[at-l] Young, female, and thru-hiking

[askowronek at mindspring.com (amy)]

On Sunday, September 7, 2003, at 12:13  AM, OlympicDreams04@cs.com 
wrote:

> 19 and with a chance summer to spare, I'm setting off next July SOBO 
> and very much solo.  I've been a bp'er since I was a child and 
> completely a thru hike has been a goal of mine for sometime now.  Any 
> suggestions anyone?  What about trail safety?
>

Oh, I'm so jealous .  :)

Suggestions:  Pack light.  Use hiking sticks.  Bring really light town 
clothes, and only
wear them in town so they don't pick up that distinctive odor.  Stop 
and smell the
roses.

Trail safety:  watch out for slippery rocks.  As far as other people on 
the trail, I very
seldom meet anybody who makes me uncomfortable.   If you do, get away 
from them.
If somebody dogs you on the trail, you can always take a couple days 
off in town
so they get ahead of you, or you can hop ahead on the trail using a 
shuttle.  In
immediate danger from bad people, remember you have those hiking sticks
I told you to bring.  ;)

Don't be surprised if you're not solo long.   Unless you are extremely 
mean and
cranky *and* you work at keeping others away, you're liable to meet nice
people going to the same way and start keeping company with them.

-amy