Safety For Women Alone in the Backcountry
Hi Steph,
I’ve been hiking alone for eight years. A few weeks ago, for the first time ever, I had a man threaten and chase me while I was on a hike. Luckily I had cell phone service and was close enough to the parking lot that I could run to safety, but I am still traumatized by the event. I have always felt safer in the woods than in the city, but now I am now afraid to take (even short) solo trips. Finding partners feels nearly impossible, too, so I am left sitting at home when I would rather be exploring.What do you bring/do to protect yourself and give yourself the confidence to travel and explore alone? Should we be carrying self-defense weapons other than mace? I would like to feel safe in the woods again- whatever it takes!
Thank you as always,
Alicia
Hi Alicia,
It’s really good to hear from you, but I hate hearing you had such a terrible experience. I’m glad you were able to get to safety and get out of that situation, and I can absolutely understand how you feel traumatized and unable to feel confident out alone now. I’ve read several articles online explaining that people and women are safer alone in the wilderness than they are in cities. That may be true, but it doesn’t change your experience and your knowledge of what’s possible, and I personally think that being aware of all risks and trying to prepare for them is a very good thing.
Most of my solo travel and time in the backcountry has been in the company of a dog: first my dog Fletch and now my dog Cajun. Fletcher was a very mellow and well behaved dog, but she amazed me once by acting very ominous toward someone when they approached me in a park (they turned around and left). Among Cajun’s wonderful/terrible qualities is her deep suspicion of anyone she doesn’t know unless they throw balls, and her impressive jujitsu skills–whether I want her to be or not, she’s definitely a deterrent for anyone who sees us outside together and perhaps she’s already saved me from an unwanted encounter (I’m sure in her mind, she’s saved me from several thousand).
About 12 years ago in Moab, an accomplished ultrarunner slipped on an icy trail, fell off a small cliff and was trapped overnight with a broken hip–her dog returned to the closest parking area until a rescue team arrived and then led them several miles to where she was stuck. My top suggestion would be to consider a dog hiking companion, or even two.
Bear spray is never a bad thing to have in the woods too, so it might be a good policy to have that on your backpack hipbelt or on your arm where you can reach it immediately. And it’s always a good idea to hike without music or podcasts, so you have full awareness of your surroundings.
When I was living in Yosemite in the early 2000s, there were several months and seasons when I parked at the Manure Pile parking lot 2-3 times a week at 4 in the morning and started hiking to the top of El Cap alone. To me, this seemed like a classic recipe for what not to do as a woman alone: Yosemite is pretty well known for attracting some bad characters and I was following a very regular schedule and heading off alone on the same trail in the dark. I always felt I was fine once I started to jumar the fixed lines, but I was concerned about the sequence of leaving my car in the dark, going through the parking area and the trail up to the ropes. I tried to vary where I parked and be extremely aware of my surroundings through that entire sequence of leaving the car to reaching the fixed lines, and I also carried bear spray and a small taser on my hipbelt and chest strap. If I wanted to listen to music, I didn’t do that until I got on or past the fixed lines.
I always also recommend carrying a cell phone and an InReach device, as well as making sure someone knows where you’re going and expected return or check in times.
While this is not in my suggestion menu, I do remember when I first moved to Moab in the 90s, a desert climber named Betsy used to run alone all the time on the trails and jeep roads with a handgun strapped to her bicep. I have no idea if it was legal or if she ever used it (and obviously there are a lot of pros and cons to weigh if going down that road)–but I would imagine it encouraged people to steer clear!
For the most immediate future, I’d suggest going through the extra effort to invite someone along with you on your first hikes, because I think it’s going to be very hard at first to get back outside in the aftermath of that bad encounter. And while I don’t advocate being so afraid that you don’t do anything or have a terrible time doing it, I think it’s always smart to assess the possible risks of a situation and come up with some basic plans and procedures that could help you address them if things go wrong. Once you’ve implemented those procedures in your normal sequence, you don’t have to focus on them as much anymore and hopefully you’ll never even need them, but you can go about your business having stacked the odds in your favor.
Please take care,
Steph
