I'll tell you this...

I've met solo women on the trail a lots of times and I almost always get the feeling that they suspect I'm a potential rapist/axe murderer and I don't particularly like that. (I don't even carry an axe <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Here's a story about that...

A solo woman hiker came up to me once while I was sitting by a creek eating lunch and said she was lost and wanted to know the way to the trail. I told her that she could find it upstream, but she had to look closely because it was easy to miss, or she could bushwhack up the hill and she'd cross the trail, or she could wait a bit and I'd show her the way to the trail. She quickly decided she'd bushwhack. I advised against that since she was already lost, but she didn't listen to that advice.

An hour later she came back out of the forest all scratched up and said she couldn't find the trail. I was just getting ready to head out so I told her she could follow me. It was about a mile or two bushwhack to the trail and by the time we were half way there I could tell she was really getting nervous, to the point where she was making me uncomfortable. Now I admit that I was exceptionally ugly right then because I'd been in the forest for three days bushwhacking around and probably wasn't too pretty when I first got there, but she was starting to get visibly nervous so I tried to calm her down with small talk and I sped up my pace but I was packing about 30 pounds and it was a steep hill so I had to take a few breaks and each time I stopped she got even more paranoid. It was getting to the point where I started thinking she might employ a preemptive attack and I better start worrying.

I finally handed her my GPS and told her if she followed the arrow it would take her to her car, and I handed her my Topo map, and told she didn't need to wait for me, but I'd feel better if she'd at least stick with me until we got to the trail.

When we reached the trail she practically sprinted off without so much as saying thanks or goodbye and I was worn out from trying to get to the trail way to fast and I had zoomed by some of my favorite spots where I like to hang out for a bit, so I felt like complete jerk for working so hard to help someone who didn't even utter a work of appreciation in return. At least she left my GPS in my car when she got back. I didn't even expect that after the way she took off.

Anyway, I'm sure she would have felt safer if she'd been with a friend and I would have felt lot better if I wasn't treated like I was taking her far out into the wilderness to rape and murder her instead of saving her stupid a## like I was actually doing.

So my advice is this... If you are afraid when you're out there alone, don't go alone. If you do go alone, don't get lost. If you do get lost, don't treat the guy saving your tail like a rapist/axe murderer because it's rude.

But there are some rapist/axe murderers out there, as you already pointed out, and it would be naive to not be prepared to defend yourself. Also, there aren't many dogs who's tail I can't kick, so I wouldn't consider a dog much protection.

Honestly, I just can't recommend a woman head out alone and not worry about it. I wish I could.

Get a gun. One that shoots big bullets, and learn how to shoot it real good. Better yet, get a friend, a good friend, and have a great time out there.

Oh yeah, Welcome to the Forum!!

Kindest Regards,

Bill