I transitioned a few years ago and live hiking. My sister and a couple others have worries about me going on a hike alone, not for wildlife or cliff dangers but men.

I have been getting a little anxious about it after seeing how much strength I have lost after being out of the military and post surgery. On the other hand fuck the world and society, I'm not going to let shitty people keep me from doing what I love.

Do any of you solo hike or do things alone and what do you do to prepare or be aware of?

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[–] 13 points 1 month ago

I solo hike and backpack. I listen to my instincts same as normal daily city life; baseline cautious of all men, pull the plug at any whiff of weird from an individual.

  • make sure someone knows where you're going and has an actionable plan if you don't check in by x time
  • check in at a ranger station if you're hiking somewhere remote or multi-day
  • hiking poles, pocket knife clipped visibly to belt, pepper spray designed for runners within reach
  • if backpacking and reaching end of day, you don't want to feel obligated to stop where other people are if they're unsafe, make sure you're prepared to continue in the dark including being familiar with your gear so you can setup in the dark
  • InReach Mini or other if you want a comms method and will be out of cell range
  • If any man brings up "man or bear" while on the trail, fuckin' run
  • I've never carried a gun nor had an interest in it

I've had more problems with off-leash dogs than with men. But, y'know, they were off-leash because their owners (always men IME) thought they were above the rules and trail etiquette.

Perfect analogy to "not all men but always a man" - I can't tell which dog is dangerous until it's too late so I treat all with baseline caution.

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