solitude was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. Two whole years of 24-hour companionship. Being alone was being in the next room studying, and the moment I got released from the two years of service, I climbed aboard my motorcycle (Honda 250 Enduro) and rode up the mountain. I spent the next several hours riding and sitting alone overlooking the town. Sweet solitude.
I work for a company that specializes in one-person offices. I have a branch manager who is fantastic; however, most days are spent alone in my office, making calls and reading research material.
When financially we could build our first home, we designed the house with separate rooms for each of the kids, family rooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two office areas where Linda and I could spend time working on things we enjoy doing. Nothing is better than a space to call your own.
For years I've spent Fridays, most Saturdays, and now Tuesdays solo hiking, peak-bagging, or snow skiing, logging over 100 days per year by myself in the backcountry. One time while Linda was working and riding horses in Las Vegas, a neighbor asked if I was lonely. "No," I had replied, and she shook her head with what I'm sure was pity for me. She doesn't understand. There is a big difference between being lonely and just being alone.
Written October 6, 2022
References:
[1] Tote Gote. (2022, July 31). In _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tote_Gote