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Is hiking alone dangerous for a woman to do?
By HikingOn | April 16, 2009
I enjoy hiking in the mountains. I never thought twice about it, but recently one of my friends said that I was crazy because women are usually raped or murdered when they are alone running, hiking etc. She said men can go hiking alone but it is not safe for women. Is such a fear logical? Should I change my exercise routine?
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Topics: Hiking | 1 Comment »
April 16th, 2009 at 5:45 am
A lot depends on where you go hiking.
A female friend of mine works in the Santa Monica Mountains as a ranger, and she has seen a lot of that sort of thing. She does not recommend women hiking in that area alone.
On the other hand, I have another female friend who loves to go hiking, habitually by herself, in the San Gabriel Mountains adjacent to Pasadena/Altadena. She starts in the foothills in the Eaton Canyon Nature Preserve area and hikes all the way up to Henniger Flats. She has never had a problem, or seen a problem.
Best might be to check in with the local ranger station and ask them for specific information.
Personally, I love to go hiking (and even camping) alone, but I always carry pepper spray (for 2-footed and 4-footed predators types), a stout stick, and possibly one other self defense "item" depending on where I am going. I have never had any trouble other than seeing a couple of rattlesnakes here and there that ran for their lives the moment they saw me.
cheers!