5 Comments
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Christine Finlayson's avatar

I'm glad you trusted your instincts here. Some encounters you just KNOW.

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Jim Sutherland's avatar

The right answer is trust your instincts, no shame in bailing. The mountain/desert/forest/lake will be there another time. One of the old guys in my squadron, (he must have been 35!) used to say I’d rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air, than in the air wishing I was on the ground. If it feels wrong, it probably is…. Good writing as always.

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Hiking Incognito's avatar

I hope you realize this isn’t just a “woman” thing. Hiking or biking alone can be scary for anyone. I carry pepper spray and a knife (that I call my false sense of security), not to mention a dog that might lick someone to submission at best. Just as one stays on alert for bears and cougars, humans also can be dangerous. Always trust your instincts, they will never let you down if you do. Be grateful you obviously have great instincts! I’ve aborted outings and praise myself for it

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Jenny | The Belonging Project's avatar

Thank you for sharing. Reading this I had flashbacks to a lot of moments in my life. It can be scary and at the same time frustrating the projection of everything and everyone is “unsafe”. There are sometimes bad people and also, a lot of good ones. We can’t live in fear, just awareness and doing the best we can with listening to our guts. I love solo hiking too ❤️ you are brave and keep spreading awareness for other women.

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purpleviking's avatar

Thank you for sharing your adventures. It's a shame that women doing outdoor activities have to worry about this sort of stuff. Just a question, do you carry mace? You don't have to answer, so you're not informing the world. Keep enjoying the outdoors and stay safe. 😊

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