Advice on Staying Anonymous on the Trail

[Skye15]

Hello, I didn't see a post like this so I figured I'd pose my question. I may have a bit of a stalker issue when I leave for the trail.

There is someone from my past that knows I am doing the trail, I can't be certain he knows my exact leave date - but I assume he might. He has the potential to be a threat towards me. He has done a good majority of the AT and knows the trail pretty well. I know a lot of people will be on the trail at once, safety in numbers, but I am still nervous that he could follow/find me via the trail journals, my blog, social media, word of mouth (and find me alone or get me alone). I've started thinking about things I could do to be safe. But I am curious, how possible is it really for someone to find a thru-hiker? To know where they'll be at? And besides the obvious, posting different locations and dates on my blog and mixing up my leave date, anyone have advice on things I can do? And the big question - should I still even attempt the AT? I really do not want to have to give up doing the trail because of this guy. I am hoping I can still do it, but just be smart about it.

Thanks!

[illabelle]

You might consider an alternate itinerary, starting at Harpers Ferry and going SOBO, or NOBO from Damascus, or any of several other options.
If you want to have a blog, perhaps you could send info to a trusted friend who could post it under an alias with bogus stuff for age, hometown, occupation, etc.
As to your "big question" whether it's unsafe for you to attempt the AT, I assume this guy knows where you are now, right? If so, and he's not currently threatening you, is he really so motivated to stalk you that he would spend the time, effort, and money to walk/drive/fly up and down the AT corridor, backtracking as needed, asking everybody he meets, in hopes of finding you?
If he is currently threatening you, you need to discuss with law enforcement or someone with similar knowledge and skill.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Just how dangerous is he? Has he made any threats? Current restraining order? History of violence? Weapons? Potential to physically harm you and/or others? If any of these, you need to talk to law enforcement. Realistically if he has, or can get, any idea of your start date, all he has to do is sit somewhere north of where you start, or are at any given point in time (that's where social media by you or even other hikers or even a single pic sucks), and wait for you to come to him. And you say he knows the trail very well, which means he will likely be able to figure out where you are even if you don't post anything but someone you run across or hike with gives up info either in a blog or if he asks them at a trailhead. You probably should completely avoid all social media, blogs, and any public mention of your itinerary, and warn others not to post any info regarding your presence. Even posting here on WB is giving away some information. I think you should definitely not hike or camp alone. And preferably try to always stay around as many "sheepdog" type people as you can, be they men or women.

Good luck. Stay safe. I can't imagine trying to enjoy hiking while looking over my shoulder.

[SteelCut]

I second Illabelle's suggestions. You should consider discontinuing the social media updates and possibly doing something like email updates to trusted friends and family if you want to keep them informed with your progress. There is a nice contingent of "mature" hikers starting a flip-flop from Harper's Ferry in late April and early May so you might want to consider an alternate and less-publicized agenda.

[Gray Bear]

I say go for the preemptive strike. Break both his legs before you leave and enjoy your trip Too much?

[Walkintom]

+1 to Illabelle's suggestions.

I think that you should take all appropriate cautions in regards to your situation. Hope for the best and plan for the worst.

At the very least, file a police report and get the information on record that you have a reason to fear this person. Something that can be referenced if you do have contact with this individual and need to get law enforcement involved. If you have an encounter and that record exists and gets pulled it puts things in a whole different light for law enforcement.

I have often found that my blog postings were about a week behind actual events and I would get offers of help from friends/family relating events that were long solved, but they were casual followers, not people who were actually trying to locate me from those posts. It would have been EASY to extrapolate where I was, or more importantly, where I was not yet, by reading my blog and social posts.

Road crossings are an excellent place to find someone who is hiking the AT. I am confident that I could easily track someone down if they took no particular care regarding their AT blogging/social posts. Even with no such indicators I could even do so without appearing to be stalkerish by acting as a trail angel and not asking after any particular person, just asking about who's on the trail that might come by my particular location. Depending on how resourceful and patient of a predator your worrisome individual is, you could be found.

The thing about hunting someone is that they have to get away from you every time. You only have to catch them once.

[Rain Man]

And the big question - should I still even attempt the AT? I really do not want to have to give up doing the trail because of this guy. I am hoping I can still do it, but just be smart about it.

First of all, I hate hearing that this is happening to you ... and happens to so many women in America. I hope you can solve the problem by removing the threat.

Having said that, if you don't attempt the AT, does that mean the problem goes away? I'm just trying to compare apples to apples, in other words.

As far as finding someone on the AT, I'll relay a story I know of personally. I was to drive to Maine to pick up my daughter when she finished her AT hike in '04. Before the days of every single person having a cell phone and cell towers being every where. She did not carry a cell phone. The details of our plans were not worked out and she was in the 100-Mile Wilderness when I left Nashville. I posted my ETA here on WB and hit the road. Within 24 hours someone had read my post AND happened to meet her in the middle of the 100-Mile Wilderness, and realized who she was, and told her exactly when I'd be meeting her and where. That was shocking, ... though a pleasant shock in that case, I admit.

In other words, it goes both ways. The trail is a small, tight-knit community, and will help look out for you if it knows to do so.

Rain Man

[Lone Wolf]

Hello, I didn't see a post like this so I figured I'd pose my question. I may have a bit of a stalker issue when I leave for the trail.

There is someone from my past that knows I am doing the trail, I can't be certain he knows my exact leave date - but I assume he might. He has the potential to be a threat towards me. He has done a good majority of the AT and knows the trail pretty well. I know a lot of people will be on the trail at once, safety in numbers, but I am still nervous that he could follow/find me via the trail journals, my blog, social media, word of mouth (and find me alone or get me alone). I've started thinking about things I could do to be safe. But I am curious, how possible is it really for someone to find a thru-hiker? To know where they'll be at? And besides the obvious, posting different locations and dates on my blog and mixing up my leave date, anyone have advice on things I can do? And the big question - should I still even attempt the AT? I really do not want to have to give up doing the trail because of this guy. I am hoping I can still do it, but just be smart about it.

Thanks!

pretty simple. leave your Ithingy/smarty phone whatever at home. do not sign registers. write a real journal. even then it's real easy to find someone

[rickb]

Hikers tend not to hesitate sharing information about another's whereabouts.

There is no reason you need to be known on the trail as brain surgeon from Atlanta, when you could just as easily I troduce yourself to everyone as student from Michigan State-- or whatever. For some of us white lies don't come easy, but what's the harm?c

If you have a picture of him, you might to carry it or just have it where it could be easily accessed on your phone-- for all sorts of reasons.

[burger]

Hikers tend not to hesitate sharing information about another's whereabouts.

This is what I was thinking, and I think this is the OP's biggest problem even if they disguise their identity otherwise. If someone who didn't seem obviously crazy came up to me on the trail and said they were looking for such-and-such person (with a physical description but not trail name), in the past at least, I would've probably told them, assuming that the person was a relative or friend. You see those sorts of people all the time waiting for people at trail crossings. Nowadays, I would be more careful, but I suspect a lot of other hikers would assume the best and be more free with information about another hiker's whereabouts.

Here's a cautionary tale that ended without violence but ended a thru-hiker's hike early: http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=208485

[swisscross]

Everyday I am convinced that our society has gone to....
Why on earth would someone want to either stalk or frighten another person is beyond me.

I have no real advice, just be careful out there and don't let this clown bring you or your hike down.

I do like the idea of having a picture of him that you can show your bubble/family.

[colorado_rob]

Maybe not keep a blog or online journal at all; go only by a new trail name. Hike with others as much as possible. I would think he could find you more easily off trail than on trail if you do these things.

Yeah, this is a great summary, IMHO. Very sorry you have to worry about this, and I hope this worry

Everyday I am convinced that our society has gone to....

This belief is surely a result of our wonderful, informative, Sensationalistic Media. In fact, crime in the USA has drastically dropped steadily since about 1990. Check it out. Rape down from 42 per 100,000 population to 25. Assault down from 441 to 229. Overall crime down from almost 6000 to just over 3000. Yet the perception of crime increasing is with about 2/3rd of us in the USA. Here are the crime stats:

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

The bottom half of the page shows the rate/100,000 population. Individual states are shown too. There are other sources for the same data.

Sure, still too much crime out there, but really, it is at least improving, despite the common perceptions.

[colorado_rob]

woops, hit submit too soon, I meant to say: Yeah, this is a great summary, IMHO. Very sorry you have to worry about this, and I hope this worry fades quickly for you.

[Hot Flash]

Everyday I am convinced that our society has gone to....
Why on earth would someone want to either stalk or frighten another person is beyond me.

Actually, violent crime has been steadily dropping for decades now. There was far more danger of it when I was growing up than our young people face now. The only reason people think things are worse, and make comments like yours is because of the pervasive and immediate access we now have to the news. Twenty or thirty years ago, something you would only hear about if you were local to the event is now broadcast across the entire world.

So no, society hasn't gone to hell. You only think it has, and you allow confirmation bias to reinforce that thinking whenever you hear about something bad. If you need reassurance that things really aren't that bad, just take a few minutes and look up some statistics.

[rocketsocks]

Actually, violent crime has been steadily dropping for decades now. There was far more danger of it when I was growing up than our young people face now. The only reason people think things are worse, and make comments like yours is because of the pervasive and immediate access we now have to the news. Twenty or thirty years ago, something you would only hear about if you were local to the event is now broadcast across the entire world.

So no, society hasn't gone to hell. You only think it has, and you allow confirmation bias to reinforce that thinking whenever you hear about something bad. If you need reassurance that things really aren't that bad, just take a few minutes and look up some statistics.

Now is that just violent crime, or does it include all the stuff we never hear about or gets swept under the rug...like white collar and political faux pas.

[rocketsocks]

...cause I'd suggest the proverbial hand basket is well on it's way to...yeah Hello.

[rocketsocks]

Actually, violent crime has been steadily dropping for decades now. There was far more danger of it when I was growing up than our young people face now. The only reason people think things are worse, and make comments like yours is because of the pervasive and immediate access we now have to the news. Twenty or thirty years ago, something you would only hear about if you were local to the event is now broadcast across the entire world.

So no, society hasn't gone to hell. You only think it has, and you allow confirmation bias to reinforce that thinking whenever you hear about something bad. If you need reassurance that things really aren't that bad, just take a few minutes and look up some statistics.

My bad, I see you mentioned violent crime.

[Mags]

I think the best advice given is to avoid public social media. Keep it to email only among close friends and family. The idea of an alternate itinerary is also a very good one. HF-ME and then HF - GA is a well known one and is relatively easy logistically.

[Sir-Packs-Alot]

I think the best advice given is to avoid public social media. Keep it to email only among close friends and family. The idea of an alternate itinerary is also a very good one. HF-ME and then HF - GA is a well known one and is relatively easy logistically.

I know it's hard for some - but avoiding social media seems the way I'd go as well - ALONG - with an alternative itinerary as mentioned earlier in the thread. Be CAUTIOUS. If you know this person as you say - it's "experiential fear" - not paranoia - in this particular case. Good Luck.

[imscotty]

The advice to forgo social media during your trip is obvious, LW is right, keep a real journal, save your online postings until after the trip is complete. However, you also need to be aware of all the other hikers that will be posting their blogs and photos. Stay out of group photos, do not let anyone associate your real name with a trail name, do not go by Skye. It is amazing how easy it is to track a hiker, even if they are not the ones posting the informations.

Also, reconsider doing a traditional NOBO. If he knows you are doing a NOBO it is easy enough to hike SOBO through the heard until he finds you. If he has a picture to show other chatty hikers it would be easy for him to determine how many days ahead or behind you might be from a location. SOBO or an alternative might be safer, but do note let your plans be known outside of your trusted family members.

I would seriously consider telling everyone that I was going to hike the AT, and then go hike the PCT, the CT, or the Camino de Santiago. This should be fun, the trip of a lifetime, who needs that kind of stress?

And sorry to say, you need to beware that he might be reading this thread.

I wish you safe travels and peace.