I have a confession…. I am a woman and I hike by myself all the time…. and I like it. Chances are you have some opinions, or questions, about that. A lot of people do. Here are my answers to some of the questions I hear most frequently about my solo adventures.
“WHY DON’T YOU JUST GET SOMEONE TO GO WITH YOU?”
I wish it was that easy…. everyone I know has different schedules going on in their lives. Sometimes I can get a friend to tag along, other times, I don’t want to.
There is an unparalleled peace to being in nature alone, to being able to let my mind wander and not having to carry on conversation. There’s a joy to being able to go exactly my own pace on any given day – to being able to stop and take photos every three feet without annoying a hiking buddy. A lot of times, I just really like, scratch that, LOVE hiking alone.
“AREN’T YOU SCARED?”
Yes, sometimes, I am scared when I’m on trails alone. I catch myself stopping and listening to the sounds of the trail – making sure it isn’t an animal getting ready to attack me. (which in all reality will probably never happen) I also turn around a lot to see if there is anything g or anyone behind me. But for the most part, these moments are just moments. They pass and they happen less frequently the more I’m out by myself.
“IS IT SAFE?”
Ok, a lot of times this comes in the form of a statement telling me that solo female hiking isn’t safe, but I’ve phrased it as a question for consistency. No, I don’t think hiking solo as a female (or anyone for that matter) is perfectly safe. There is some risk involved, but I balance, the risk to reward. I also take certain basic precautions to help further minimize the risk.
The one thing everyone thinks you should be afraid of are wild animals.
Yes there are wild animals in the areas that trails run through. There are the cute squirrels and rabbits and then there are bears and mountain lions which will destroy you. The risk of interactions with these types of animals is low. The risk that an injury or death with result from the interaction is even lower. In the past 100 years, there have been 125 Cougar attacks and 27 deaths from those attacks documented.
Of course, you still don’t want to be one of these statistics. It’s useful to have a general idea of what animal dangers are in an area and what to do if you encounter one of the dangerous animals. Often, making noise will help avoid an interaction and if one occurs, looking big and not turning your back to the animal will help avoid escalation of the incident.
“SHOULD I HIKE SOLO AS A FEMALE?”
My opinion here parallels my thoughts on whether you should visit Tijuana, Mexico by yourself. It’s a very personal choice. Whether you should or should not hike solo as a female is a personal question. Again, as much as I love being on trails solo, there is risk involved and that risk is greater than if you were hiking with someone else. You need to decide if you are comfortable with the risks.
I’d also note that the risks are different for each activity and location. The risk of trail hiking in a popular state park is not the same as the risk of trail hiking alone in more desolate areas of the Arizona desert.
I wish you happy trails whether alone or with your favorite adventure partner.
michelle in the wild 