Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2016 18:51:29 GMT -8
Hello Superwomen!
I want to backpack. No one in my family has the backpacking itch like I do. When I share my excitement and bucket list, I am told how dangerous it is, and all the ways I will probably die:
1. get murdered
2. bear attack 3. get lost 4. snake bite 5. lymes disease 6. starve 7. injury
*insert eye roll*
Can someone please talk to me about #1 and personal safety? And also your opinions/experiences on female solo hikers. Can I just say it? Sometimes it really sucks to be a girl!
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Post by wanderingwildcat on Jun 20, 2016 22:09:11 GMT -8
My mom is a major worry wart. I'm in my 30s and she still tries to talk me out of stuff because she's scared of how dangerous it is. I love the outdoors too, yet nobody else in my family does, so 90% of my adventures are enjoyed on my own. I work in law enforcement at a high security federal prison, so I've had training to protect myself. I definitely recommend a self-defense class.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 6:15:58 GMT -8
I definitely recommend a self-defense class. wow, that's some great training ground for backpacking! lol I have already checked into self-defense classes - I just need to follow through. Thank you for the nudge.
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foxalo
Trail Wise!
Life is infinitely stranger than anything the mind could invent.---Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Posts: 2,359
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Post by foxalo on Jun 21, 2016 9:13:19 GMT -8
Being in my forties, and married about half that time, I've got a husband whose idea of being outdoorsy is sitting by the pool or mowing the lawn. I've been hiking in the woods solo most of my life, because life is too short to not do something that makes you happy, so I go alone rather than wait for someone to join me. I've gotten grief from some relatives and especially my mother-in-law about traveling solo. My mother, on. the other hand, is my biggest cheerleader. She gets it. You can easily be bitten by a snake in your backyard. I think common sense is what you need most. I haven't done a solo backpacking trip, but I will spend several hours in the woods by myself. I never feel fear , just peace.As for bigger things like bears and serial killers. I'll either die or I won't. Don't have time to worry about that. If I live, I'll have a great story to tell. If I die, life goes on without me. I say HAVE FUN!
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grace
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Post by grace on Jun 23, 2016 10:21:28 GMT -8
I'm a novice solo adventurer, and my biggest fear isn't nature, it's people. But I don't let that stop me. I'm learning to camp solo, and will be backpacking solo next year. I'd like to take wilderness first aid and when I get a little spooky, I'm reminded that I can turn around any time, staying at the far edge of my comfort zone, and branching out a little farther on each trip. Please don't let fear stop you. Most of the things that you're thinking are unlikely to happen.
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Post by paula53 on Jun 23, 2016 10:48:33 GMT -8
I solo hike most of the time. I hike in places that I am familiar with. I also am not afraid to try new to me trails in Yosemite. This comes with experience, and being comfortable out in the outdoors. Buy equipment that you can rely on, and learn how to use it. I carry a map and compass also. Leave your itinerary with trusted family or friends and enjoy yourself.
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Post by Coolkat on Jun 23, 2016 11:22:42 GMT -8
I am curious. Any of the women posting here hike with a dog?
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Post by wanderingwildcat on Jun 23, 2016 14:57:14 GMT -8
I am curious. Any of the women posting here hike with a dog? Yep! One of my two Jack Russells loves to hike. He has hiking boots and carries his own pack with his treats. I carry all the water. I keep him leashed at all times because although he's had obedience training - he'll take off and he's faster than me. I've taken both my pups up Mt. Lemmon, and earlier this spring we were at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. One just loves the adventure more than the other.
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Post by froggiebecky on Jun 23, 2016 16:46:42 GMT -8
1. get murdered 2. bear attack 3. get lost 4. snake bite 5. lymes disease 6. starve 7. injury I've heard all the ways I'm going to die as well, from my father, though it was before moving overseas and doing fieldwork in the jungle, etc. Anyway...some of your issues: 1. You're probably far less likely to be murdered by a stranger in the woods than you are going about daily life. BUT, You should know when hunting season is, and maybe consider adding some blaze orange to your clothing (and avoid wearing white) so no one mistakes you for a target. 2. Bear attack...are you hiking in bear country? 3. There's orienteering courses around. Find a club and take a course or two. Practice. 4. Snake bite/injury: you can sign up to take a wilderness first aid course. You could even get certified to teach them through the Red Cross. If it'll make your family feel better, maybe consider carrying an electronic locator beacon.They're quite popular here in Australia, as it doesn't take long to get out of mobile coverage in the bush, and you don't have to be an idiot to get into trouble. They're a couple hundred dollars, though. If you don't want to buy one, it looks like you can rent them from REI. Around here in Oz, a lot of the local (rural) police stations will rent them out for free, so it might be worth some phone calls around where you're planning to walk. 5. Lyme disease: check for ticks. you might be able to rig a self-checker with a couple of mirrors and selfie sticks or trekking poles. Your threat of being bitten by a tick doesn't change with the presence of another person..but you can certainly devise ways of checking hard-to-see areas.
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wench
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Post by wench on Jun 25, 2016 21:06:29 GMT -8
Why does it suck being a girl?
I think it's a cultural thing, women are told that they should be afraid, and therefore they are.
I was never taught that I should be afraid because I am a girl.
You are more likely to be murdered by a negligent driver on the highway than hiking alone.
If you are not confident in yourself, then don't hike alone, whether you are male or female doesn't matter. You gain confidence with knowledge and experience, whether you are male or female.
The only thing that I think sucks about being female and hiking...is peeing in the woods, guys definitely got it easier on that one.
PS- I always hike solo. I hike confident in my knowledge and respectful of nature in the things I do not know. I tell the boyfriend where I will be and leave a map on his desk. I chat with other hikers about where I have been, but not where I am going. I take rides with families and groups of kids, but don't go to "hang out" at a campsite with a guy. I don't take risks that would cause injury, if you sprain your ankle for instance, you are on your own- step carefully, learn how to do first aid, keep your cellphone charged.
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Post by hippiebutterfly on Jun 26, 2016 5:36:47 GMT -8
Well, I'm not gonna be favored for saying this, but if I'm heading out alone, I take my handgun and tuck it safely way. I'm a victim of assault and don't have a healthy trust in human nature. That being said, when I've gone out alone hiking (or with a female friend), I've not been approached, or threatened. I think the gun is more for my own peace of mind. In fact, most people I've come across are very friendly. When I go walking around town, I usually have my dog, not a gun. I wear a bear bell on my pack and learn how to be bear wise. I hear bear spray is effective too. My recommendation is to take an outdoor preparedness course. One that teaches you orienteering, safety, any skills you lack, and read up on the insect threats in your area before you leave. That way you are prepared. I've seen courses on outdoor safety at community colleges, or even more expensively through www.nols.edu.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jun 26, 2016 16:44:13 GMT -8
Bear spray in Griz country. Everywhere else, take proper care of your food and bears are not an issue.
As for people: my general feeling when I hiked solo (before marrying a guy who shares my passion) was that the main people danger came near roads. I made a point of never camping less than 3 miles from a road, and otherwise just paid attention. In all my miles, solo and not, I've only once encountered someone who made me feel profoundly uncomfortable. In that case, because it was near time to camp but the road wasn't too far to reach, I hiked out--as did the chance-met male hiker I was with at the time (he was as uncomfortable with the weird hunter guys in the national park as I was). Only time it seemed necessary in probably a couple hundred trail nights.
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Post by wanderingwildcat on Jun 26, 2016 17:07:31 GMT -8
Well, I'm not gonna be favored for saying this, but if I'm heading out alone, I take my handgun and tuck it safely way. I'm a victim of assault and don't have a healthy trust in human nature. That being said, when I've gone out alone hiking (or with a female friend), I've not been approached, or threatened. I think the gun is more for my own peace of mind. In fact, most people I've come across are very friendly. When I go walking around town, I usually have my dog, not a gun. I wear a bear bell on my pack and learn how to be bear wise. I hear bear spray is effective too. My recommendation is to take an outdoor preparedness course. One that teaches you orienteering, safety, any skills you lack, and read up on the insect threats in your area before you leave. That way you are prepared. I've seen courses on outdoor safety at community colleges, or even more expensively through www.nols.edu. I carry as well. Especially when I'm hiking and camping alone around my city. Southern Arizona is next to the border and we have problems with drug runners (we call them coyotes). Last thing I want is to be alone and find myself in their path because they are armed and very dangerous.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Jul 1, 2016 7:39:14 GMT -8
My advice, as someone who goes backpacking a LOT, like every MONTH, and day hikes when I'm not, is to completely ignore what non-backpackers say. I MEAN COMPLETELY.
Leave an itinerary with someone - reconn.org is a great template. GO HAVE FUN.
Like, you are far, far, far, far, more likely to be murdered in town. Like, NO ONE OUT THERE is there to hurt you. Your risks are: hurting yourself. Getting heat stroke or hypothermia. Maybe, if you are allergic to something, a serious allergic reaction. Bee stings kill far more people than bears or snakes do. EVERY YEAR hundreds of people are lost, hurt, or have cardiac arrest or allergic reaction out there. Maybe three or four have an animal related injury, due to something other than a domestic critter (horses, dogs hurt more people than wild animals do). Deer are the top killer in the wild animal category. They're easy -- don't go over and intimidate them. Same with every other animal.
The Appalachian Trail is the only trail with a crime rate, thanks to the proximity of ROADS. Go into the wilderness and you remove a lot of that risk.
Don't go where there are marijuana growers and poachers, in the low country away from trails. Don't go to the Mexican border. Head into the wilderness and relax. It's easy.
It really pisses me off when people tell women to carry weapons -- if you don't intend to develop the skill to use it properly and accurately, LEAVE IT ALONE. That goes for bear spray, which would be something to take into brown bear/grizzly areas. If you can't use a weapon properly even when you are in adrenalin mode, it's more dangerous than not having one at all.
Proper planning is proper prevention -- research, go where the RANGERS (not a bunch of random people trying to "keep you safe") tell you that you don't need weapons, and relax. Rangers are privy to what actually happens -- not a bunch of hysterical nonsense. Bears aren't the same everywhere. In California, they are at best a nuisance. There are plenty of places where I would happily go solo -- because I KNOW (knowledge is power) that I can, without issues. There are other places where I would not go alone.
As a former search and rescue volunteer -- far and away the most common thing that gets people into trouble is poor planning. Actual statistics tells me that animals and people are the last of my worries. Car accidents and temperature regulation (hypothermia or heat stroke) are the ACTUAL top of my list of concerns.
What people are warning you about is NOT.
I hike with a dog. I know that if anything happens between her and an animal, it is ME who will be protecting her, not the other way around. Unless your dog is something like a bear hound, it's at far more risk than you are. YOU will be checking the dog's paws, paying close attention to whether the dog is limping or bleeding or showing symptoms of any kind (they will hide symptoms until it is bad), and carrying their stuff (or them) if something happens.
Bear bells are damned annoying, and ineffective -- a friend uses one on his dog's collar so he can find her in thickets. Never seen a bear bother to react to one. And I've seen LOTS of bears, half a dozen a year for more than a decade.
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Post by hippiebutterfly on Jul 1, 2016 9:21:08 GMT -8
It really pisses me off when people tell women to carry weapons -- if you don't intend to develop the skill to use it properly and accurately, LEAVE IT ALONE. That goes for bear spray, which would be something to take into brown bear/grizzly areas. If you can't use a weapon properly even when you are in adrenalin mode, it's more dangerous than not having one at all. Well, I certainly agree that no one should use a gun unless they've been trained properly. I have been trained properly and take the responsibility seriously. If you've never been the victim of assault (human or animal), then you cannot advise someone not to protect themselves in a way that makes them feel safe.
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