Like I've said in the past, if you use the same skills/intuition to survive in everyday life you should be fine on the trail. Nothing is 100% certain so just deal with it.
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
Gotchya...wasn't paying close attention to all the dates.
I suspect the trail is as safe as any place that a single woman can be during the hiking season. When I walked the trail 20 years ago I used to ask single women I became friendly with if they had "ever felt threatened."Originally Posted by Spokes
The answer invariably was "no."
It's natural, man or woman, to feel nervous in a new experience. Most of us, men and women, quickly adjust to the new environment and any trail worries vanish.
There are also plenty of older fathers out on the trail these days who don't take kindly to folks who are rude to woman.
Pink.
Although all these post are positive and true I've lived in Ellijay my whole life, one high school and one small community. Ellijay is one of the closest towns to the beginning of the trail heading NOBO. I'm thru hiking SOBO in June. Although I'm hiking with my partner I do a lot of day hikes around the area. I ALWAYS keep pepper spray and a small knife, even if it's silly it makes me feel safer. I also hike with my pet wolf who is extremely protective but years ago a woman, hiking with her dog was raped and killed, the man who did it has done this up and down the coast on different trails, and state parks. (I'm reminded of that EVERY TIME I mention a solo hike) http://at-trail.blogspot.com/2011/08...ian-trail.html That's a website that has a list of deaths on the AT. Some natural, some suicide, some have nothing to do with hikers the bodies just ended up on the trail. I live in a town where we don't lock our doors and everyone knows everyone, yet a body was found last week in a local abandon barn. Times are changing and although the AT community is WONDERFUL and full of caring, giving, and incredible people you still have a few strange cases. So be comfortable, don't walk 2000 miles scared but be mindful.
Good Luck on your hike!
Hope to see you!
And probably some young suitors that'll the @#$*out of someone for being a !#$#$.
image017a.jpg bet you feel safe now.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
I bought a permit back in 2001,good for 50 years.
Hey I thought we agreed to stay out of the "pink" area?
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Well RS - looks like we closed this thread... I hope I did not offend anyone... FYI - I have only posted a very few times here out of a deep respect for your need for a forum.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Male or female I would bring a tent, if you don't like the shelter or people, tent there or move on.
Hey girlfriends, no worries in Monson, Maine. We can transport you to town, stores, suppliers, post office, etc. My Maine Guide/neurosurgeon hubby and I have a home there with showers, W/D, comfy beds, food, my homemade granola, and a beautiful waterfront to kayak on, swim in, relax. We also have friends in the right places in Monson, including local BBQ joint and town hall. If you are willing to talk to me about your thru-hike and what motivated you to take on the AT, I want to listen and learn and possibly include your experience in my narrative nonfiction project. Time for a book about YOU and your lady trailmates. Nothing against men - I'm a happy camper when it rains them - but most AT books out there are written by and about the guys, huh?
So, listen up Nobo and Sobo Wonderwomen: contact me before or after your 100-mile-wilderness challenge OR when you finish (not start) at Katahdin. I can no longer summit due to injury, but can meet you at campground. Will transport you and girlfriends back to Monson or to southern Maine at end of thru-hike. Sorry, I am not offering you money, but I would like to hear your stories and perhaps include in book. If published, its proceeds will help bring back this dying town - a benefit to ALL hikers. Please see www.megwilsonauthor.com for more about me and my other book projects. (Pics you see on website are of my house in southern Maine. Retreats are not free. Our camp is more sacred and private to us, and we share that on an invite-only basis. Thank you! -- Meg Wilson
Hikers on the AT are very friendly, camp away from roads and you should be fine. Find a group you get along with, and tag along! they'll be there for you.
I would absolutely bring pepper spray, and keep it where you can easily reach it. I have never had any problems on the trail, but I have had several times when it gave me 'peace of mind'.
Cary
Posting Permissions
Female Hiking forums
Reply With Quote
