Hiking alone as a woman

[HeidiHiker]

I'm hiking more than 15 years, both alone, with friends, with Ramblers club. I enjoy all equally. I've done a few navigation courses, can use a map and compass.

There's a couple of routes I like to do alone, approx a four-hour hike - sometimes I meet others and sometimes not. I would only ever do solo hikes in good weather and I know these routes so well at this stage, I've never needed to use my map and compass.

However, a few people have expressed to me how dangerous this is. I do my solo hikes on trails/ tracks and do the more difficult ones when I'm with others. I enjoy these, the peace and quiet.

My question is:
AIBU - stop hiking alone
AINBU - continue these hikes I'm familiar with, alone, continue doing more remote ones with others

I don't go hiking but I go running on some popular but pretty lonely routes. I stick to the paths, tell my husband roughly how long I'll be and also share my location with him, mainly incase I fall over and hurt myself. I also carry a whistle on me which again helps people come find me or stop an unlikely attack.

I'm more likely to run into an attacker walking to the corner shop in the dark than one who is loitering in a remote location on the off chance a susceptible person might come past.

That's not to say it can be un-nerving, sometimes it can be but as a woman there will always be a risk I will be attacked and I can't stop living my life, all I can do is take precautions.

Nobody can tell you that you will be 100% safe. It is just not possible. I have hiked alone. I have also had a man follow me and another tell me he was planning on raping me. You are right to be a little cautious but you have to balance that with getting to do what you love. Plan what you would do if you were to encounter a wrongun but try not to dwell on it too much!

Why would you describe a woman who has concern for her personal safety as a "pearl clutcher"?

This.

I've been hiking alone for over 40 years now, often as once a week in summer. Nothing has ever happened. I'm not saying that it couldn't conceivably happen, but it is not "extremely dangerous" in known beauty spots or national parks where there is not a soul around bar maybe some dog walkers and a couple of fellow hikers coming from the opposite direction.

Encountering someone dodgy has been at the back of my mind, but, looking at the situation from a potential (always cowardly) attacker's point of view, someone striding along with a backpack getting in the way and thick clothing which would have to be wrestled off is not the most attractive proposition for them, and a Wayne Couzens psycho type is encountered in city parks and dimly lit streets at night, not the countryside.

In addition to the usual equipment, I have the bSafe app on my phone, which alerts chosen friends or family in the case of danger, and I carry in my pockets a couple of those small personal alarms which emit a shriek just below the legal limit for noise when you pull a pin. I used to carry a smoke bomb at one point: anything unexpected will put them off. More sophisticated personal devices to deter potential attackers are in the Wired article below.
www.wired.com/story/best-personal-safety-tech/

Any lone hiker male or female should carry a GPS tracker with a non-geographic SIM - anyone can fall into a gully and break a leg. They have an SOS button. When you press it it sends your coordinates to your list of contacts and you can also talk to them as with a normal phone. Your contacts can also send a text to your tracker requesting location coordinates at any time.

I hike alone all the time. I presume that you mean dangerous in terms of injury? Have you considered those emergency locator beacons? I think they're a bit expensive so don't have one but if it was that or not do the new routes, I would get one.

(Sorry, misunderstood the AIBU. I would do most routes alone. That's part of the thrill for me)

The problem with phones is running of signal or battery.

Non-geographic SIMs are not locked to any network so they pick up any signal going in the area.

If you enjoy hiking do what you want! The only thing I would suggest is maybe having a location share on your phone with someone you trust just in case you injure yourself or whatever.

I'm the same, have done hundreds of miles on my own. I have kit in case I fall over and can't make it back.

I think it's partly background/experience. I have always done this, but would be very uncomfortable getting a late night train on my own.

I’ve spent literally thousands of hours hiking and camping in remote mountain areas and can honestly say that I have never once felt harassed or threatened by men. Of course I do sometimes worry or feel afraid, but I’m not willing to let fear stop me doing what I love.

I say this as someone with a low general opinion of men who absolutely has felt harassed and threatened by men in built up areas!

The risk of medical incident or accident is a separate issue. It could happen to anyone, but it happens very rarely to those who are equipped and experienced and operating within their limits.

If you need 999 emergency, any network will take it independent of who provided your service

I've been afraid of walking alone since I was very frightened by a large, aggressive guard dog who'd escaped from a farmhouse. Dense woodland with no one to see - thought I was a gonner!

Basically I thought I'd better chuck it into the mix before someone else did. It seems to be a well worn description on MN for anyone who might, for a single second, suspect a man is predatory. Ditto anyone who doesn't want to fling open their front door at 2am to a total male stranger or who might be thinking twice about camping alone in the wilds of Colombia.

It's always going to be potentially more dangerous to hike alone e.g. if you get lost it would be safer to be on pairs, if your phone runs out of battery the other person's might not have done etc but I do it regularly by myself. I just take sensible precautions which I'm sure you do too e.g. fully charged phone, snack, water, know the route, for a complex route let someone know where you're going etc.

Just enjoy it but take reasonable precautions.

Provided you have battery.

I take battery packs.

I'd be more concerned about getting a signal (fecking EE!)

I always pop my phone into airplane mode or sometimes just turn it off altogether whilst walking - it will go quite a few days like that

I totally agree with all you say. I'm very independent, do lots alone - but you're right, a lot of people advising me against it wouldn't do other things I do alone, such as cinema, meals out, etc.

My mum hikes and camps alone, she has done since her early twenties, she’s now a pensioner. She has always been fine, she does tell someone where she is going, sometimes its a text, other times someone at the camp site if its a manned camp with a reception. The only precautions she really takes due to be on her own is having two camp chairs as in her mine people will think she has a camp mate, she also pitches her tent next to a family if she can.

PP’s right if you had to call 999 the signal piggy backs any network.

But you might not need 999 in which case signal will be an issue.

Either way 999 don’t automatically get your location which is what is key about a tracker. With no signal presumably tracker apps like what3words won’t work.

I walk alone in places I know well. I am conscious that I may be vulnerable but I only go to places I’m familiar with, I make a point of saying hello or having a chat with other walkers so that they will remember me should anything happen (not necessarily a rogue man but falling for example). I let someone know where I’m going and send photos etc on route.

You should keep enjoying your hobby, you’re doing it sensibly.

I've always walked everywhere alone, home after the pub, walks. I've never stop. Never felt an ounce of fear. I don't like the mn view of 'oh you shouldn't walk anywhere'.

An opportunist wanting to attack a woman is unlikely to choose a remote track miles from anywhere.
He’ll want to conserve his energy for later.

I wouldn't hike up into the hills on my own but that's because I don't feel confident in my map reading skills, so would rather go with a group until I feel more confident in that area.

But trails local to me that are fairly circular and easy to navigate even if weather turned quickly? Oh yes I love walking alone. I did a 10 mile one today, and feel so much better for it. It clears my head.

I tell people my route. Start time and let them know once I'm back to the car