The other day, a woman in the hiking fb page I'm part of made a post about being frightened on the trail when she's by herself and asked how others stay safe. Probably a doze or more other women said they also really want to get out and hike, but they are scared to do it alone.
. Lots of folks chimed in, with lots of helpful tips. Nearly all the men (and a few ladies) said get a gun. Let me say this - I have no issues with gun ownership. However, very few folks out there are going to be well enough trained to pull a gun under duress/surprise attack and be able to shoot it accurately. I don't carry a gun because, frankly, I'm clumsy and I'm much more likely to get a twig stuck near the trigger and shoot myself. I read somewhere once that under a 100 hours on the range and don't even bother. . After doing some reading, carrying a gun without significant training and practice can also lead to a false sense of security. You have the gun, right? So folks often become lax in keeping up their other safeguards. . And while a number of guys chimed in that they, too, were scared when they first started hiking alone (kudos!), I was surprised to see woman after woman posting. So why so many women? Well, let's be real - society teaches women that it's dangerous for us to go out alone. Rape culture, right? Carry your keys, be aware of your surroundings, etc. It's a real thing. There's safety in numbers. Add the visceral fear humans have of the unknown AND being alone in the woods, and it's easy to see a stranger waiting to hurt us behind every tree. . What's also real, though, is (taken from the Bureau of Justice Statistics): - Females are generally murdered by people they know. - In 64% of female homicide cases in 2007, females were killed by a family member or intimate partner. - In 2007, 24% of female homicide victims were killed by a spouse or ex-spouse; 21% were killed by a boyfriend or girlfriend; and 19% by another family member. - In an additional 25% of cases in 2007, females were killed by others they knew. An estimated 10% of female murder victims were killed by a stranger. . I tried to google information about crime/attacks on women in National Parks, and frankly couldn't find any (I kept getting information about bison and bear attacks). I tried local state parks in Ohio, and came up with a grand total of 3 instances over forty years - a man with a mask approached a jogger on a trail, but she ran past him; a woman was murdered in a parking lot by someone she knew; and two children were taken to a park from elsewhere and killed. Horrifying. . There were other instances of violence in some urban metropark parking lots, but they involved those that went there for things other than hiking (drug deals, etc.). . Random attacks by strangers in rural areas is lower than those in urban areas. Can something happen on the trails? Sure, of course. Yet, throughout the day, we still walk to the store, go to the movies, take our kids to the park...go about our every day lives. And as we do, most of us don't actually take any precautions at all. We don't even think about it, if it's daylight. . I'm not downplaying these instances or fears by ANY means. But I do believe that you can be a woman (or man) and enjoy the trails on your own, without fear, by taking good safety precautions. We should make sure that our fear of being alone on the trail is proportionate and appropriate, not paralyzing or preventative. We're going to talk about these precautions later on this week. They're also good against animals, too, because to be honest you're more likely to have a run in with wildlife than a person. . Have a tip for safety on the trails when out there alone? Leave it below!
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When I was getting ready for my solo trip to Dolly Sods, the only thing I was actually concerned about was the wildlife. Dolly has quite a few bears, and the frequency of them in camps has been exacerbated in recent months with the influx of folks (new AND old to the trail) not practicing proper food and scent storage. I spent a lot of time reading about black bears while I was getting ready - I kept having this reoccurring nightmare of walking up to a bear's face two inches from mine. While not realistic, it WAS motivating.
. As I was doing my research, I was surprised by what you're actually supposed to bag and how far away you're supposed to bag it. Most places say 300 yards! Though, truthfully, I think I ended up about 100 yards away, as I didn't want to be wandering around unfamiliar woods at night with black bears and human shit (that's a story for another time). . So what are you supposed to put in your bear bag? - The obvious - any food and any empty food wrappers. - But also anything scented - bug spray, chap stick, gum, sunscreen, etc. If you're alone, it's even more important to make sure everything is hung correctly (we'll discuss why another time). So what about the lesser known stuff you should hand? Here's some of the lesser-known items and factors to consider: - Fuel - Did you know that bears can pick up a scent up to TWENTY MILES AWAY? Yikers. So in my reading I found they'll also check out fuel. So bag that, too, baby! - Cooking Paraphernalia - Anything you cooked in or ate with, even if washed (which should be down stream and remnants not dumped anywhere near camp). - YOU - No, you can't fit yourself in a bear bag, but if you can avoid it, don't wear anything scented in to the back country. A lot of folks say to avoid deodorant, washing your hair the day of your trip, and no scented body lotion. Black bears are curious, peaceful creatures that will rarely become aggressive unless you startle them or come between a mother and her cub. So far, no people have been killed by black bears in West Virginia, which is where I was. However, if a black bear attacks a person, they're automatically hunted down and killed. Even if it was due to the person's own actions - such as improperly stored food, etc. So please, do your part to keep yourself - and the bears out there - safe. Anything additional that you store? Any tips for bear bag hanging? Comment below! So for me, this year has been a bit of a transformation. I've been able to lose about 50 pounds or so (estimated, didn't own a scale) in the past 6 months through major changes in diet and mountain biking 3-4 times per week. I have come to be quite passionate about mountain biking and have been improving my skills little by little each ride.
I would always delete photos of myself, especially as I got closer to 300# at the end of last year unless they were at the perfect angle, or focused on other people and I was hidden, but I'm not looking to hide anymore. I have gained and lost this amount of weight 3 times in my life and I always get complacent and end up fading back up, but this time is different - I'm not hating myself at the gym, I'm not starving myself with unsustainable eating habits. I found a passion, and a responsible eating pattern that has worked for me for 6 months and will continue to do so. . I'm enormously grateful for my local trail systems and the volunteers and organizations that maintain those. I have spent many weekends doing volunteer work, I donate to these organizations and I plan to continue to do so. I recommend anyone who is looking to do something similar to do some research and see the hidden gems around where you live! . Pronouns: He/Him . Check out other showcases on the blog - link in bio or linktr.ee/misfithikers! . [Image Description: Image 1: Jeremy stands in front of Machu Picchu, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and camel bak. He's smiling, and has short sandy-brown hair and bread and mustache. Image 2: Jeremy rides a mountain bike, wearing black pants and a black shirt. He's in the woods, trees all around, and is finishing a low-dipped jump.] *MISFIT SHOWCASE*
. I think I'm a misfit hiker because there are not a lot of African American Women on the trails. My goal is to diversify the trail. I have met some wonderful people and made some great connections over the 10 years of hiking. However, my love for the outdoors started 25 years ago with my husband and kids who were little then. We use to go RVing, boating and fishing. I truly have found that the outdoors and hiking brings me piece as well as solitude. My philosophy would be that everyone in some point of time needs to venture outdoors so that they can be in one with nature and themselves. There are so many places that I would like to travel and hike Kilimanjaro as it looks like it would be a great and humbling experience. I would also like to backpack through Fugi to experience the people and its beautiful terrain. My favorite outdoor moment would be my visit to Bryce Canyon in Utah. During my visit the canyon had snow. To view the canyons in my distance with the snow on the valley and peaks was breathtaking. - Kenya (@kenyatallandbeautiful) . Pronouns: She . Check out other showcases on the blog - link in bio or linktr.ee/misfithikers! . [Image Description: Kenya stands in a desert/canyon landscape, with scrub brush all around and red-rock cliffs behind her. Dark clouds hover in the sky. She's smiling, wearing a very full backpacking pack and a blue rain shell over purple patterned tights.] |
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