Safety being young and female on the trail?

[Fredt4]

BS. post the facts

Perhaps he meant that a couple of people who knew someone that heard about someone hiking the AT also knew of someone that read a story about someone being murdered.

Reality is that people that hike the AT don't need to worry about being murdered.

[hayeskw]

OK, someone earlier said "town is dangerous". Surely that's a little over the top. What towns? All towns? Any thoughts?

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[Fredt4]

OK, someone earlier said "town is dangerous". Surely that's a little over the top. What towns? All towns? Any thoughts?

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Relatively compared to the trail. In the scheme of life Towns are safe. The only sites I avoid are sites near a road, even then they're probably still safe. Crime against strangers in the U.S. is very uncommon and has dropped over the past 30+ years. Given the social mix of hikers and the town's we hike thru crime is very low. Yes, occasionally there's an incident but it's probably much safer than your hometown.

[Buttercup01]

Despite the forum name - Buttercup -I'm a 52 year old guy. A lady at work gave me that name. I'm equally concerned about some of the people I meet - men and women! Seriously though, the oddballs seem to be within a few miles of a trailhead. Get away from the trailheads and you'll find people who are serious about hiking. We look out for each other. The best weapons you need are an assertive personality, willingness to build friendships, good physical conditioning, and a pair of hiking sticks.

One rule I have is if I say 'hi'to someone and they don't look at me or respond in a normal way, keep moving. Stay away from the drug and alcohol crowd.

I am amazed by the number of solo female hikers I meet. It's good to see them out there. Yes, I check in on them to make sure they stay safe - just as I do with the geriatric crowd.

[IndyannieJones]

Brand new to the forum so I'm commenting here so I can refer back to this later. I would be lying if I said I have zero fears of hiking alone but the excitement outweighs the fear by far. Many friends/family have volunteered to go with me when the time comes but this is one thing that I need to do on my own, to prove to myself that I can. So I'm going to do all the research I can to make sure when the time comes for my hike it will be fun and safe, don't need any kind of derailments to my goal
- Indy

[Swimmer]

Bear spray. Works on brazen bears and people who invade your personal space.
Lying is also good. "My friends are a little behind (ahead of) me." "I'm staying at X shelter tonight." (then bush crash a few miles beyond that well concealed from the trail).
You will find that most people are wonderful and will actually look out for you (both men and women) and you will feel safer in their company than alone. But trust your gut, even if it turns out to be nothing to worry about. If nothing else it will put your mind at ease.

[Smoky Spoon]

Wow, just wow. Roflmao, trying to figure out if this post is bait to upset the apple cart or really authentic.

I will for the sake of arguments sake go with a naive young woman really asking for helpful advice, so from one woman to another, you are after all 18 now, that makes you an adult so I am going to talk to you like one.

Let's begin with your intro, i am willing to bet, and the bet will be a large pizza of your choice that you will not find one other post on here before yours that the poster screams they are straight and very obviously so.

Announcing your sexual orientation is not necessary and in my opinion usually means the person screaming it may be doing an attention seeking behavior. Since you are asking for help on safety issues I am going to assume you are just young, and out loud and proud. Nothing wrong with that if you are in a gay parade or celebrating pride month etc, but really it has no place on here in your post. And this is not me or anyone else trying to silence you, this is common sense and safety. Some individuals, male and female can find that sort of thing as boisterous. And while you may be a solitary creature, trust me, when hiking a thru hike or any long distance hike you will want to make a few friends, if nothing else then for them to take your picture and to hitch hike into towns together.

Then you referenced the AT as a sausagefest. I do not have a sausage and I found that offensive. Considering that the first thru hiker was someone who had a sausage, Earl Shafer, and the fact I have a special fondness for him, your sausagefest comment while possibly funny to your friends is not so humorous to more than a few of us on this site. I understand the younger lesbian crowd is often all about asserting their independence and proving to the world they do not need a man but that does not give you the right to insult all men. Especially when you profess to be asking for help. If you wish for the world to accept you as a lesbians and not use derogatory terms when referencing you then please remember to follow that same rule when referencing males. The great women and men who fought hard to win gay rights did not do so for the younger LGBT to become arrogant and insulting to others.
Maybe reading some older books on your gay histories will give you a better appreciation of what loud and proud really means.

LOL I understand many of us girls find it annoying when men hit upon us when we are trying to do something that we put a lot of time and energy into as well as finance. But believe it or not, it is not exclusive to lesbians, most men who hit on women really are just looking for a piece of tail for the night. Do some men find lesbians more challenging? According to my guy friends maybe when they were younger and a bit intoxicated, but as they mature so does their choices they make in life just as it does for women. And please do not forget women hit on men on the trail too and on women. So being hit on is not going to be exclusively from males or older ones at okay? A good way to deal with it that usually works for me is looks them in the eye and "telling them while you are flattered by all the attention they are bestowing upon you, you are not interested. You are here to hike a trail and not get laid so please refrain yourself from future attempts at trying to hook up with me." Trust me, it works well and anyone sitting there immediately jumps in the next time the person makes another attempt with you, saying "she said she is not jnterested, so back off." Usually they back off once you say something, but sometimes the input of some one else works wonders. That is one of the positives of trail hiking, somebody is often around to stop harassing behaviors. And another reason you might not want to offend all the males you are getting to know with comments like sausagefest.

I have hiked many trails, i have been all over the world, and I usually hike in the mountains and back country. I have not needed a gun, not saying i don't always carry one but am saying my personal opinion is while on the AT you will not need a gun. But that is my opinion. You said you have four years of martial arts? So did Meredith Emerson and she had her dog with her too. She was only a couple years older than you. Martial arts is fine when in the gym, but in close combat like a quarter dome tent a bit more trickier to manage. On this I have personal experience. In fact I am willing to gander that a lot of the women on this site has had some sort of self defense class, martial arts experience or military training. The sad truth is, you can prepare as best as you can but if something is going to happen to you then it is going to happen to you. Just do your best to survive if it does, and please note that is a very big if.
The AT and most other trails truly are safe, especially when hiking in the main season. Even as a person of solitude, which I am, you can hike safely and keep your solitude on the AT.

Someone mentioned towns....for me I have found the biggest threat about towns is obviously hitch hiking alone whether male or female, but then again when is it not? The AT towns are used to hikers so really this is not such a concern there in my opinion, I am sure others may feel differently. And going to town, every now and then if you cannot get a ride a dog might get loose and charge after you. Waving the hands and hollering or blowing your whistle often brings them up short, and if it does not, and they keep coming, a good wack on the nose with your hiking stick sends them whelping off everytime.

The AT is a beautiful trail and I try to encourage everyone to hike it and our other national trails. I wish you best and hope in the future you take into consideration some of your wording when addressing a group you are asking for help from. We really are happy you are here, it's always refreshing to see more and more people interested in our trails.
Happy trails.

I'm hoping to thru hike NOBO in 2016 or 2017. However, I'll still be in college at that time. I'm strong and have four years of martial arts under my belt, but I'm also 5'4" and the AT is a sausagefest. Anybody have advice for thru hiking as a young woman amongst largely older men? Particularly on the more social NOBO route. I'm pretty obviously gay but for some inexplicable reason men are often undeterred.


Notes: I am very much a creature of solitude, so getting a hiking buddy isn't for me. I briefly considered carrying a pistol, but decided it's not worth the extra weight and effort, especially since it could easily just be turned on me. I do usually carry a small can of pepper spray (the kind that clips onto your belt and extends out on a line when you pull it) when I hike, but I don't know if that will be enough.