personal safety

kmac said:

Whether I'm hiking solo or with a group I always carry a whistle, mace and a compass.
kmac

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damn - I guess that means no sneakin'''' up on you

I've never felt that my safety was in danger from other people or wild animals. I will say, and I don't want to get too far off topic here, the only things that have so far given me pause while on the trail are unleashed dogs, and I LOVE DOGS! Oh, and steep slippery rocks, but I don't think a can of mace would do much good!

I think you guys watch too many scary movies!

giggy said:

damn - I guess that means no sneakin'''' up on you

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Wear your bear bells...

Doug

giggy said:

IMO - while hiking, and telling people false or vague plans could be a more of a problem than its worth if you get hurt.

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I'm going to respectfully disagree with you here (and perhaps this is just the perspective of a female solo hiker...) For every hike I do, my husband has an itinerary sitting at home. If I don't come home (due to being hurt, lost or whatever) that's what's going to go to the people that search for me. My husband knows me well enough to know that I'm not going to purposely deviate from my intended route and would express that to searchers, even if some random hiker comes along and tells people I was going to do something else.

More often I try to be evasive rather than outright lie about where I'm heading if someone is giving me a bad vibe. Granted this has only happened a couple of times. However, on one trip I felt "grilled" about my intinerary... by someone that made me very uncomfortable. If my choices are lying, feeling unsafe or turning aroung to head home early, I'm going to lie about where I'm headed.

All that said, I have never had an experience where I was in danger from another person. I have met a small handful of people that gave me the creeps and caused me to hike on more quickly than I expected. I choose to listen to my intuition in those cases whether it proves wrong or right by day's end.

- Ivy

poison ivy said:

I choose to listen to my intuition in those cases whether it proves wrong or right by day's end.
- Ivy

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...not a bad idea

... a detailed itinerary ....

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I used to do that, but I've become quite lax over tha past buch of years. I think the last trip, I said, "Going to New Hampshire, with someone from the net." I do tend to give a bit more details when I am alone.... I'll at least name the mountain I'm climbing.

Adk_dib said:

.... pepper spray canister .... I still have the canister even though it is 6 years old. I take it when I go camping. ....

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Use it when you make tacos for a crowd.

Pete_Hickey said:

"Going to New Hampshire, with someone from the net."

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Dying over here reading that one!!

Pete_Hickey said:

I used to do that, but I've become quite lax over tha past buch of years. I think the last trip, I said, "Going to New Hampshire, with someone from the net." I do tend to give a bit more details when I am alone.... I'll at least name the mountain I'm climbing.

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Sounds mighty detailed to me...

I usually just go and don't tell anyone until I've returned.

Doug

My wife and kids have seen far more evidence of bears around our home in central New Hampshire than I have seen in 35 years of hiking. Bears know an easy meal better than I do. Personally, I think that in the Northeast we should be far more fearful of lack of preparedness for foul weather while on a trail in the Whites, than from bears and unsavory humans. I do support the right to arm bears.

That being said, I am male, 6'3", hike with two large, happy dogs and never felt much fear in any bar, or dark alley type situation. It sounds to me like Periwinkle & Poison Ivy have the right amount of caution for a female in todays world.

I carry a small gold ring in my pocket. If I meet someone creepy, I slip the ring on my finger and pretend I'm invisible. If that doesn't work, I slay them with the Lexan knife that I call Sting.

Isn't there a jacket called "Mithril" manufactured by Go-Lite that you can wear?

I agree that most people on the trails in NH are safe but there have been occasional instances where hikers have found themselves in trouble. About eight years ago two women were hiking on one of the trails in Waterville Valley-not sure if it was Drakes Brook. A man with a gun assulted them and told them to take off all their clothes, which they did . They managed to get away from him and ran onto route 49, still naked where the police found them. Not sure if they ever found the man. Could these women have protected themselves if they were armed? Not sure if it would have helped or made the situation worse, but the woods are not as safe as you think. So I still think it may be prudent to take some precautions.

If one looks hard enough, one can find instances of just about any particular problem occuring in the woods. The key factors are what is the probability that it will occur on one's next visit, the amount of damage, and the cost* of defending against against the problem. The best estimator of this probability is usually the past occurrance rate (=number_of_occurrances/number_of_visits). One must then weigh the three factors and then decide if the defensive device is worth carrying.

People frequently replace observed probability with perceived probability (sometimes higher (eg personal attack, bear attack), sometimes lower (eg car accident)).

* cost is a generalized cost: money, weight, size, risk of carrying it, etc.

For instance (while hiking in the NE):
1) the probability and damage of dehydration may be high, the cost of carrying water is fairly low, so I carry water.
2) the probabilty and damage of bad weather is high, the cost of protective clothing is reasonable, so I carry protective clothing.
3) The probability of a bear encounter is low, the probable damage is fairly low, so I don't carry any specific bear defenses (except for my food...).
4) The probability of a personal attack is very low, the possible damage might be high, I don't carry any specific defenses.

These instances and what I carry are my opinion, YMMV.

Doug

The only "weapon" I have on my solo hikes is my sturdy hiking staff. The last couple of years my "little" girl Frodo, ( AKA Mrs. Goobs),a half rott/ half English mastiff happlily accompanies me on non high peak hikes. Believe me, nothing messes with the big goob. Nothing! More seriously, I'm much more leary and concerned about sleeping over night at different trail head parking lots. Not ADK loj of course, but those that are just off the road. You just don't know what wackos are out there these days.

I took my 6 year old pepper spray canister out back to test it. It is supposed to have a 7 second spray. I push the button and the spray came flying out for about a second. I guess it is still good to keep in my tent. I still have 6 seconds left . no comments from the woman out there

skibones said:

They managed to get away from him and ran onto route 49, .

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RAD class gals. At least you will have a fighting chance!!!
Who knows....maybe these two were "RAD GRADS"!!!They obviously did something right.

skibones said:

I agree that most people on the trails in NH are safe but there have been occasional instances where hikers have found themselves in trouble....Not sure if they ever found the man.

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Trust me on this one -- the gun totting freak isn't out there any more. I've been just about everywhere -- and I mean everywhere -- on the three USGS quads for this area. Haven't seen him. Rest easy on that one.

...but the woods are not as safe as you think. So I still think it may be prudent to take some precautions.

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Although I agree that the woods aren't completely as safe as we'd wish, I consider myself safer there that I did working in the Combat Zone in Boston. (Ah, and don't even go there fellas -- it was an office job! )

All in all, if you feel safer taking some kind of precautionary measures along to give yourself piece of mind, do it just for that reason. It's your hike -- do it your way.

Neil, what do you mean you used an air horn to get above treeline? I don’t get it.

I’m picturing The Rocketeer...

Raymond said:

Neil, what do you mean you used an air horn to get above treeline? I don’t get it.

I’m picturing The Rocketeer...

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There is often about a mile or more of forest to whack through before getting above treeline en route to the summit. It was in there that we sounded off the horn regularly. On our way back down we started again, just above treeline.
Just to avoid surprising "anybody".

For the record: I recently stated a thread on a CDN Rockies scrambling forum asking about bears and precautions and to my great surprise everybody replied that they never thought about it, never took any specific precautions, had never had any encounters.

skibones said:

I agree that most people on the trails in NH are safe but there have been occasional instances where hikers have found themselves in trouble. About eight years ago two women were hiking on one of the trails in Waterville Valley-not sure if it was Drakes Brook. A man with a gun assulted them and told them to take off all their clothes, which they did . They managed to get away from him and ran onto route 49, still naked where the police found them. Not sure if they ever found the man. Could these women have protected themselves if they were armed?

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As stated previously, unless the gals were trained and practiced with some type of weapon (gun, knife, pepperspray)and had the opportunity to use it it is highly unlikely they would have won a battle against a guy toting a gun. Unless you have a conceal carry permit, or don't mind lugging a few extra pounds, I don't recommend carrying a gun along. A knife or pepper spray can be useful to carry for other reasons, but not a gun

Maddy has brought up great suggestion regarding taking a RAD class. They are extremely helpful and invaluable.(not just on a hiking trail but in everyday life where you will find more danger for a single gal) I also suggest for those who may have taken a similar class over five years ago, go again as a refresher. When poop hits the fan, instinct/training will take over.

I am a single gal myself who hikes solo on occasion. I find if you run into creepy folks (not talking just creepy guys either), get on your way. Walking in a confident manner, being aware of your surroundings and paying attention to your instincts is invaluable. ALWAYS follow your instincts. Rarely are they wrong.