Take time to disconnect: a week in the woods

When was the last time you were truly alone? I’m not talking about the last time you were by yourself. I assume every person spends some time each day unaccompanied, whether it be sleeping, studying late at night or using the bathroom (I hope). Yet most of the time, although we might be physically by ourselves, we aren’t actually alone. We’re constantly plugged into our phones and computers, communicating with others via text message, email or Snapchat. It’s a relentless barrage of electronic sensation and information.

I’m talking about the last time you were really detached — cloaked in isolation so thick that no one could reach you even if they tried. Chances are you can’t remember. That’s normal. But it’s unfortunate. Because when we disconnect ourselves from our devices, we start to actually connect with the people around us.

I’ve been seeking this solitude for a while. It arrived a few weekends ago.

On that Thursday, five good friends and I drove to my roommate Mike’s cabin in Sparta, North Carolina, to spend a long weekend. It’s a sleepy town tucked away in the Smoky Mountains, with a population of about 10,000. It’s so close to Virginia you could throw a rock there from the front door, so rural that Mike’s neighbors across the street are a herd of cows. It was the ultimate outdoors trip.

We rode all-terrain vehicles, fired guns and explored an abandoned cabin from the 19th century. And there’s nothing quite like sitting around a campfire on a cold night with nothing to look at but the stars (although mother nature sometimes had other plans).

But the best part of the trip came on the third day, when we embarked on a hike. We discovered a trail in a forest shrouded in dense fog. For several miles, it followed a creek that eventually led down to a series of cascading, winding waterfalls. It was here I finally found what I was searching for.

At the cabin, we had Wi-Fi. On the trail? Nothing.

There was no cell phone service. No connection to the outside world. No one knew where we were, save for several other hikers and their dogs, with whom we had pleasant encounters. I could’ve stayed there forever, reveling in the excess of solitude. But we were only on the trail for a few hours before the impending sunset forced us to retreat.

The time we spent that day wandering through the woods made the 10-hour drive from Gainesville worth it. We discovered something rare in today’s world: a place of resounding seclusion. Eventually, we found our way back to the car. We were reconnected with our phones.

It was amusing to watch some of my friends devour unread texts and Snapchat messages. Even though we hadn’t been off the grid for long — only an afternoon — you’d think they had been lost for as long as Tom Hanks’ character in “Castaway.” It was an amusing reminder of how hooked we are on technology.

I understand that heading out into the woods frequently as a means of disconnecting isn’t realistic. We’re all busy with school and work, and it can be difficult to get away sometimes. Yet disconnecting can be as simple as flipping your phone into airplane mode the next time you get lunch with a friend or leaving it at home when you go to the gym to work out. They’re small steps to take that can make an immense difference in improving our relationships with others. Connect with the people around you, not just to the screen in your pocket.

Brian Lee is a UF English senior. His column appears on Thursdays.