I am sitting around dreaming of my 2-month section hike this summer... I'm ready to get moving, but until then, all I can do is hike on the weekends and read my way through the scads of AT memoirs, trailjournals, and non-fiction selections out there. As I've read, I've come across the following viewpoints or perceptions more than once, and was curious about what women (and men) on whiteblaze would say.
1. If a female hooks up with someone on the trail he has "dibs" on you, or is considered responsible for you for the rest of the trail.
2. Females hiking with significant others are seen as "sidekicks" or not as much of a respected hiker as a female hiking solo.
I apologize if this is insulting, but I have to admit, that seemingly inevitable moment in a trailjournal where my heroine falls in love with Bigfooted Dancing Mountain Bear Man and they decide to shack up and start an organic algae farm in Damascus always makes me groan in disappointment.
Has anyone else wondered about this, or should I quit my armchair philosophizing and just hike?