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Re: [at-l] Warning: long post for women hikers
About safety for women--here are some of the precautions I took (other
than running away from rednecks)--
I stayed at shelters, got friendly with other hikers, and made sure they
knew where I was supposed to show up next. I did NOT tell dayhikers,
townspeople, or anyone I did not know as a part of the long-distance
hiking community. Sometimes these folks would ask, just out of
curiosity, where I was headed. I would say, "Oh, anywhere between 10 and
20 miles from here, it depends." They might have been fine, but you
never know who is going to overhear them back in town when they mention
that they met a woman alone on the trail.
Remember, if you really hate hiking alone, you will have no problem
finding others who will either hike with you, or who will be looking for
you at the end of the day. I didn't see anyone who was hiking alone who
really didn't want to. Most people, male and female, end up with buddies
or groups unless they choose not to. When things on the Trail were
spooky, like when we heard of crimes or dangerous events, I sometimes
made deals with other hikers that we would hike separately, but check on
each other's whereabouts at the end of the day. If one of us failed to
show up at the shelter, the other would go back looking. We never
actually needed to do this, though.
Shelters are usually fairly full. Occasionally there were weird people
in them, but there were enough hikers around that the spooky people were
sort of canceled out. If you get somewhere and don't like the look of
someone, leave, no matter how late/dark/rainy it is. You don't have to
go far, just go down the Trail a ways, cut into the woods, and camp out
of sight.
Try not to stay at shelters within a mile of a road, unless there are a
lot of other hikers around. Some of these places are local party spots.
If someone is really frightening, leave and report him (or her) to the
authorities. Some of us reported a scary guy once, and the rangers
immediately left to find him.
If it comes up, say or imply that you are hiking with a big group of
others. Just lie if you need to. Invent a group of friends with a big
dog, who are right behind you. Don't admit that you're traveling alone.
This will keep you safer, as well as spare you from endless lectures by
well-meaning strangers about how women shouldn't hike alone.
Your attitude can help you too. If you are strong, capable, resilient,
and are not a pushover, potential jerks will sense this and look for an
easier mark. Obviously, if you'rea woman considering hiking alone, the
odds are that you are like this. Go with it.
Sometimes it can be weird in shelters, when you're packed in with a bunch
of lonely guys (or only one or two) who haven't seen a woman in a while;
or one guy will decide that he's walked the Trail just to meet you:
you're his soulmate, and you don't even know it! Act like a
sister/aunt/mother/grandmother (depending on your age), and they will
eventually treat you like one.
Sign in at every logbook. That way, if anyone needs to find you, they
will know where you were last. Remember, you disappearing is not the
only reason people may look for you. If any emergency happens to your
family back home, they can reach you more quickly to let you know.
I tried to leave the shelter first in the morning, or before most of the
other hikers there did. That way, I knew there were folks coming along
behind me; if I fell down or got hurt, eventually they would happen along
and find me. If you leave last, and get hurt, you could be waiting for a
day or so before the next day's batch of hikers catches up with you.
Look out for other hikers, just as you hope they will look out for you.
Don't discuss other hikers' travel plans with strangers, or mention
hikers who are traveling alone.
I carried pepper spray, but never used it (not even for dogs--got
attacked twice, but just yelled like a total maniac and flailed my hiking
sticks. The dogs retreated.). Actually I used the spray once, when
there were so many mice in the shelter they kept running over my head and
wouldn't let me sleep. They were using my head as a springboard to get
to my food bag, which was hanging low, near my face. I finally got out
the spray and drew a circle on the floor around my sleeping mat with it.
The mice would not cross this smell-barrier, and I got a good night's
sleep.
You will worry about safety much more before you get on the Trail. Once
you're there, you realize it's a very safe place, that there are a lot of
other long-distance and short-distance hikers around, and they're good
people. Also, you get accustomed to the woods; they become your home.
You sense what's normal and what isn't, you see things very clearly, and
this helps. Follow your instincts--if something seems weird, it is.
Leave. And when you meet good folks you can trust--and there are a lot
of them out there, many many more than the occasional spooky
person--enjoy their company. The experience of trust and community with
relative (or total!) strangers will change your life.
happy trails,
Amazin' Grace
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