I'd do the same thing that I often do at home - travel in a small group. That and maintaining a general awareness of the surroundings probably deter more bad guys than anything. The simple act of appearing confident & purposeful makes you that much less appealing of a target than the next person. Most people don't really watch what's around them when they hike.

Weapons, even pepper spray, tend to have laws attached to their use & carry. I've always thought they were only as effective as the training the user's had, which is often zilch. Starting with a good mindset is a better first step I think. That's usually a main goal of a typical beginer's self-defense class, which might be a good idea to take if you can find one.

Even if it isn't legal to carry weapons, even an everyday item (like a walking stick) can be perfectly okay and useful to boot. One of my fiance's aunts once had a mugger pull a knife on her in Central Park, demanding her money; she knocked him out with her handbag. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />