I wish I could say it was a pure survival thing, I wish I could say it was some sort of freak bush-plane accident while on my way to save needy children on the Navajo Reservation but, that’s not the truth. I just got back from embarking on a wilderness rite of passage with several other close friends. We went with an established outfit called The School of Lost Borders. So there was no plane crash at all, no unique survival situation thrust upon us, no, this was more of a rite of passage for 8 people who are seeking more out of their life.
We were in Utah, near Arches National Park - we spent several days prior to the solo in ceremony talking about what it means to be an adult in 2009, what it means to be a mature human being and specifically what our intentions were for spending a week in the desert with no food just gallons of water. I had certainly not done this before, I have done a fair bit of hiking and camping but not like this, not completely alone with only me, me and me to keep myself company. Many people think about a Native American Vision Quest as being similar to what I went through and in some ways that is true however in others it is not. I don’t think a young brave would be sharing his experiences with the masses via an internet message board. However having been hanging out here for almost a decade I feel good sharing with everyone.
Basically I went out there to plug into nature and unplug from my day-to-day for a while. I highly recommend to anyone seeking some sort of change in their life to test yourself and live very close to nature for a few days. It’s not only illuminating in that you can actually live without food, but it is extremely cleansing in a very personal way.
During the day temperatures ranged from the high 60’s in the morning to low 90’s in the afternoons. I was situated near a small creek below a 3,000 ft Mesa. Visually spectacular is a phrase I use to describe it out there. Because I was not eating my energy level was low so I stayed close to my camp - I should mention that we had zero contact with other people while out there, we had an emergency buddy system set up just in case but otherwise we were quite alone.
Not wanting to delve into the spiritual side of the whole week, I’ll mention ones body does some interesting things when deprived of food. I was envisioning that I was going to be ravenously hungry trying to lick cactus or something, but to my amazement I was not hungry for 4 days. No lie, I was fine… I was expecting hallucinations and other cool happenings, but I didn’t get that either, I experienced some surreal moments and was happy most of the time. I wonder if Native Americans felt similar things, no hunger and yet no energy? Perhaps concentrating on their mind and the processes within.
Did you construct your own shelter? Was the fasting part of the planned experience or were you able to gather or hunt for food if you so chose? How would you get in touch with your buddy if something were to go wrong? What were the other seven people like in terms of demographics and reasons for going?
Dio - 10lbs solid. Went in at 195 walked out at 185…still holding to that.
Whiteknight - Yes I constructed my own shelter, it was under an enormous Cottonwood tree. The fasting is an integral part of the vision experience and yes it was part of the program if-you-will. Some people had emergency food and that was fine, but fasting triggers a response in your physical body that something is up, and that response triggers emotional and physical dynamics that simply don’t exist in the day-to-day fray. Once in the morning and once in the evening two buddys would leave a message or rock for one another out in a prearranged place. Separated by the day the two buddies never saw one another. If one person missed the rendezvous we had to radio back to basecamp. Each of us had a radio we were > 3 miles from basecamp - most of us. Saftey was a huge thing.
The other seven people ranged in age from 33 to 65 - some of them had never camped a day in their lives, some were going through huge transition [divorce, move, layoff etc…] others were there for the pureness of the experience. I was there for a little of both.
Awesome, Phlosphr. What a fantastic experience. How did you spend your days and evenings? I used to live near there and have covered a lot of that country on geologic and paleontological treks. Wonder if I know of your place. Do you think you might ever do this again?
Lieu we were next to the Dolores River in a beautiful canyon adjacent to Beaver Creek. Pretty far out there, not a lot of people around at all - amazingly beautiful. I spent my days wandering the small box canyons, rockhounding, writing a lot in my journal and chronicling every new plant I found or bird I saw. At night I held a sort of vigil, small fire in a fire pan, just thinking about life, love pursuit of happiness. Yes, I will certainly do it again in a couple years. This is a great way to mark a transition in ones life, I’m moving to Colorado in a few months so I’ll be in that neck of the woods exploring the canyons and mountains even more.
Kalhoun - I kept a field journal where I chronicled everything from a new plant or bird or flower, to the way I was feeling or what I was thinking about a certain issue in my life. I am enjoying reading through the journal now, lets me remember where I’ve been and where I really want to go. The only critters I saw were ground squirrels, toads and the occasional tree frog. In years past in the same canyon a family of bear have wandered through and several mountain lion sightings…there is not a lot of big game in there to hunt so I think the big predators stay away by in large. Saw some Big Horn Sheep on the high cliffs…that was cool!
The website is evasive about the cost of the program. How much do they charge for leaving you in the desert without any food for a week? Do you think the tuition was reasonable or did it bite-but not so much that you didn’t wanna pay it?
I looked 'er up in Google Maps. Yep, you were in some mighty choice surroundings. We’ll need to keep in touch once you move to CO. Glad that worked out for you.
Skipped the whole “not eating” part during my solo trip, but yeah, solitude and reflection can be a good thing. I was at a crossroad in my life, and with no idea what to do next I took a trip into the desert for a week. Spent a substantial part of the time taking out my soul and looking at it honestly. When I came back I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Been on that trip ever since.
Good job, Phlosphr. I hope your insights mold you in a way you approve of.
Phlosphr, do you have to attend all of the training/debriefing stuff, or were there people who just showed up to have some nice desert solitude without having to jump through all the spiritual hoops, too?
The schedule page seems to lay out all the exact costs and deposits.
I would love to do something like this, but my biggest fear is boredom.
I live my life with talk radio on - even in bed at night - or working my ass off at work, or screwing around on the internet. I can’t imagine ever getting to the thinking-about-things part without going out of my mind. Even in majestical surroundings…
Did you get bored? If so, how did you counter it? If so, at what point did the boredom and discomfort disappear and your soul-searching begin?
We spent a lot of time hiking the canyon before the solo to choose the best spot, I chose one close to the creek and under a beautiful cottonwood. I had all the equipment with me in my personal hiking toolbox, but others rented gear. Night was not that scary at all, when you know you are a part of the landscape just like all the little critters out there, it makes it a little easier.
I live a pretty plugged in lifestyle myself and I thought many of the same things, drinking a lot of water and making your camp just right takes time…and your body naturally slows down without proper energy intake. So I did not find myself getting very bored, which was weird to me. I didn’t question it, I just had fun with it. Did things I wouldn’t normally do i.e played in a creek, explored some small box canyons, and enjoyed being unplugged. As a matter of fact I was so happy to be unplugged I didn’t check email or anything on a screen for 3 weeks. It was AWESOME.
Shot From Guns - you do not have to participate in the ritual side of it if you do not want to, some people did just want the intense solitude - thats fine too. Even those folks participated in some of the stuff, it’s not all mumbo-jumbo it was actually pretty cool.
As for training and debriefing, only those who needed it went to that, I am an avid camper/hiker and already knew how to set up a tarp. So it is actually pretty wide open when you get there, if you want it to be.
Thanks man, I’m still reincorporating…its still weird being in front of a screen so much of the day. But this experience is making me look at where I am living and what I am doing, so I’m very happy for that. I am definitly being molded in a way I approve of… bout time!
So it is actually pretty wide open when you get there, if you want it to be.